CHICAGO TO IRELAND AND BACK AGAIN
I
WAS ONLY FOUR YEARS OLD THAT SUMMER OF 1923 WHEN MY FOLKS DECIDED TO MOVE BACK
TO IRELAND TO FARM MY GRANDFATHER'S FARM. HE WAS A SICK MAN WHOM RECENTLY
HAD A STROKE BUT DECIDED TO FARM IN IRELAND SINCE HIS EYESIGHT IN ONE EYE WAS
AFFECTED. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I WAS ON
A TRAIN IN MY LIFE, AND I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE TRAIN RIDE TO NEW YORK. I THINK I WAS GLUED TO THE WINDOW FOR THE
WHOLE TRAIN TRIP WHICH TOOK A COUPLE OF DAYS OR CLOSE TO IT. IT WAS A
STEAM ENGINE AND DIDN'T GO VERY FAST, BUT WE SAW PLENTY OF FARM LAND AND
ANIMALS, the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. I
WAS FASCINATED BY ALL OF THE SCENERY.
WE
DEBOARDED IN NEW YORK, AND EMBARKED ON OUR VOYAGE TO QUEENSTOWN, IRELAND
(PRESENTLY CALLED COBH). SINCE IT WAS 80
YEARS AGO, THE SHIP WAS NOT VERY MODERN, I WANT TO ASSURE YOU. IT WAS MORE LIKE A TUB THAN AN OCEAN LINER OF
TODAY. THE VOYAGE WAS A LONG ONE. ABOUT TWO WEEKS BUT WHO WAS
COUNTING. IT WAS A GRAND EXPERIENCE FOR ME AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
TRIP. THE NEW EXPERIENCE OF BEING ON AN
OCEAN LINER, SUCH AS IT WAS IN THOSE DAYS. THE TRIP TOOK ABOUT TWO WEEKS,
AND THE MOST MEMORABLE PART OF IT WAS THE STORMS. THE SHIP HAD NO EQUALIZERS OR BALANCERS AS MODERN SHIPS DO, AND AS A RESULT DURING THE STORMS
WE WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED ON DECK. I CAN STILL REMEMBER THE BOAT ROCKING
FROM SIDE TO SIDE, TO THE POINT THAT ALL THE DISHES AND FOOD SLID OFF THE
TABLES. YET THERE WERE OTHER DAYS WHEN
THE SEA WOULD BE RELATIVELY CALM. ON ONE OF THESE DAYS, A GIRL'S HAT BLEW
OFF AND LANDED NEAR ME. I PICKED IT UP AND RAN TO THE RAILING, AND THREW
IT OVERBOARD. IT THRILLED ME BUT I CAN STILL REMEMBER MY MOTHER GIVING ME
A GOOD TALKING TO, AND LETTING ME KNOW HOW BAD A BOY I WAS. I CAN STILL REMEMBER
HER JUST ASKING ME OVER AND OVER AGAIN: WHY??? THE OTHER EVENT I CAN STILL REMEMBER VIVIDLY
IS ARRIVING AT QUEENSTOWN. THE GREENNESS
OF THE ISLAND WAS VERY VISIBLE FROM THE SHIP, AND I WAS IMPRESSED.
I
REMEMBER THE FARM OVER IN IRELAND. MAYBE
BECAUSE IT HAD NOT CHANGED MUCH IN THE 50 YEARS AFTER THAT WHEN I WENT BACK
AGAIN AND SPENT SOME TEN OR TWELVE VACATIONS THERE FROM 1971 UNTIL THE LATE
80'S. THE FLOOR OF THE COTTAGE WAS OF
HARD EARTH, COLD AND DAMP FOR BARE FEET. THE CHICKENS AND SOME OF THE
OTHER CREATURES ROAMED FREELY ABOUT THE "GARDEN" AS THE YARD IS
CALLED IN IRELAND. AS A RESULT THE
GARDEN WAS NO PLACE TO GO WALKING BUT I LOVED IT, AS I WOULD GO OUT AND WALK
AND RUN ABOUT WITH ALL THE ANIMAL DEBRIS RUNNING BETWEEN MY TOES. THE THING I DO REMEMBER -- MAYBE I SHOULD
FORGET?????? THEN THERE WAS THE DAY THE DONKEY KICKED ME DOWN AND WAS
ABOUT TO STOMP ON ME BEFORE SOMEONE PUSHED HIM AWAY PHYSICALLY. I
GUESS HE COULD HAVE KILLED ME IF HE KICKED ME IN THE HEAD. I REALLY DO
NOT REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT THE TRIP BACK. I FORGOT TO MENTION THERE WAS NO
RUNNING WATER INTHE HOUSE, ONLY BARRELS OF RAIN WATER THAT WOULD RUN OFF OF THE
ROOF. BATHING WAS DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY FOR MY SISTERS. TOILET FACILITIES WERE IN AN OLD BUILDING OFF
OF THE GARDEN, WITHOUT EVEN TOILET BOWL OR SEAT. PRIMITIVE, IT WAS.
WE
MADE THE TRIP BACK TO CHICAGO WITHOUT INCIDENT, AND I DO NOT REMEMBER IT.
BUT I DO REMEMBER MOVING TO 171 N. LEAMINGTON TO AN APARTMENT BUILDING WHERE WE
LIVED FOR A SHORT TIME BEFORE MY FOLKS PURCHASED THE HOME AT 4737 GLADYS IN
RESURRECTION PARISH. MY DAD WENT BACK TO WORK ON THE STREET CARS UNTIL HE
SUFFERED ANOTHER SEVERE STROKE IN 1937 THAT LEFT HIS ONE SIDE PARTIALLY
PARALYZED, BUT HE WAS ABLE TO WALK AND TALK BUT NOT WORK. IN 1939 HE
SUFFERED HIS THIRD STROKE, AND I VIVIDLY REMEMBER MY MOTHER WARNING ME THAT
THIS ONE WOULD PROBABLY BE FATAL, AND SO IT WAS.
