My grandda McLaughlin came to America in the 1920s with a price on his head after choosing the losing side in the Irish Civil War, which followed the War for Irish Independence.
The Irish are never succinct, and neither is their history. But, to try to put the struggle in a nutshell, Granda firmly believed that the Anglo-Irish treaty, which stipulated that the new Irish Free State would be part of the British Commonwealth and required members of parliament to swear an oath of allegiance to the British Crown, was not what he'd been willing to give his life for. Also, that the separation of North and South was an illegitimate usurpation of the original Irish Republic, which had been created in 1919.
Good men who'd taken up arms and fought beside Granda for Irish independence believed it was better to take what they could get to stop the killings and gain more later. Contrary to the old ditty about all the Irish wars being merry while their songs are sad, the Civil War was a tragic and bloody time. Seeking a new life, my grandfather settled in Brooklyn, threw himself into politics, and began putting aside a tidy nest egg working, during Prohibition, as a bootlegger. It was also during this time that he kidnapped -- with her consent -- my grandmother, when her wealthier "lace curtain" Cavanaugh family wouldn't permit them to marry. I gave that family legend to Brady Fitzpatrick, my heroine's father, in A WOMAN'S HEART.
Also, like Brady, Granda was a seanachie -- an Irish teller of tales. My earliest memories are listening to the music of his lyrical brogue spinning grand stories of kings and castles, battles and banishments, magic and miracles. It was Granda, who when I wrote my first story in the second grade -- a romance about two star-crossed Mallards -- encouraged me to think big. That I could, indeed, follow in his footsteps and become a storyteller when I grew up.
I woke up yesterday morning thinking of today's inauguration and how, if the Irish been able to settle their political differences peacefully, as we do, I might never have realized all the blessings this country has bestowed upon my family.
Although my grandfather created a wonderful life here in America, his huge heart was always wandering home to Ireland. A home to which, although he ended up traveling all over the world, he could never return.
Which is why, the first time I saw the incredibly green fields and stone walls from the air, I told him, "Granda, this trip is for you." I like to think that whenever my sweetie and I get lost -- as we ALWAYS do in Ireland -- it's merely my grandfather taking us on a side trip to show us something wonderful that wasn't on our itinerary. Today is a very special day. Because we're doing what so many countries around the world still have not achieved. We're changing our government without violence. Without bloodshed. Without our citizens killing one another.
Yes, the election process seemed to last forever, and yes, it got raucous at times, but our Founding Fathers, in their wisdom, also ensured our right to free speech, something my ancestors were not allowed. Most of us attended public schools, rather than the secret hedgerow schools where Irish Catholic boys and girls once learned to read. And unlike my ancestors, we're free to follow any religion -- or none at all -- openly, publicly.
Yes, our nation is facing a lot of problems. But we're children of immigrants, a nation of tough people who know how to persevere when times get difficult.
Whomever you voted for, (and again, no one needs know, because we were also given a system of secret ballots), on this one day, when President Barack Obama lifts his hand and takes the oath of office, we are truly all one people. Americans united as citizens of a country which, as Lincoln stated at Gettsyburg, was conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.So, yay for President Barack Obama! And, yes, yay for all of us!
And now, the video I promised yesterday, showing the link between my Granda McLaughlin and President Barack Obama:
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6 comments:
Oops, JoAnn, you left out the 'c' in his name, Barack. I blame your head cold!
But your heart is in the right place. It's a wonderful day here in the USA, a beautiful inauguration ceremony.
I'm also looking forward to visiting a bookstore next week! Guess what I'm buying?
Sherry
No, I won't be able to get that song out of my head all day. We all owe a debt to those of our ancestors who left the old sod (and all those other countries, too) and came to the new world for a new chance at a better life.
I got all weepy when you wrote the bit about your trip to Ireland and saying, "This one's for you, Granda."
Oops. Well, I guess any President human enough to stumble a bit over his oath will forget my morning enthusiasm typo. :)
Marie-Nicole, yes, we owe a debt to all who've come before us. I was lucky that I spent a lot of years living with my grandfather, with one aunt and uncle behind us, the other across the street, so I know the stories.
As we've spread out over the country, I think we've lost a lot of those personal connections. Which is how I ended up crossing the Mississippi and ending up here in TN, where I'm within driving distance of my grandbabies. So, they'll know their roots.
I never go to Ireland that I don't feel my grandfather with me. It also helps that I see him everywhere in the faces of the people.
JoAnn, I agree about getting lost in Ireland. My husband and I were there 3 years ago and everytime we got lost, we saw something more beautiful than we would have if we hadn't. If/when you go back you really must stay at Belcamp Hutchinson, a wonderful B&B north of Dublin, near Malahide, a beautiful little seaside village. Doreen was the best hostess of a B&B we experienced, made us feel like we were family visiting. The owner also lived on the grounds, but we usually saw him in his gardening or fishing clothes. The dogs welcomed us back everytime we went someplace. I spent a lot of time in the garden. Owen was in Iraq at the time and we were meeting there. He was late flying out of Baghdad because of dust storms and the only way he could let me know when he was leaving was to email Doreen. She updated me everyday, put me in a single room till he got there, to save me some money (she must have been Scots/Irish), gave me a list of the best places to eat in Malahide, and generally acted like my mother. The website is www.belcamphutchinson.com. We spent our 41st wedding anniversary in County Donegal at a lovely inn, www.castlegrove.com and had a very elegant dinner, drinks in the parlor, escorted to the table when our food was ready, then back to the parlor for desert. More beautiful gardens on the banks of Lough Swilly. The next day we visited the site of the O'Dochartaigh Keep and the beautiful Inishowen Pennensula, the home of my ancestors. My maiden name is Dougherty. The top thing on my "bucket list" is to return to Ireland and take my grandsons. My children can come too. Carolyn
Ireland is a rich part of many Canadidan and Americans too, and when I found out the Barack Obama had roots their too, I knew where some of that charm came from.
My father came from county Donegal. A friend had sent me that utube song yesterday and it makes me long to go back and visit all the many places dad and the family have went in Ireland. But my dad is gone now, these past three years. He died just before his 85th birtday, and I have no family left their except for a few distant cousins. But I want the next generation, my nieces and nephews to know where their grandad came from and instil in them the beautiful country, that even though has seen his share of wars and killings, it is still a land with a wonderful culture and beauty that only can be described by seeing. It is my hope that I can take them and show them the land of the their grandad.
I am always thrilled when one of my favourite authors shares some of the same heritage as I.
Carolyn,
I love the story of you and Owen meeting in Ireland!! How romantic! (Just like on old WWII movie!) I hadn't realized until the last time we were there that 4000-8000 troops a week pass through Shannon airport on their way overseas.
We mostly stay in the west because it's more rural, and used to be easier to land in Shannon. But because of the building boom, it's nearly as crazy leaving the airport as Dublin. (Where we also always get lost.)
Kathleen -- I love the idea that Obama got some of his charm from his Irish roots. As for going back to Ireland, I always want to. East TN is actually the closest place in the U.S. I could find to Ireland (which is undoubtedly why so many Scots-Irish settled here), which is why I chose it when my sweetie took early retirement and we left AZ.
We almost bought a house in Dungarven (on the coast between Waterford and Cork) several years ago, then belatedly discovered that the government was actually serious about making us board our ancient Allie the Wonder Hiker dog and Alzheimer's Siamese Kitty Scarlett for six months. Which was the end of that idea.
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