Starting with my father back in 2015, we have captured stories of many Irish-born and Irish-Americans over the past 10 years. From immigration stories, to memories of the old country, and reflections on faith and tradition, it's clear that the Irish are deeply connected to their roots. Told with a dry and sometimes dark sense of humor, these stories of humility, resilience, and good fortune reveal hints of that legendary luck for which the Irish are so well known. With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, we decided to highlight some of our favorite tales of Irish wit and wisdom that we've heard over the years. Their stories serve as the ultimate reminder to never forget where you come from.
“My great-grandfather, Denis, and his sister, Joanna left Tipperary for the U.S. in 1857. They didn’t come with much. Joanna came over with a statue of the Virgin Mary. Denis was 22 but said he was under 18 and disowned the Queen of England so he could become a citizen right away.... Every immigrant that came to Lawrence (MA) lived in the plains, a poor area filled with old frame houses. As the family worked up the strata, we moved west and up the hill. It was symbolic, as I researched the family addresses, they were always moving up.” - Jim R.
"My parents were Irish immigrants from Mayo and Galway who pulled themselves up and were great examples to me. My dad only went to school through the fourth grade, leaving school to work in the mines in England. I think he was around 20 when he came here to the U.S. My mom went to school through the sixth grade and came here at age 15. They both came over by themselves, spending 7-10 days on a boat to get here. I can’t imagine it. It’s amazing when you stop and think how much they went through to get here and how much they accomplished with little guidance. They had to learn a lot about life on their own. Neither of my parents spoke much about it other than my mom saying she would never ride a boat again!" - Kathy L.
“We weren’t corned beef and cabbage people, like most Irish. It was ham and cabbage, and no matter what, my mother always had that on hand. I don’t know how she did it. Anytime someone said they were coming over, on went the pot and in went the cabbage. It was so good!" - Dorothy G.
“My grandmother, who we called Mum, was from County Clare. She was a riot and had the cutest accent. I loved to stay at her house for all the added attention, but my father always said I came home spoiled. Mum was 1 of 12 brothers and sisters, 6 of whom emigrated from Ireland. I loved hearing them all tell stories in their brogues. There was always lots of laughter when they were around and I was just fascinated by them.” - Pat G.
“[Back in Ireland], the midwife would ride around the village on her bike, with her big bag on the back of it. When we were young lads, we didn’t know anything about babies being born. We used to think she was bringing the babies in the bag, So if you saw the nurse’s bike outside a house, you’d say, ‘Oh, they must be getting a baby. I see the nurse with the bag outside.' - Pearse F.
This last client was so quintessentially Irish, even his asides were spot on.
"Are you taping this whole thing?
Jaysus, you’ll have to sensor the lot of it, so you will.”
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