Choosing America
In the nineteenth century, one and a half million Irish people learned the high emotional cost of emigration. During that century new social pressures arose in Ireland, mainly affecting Catholics and the poor. Rebellion against the government intensified. British oppression made wanted men out of many who were seeking redress and independence. Then, decade after decade, Ireland suffered widespread famines, causing the deaths of another million and a half people throughout the country. Life became so desperate that many citizens chose to get on a steamship and sail more than two thousand miles to a new country for the rest of their lives. Such a step takes a great deal of courage. It also takes hope, determination, planning and perhaps a touch of desperation. The characteristics they developed by doing so made them better individuals, stronger citizens, and more dedicated to success than many of those left behind.
All of those characteristics were developed by the parents of Michael Joseph Galvin. Those attributes then shaped that scruffy little lad called Mike into a cheerful man of high ideals and lofty attainments. Mike’s parents, Bridget Hallahan and James Galvin, were part of the flood of Catholics leaving Ireland by the thousands every year. They wanted work, they wanted education and they wanted the chance to raise a family. They left behind a long history of conflict, government oppression and neglect, land partitioning, imposed poverty and food shortages. Bridget Hallahan and James Galvin were both from County Cork although they probably had not met before arriving in the United States of America.
Why did they come to Boston, Massachusetts? Perhaps for James it was because he did have a cousin in the area. We are not sure of Bridget’s ties but there was a lot of exchange of news and help between the two areas. When British restrictions on emigration were lifted in 1827 almost 4000,000 Irish left Ireland over the next decade, many settling in Boston. During the hardest years of famine, 1840 to 1854, the American Bishop in Boston raised money and sent tons of food and clothing to County Cork. His kindness was never forgotten. When famine returned again in 1879, James was eleven and Bridget ten years old. Survival was again dependent on the generous efforts of the Boston Diocese.
On the other hand, Boston, economically and socially, had a long history of abusive behavior towards the Irish. What would they find in a place known for hiring signs that said “No Irish Need Apply?” Like Ireland, Boston was divided into the “haves and the have-nots.” The “haves” of Boston were the men of elite, old families, descended from Puritans who had been driven from Europe by persecution generations ago. These men (called Brahmins, for the most powerful sect among Hindus) controlled the power of Boston. They dominated universities, business, banking, law, insurance, clubs and sports and their women dominated the social world. When Boston Brahmins developed an interest in polo, everyone in their circle played or attended. They raced yachts and, between wars, toured Europe together. The Boston Brahmins of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries set the framework that established where the “have-not” people could live (by income and degree of gentility), what was suitable for non-Brahmins to wear (not jewels or silks), what jobs were open to them (never upper management), and whether or not their projects, businesses or inventions ever got funded. Brahmins dominated New England and its fortunes for three and a half centuries; some still think they do.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, that Brahmin domination began to weaken. In 1875 an Irishman finally won election to public office in Boston and since that time generations of sons and daughters of Ireland steadfastly gained a foothold in the political wards of Boston. In gaining control of the mechanisms of power, the Irish were finally able to break the civil service blockade and open up the trades and public works jobs to Irish and other nationalities.
The Irish used the same means to assist their friends and family members in finding employment as the Brahmins did. When a job was needed, the potential worker went to a political ally or family member with political connections. By way of a personal introduction or hand-written note the job was gained. It may not have been as fine or important as those jobs given to the sons of Boston Brahmins (their daughters did not work) but it put food on Irish tables. This form of filling jobs is called cronyism no matter who does it. But in Boston, the Brahmins considered their placement of players in the working field to be “good business.” They “knew” the family, could depend on them. When the Irish did it, it was called “corruption.” It all amounted to the same picture, but from two different points of view. For Bridget and James, who held the power in Boston didn’t matter. They wanted opportunity and they were willing to work long, hard hours to succeed.
The most affordable transportation for émigrés was a ship of the Cunard Line. These were large steam ships, capable of carrying between 600 and 900 passengers. Many Cunard ships started their voyage in Liverpool, picking up emigrants from Sweden, Norway, Germany and Poland. Returning Americans used the Cunard line as well, although fewer in number. The second and last stop was at Queenstown (now Cork), Ireland, where all remaining spaces were filled with Irish immigrants. Cunard made the voyage weekly in the warmer months, when the seas wer
