General Chat

Going to America.

Emigration, they used to say, was the Irish safety valve particularly in the 19th & early 20th centuries - population pressure was released by some emigrating. Current financial & job prospects in Ireland mean that emigration, once again, is on the increase. The Celtic Tiger is badly wounded.

America was the most popular destination in the old days - ‘the land of the free’ as it was called. And fair play to the emigrants, most did pretty well there & didn’t forget their people left behind in Ireland.

The first Christmas card to arrive from my forebearers who went to America came from New York. While the card was welcome & looked beautiful, it couldn’t compare to the picture of George Washington or General Grant on the dollar notes & it would be a poor card if a few dollars were not included. There was a neighbour who would open the envelope & shake it. If a few dollars didn’t fall out, he wouldn’t bother reading the card at all.

But, there were usually some dollars inside & they were used sensibly to provide a few extras at Christmas that the family would otherwise have to do without. It also helped to buy a few extra stock for the farm plus some set aside to pay the passage of the next family member to head off. That’s how it was done - John brought out Tim & Tim brought out Mary.

It was common practice at the time to give a little present to those going away - maybe a crown piece or a half-sovereign. Happy indeed would be the one to receive a golden guinea. As well as that, the girls might be given a wearable - a pair of gloves, for example. And it was usual to give the men a silk handkerchief. You’d see them squeezing the handkerchief in their hand & if it bounced up, it was the real article. You’d see these handkerchiefs the following morning waiving from the train as it went out of sight under the bridge.

In the morning, the horses would be tackled and, anyone who could afford it, would accompany the expectant exile to Ballyhaunis railway station - a long line of sidecars like a wedding drag. One newspaper reporter summarised the scene: “The station was crowded with folk from everywhere. There were some from Aghamore & Knock. There were girls from Bohola & Kiltimagh too. All seemed very lonesome as they bid their leave of their friends & family”.

Lonesome was no name for it. At that time, it would take 8 to 10 days to reach America on rickety old ships. You could feel the motions of the waves under your feet. You would wonder when again these emigrants would be seen in Ireland?

The newspaper report continued: “They would be surrounded on the platform by friends & family. When the time came to board the train, they would say cheery goodbyes to those on the outside of the circle - their friends & far-out relations - plenty of gab for everyone. But, as they came in the circle to cousins, uncles & aunts, the wit & words would be deserting them. Then they’d come to their immediate family with just a whisper of their names.

They’d say goodbye to their father and, last of all, to their mother. She’d throw her arms around the departing child - a thing she hadn’t done since they were at school. She’d give vent to her cry & this cry would be taken up by all the other mothers on the platform. What an emotional scene to behold”.

And there was a poor widow who worked her fingers to the bone trying to earn the passage to send her son to America - a rowdy buck she wasn’t going to be sorry after; a useless yoke, nothing for him but his belly full of Guinness & whiskey - when he could get it; caused so much trouble that put many a white rib of hair on his mother’s head.

His mother wasn’t going to go to the railway station to see him off but, when she saw how lonely other mothers were, she thought: “Oh, they will think me very hard hearted now if I don’t go & show some concern”. And of course, when her heart wasn’t in it, she overdid her mourning.

She went over to the window of the train - her son John was sitting inside with a girl on his knee & throwing her hands to Heaven, she shouted: “Oh, John don’t go away from your mother. Oh you sweet & divine God sitting up there in your golden cloud, why don’t you dry up the Atlantic Ocean so the ship won’t be able to sail & take my fine son away from me”.

John got up, opened the carriage door & walked out saying: “I won’t go at all, mother”. He went down the town & into the first public house & drank his passage money. You heard some singing in the street that night!

(The Irish are good storytellers too.)

Awwhh....... that was a good story Dermot, maybe that's what happened to my Irish lot they changed their minds and came to Devon instead......just think I could have been a American ..LOL

Funny my Irish lot stayed in the pubs ....!!

morning all
going to pick up my laptop soon i carnt what to have my baby back
hope the man in the shop took good care of it

'Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same'.

(From today's D-M.)

Hi all.

Just got back from wheelchair clinic, they've messed up and got son's new chair all wrong, it has to go back again.

Going to read the thread now.

happy lunchtime everyone,
It's just goes to show how the world has got smaller. You can fly to the States in about 8 hours.
Rita I hope the AGM went ok. I normally avoid those things like the plague!

The Irish are indeed good storytellers!!!

Yes Pauline they are!
Mind you I don't know any Irish Crime writers! do you?

Can't say that I do Pat.

I am back from the AGM it went much better than I thought it would.
I had handed in letters I composed to the Head office and the manager.with complaints about them spending our money without explaining to some elderly people on this estate.(. That was not me. ?)
what work they intended doing this year and next.

The Manager said I had miss- read what she had written in her "Intended Work for 2011/12 " I read it again and said no it was clear I had not made an error. George The man I told you was a Dr at Cambridge University was with me and I pointed it out to him . he agreed with me and said they have missed out on the grammar and if they had done that it would have made more sense,

so she said she was sorry about that. I came back with George .he said you dont miss a thing on the items on the AGM and the Quotes I said no I am looking after the residents money.
so all went well.

For those who asked about Neil Oliver who we were speaking off sometime ago ( he does the walking around the cost of Britian series.)
This week" TV Choice" has a photo of him . he is doing a documentary on " A History of Ancient Britian " it is on BBC 2 next Wednesday the first of four .

Rita.

Talking of TV progs. one I've been watching is Great British railway journeys with Michael Portillo 6.30 BBC 2 . Quite good.
back to work now x

Dermot
would you now anything about this?

many years ago I took my coin collection to be valued in Norwich.
The dealer asked me where I got the little silver coin (which is a bit bigger than the old silver threepenny piece.) the coin has a hole in the middle. he told me you dont see many of these now they were given to the Irish people who were leaving Ireland to emigrate because of the Potato famine( it was money )I dont think there was much writing on it. I have not got it to hand it is in the coin collecting in the top of my wardrobe.
I have never found anything about it.

Rita

Rita - I don't have an answer to your query.

During the famine years of c.1845 & later, the ruling British authorities did much to help the people's hunger such as transporting corn from the UK to Ireland. At the same time, Workhouses were set up in Ireland for the poorest of the poor.

These establishments were often overcrowded & delivery of provisions from the UK was often very slow due to maladministration & underdeveloped road networks.

With regards to the curious coin you have, this may have been specially minted to be used as a sort of pre-paid ship journey to entice people to seek a livelihood elsewhere such as America or Australia.

But, this is just my speculation.

You could, perhaps, send a photocopy of the coin to the Irish Embassy in London. They might be able to research the coin for you.

Irish Embassy
17 Grosvenor Place,
London,
SW1X 7HR.
Tel: 020 7235 2171
Fax: 020 7245 6961

Hi all,
Here I am on my son's laptop,mine is in for an overhaul,so if I make loads of mistakes,it's the lappy and not me.
Back soon, this thing needs up dating.

Thank you Dermot I will do that I have to get the coin books out of the wardrobe it is right at the top at the back It is quiet heavy the book it has a lot of old coins in even some I dug up with metal decetor years ago, one coin was hamered coin I wrote to the Mint and they sent me al ist well about five lists of coins minted during the ages. This one was not in it. . the dealer did say it was given when they imigrated
I dont know what they were supose to buy with it ? it is so small.but i will note down the addess you have given me and get intouch with them
Many thanks for your help.

Rita

Yo Mo,
Blame the laptop eh?
I'm about to have chicken curry! It is Wednesday after all and I always have chicken curry on a Wednesday!

Yummy Pat. We have just had pork chops, roast spuds,and veggies.
The flamin curser on this laptop, is all over the place. I know I shouldn't
blame the lappy, but I am so used to my own,that it takes me twice as long
to type my posts.
But hopefully, I should get mine back tomorrow.
Mind you the last time it went wrong, they had it for ages.

Last of the Misummer Murders tonight,or so I believe. I know Rita will be able to confirm this for me.

How's Mike now Rita. I hope he is still progressing well.

Maddie, how's you keeping now,.has that dreaded cough gone yet.

Hi ya Marilyn, hows your mouth now. Is the gum healing o.k

Yes it it the last of Midsomers tonight. I hope they don't kill Tom Barnaby off!

Well everybody else gets killed off!!

I'm surprised there's anyone left in that place.

We'll all have to make sure we never go there for a holiday.

Hi

Mike is getting on each day he improves.he is feeling sorry for his self but that is the drugs he is on.

It will seem strange having the last of John Nettles in "Midsummer Murders " but dont worry we will get lots of repeats they will be still going when our Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren are old enough to see.them just like! Murder she wrote " goes on forever, I was watching one a few days ago and it was that old the static got to work on it it kept stopping as though I had pause the thing.

Pauline these people who write these things , especailly the soaps dont know where to put people when they leave they kill them.off murder ot fires of car accidents.

Rita