Between the years 1847 and 1860 some 154 , 000 Irish survivors of An Gorta Mor / Great Famine came ashore here in Saint John. Many stayed on here and became the local work force ( most members of my own family ) , some moved inland or upriver from the sea to farm or work in the woodcutting industry.... whereas the vast majority travelled overland or by coastal steamer to Boston .... and there they sent down roots. In reality ...... and when one looks closely at immigration documents ...... we find that a great number of families split up with some siblings setting off on their own to Beantown ... a bit late for the Tea Party though.... while the more timid maybe and younger ones stayed on here with their parents. Growing up here back in the late 1930s and all the 1940s it was normal for relatives from Boston to visit ... especially during the Summer months ..... normal to receive Christmas cards from family in Boston !! I had Uncle Bill ( grandfather's brother ) and Aunt Mamie , cousins Annie , Ray , Dennis , etc ..... Nowadays ... with the modern generation of local Irish....... these once ardent ties are all but forgotten except for guys like myself...... and we are getting fewer and farther between ! Were they to do DNA testing with our North End Irish and the Mystic River Irish in Boston there would be continuous popping sounds in the lab signaling " hits" .... somewhat akin to cries of BINGO during Lightning Bingo Night at Saint Peter's Parish hall.
All this , folks , to tell you that we took a ride today down along a sparkling coastline full of inlets and a marvelous highway to " them thar good ole US of A " .... about an hour from here. We crossed over the Ste Croix River border post .... just north of Saint Stephen , New Brunswick on our way to nearby Calais , Maine. This is the northeasternmost border crossing in the USA ........ officially opened only last week by our very own lord and Chief Buffalo Chips , Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Conservative fame ........ and I'll back off and let Fluff tell the rest.
Chief Buffalo Chips! I'm not touching that one with a 10' pole!!!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to ask Fluff if cheeses and what-not is less expensive than in CA, or a larger selection?
For want of a better expression I simply made up Chief Buffalo Chips because of how he botched up getting things done of late by proroguing Parliament until after the Olympics... he has got himself into deep " doodah" with the electorate !! As for cheeses I would say that they are a bit cheaper Stateside.... but we have a great assortment of French and Belgian cheeses I might only expect to find in specialty shops in the USA... and they are very expensive here.........could be wrong though ? Hugs !
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun trip. Would be fun to live near another country and travel there at times. Even another state. I am close to nothing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Julie.......would be fun to be that close to another country other then Mexico. Not that I haven't had fun in Mexico but I have been scared, of late, to travel there.
ReplyDeleteEverything I see of Canada, I really love. Hopefully someday I will get to visit some part of it.
I wonder if any or many of those Irish ever went back home?
Very true , Julie Ann... we are lucky enough to have roughly four choices starting out from Saint John... all within easy reach.... from one hour ( Maine ) to Nova SCotia and Prince Edward Island ( two other Maritime Provinces ) about two hours away.. we can see Nova SCotia across the Bay on a bright day... then we have the whole northern part of this province which is French speaking... almost like another country.
ReplyDeleteCindy Ann... part of Julie Ann's comment from me is for you too.... but you should make sure that you get yourself up this way sometime during the upcoming Summer. We'll show you a bushel basket full of Downeast hospitality...and then some !! And no , very few ever returned !
ReplyDeleteLately I'm afraid to go near any international borders.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for that info on the Irish migration to Canada. I knew nothing about it til now. When I was a kid in school we didn't learn much about other counttries other than what kind of products they produce. Or so my memory tells me.
Interesting.. my great grandmother, Catherine Landy, was sent for by my great grandfather, Thomas.. apparently she arrived in Mass and that is were he and she got married. They then settled in Mtl.. and had 13 offspring.
ReplyDeleteThrough FB, I found I have 3rd and 4th cousins in the pacific rim... Tahiti even, who speak French and would probably put my tete carre to shame.