Today is St. Patrick's Day. I choose to celebrate my heritage in a different way than the many 'Irish for the day' folks. I often replect on the family history -- what we know and all that we don't know. A few facts exist, but what people felt, their motivations and their hardships are not fully understood.
Several branches of my family tree originated in Ireland, while others came from Scotland and England. My dad's line emigrated from Ireland near the beginning of the famine. According to family lore, a young widow with a baby traveled with three brothers-in-law. When they arrived in North America, the woman, baby and youngest of the three men remained in Canada while the older two men continued on to the US. I'd like to find the ship's records to determine if the fourth brother had died in Ireland or during their travels. I think of that trip often. It was never an easy crossing; the north Atlantic is an unforgiving beast. Even arriving somewhere totally new would have been difficult to manage mentally. These were not rich individuals, so just finding shelter and food while getting settled somewhere in the vast expance of either nation would have been daunting. Work would have been menial, since the flood of immigrants from Ireland met with much discrimination. Irish were barred from many jobs and the ads of the time clearly stated that no Irish need apply. Their poverty was seen as a black mark on society, while there desire to build a better life was ignored. It was definitely a 'not in my backyard' sentiment. Even into the late 20th Century, the defamitory phrase "Irish washer woman" was hurled as an insult.
With all of that, the family seems to have thrived -- finding places to settle in eastern Canada and moving on to western provinces. I am thankful for these people for taking that large daunting step. I found a song that speaks to some of the emotion involved in making such a huge move. The song was written for a time 45 years or so after many Irish people left their homes, but the lyrics fit so well, I chose to share it here. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears -- The Irish Tenors
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