Comments on: On Growing Up Irish in New York

By: masaccio

masaccio — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:51:37 +0000

My mother is full blooded Irish. About 7 years ago I visited, and she pulled out a song book from my early days and we sang The Minstrel Boy, one of my favorite songs. And, I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen? She once told me it was her father’s favorite songs. I rarely get through it without choking up.

By: tejanarusa

tejanarusa — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:31:50 +0000

Lovely piece, Cynthia. I am so sorry t hear of Frank McCourt’s illness.
Up till that part, I was enjoying the nostalgia of your piece…takes me back to my time in Boston with a 1st generation Irish bf, who introduced me to the culture.

First heard “Black Velvet Band” on the AM radio station there that played Irish music on Saturdays. Also saw the Chieftains there, in Symphony Hall. And my first step dancers, at a local Irish pub ib Brookline. Loved it all. And soon began my own collection of LP’s (that’s how long ago it was) and CD’s, one of which includes “Black Velvet Band.”

How fortunate a childhood you must have had, hanging with Tommy Makem himself. Thanks for the pronunciation of the Irish!
An evocative piece. Thanks.

By: justiceputnam

justiceputnam — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:07:25 +0000

It purports to be so on the back of the plaque on which the blessing is inscribed. Under the Buddha though, is the Heart Sutra:

All phenomena are merely empty, having no characteristics.
They are not produced and they do not cease.
There is no aging and death.
There is no exhaustion of aging and death.
There is no suffering, no origin, no cessation, no path.
No exalted wisdom, no attainment and no non-attainment.”

Which I also extend to Mr McCourt and the whole world… while holding a pint of Guinness high…

By: Bustednuckles

Bustednuckles — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:54:42 +0000

Sleinte.

It’s good to be of the Irish, God invented whiskey so we wouldn’t rule the world.

By: Cynthia Kouril

Cynthia Kouril — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:52:00 +0000

My maternal grandmother and one of my mother’s aunts had framed pictures of JFK hanging a places of honor. Along with the picture of my my mother’s youngest cousin (who was more like an adored older btother to me)who died in Viet Nam. JFK was treated like some kind of distant relative–though we had no ties to him whatsoever.

By: nahant

nahant — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:15:20 +0000

Nice Prayer!! Of Irish origins??

By: justiceputnam

justiceputnam — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:34:17 +0000

Hanging between my Celtic Cross and a small statue of the Buddha is this blessing:

Here’s To A Long Life
And A Merry One,
A Quick Death
And An Easy One,
A Pretty Girl
And An Honest One,
A Cold Beer…
And Another One!

By: Hugh

Hugh — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:21:41 +0000

Thanks for a wonderful evocation of a kind of community that some of us have only read about.

By: nahant

nahant — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:14:03 +0000

Hey Cynthia I know all about “Growing Up Irish” I grew up in South Boston. Irish Catholic and all, we had a Priest who would drive round up all the boys and drag them to confession every Saturday. We learned to make sure we weren’t seen!.. We had our St Paddy’s Parade every March 17th… That is when got to see the Kennedy’s walk the parade route, all of them JFK, RFK and of course Teddy!
Talk about Irish music we had plenty of that all year long but on St Paddy’s day well it was everywhere and talk about the partying… Hardly any man sober in town and you had better not wear that Hated Orange color, many tried and ended up … well lets just say they were shown the way out in an ambulance to get stitched up!!

By: posaune

posaune — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:40:48 +0000

I remember JFK’s election. My parents bought our first TV the day before to watch the returns. They stayed up all night. And when it was called for JFK, my mother (Maggie Wiggins) dropped to her knees in Hail Mary’s. The next morning, my father closed his office and we all went to Mass. Oh, and they made 2 long distance telephone calls to the old country while pouring the Jamesons.