[driftless]

I have a song in one my songbooks called "No Irish Need Apply". I've heard that story for many years also. However one of my books about the Irish, featuring many photos and drawings, shows cartoons from the late 1800's depicting the Irish as similar to apes. The famous political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew some really nasty anti-Catholic cartoons. Of course there was discrimination against the Irish as there was against all Catholics. That's why the Know-Nothings were so popular for a while, and there were some anti-Catholic riots. So what. That was then, this is now.

I was raised Catholic, and I remember traces of anti-Catholicism from my childhood. JFK actually had to sit in a meeting before the 1960 election with a bunch of Protestant ministers, including Norman Vincent Peale, to prove that he was American first and Catholic second. Most of this anti-Catholicism has died out. It certainly didn't affect my life negatively. When people try to stop me from doing something I want to do, it only makes me more determined to do it.

[jla]

However one of my books about the Irish, featuring many photos and drawings, shows cartoons from the late 1800's depicting the Irish as similar to apes.

I've seen these types of images and something tells me they were somewhat exaggerated -

[Lovely-Day-For-A-Guinness]

However one of my books about the Irish, featuring many photos and drawings, shows cartoons from the late 1800's depicting the Irish as similar to apes.

19th century lithographers also had a field day mocking the Irish with similar depictions.

Toys were also made mocking the Irish. Google "Mechanical Bank Paddy Pig" and you'll see pictures of one such toy.

And then there's the term "Paddy Wagon".

The article fails to touch upon the history of the Irish in New Orleans. There, Irish just off the boat fought with black slaves for the lowest of low jobs. Black slaves had value and were kept from doing dangerous jobs that might prove fatal so the Irish took them since they had no value.

My g-g-grandfather was one of those famine refugees who landed in New Orleans, busted his arse, and made something for himself, buying lots of farmland in Iowa and making real dinero.

Another g-g-grandfather left the famine behind to come build the Erie Canal, then was drafted to fight in the Civil War, and eventually farmed south of Rochester, NY.

Still another settled near Chicago to turn the Illinois River back on itself. His son, whom I'm named after, had a flourishing gas station on Rt.66 south of Chicago.

How I'd love to be able to set the Wayback Machine and have a chat with these guys, and others, who only wanted a chance to pursue the American dream sans handouts from anyone. This country owes much of its status to the Irish, who gladly took the filthiest and most dangerous job just to put food on the table and a pint in the belly.

Personally, I find mocking the Irish funny, and that's something fairly unique to Irish blood - we can laugh at ourselves while the bigots are trying to slam us.