Home Away From Home Dances, dinners, communion breakfasts,
memorial masses, picnics, excursions, field days, trips to
Ireland, protest marches, installations of officers, and monthly
meetings filled a busy year-round social calendar for Irish
immigrants. All of the gatherings provided opportunities to meet
old friends and to make new ones, especially for young Irish men
and women adjusting to life in a city like New York. It was hard
to feel homesick when surrounded by so many others from the same
part of Ireland who were pursuing similar American dreams.
County activities were often a lifeline for older immigrants, as
well as a chance to hear the latest news from home first-hand.
The waltzes and Stacks o’ Barley at an Irish county society
dance led to many a wedding, more often than not followed by a
christening. In childhoods that happily revolved around events
with county connections, the next generation came of age
instilled with a special pride in Irish origins as well as
powerful bonds with their parent