Becoming Irish

The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History March 11 - March 17.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day week here at Okay History. I’m here to remind you that Paddy, not Patty, is the shortened version of this iconic Irish Catholic Saint Feast Day. We will not be celebrating the Patron Saint of Hamburgers on Sunday, friends.  

I celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every year because I have Irish roots, but this year will be different. Last week, I was sent my official paperwork confirming my citizenship. So, I’m officially an Irish Citizen!

How about that? Do you know any Irish citizens? Well now you do!

It’s been a long process to reach this outcome. Here’s the short, okay story:

I knew I was eligible for Irish citizenship for many years since my maternal grandmother was born in County Roscommon, the Kansas of Ireland.

Ellen Coen came to America twice. I guess she liked the experience so much that doing it once wasn’t enough. Once she finally settled in the United States, she traveled from New Jersey to Cleveland, Ohio, where she would spend the rest of her life being awesome and loving her favorite grandchild.    

Since my grandmother was a resident alien, my mother was immediately an Irish citizen, and if she wanted an Irish passport, she would have less paperwork to fill out. I never pursued getting Irish citizenship; I didn’t understand the point. Until I was 26, I had never been there and knew little about the place.

I first traveled to Ireland in 2002 with some friends to watch the US National team play Ireland in a World Cup soccer friendly. We only came for the weather. It was a fantastic time.

Even after that trip, I wasn’t keen on pursuing citizenship. But after my father passed away in 2015, my Mom and I had a conversation about family legacy. Mom explained that her mother wished her kids had gotten their citizenship (my grandfather is also 100% Irish) to ensure the family tradition. My thinking changed then, and a few years after that, the journey toward Irish citizenship began.

In 2019, Anonymous and I traveled across the Atlantic and spent a week in Ireland. We spent a few nights in Roscommon, making friends. We had a delightful friendship with a local jeweler who helped Anonymous and me figure out where my grandmother was from. He connected us to a man who could help us, and the next day, we attended Mass. After the service, I met the most active 90-year-old gentleman in Ireland. We chatted briefly, but unfortunately, he couldn’t help steer us in the right direction. It was a fun little detective story, but in the end, we never did get to the exact location.

I did secure my grandmother’s birth certificate, and after a few years and one pandemic, I submitted my application in January 2023. It was a simple process.

Later this September, Anonymous and I, along with my two sisters, will take my mother to Ireland for her first trip. We will head to Roscommon, visit the exact location where Gram grew up because our cousins actually know the details, and then tour the west end of the country.

It will be fun. I’ll get to show off my Irish passport.

Finally, I’m not becoming a full Irish citizen. I’m still American. I’m an Irish-American now, in the truest sense of the word. Don’t worry. If you were wondering, the answer is yes, I will become super obnoxious about this.

Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events celebrate their anniversary, ending in 5 or 0. Here's what I got:

1. The cotton gin was patented on March 14, 1794. American inventor Eli Whitney created an engine that could separate cotton fibers from their seeds. This allowed plantation owners to produce cotton more efficiently, and it became the central commodity of the Confederacy. Ireland also has rich natural resources and fought a Civil War after its independence from Britain.

2. Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879. The theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity was born in Germany. I have no idea what a theoretical physicist does or what the theory of relativity is, but I have been to Germany. What I do know is that Albert was wicked smart. He emigrated to the United States in 1933 and became a citizen in 1940. I doubt I will have the impact on Ireland as Albert had on the US.

3. Jack Ruby was found guilty on March 14, 1964. The Dallas nightclub owner was found guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald on live television two days after Oswald allegedly assassinated President John F. Kennedy. Ruby was sentenced to death but appealed the conviction, which he won. He did not live through a second trial, which began in 1967, having died of a pulmonary embolism. The average lifespan in Ireland is 82 years, while in the United States, it is 81. Jack could have lived until 56 had he become an Irish citizen.

Daylight Saving Time took effect last night, which meant we skipped an hour, and I’m confident everyone feels terrible. When you spent the previous week not feeling well, entering a week having lost an hour isn’t the best treatment plan for your recovery. But it is what it is. The sun will now go down beginning at 7:00 p.m., and for that, I am grateful that Spring is almost here.

This is a reminder that if you have any questions you’d like me to answer, email me at chris@okayhistory.com or from this post.

I’ll be back on Friday to rank the next two elections. I hope you are enjoying the series. I take the fact that you are opening the email but not commenting as a sign that you are. Thank you for your continued support.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day. May the road rise up to meet you and the wind be ever at your back.

Take care and see you later.

Ceart go leor,

Chris

Blue loves his Irish sweater!