Next week an important day will occur, the 163rd anniversary of the arrival of the my great,great, great great grandfather to this country.
He was a widower from Tipperarey,Ireland. Sailing from Cobh aboard the S.S.Effingham (John Hudson Captain)he landed in New York. He came with his four children, good chance with little else and carved out a life in the new world. Leaving behind the pain and death of the great famine for the promise of a new life. So on friday the 25th, I will sit down and reflect on what a great life we all have because one man made a decision to start a new life.
Know wonder the family motto which dates back to 1173 "Transfixus sed non mortus" Pierced but not Dead! Speaks volumes about some of the attributes seen in various family members over the years. It's in the DNA, it's what makes us who we are. I am sure he would appreciate what we all have done with the opportunity and for those who wasted the chance he would say "Pog mo thóin!"But being a true Irishman he would just ask "Pionta Guinness, le do thoil". Slainte!
So remember when you talk about immigration, where would you be today if someone said "send them back". So unless they take the words off the Statue of Liberty "give my your tired,your poor,your huddled masses yearning to be free". Think first! Those words send a chill down my spine, it's the reason we are a great country, maybe not always a good one! So to those who have forgotten where their roots are and the fact they are descendants of immigrants, I say Pog mo thóin!
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