My Irish Connection

An Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

 Today is St. Patrick's Day. The day that everyone is Irish for the day.

Almost everyone I meet has a little Irish in them. My Irish roots run deep. I am very proud of my Irish heritage. Here is a brief history of my Irish family:

Somewhere around 1865-1868 my grandparents emigrated from County Limerick, Ireland. They were married right here in Meridian in 1868. The 1870 census listed my great-grandfather as an engineer with the railroad and my great-grandmother as a milliner. They had one son at the time, Frankie, who later died. By the 1880 census, they had five more children, four girls and one boy, and my great-grandfather was listed as deceased. He died in January of 1880 and is buried in St. Patrick Cemetery. My grandfather was only 6 months old.

The story goes that soon after that my great-grandmother passed away. Most of the girls were away at school. I believe two of them became nuns and one married. I'm not sure about the fourth. My grandfather, James T. Crowe, was raised by Father Louis Valley, the priest at St. Patrick Catholic Church. He was going to become a priest until he met my grandmother, Serena Rose. They married, had six children and he passed away in 1925 due to injuries sustained in a car accident. My dad was only 10.

Below is a picture of some of the family, circa 1913. John Seaborn Rose, Walter Rose, Serena Rose Crowe, James T Crowe Sr, unknown girl, James T Crowe Jr., Martina Crowe, puppy

My dad, John B. Crowe, passed away in April of 1992. Seeing some of the pictures when he was young, he looked like what you would expect an Irishman to look like — red hair and freckles. My mom told me once he grew a beard for the centennial of Meridian and it was three different colors — red, black and gray!

I did get a little of that Irishness. I have freckles and when the sunlight hits my hair it has a red tint.

One day I plan to take a trip to Ireland. I don't know when I will get the chance, but it is definitely on my bucket list.

I've also been reading one of my favorite books, Angela's Ashes. It's about a poor Irish family that grew up in County Limerick, Ireland. It's by Frank McCourt and I highly recommend it.

So here's to all things Irish. Don't forget to wear something green today or you might get pinched!

Erin go bragh! Ireland Forever!