It is St. Patrick's Day, a day when the world becomes Irish. This is somewhat intriguing since when the Irish emigrated throughout the world to escape famine, they were seen as vermin. Signs clearly noted that Irish would not be hired for jobs with many establishments noting "No dogs or Irish" in their windows and doors. Even over 150 years after the migration, "Irish washer woman" was a deep insult, one that stems from the menial labour many homes undertook to feed the families.
Most of my ancestral lines lead to Ireland, with others in England and Scotland. In the mid-1800s the direct line of immigrants headed to North America -- some landing in Canada and others in the US. I've often thought of that crossing. It must have been hell. The North Atlantic is known to be petulant in most seasons. It is difficult to imagine making such a decision -- to leave one's homeland knowing it wouldn't likely ever be seen again. Leaving behind family, friends and history all due to inequitable land tenure laws. The situation sounds much like what led to the 99% protests. The British parliament consisted of many wealthy land owners who were making money hand over fist while the agricultural workers were starving. When the potato crops failed due to blight, parliament fought to avoid providing supports for those dying in the streets -- stumbling down the street they were seen as drunk, when it was the effects of late stage starvation. The politics around deciding what form the food aid would take were fractious to say the least. Prime Minister Peel chose to import maize from the US along with English grain to feed the Irish. This meant repealing the Corn Laws which had been in place for decades. The laws ensured protection of local grain crops through imposition of huge tariffs on imported grains -- in effect making imports more expensive. This went against the Prime Ministers's own party policy, leading to their defeat in the next election. It was a bold move that saved many Irish people.
A song for the day remembers the plight of the immigrants. It doesn't celebrate the day by dying rivers green, over-consumption of green beer or eating corned beef and cabbage (though a nice dish of colcannon would fit due to the potato content <smile>). It does remember the difficulties of the Irish immigrants, which seem little different than any other major immigration waves through history to this day. The song is sung by an Irish band. The lyrics note the challenges faced in travel and resettling. Enjoy!
Thousands are Sailing -- The Pogues
No comments:
Post a Comment