A wonderful memoir of an arriving Irish emigrant in New York in 1939

Posted on Thursday, September 08, 2011 at 05:43 PM

Larger Text

E-mail

7 Comments

RSS

Archives

I have just finished a wonderful little book, 'The Lone Seagull' a memoir by the late Kate Keane O'Dowd, no relation, about her life in the Kerry Gaeltacht, her move to Dublin and her move to America.

It is available from Maynooth University Celtic Studies Department who translated it from the original Irish, at tadhg.odushlaine@nuim.ie

Kate was born in 1912 in the little town of Murioch in the Kerry Gaeltacht, one of the most beautiful spots on earth. Reading her book is stepping back in time to an era long gone, where the ordinary peasant people had nothing, but they had everything, in terms of companionship, neighborliness and love.

Her descriptions of growing up among the last generation of Irish people who spoke no English is priceless . The times were hard, bitterly so, but the closeness of the village and the ability to help each other through thick and thin is beautifully spelt out.

Times were indeed very hard and Kate had to emigrate to America.

She describes her voyage over from Cobh and her first impressions of America vividly.

There is always something riveting for me in that first description of the New Land, what the emigrant felt.

"I sailed from sorrowful Cobh on the 23rd of June 1939, shedding bitter tears. I missed my mother and father the most. Many's the thought would cross your mind; will I see them again? God granted me the opportunity to do so."

Apartment buildings completely threw her.

_______________
Read More:
Ellis Island footage of Irish arriving reminds us of where we all came from

New generation of Irish emigrants suffer on the streets of London

Irish divided in their attitudes to emigrants
___________________

"I well remember the day I left and the day I went ashore. America was completely different to the picture I had of it. I thought they all had little houses for themselves. I had no idea there were six doors on every floor. How could anyone recognize their own door?

"We were four stories up. I don't know how my relations who were big and fat managed that. Practise I suppose --Oh and we were awfully hot in summer time, there wasn't much air conditioning back then."

She also ran into some strange local customs -- the subway and tea bags!

"I had a week's holiday before starting work. Mike brought us to Rockaway. It was the first time saw the sea since we left it.We had a meal together.

The girl left the teapot on the table.

'Mike" I said " there are strange things hanging out of the teapot."

That's the tea you fool

The tea is grand but what's that hanging out?

They're the tea bags.

Have ye no proper tea"

"That was the first time I saw a tea bag , God be with my fine teapot I left behind in Kerry in the embers at the side of the fire at home.

"The same day we took the subway to Rockaway. I'll never forget the terrible noise of that train, You'd never think of getting used to it."

'God Bless us " I told Mike. I'll never be able to make my way around New York.

I'm telling you you have too Mike said --you have no choice.'

And indeed she didn't like many before and after.

A splendid read if you want to experience what many of your Irish forebears went through.

E-mail

7 comments

Page 1 of 1 pages

ciarrai | Sep 10, 2011, 09:53 AM EDT

My mother, Mary Teresa Foley was born in Cahirciveen in 1915 and came to America in 1930 all by herself to live with an aunt. Her parents had died and her only sister, Noreen, was going off to England to live with another relation. Mary Foley met my father Paul and that's why I'm here. "The Lone Seagull" sounds like a beautiful thing and I may read it. I am going to locate Murioch and the Kerry Gaeltacht when we go there later this month. I have been to Kerry a lot and I never knew of any gaeltacht area. This will be something new to look for. By the way, peace be with all the families of those who died on 9-11-2001 and peace to all those injured who carry the memories of the day's horrors.

Report abuse

beaumax99 | Sep 10, 2011, 08:42 AM EDT

Ditto here...I would also love to read this book and I am not from across the pond. My heart aches not only for those who emigrated, but those born here in the USA during the great depression. As I search ancestry, I am picturing my ancestors surroundings in black and white...and yes, my heart aches for all as those were tough days, that led into tough weeks, months, and years. However, as stated in this column "Reading her book is like stepping back in time to an era long gone, where the ordinary peasant people had nothing, but they had everything, in terms of companionship, neighborliness and love." I wish the people of today, in all countries, still held onto and practiced these values.

Report abuse

beaumax99 | Sep 10, 2011, 08:36 AM EDT

oopps...

Report abuse

beaumax99 | Sep 10, 2011, 08:35 AM EDT

Ditto here...I would also love to read this book and I am not from across the pond. My heart aches not only for those who emigrated, but those born here in the USA during the great depression. As I search ancestry, I am picturing my ancestors surroundings in black and white...and yes, my heart aches for all as those were tough days, that led into tough weeks, months, and years. However, as Kate states in her book...Reading her book is stepping back in time to an era long gone, where the ordinary peasant people had nothing, but they had everything, in terms of companionship, neighborliness and love. I wish the people of today, in all countries, still held onto and practiced these values.

Report abuse

tombegs | Sep 09, 2011, 11:49 PM EDT

I too would like to read this book. The report brought back many memories of talks with mom (dad never said much). They both arrived in Aug. of 1929, not at Ellis Island (both proudly said: We were sent for. Dad lived off of his sisters for several years, mom got work right away. Very green she. I do remember her tale of her first sight of an Afro-American (how did he get so badly burned), the movies (hid from the horses on the screeen) and especially the one in which her "lady" told her to cook the fish in a "spider.' Luckily they, like JamieLM's ancestors were treated well, all things considered, in Springfield MA. However, I do remember my aunt Kitty's story about her serving dinner in 1928 and having those people saying that if Al Smith were elected President of the US, even her children could be able to go to college. Maybe that explains why I have a PhD from an Ivy League university. Glad to see that, at least up to today, I live in that America. Worry about the future if the Hooverites take control once more.

Report abuse

irishcoffeekid | Sep 09, 2011, 03:07 PM EDT

Sounds like a great book and will be looking to get it when I'm next visiting home! Its great to read these books - makes us appreciate how much more easily we take to change now but also makes you think how would our own grandparents cope today with the changes in technology - even my own Mam can't get over our blackberries/pda's and tablets and how we can send emails to work etc so fast and so easily. The pace of change is frightening in some ways - especially when you see a 2 year old work her way around a program on your computer! a whole new world for us all in some ways!

Report abuse

jamieLM | Sep 09, 2011, 10:57 AM EDT

I find these memoirs fascinating and enlightening. I've read the diary of one of my Irish ancestors who quickly found employment as a maid in the Henshaw home in Illinois, near Chicago. Soon after her employment began, Mr. Henshaw became a Union Captain in the Civil War. Happily, this very young Irish woman was treated kindly and her loyalty and service was well rewarded. She maintained ties with the Henshaw family throughout her lifetime. Still, at the beginning there was a "learning curve" as she had to learn the customs of an American household - a lot of trial and error and some tears.

Report abuse

Page 1 of 1 pages