They left their homeland
A place which I've only ever dreamed
The sea, the green, the history of glorious Eire

They sailed to the land of opportunity
One sibling at a time
First came the eldest brother
Who worked like a slave to get by
He scrimped and saved to pay the way
For the next brother to arrive 
And that brother worked to bring the next  
And down the line it went
Till my Great Grandma came in 1910
Aboard the ship The Celtic 

She came to the USA, a girl of just 18
And worked till her hands were raw and blistered
Rolling  cigars in a factory, taking in laundry, babysitting and housekeeping 
Often holding 3 jobs or more 
To earn enough money to bring her little sister over
And with unquestionable strength and Irish luck 
She managed to succeed 
And was finally free to live her dream

I still remember the sound of her brogue  
As she taught me to sing "Dear Old Donegal"
And how she'd say, laughingly, that all the Irish are full of blarney

It was many years later, long after she'd passed 
Before I finally realized the cost of her dream
And how greatly she longed for the shores of Eire 

I wonder if the dream was worth the price
And if they ever thought about the longing of their descendants
Who ache for roots buried down deep and history as long as memory

And I think of "Dear Old Donegal" and wonder if that weren't the dream 
To make it rich in America and go home to beautiful Eire. 





 

 

© Amanda Saylor nee Burns. All rights reserved