Irish Americans and Their Communities of Cleveland Irish Americans and Their Communities of Cleveland Nelson Callahan and William Hickey MSL Academic Endeavors CLEVELAND, OHIO This electronic edition contains the complete text as found in the print edition of the book. Original copyright to this book is reserved by the author(s). Organizations and individuals seeking to use these materials outside the bounds of fair use or copyright law must obtain permission directly from the appropriate copyright holder. For more information about fair use, see the Michael Schwartz Library’s copyright guide: http://researchguides.csuohio.edu/ copyright/fairuse. Any permitted use of this edition must credit the Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library and MSL Academic Endeavors as the source. Cleveland Ethnic Heritage Studies, Cleveland State University The activity which is the subject of this report was supported in part by the U.S. Office of Education, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. However, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Office of Education, and no official endorsement by the U.S. Office of Education should be inferred. The original print publication was made possible by a grant from the GEORGE GUND FOUNDATION. Copyright © by Cleveland State University v Preface The history of Cleveland is intimately connected with the settlement of the Irish immigrants. Their struggle for survival in the early days, their social, plitical and economic upward movement as well as their impact on the growth of Cleveland is vividly portrayed in this monograph by two distinguished Clevelanders, Nelson J. Callahan and William P. Hickey. The two essays are complementary to each other and expressing the insights, feelings and sensitivities of two individuals who are very much a product of the Irish heritage. Father Nelson Callahan, born fifty years ago in Cleveland Heights, is a deeply committed diocesan priest and present pastor of St. Raphael in Bay Village, He is also a noted scholar, writer, researcher and teacher. As former Director of Erieview High School, Professor at St. John’s College, Archivist of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, author and editor of anumber of books, journals and other publications, he enriched the life of thousands of people. As past associate at St. Agatha, a black parish of Cleveland, pro- vi IRISH AMERICANS • vii synodal judge of the Diocesan Matrimonial Tribunal, as well as moderator of the First Friday Club of Cleveland since 1968, he has been influential and highly respected in diocesan affairs. The fact that he cherishes his Irish heritage is indicated by the positions he has held as trustee of the Irish Civic Heritage Association, honorary judge of the Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and past associate of the largest Irish parish of Cleveland, St. Patrick in West Park. William F. Hickey chose English as his major study in his undergraduate days at Notre Dame University, but History equally held his interest, inside and outside the classroom, especially that of this country. Hickey, who has earned his living as a journalist and freelance writer the past 25 years, considers himself “a pretty fair historian” of the American experience in general and considerably more than that when it comes to both the Irish who settled here and those who remained in their native land. Hickey, of Irish descent on both sides of his family as far back as he can trace his geneaology, was born on the West Side of Cleveland and grew up in suburban Lakewood. He is currently the television critic of the Plain Dealer, after having served stints as a sports columnist and editor of the paper’s weekly entertainment magazine. He resides in Bay Village with his wife, Joan, and their nine children. To both authors for their outstanding contribution to a better understanding of Cleveland my deepest appreciation. Similarly I viii • NELSON CALLAHAN AND WILLIAM HICKEY owe a debt of gratitude to Fr. Andrew Greeley, nationally known sociologist, scholar and a leading authority in ethnic heritage studies for the introduction which he wrote for his friend Fr. Callahan. My sincere thanks to Dr. Thomas F. Campbell for reviewing the manuscript, to Mr. Richard Siersen for copyediting, to Mrs. Patricia Bushel-Veronesi for the maps, to Ms. Kathy Donovan of the Time-Life Books, Inc. for many reproductions, to the Cleveland Plain Dealer for the valuable photographs and to Mrs. Judy Slovenec and Mrs. Shirley Lawson for typing and bringing this work to its successful completion. Dr. Karl Bonutti Editor, Monograph Series Ethnic Heritage Studies Cleveland State University Introduction “They all have the gift of gab and are devious as hell.” So Mr. Hickey quotes the rueful (and perhaps unintended) compliment of Mark Hanna to the Irish as natural politicians. For the gift of gab there is a long and honored tradition going back to the pre-Christian Celts. The deviousness was merely putting the gift to use to confuse and befuddle the English oppressors and their nativist cousins in North America. As for being politicians. ah, sure, what can I tell you? There’s no denying, and there are still a few of us around. Irish Catholic Americans, for example, are twice as likely to work for the government than the national average; and that hasn’t stopped them from becoming the richest (in terms of annual income) gentile group in America. If anyone says we made our money through political deviousness, I would invite them to step out in the alley where Father Callahan and Mr. Hickey will be waiting to discuss the matter with them. Of course, we didn’t exactly lose money on politics either. 1 2 • NELSON CALLAHAN AND WILLIAM HICKEY ‘Tis a sad thing to report but the Irish show some signs of respectability these days. They belong to country clubs; some of them, may the Lord have mercy on them, even vote Republican (though they still go to church, showing that you can leave the party and not the church, bad luck to them). They are amused by their quaint, indolent cousins in the old country and act like the Irish were always a presentably upper middle-class crowd in this country. For such folks this book will be a rude shock. Our ancestors lived in worse conditions than any of the minorities today — and had at lease as bad things said about them as we say about the minorities. Indeed, nothing has been said about the new immigrants to our cities that wasn’t said about our great grandparents. We were, it seemed, a no-account, shiftless lot who would never amount to anything. Well, we showed them, and somehow we managed to stay Irish just the same — even if we forgot what being Irish means and forgot too the brave young men and women who with nothing but the clothes on their backs, a love of freedom, a firm faith and a bright hope came to our shores. For many of them the only reward was poverty; for not a few was added sudden death. But we stand on their shoulders. Their courage made our affluence possible. And don’t you ever forget it. Andrew M. Greeley Part I: The Irish in Cleveland: One Perspective by William F. Hickey 3 Chapter 1: A Brief History of Ireland To understand the Irish who settled in Cleveland during the early, middle and late 19th Century, it is first necessary to know something about the country from whence they came and how the centuries of troubled existence on that island shaped the collective character of its peoples. The Celts Just when the Celts, a considerably advanced race of warrior craftsmen at the time of Christ’s birth, moved across the channel waters from Gaul is not known with any certainty. What is known is that Celtic legends relating to the island go back almost to the days when Abraham was leading the Chosen People to the Promised Land. Traceable Celtic history dates back roughly to the year 2,000 B.C., but for reasons purely romantic, most scholars have tended 5 6 • NELSON CALLAHAN AND WILLIAM HICKEY to set their historical timetables to coincide with the arrival in the early 5th Century A.D. of the man who became known as St. Patrick. Why this should be, Patrick’s astounding accomplishments notwithstanding, is a mystery. In the centuries before the Christianizer of Ireland performed his near-wondrous works, the Celts had established themselves as overlords of Britain and Gaul, as well as the island of their real destiny. IRELAND AND THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN 1970 — Drawn by Patricia Bashel-Veronesi. IRISH AMERICANS • 7 Drawn by Patricia Bashel-Veronesi Their strength in numbers and skill in battle enabled them to range far across the continent of Europe. Indeed, their war cries rang through many an Alpine valley, including those that now form parts of northern Italy and Yugoslavia. Their success on various fields of battle stemmed from their advanced status as craftsmen as much as it did from natural ferocity. The Celts’ finely-honed metallic axes scattered the Teutons and others unfortunate enough to get in their way. But it was not only a case of superior numbers and arms winning the day, however, for the Celts were a thinking people, capable of 8 • NELSON CALLAHAN AND WILLIAM HICKEY instituting and altering battle plans as the occasion demanded. We can glean this from the very word by which they came to be identified — Celtoi, meaning “the clothed people,” indicating they considered themselves superior to the naked Teutonic tribes that sought to share the continent’s western regions with them. In other words, the Celts had long given up the practice of painting themselves blue and hanging naked from trees.