The Irish in America

July 23, 2013
by Aine 6 Comments

A Grandpa’s 100th Birthday

Today is my grandpa John William Regan’s 100th birthday. He was born on a farm in Tara Township, near Clontarf, Minnesota on July 23, 1913. John was the only child of Neil and Annie Hill Regan. Neil was a first-generation Irish American and Annie came from Kill, County Kildare. He was baptized at St. Malachy Catholic Church on August 10th.

Grandpa had red curls. Annie kept his hair in long ringlets until Grandpa had ear surgery at age four and had his hair cut.

Neil, Annie, and John – 1915

John must have had fun helping his dad on the farm.

John also kept Annie company on the farm. Annie doted on her son – you can tell by his dapper outfit!

In 1921 the family of three moved off the farm and into the town of Clontarf. The eight-year-old John finally started school and Annie had John take violin lessons from a local musician.

At school, my grandpa became known as “Red” Regan because of his hair. Soon playing ball and running around with the other boys took precedence over violin practice. Grandpa had a life-long love for cars and began driving at a young age.

Grandpa graduated from Benson High School in 1933. He was a star on the football team. I guess that stands to reason since he was nearly twenty-years-old during his senior year!

After graduation, Grandpa worked behind the bar at Bruno Perrizo’s in Clontarf. Here he is in his apron with childhood pal Leo Molony.

My grandpa moved to Minneapolis in the late 1930s. He hit it off with Agnes McMahon over a game of cribbage at his friend (and Agnes’ cousin) John Foley’s place. John and Agnes were married in 1941.

It’s strange to think of my grandpa’s 100th birthday because he didn’t even live to see his 58th. He passed away the year before I was born, but I am lucky to have learned about my grandpa through the memories and stories my grandma, mother, my grandpa’s cousins, and old friends shared with me over the years. I missed out on something really special – he would have been a fantastic grandpa!

July 21, 2013
by Aine 1 Comment

Philadelphia Irish Memorial

Regan and I are heading to Philadelphia for a few days later this month. I have never been to the City of Brotherly Love, and I can’t wait!

So much to see and do …the Liberty Bell, the Barnes Collection, Betsy Ross House, and Rocky’s steps are some of the attractions I think of initially, but there is much more to Philadelphia. Over the next week, on the blog and on our Facebook page, I will feature some of what Philly has to offer for those of us interested in the Irish in America.

I already told you about McGillin’s Olde Ale House, the longest continuously operating tavern in the city, established by the Irish immigrant McGillin family. And last week I shared MacDougall’s Irish Victory Cakes – delicious cakes created using a family recipe straight from early twentieth century Belfast.

We’ve covered food and drink, so it seems somehow fitting (or maybe it’s ironic?) to highlight the Irish Memorial at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia. The Irish Memorial is a National Monument, opened to the public on October 25, 2003. The thirty-foot bronze sculpture commemorates the Great Famine of Ireland of the 1840s and was created by artist Glenna Goodacre.

The memorial tells both sides of the story as it remembers both those who suffered and died in Ireland as a result of the Famine, as well as those who escaped the starvation and came to America. The Irish Memorial website says:

The Irish Memorial is dedicated to the memory of more than one million innocent men, women and children who perished during the years 1845 to 1850 and to the millions of Irish immigrants who found here in the United States of America the freedom, liberty and prosperity denied to their ancestors in Ireland.

I look forward to seeing the Irish Memorial at Penn’s Landing. Stay tuned to our Twitter and Facebook for photos and posts when we visit Philly next week! Please leave comments with your suggestions for things not to be missed in Philadelphia…would love to hear from you!

For more information on the Philadelphia Irish Memorial visit http://www.irishmemorial.org

July 14, 2013
by Aine 3 Comments

Latest Irish American “Discovery”: Victory Cakes

Deborah’s and her cakes

Two things attracted me to this article on IrishPhiladelphia.com: mention of QVC (I am not ashamed – I love the home shopping channel) and the photograph of the friendly woman holding a platter of adorable mini Bundt cakes. MacDougall’s Irish Victory Cakes? Never heard of them, but I definitely needed to learn more…

Deborah Streeter-Davitt bakes delicious cakes using an old family recipe. Deborah’s great-grandfather, James MacDowell, was a native of Belfast. Known by his family as “Dassie”, he was a baker by trade who became well-known for his exquisite butter cakes. Dassie created his cakes from a special recipe (which remains secret today) for the rich and famous throughout the British Isles. Dassie may have become the most sought-after baker by royalty and the elite, but he gave it all up to follow his dream of a better life for his family in America. Dassie moved to Syracuse, New York where he worked in a modest bakery for the man who sponsored his immigration.

MacDougall’s Irish Victory Cakes is definitely a family affair. Deborah’s parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews all come together to help her create the rich, buttery cakes, available throughout the Philadelphia area at farmer’s markets, specialty stores, and festivals. You can even order the cakes online – both the sweet butter cake and a “dressed-up” version are available. Here’s how they describe Dassie’s Traditional cake:

Dassie’s award-winning sweet butter pound cake (Massie’s Sweet Butter) is adorned with wonderful rich and velvety Wilbur Chocolate and Butterscotch ~ a perfect and delicious compliment to Great Great Dad’s recipe. These creamy confections are both baked inside and lovenly drizzled on top of each golden cake, along with sprinkles of tiny kelly green shamrocks and wee orange nonpareils. Dassie’s Traditional is perfect for EVERY occasion and mostly just for YOU to celebrate YOU!

Sounds heavenly! I can’t wait to track down one of Dassie’s cakes when I am in Philadelphia at the end of the month. I bet that Dassie would be very proud that his great-granddaughter was carrying on the baking tradition and sharing his Irish cakes with the “sweet-teeth” of America.

Click image for history of MacDougall’s Irish Victory Cakes.

Click here for a nice article on Deborah and the Victory cakes.
“Like” MacDougall’s Irish Victory Cakes on Facebook – click here.
Order your very own cake – click here to visit website.

July 1, 2013
by Aine 2 Comments

Fourth of July, Limerick Style

The folks in Limerick are at it again this Fourth of July hosting their very own celebration of America’s independence. Looks pretty impressive…I think the Limerick festivities could put many Fourth of July parties in America to shame! Kudos to Siobhan Downey, the driving force behind the Limerick Fourth of July, and all the volunteers. I love Siobhan’s vision – to make the Fourth of July celebration in Limerick as popular as St. Patrick’s Day in New York.Good luck and have a ball in Limerick!

L-R: Hannah Downey, Claire O’Sullivan, Carmen Bailey and Alia Aswad St Michael’s National School

Limerick Rolls Out the Red, White and Blue Carpet for 4^th of July Festival

Press Release

Friday, 21^st June 2013

Limerick will be decked out in red, white and blue this July to celebrate American Independence Day with a range of events around the city.

Following on from the success of the inaugural festival last year, Limerick’s 4^th July Festival will host a range of events on the weekend of July 6^th and 7^th.

The 4^th of July Festival is run by a team of local volunteers with the aim of making Limerick the prime destination for any Americans in Europe during their national day of celebrations.

Local business owner Siobhan Downey originally came up with the idea of Limerick celebrating the 4^th of July.

“I believe Limerick has the potential to be the number one destination for any Americans on this side of the Atlantic looking to celebrate their national holiday. By working with local volunteers, businesses and entertainers, the 4th of July in Limerick could be as big as St. Patrick’s Day in New York!” said Siobhan.

Festival volunteer Tim Kelly of Kelly Travel said Limerick has very strong links with the United States with many American multinationals employing scores of people in the city and county.

“Foreign direct investment is vital for the local economy and we have to do everything we can to make potential investors and employers feel welcome in Limerick,” explained Tim.

The main festival event is the FREE American style picnic and family fun day in the Peoples Park from 11.30am to 5.30pm on Saturday 6^th July, with American style music, food and games along with the annual Limerick Animal Welfare dog show fundraiser.

The celebrations don’t end there though, festival fun at the Milk Market, an American Roller Party, ‘Route 66’ events and an All American Race Day at Limerick Racecourse are some of the highlights sure to make Limerick’s visitors from across the pond feel right at home, and get locals in the festive spirit!

For a full list of events visit www.4thJulyLimerick.com or follow the festival on Twitter @4thjulylimerick or find us on Facebook.

For further information please contact Tim Kelly 087 2833932 or email limerick4thjuly@gmail.com

Kelly Moran

Limerick Communications Office

88 O’ Connell St

Limerick

t: 00 353 (0)61 400010

w: www.limerickcommunicationsoffice.ie

www.facebook.com/LimerickCommunicationsOffice

www.twitter.com/LimerickOffice

June 30, 2013
by Aine 2 Comments

Day 30: Favorites of Irish America

No idea what to choose for my final Favorite of Irish America. Let’s see…I have selected sports figures, entertainers, writers, Presidents, Grandmas, one or two people who might roll over in their graves at being referred to as Irish American, my dad, a couple of nieces, a dinner, a cake, and even a wedding dress.

I think the best things about Irish America are, naturally, Irish Americans. Whether your ancestors were early colonial settlers or you are becoming a new U.S. citizen this year on the Fourth of July – and everything in between – I love the stories of how Irish immigrants become Americans. And what is even more fascinating is how the descendents of those immigrants become Irish Americans. It gets complicated.

Take this quote from Tom Hayden, an activist and politician:

“I was raised in an Irish American home in Detroit where assimilation was the uppermost priority. The price of assimilation and respectability was amnesia. Although my great-grandparents were victims of the Great Hunger of the 1840s, even though I was named Thomas Emmet Hayden IV after the radical Irish Nationalist exile Thomas Emmet, my inheritance was to be disinherited. My parents knew nothing of this past, or nothing worth passing on.”

What does it mean to identify oneself as Irish American? Why is it so important for us to remember what was forgotten by our ancestors? I guess it’s what genealogy and family history research is all about. I would love to hear what you have to say on the subject. Please leave a comment with your thoughts…

That’s it for my June Favorites of Irish America. Thanks to all the folks who have followed along, left comments, “liked” posts, and became subscribers to the blog! We will have much more on the Irish in America!

June 29, 2013
by Aine 1 Comment

Day 29 of Irish American Favorites: Sisters

There are so many photos in our family’s collection that I absolutely love. Here is another one of my favorites. This is three of four of the McMahon girls (from left to right) Margaret, Rose, and Agnes. Agnes was my grandma. This photo is taken in Minneapolis in the late 1930s. The sisters were second-generation Irish American. Looks like they were having a ball, huh?

June 28, 2013
by Aine 6 Comments

Day 28 of Irish American Favorites: John McEnroe

With all the upsets at Wimbledon this week, I was reminded of my tennis years. In the early 1980s, I was obsessed with professional tennis. I wanted to be Chrissie Evert and was off to a promising start, winning second place among the Minneapolis Park Board eight-year-olds. I subscribed to Tennis magazine and got up early to watch all the overseas Grand Slam tournaments and always looked forward to the end of summer for the U.S. Open.

On the men’s side, I admit that I loved watching John McEnroe. His matches were always entertaining. Tennis is a dramatic sport, full of ups and downs, and quick shifts in fortune, and when you figured in McEnroe’s outbursts of completely losing his temper, then you have the perfect spectator event! McEnroe behaved just like I wanted to at times, but would never dare. I would have loved to say to my teachers, “Are you kidding me? That answer was RIGHT!”

John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. was born February 16, 1959. His Irish heritage came from his father, John Patrick, Sr. He grew up in Queens where he started playing tennis at age eight. McEnroe was the number one ranked tennis player in the world fourteen times. In singles, he won 3 Wimbledon titles and 4 U.S. Open. His matches against Bjorn Borg were some of my favorites.

McEnroe is a fantastic doubles player and is referred to as the best doubles player, ever, by both opponents and partners. Someone also said of McEnroe that he is the best team player to not play a team sport. I contend that his outbursts on the court and bad behavior over the years simply came from his fiercely competitive nature.

I wish McEnroe’s serve-and-volley brand of tennis would come back in fashion. Although, I am not sure I can say the same for his short-shorts and hairdo.

And by the way, that second place finish was the highlight of my tennis career. Sadly, I was not the second coming of Chrissie Evert.

June 27, 2013
by Aine 4 Comments

Day 27 of Irish American Favorites: Lou Bader

Today is the first anniversary of Lou Bader’s death. Lou was my dad’s good friend, a proud Irish American, and an all-around great guy. Here’s a post I wrote last year after Regan and I visited the birthplace of Lou’s maternal grandfather near Dungarvan, County Waterford. Lou definitely made an impression on his Irish relatives, and he loved his frequent trips to visit them in Ireland. Lou is dearly missed – on both sides of the Atlantic.

A Candle for Louie

Waterford’s Gold Coast

Regan and I looked forward to our visit to County Waterford last September. On previous trips to Ireland we had visited Lismore and Ardmore in Waterford, but didn’t tour the rest of the county. Our real introduction to Waterford came during the past year, through the entertaining tweets from Dungarvan’s Waterford County Museum. The museum shares beautiful photographs and historical items from their collection on Twitter. Regan and I were eager to see Dungarvan and the museum in person, as well as explore more of County Waterford.

But when we arrived in Dungarvan, the sightseeing would have to wait. Regan and I had to attend to some business.

Our dad’s good friend Lou Bader passed away on June 27, 2012. Louie and Dad played a lot of golf together, which probably says it all about their relationship. Louie shared my dad’s competitive streak and sense of humor, as well as his love for a few hours spent on the golf course. But there was something else the two men shared.

About fifteen years ago, my dad began to explore his family history. He traced his roots back to Ballyedmond, County Laois, and found cousins living on the farm his grandfather left in the late 1880s. Louie had also been researching his family tree and had learned about his Irish grandfather through his mother’s stories.

Street in Dungarvan

I wish I could say that Louie and my dad discovered they shared a grandfather – that would make a great story! No, Louie and my dad only shared similar questions about their family history and the wish to find out where they came from. Both men researched their family trees, traveled to their grandfathers’ birthplaces in Ireland, and made lasting connections with their Irish cousins. Several trips followed for Louie, my dad, and their families.

In light of our autumn trip to Ireland, Dad asked Regan and me to do him a favor and deliver Louie’s memorial card to his cousin in Dungarvan. This was an “old-school” request and my dad’s directions (“Stop in at the cleaners in town and ask for Anne-Marie”) only added to the feeling that we were characters in a Victorian novel. But of course, anything for Louie. He was a good man and a great friend to my dad.

Louie’s maternal grandfather, Matthew O’Rourke, was born in 1869, the youngest son of Patrick and Margaret. The O’Rourke family lived in the townland of Carrigcastle, near the village of Ballylaneen, about five miles from Dungarvan, County Waterford. In her delightful memoir, Love and Oatmeal (2006), Louie’s mother, Madeline O’Rourke Bader, lovingly recounts when she would ask her father why he left Ireland and moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota. A smile came over his face when he told her his sister-in-law encouraged him to go to America. Madeline writes in the memoir:

The way he smiled when he said that, though, always made me think there was something more to the story. A few years ago when I visited Ireland for the first time and saw how beautiful the land he left behind is, I understood a little better that his smile must have covered up a lot of pain and longing. (Love and Oatmeal, p.4)

Anne-Marie wasn’t in at the cleaners, but Mary told us how sad they all were when they heard of Louie’s passing this summer. She said how much they enjoyed his frequent telephone calls (just to check in with his Irish cousins), as well as his visits to Dungarvan. In a few short years Louie had made an impact on his Irish relatives. They really missed him.

Regan and I decided we needed to do something special for Louie, so we found the little church in Ballylaneen where his grandfather was baptized, lit a candle and said a prayer. We thought of Louie and all the O’Rourkes – the ones who stayed in Ireland, those who emigrated, and the few who’ve made it back for a visit.

St. Anne’s Church, Ballylaneen

For more information about Dungarvan and Waterford County history, please visit Waterford County Museum. Click here to read about the new Dungarvan guide book.

June 26, 2013
by Aine 3 Comments

Day 26 of Irish American Favorites: Derek Jeter

Nothing can change my mind faster about a celebrity than the 60 Minutes (weekly television news magazine) profile. Whenever an actor or sports figure is too popular, when everyone is talking about them, I want nothing to do with them. This was the case with Derek Jeter – today’s Irish American favorite.

Derek Jeter is the shortstop for the New York Yankees. Before I saw the legendary Ed Bradley’s 60 Minutes profile in 2006, I never paid much attention to Derek Jeter, beyond annoyance that his team always beat my team, the Minnesota Twins.

Very early in Bradley’s piece, Jeter described his first season in the minor league when he committed 52 errors. He said he would think to himself, “Maybe they won’t hit it to me again.” But of course, the very next ball was hit to him. He played shortstop; he was going to see a lot of balls. This comment immediately endeared Jeter to me.

Bradley introduced Jeter’s parents. His Irish roots come from his mother, Dorothy, who had high standards for Derek, insisting he never use the word can’t. His parents required him to sign a contract each year, outlining what was acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

Clearly, his parents gave him the foundation necessary to become a successful man and a great ballplayer. I learned all about his work ethic, dedication, and focus, attributes which make Derek Jeter one of the best baseball players in the game. He is a true professional and a great teammate.

Derek Jeter is the real deal. Many people knew that long before I jumped on the bandwagon, but I just needed 60 Minutes to open my eyes.

Today is Derek Jeter’s birthday – Happy Birthday and I hope you are back on the diamond soon!

June 25, 2013
by Aine 2 Comments

Day 25 of Irish American Favorites: Our Presidents

The American Presidents (just add Barack Obama)

Did you know that 22 of the 43 American Presidents could claim some Irish heritage? And nine of the last ten Commanders-In-Chief have been Irish American? Lyndon Johnson was the spoiler there. Of course, President Kennedy is the only Irish Catholic President, ever. Click here to see the full list of our Irish American Presidents.

I have always been partial to our 11th president, James K. Polk (1844-1849). In the fifth grade I did an oral report on him. His Irish roots were on his father’s side. Two more things I remember about President Polk: he established the Smithsonian Museum and he issued the first postal stamp. Look at what he had to say about Congress back in 1847: