I’ve been fortunate to visit Ireland a few times and have always appreciated meeting my aunts, uncles and cousins who live there now. For this assignment, I was glad to learn more about my mom’s family and where we originated. I asked my mom to sit down with me and tell me more about when and from where our family emigrated and how they settled in the United States.
My grandmother used to tell me how she arrived in New York City from London on St. Patrick’s Day in 1954. She was thrilled to see that people in the United States celebrated the Irish. It was her first time on an airplane too. Both my grandparents were from farmlands in the west of Ireland. My grandmother was from Co. Mayo and my grandfather from Co. Clare. They met in London as there was little work in Ireland during the 1940s. Then they emigrated to Chicago in 1954 and married here. They picked Chicago as they had some family members already living here and they were looking for more opportunities. Also, while they felt fortunate to find jobs in London, the Irish were often not welcome there and were called “Paddies.” There was tension between the Irish and English as the English had colonized the Irish for centuries. A long history of struggle existed between the two countries.
My mom told me how my parents always felt very welcome in the United States. My grandfather set up Emerald Plumbing Co. on the northwest side of Chicago and they built a successful business. My mom and her family are very proud to be Irish-Americans. My mom studied in Ireland for a long time and worked there too. We have been back to Ireland several times to meet our relatives there and to visit all the places important to our family history. On every holiday, my mom and aunts make Irish coffees and invite everyone over to share soda bread too.
