A good story – Kitty's Irish Gifts

Annie Moore – Ellis Island’s First Immigrant

From 1892 to 1954, Ellis Island in New York Harbor processed nearly twelve million immigrants who arrived at the Port of New York and New Jersey. Did you know that the first immigrant to pass through Ellis Island was a seventeen-year-old Irish girl from County Cork?

Annie Moore, along with her two younger brothers, left Queensland, Ireland on December 20, 1892 to join their parents and two older siblings who were already settled in America. The family had spent the past four years apart. They travelled aboard the steamship Nevada for 12 days. The ship arrived too late on New Year’s Eve of 1891 to be processed. Because of this, the Nevada’s third-class passengers were the first to pass through Ellis Island, a newly built federal immigration station.

At 10:30am on New Year’s Day, amid foghorns, bells, and cheers, the Nevada’s steerage passengers stepped onto the dock of Ellis Island with the Statue of Liberty nearby. Annie, with her brothers closely behind, entered the three-story building and approached the registry desk. Charles Hendley, a former Treasury Department official was given the honor of registering Ellis Island’s first immigrant. He asked her name and registered her name as well as her brothers Anthony and Philip in the first registry book. John B. Weber, a former congressman and the federal superintendent of immigration for the port of New York, presented her with a ten dollar gold piece.

For many years, it was believed that Moore had married a descendent of Irish nationalist Daniel O’Connell and moved to New Mexico where she died in a street car accident in Texas. But in 2006, it was discovered that the Annie Moore who was the first to pass through Ellis Island lived her whole life on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. She married a German American and gave birth to at least 10 children. Only five of those children survived past the age of three. She died from heart failure in 1924 at the age of 50.

Moore’s unmarked grave in Queens was located in 2008 and a headstone was erected and dedicated to her. Famous Irish tenor Ronan Tynan sang at the ceremony and a letter from Barack Obama (then a candidate for president) was read to those in attendance. Today, statues of Annie Moore and her brothers stand at the Irish port of Cobh (formerly Queenstown) and also on Ellis Island.

“The Irish Tradition of Tea”

Tea is more than just a drink for the Irish. It is a tradition and a symbol of welcome. Upon arriving at someone’s home in Ireland, one is almost always handed a cup of tea. No matter what the time of day, drinking tea is an integral part of Irish life.

Many Irish still brew tea leaves the old-fashioned way, but even more now use tea bags to brew their tea. You may wonder how the idea of tea bags came about. Surprisingly, this invention was made somewhat by mistake in New York in 1904. Thomas Sullivan, a tea and coffee merchant, sent samples of his new tea to customers. Normally he sent these samples in small bins but one day he decided to try something different and he sent the samples in hand-sewn silk bags instead. His customers soon discovered that they could make tea more easily by pouring boiling water over the bags. They asked Thomas to continue sending their tea in these bags and the first tea bags were invented!

In old Irish folklore, there are many interesting stories concerning tea. One such story says that a woman who puts milk in before sugar will never get a husband. Another says that a woman who pours tea from the pot another woman has already poured will experience bad luck before the year’s end. Other tales say that tea made too strong is a sign of the beginning of a new friendship, while weak tea suggests a friendship is coming to an end. Another story warns that stirring tea in the pot will provoke trouble, especially if it’s stirred counter-clockwise. Tasseography, the study of tea leaves left in the bottom of your cup after drinking, suggests that star shapes mean success, a castle shape suggest good news, a church shape indicates a wedding, and a horseshoe shape predicts good luck.

“Mother Teresa’s Irish Connection”

Before she ever journeyed to India, Mother Teresa needed to learn

some English as she began her life as a nun. She started out at the

Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham, a suburb of Dublin. Mother Teresa knew

from a very early age that she wanted to work in India. She chose the

Loreto sisters because they were known for their missionary work in

India. She also was attracted to their reputation for being with people

in their su’ering. They were an order dedicated to serving those who

were suffering, not only with basic human needs but also spiritual

fulfillment.

Mother Teresa had many nice memories of her short time in Ireland.

She spoke fondly of Mother Borgia Irwin who taught her English and

had also spent many years as a missionary in India. Mother Borgia also

taught Mother Teresa about Ireland. Mother Teresa enjoyed being

taught about Saint Patrick and felt a special affinity toward him. She

admired Saint Patrick not only for his great works but also because he

was a man of constant prayer.

Mother Teresa also spoke fondly about the stories of the first Irish

Monks, including Saint Kevin. She especially liked to hear of Saint Brigid

and admired the fact that her monastery in Kildare was known as the

City of the Poor because of its reputation for hospitality, compassion

and generosity. Mother Teresa learned from these stories of the Irish

Monks that you should not only care for people, but you should give

your heart to them as well.

“Who is St.Patrick”

We are all familiar with the story of the boy Patrick who was brought as a slave to Ireland when he was sixteen. He spent six long years minding sheep and roaming the woods and mountains looking for lost animals. During the long hours alone his thoughts were constantly turning to God and it was these thoughts that led to his escape and freedom. He completed his studies and was ordained a priest. He later became a missionary bishop and it was with great joy that he fulfilled his dream by returning to Ireland in the year 432.
Patrick worked in a hostile environment because Christianity was despised by Ireland’s chieftains and ruidic rites were practiced widely. Patrick’s technique of conversion from paganism was very tactful and highly successful. Rather than condemning pagan rites completely, he selected aspects of the people’s customs and practices and used these to introduce Christianity.
Patrick used imagery in his preaching. Popular legend describes the saint explaining the mystery of the Blessed Trinity by taking a shamrock from the ground and holding it aloft. Always St. Patrick preached the love of God. Gradually the kings of Ireland were coming round to Patrick’s and allowing him to teach their children.
Irish legend tells us of St. Patrick climbing Broagh Patrick in Co. Mayo and of his fasting there before banishing all the snakes from Ireland. On the last Sunday of July each year, pilgrims climb the Reek in a re-enactment of Patrick’s ascent.
On a forlorn island in the middle of Lough Derg in Co. Donegal, Patrick fasted for forty days. Pilgrims still ‘do Lough Derg’ for penance. The Christianity that Patrick brought to Ireland eventually spread over Europe and Asia as descendants of his converts became missionaries.
He died in 461 at Sault near Downpatrick County Down. The religion that Patrick brought to the Irish people thrived. Within two centuries of his death, Ireland became known as as the ‘Island of Saints and Scholars.’

“Fish ‘n Chips in Ireland”
Fish and chips are a favorite meal in Ireland and nobody quite knows when this combination started. We do know, however, that the first fish and chips were sold in Ireland in 1886 and the man who started it all was an Italian immigrant named Guiseppe Cervi. Guiseppe arrived in Ireland by mistake. In the early 1880’s, he had saved up his money to begin a new life in the United States and he got off the ship in Cobh believing he had arrived in America. After the boat left without him, Guiseppe walked into Dublin and began his new life and soon sold fish and chestnuts from a handcart on the streets of Dublin. One day, Guiseppe mistakenly roasted a potato instead of chestnuts and from that day forward fish and chips became one of the most popular dishes in Ireland.
Guiseppe and his wife opened a shop in Great Brunswick Street (now Pearse Street). Many Italians from Guiseppe’s regions came to Ireland and set up similar businesses. They liked Ireland because it was a catholic country and they settled very smoothly. By 1909, there were twenty fish and chip shops in Dublin and by the 1930’s there were fifty. Currently, the Irish Traditional Italian Chipper Association lists over 200 fish and chip shops in the twenty-six counties. Fridays were a very busy day for the Italian chippers due to the large Irish Catholic population who often abstained from meat on Fridays, especially during Lent.
One of the most famous fish and chips businesses in Ireland is Beshoff’s. It was set up originally by Ivan Beshoff who was born in the Ukraine. Ivan was on the battleship Potemkin and was involved in a mutiny by the crew over poor food. After the mutiny, he fled through Turkey to London and then to Ireland in 1913. He married a Tipperary girl and worked with an oil distribution company. The oil company ceased its operations in Ireland at the beginning of WWII and it was then when Ivan set up his first fish and chip shop on Dublin’s North Strand. The shop was bombed by the Germans during the war. Today, the Beshoff family continues to run a number of fish and chip shops.
Fish and chips may not be as bad for you as you think! An average portion has about 595 calories. In comparison, the average pizza has 871 calories and a Big Mac meal with fries has 888.

“The History of Mothers Day”
Mother’s Day in Ireland is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Mother’s Day was started in the United States where it is celebrated in the month of May, but the tradition eventually spread to other countries such as Ireland and England.
Mother’s Day exists thanks to the efforts of a woman named Anna Jarvis who lived in Philadelphia. When her mother died in 1905, Anna arranged to have an informal church service every year on the anniversary of her death. Anna was very devoted to her mother and, wanting to honor her mother’s memory, she decided to start a special day for all mothers.
Anna had to lobby tirelessly for this idea to take hold. She wrote thousands of letters and solicited support from important public figures. Finally, her efforts paid off and a special day for all mothers was announced in 1908. However, Anna wanted something even more formal and continued in her efforts to get this done. Finally, in May of 1914, a bill was introduced into the American Congress and a special day was set aside for a national Mother’s Day. President Wilson signed the proclamation.
Sadly, Anna Jarvis never became a mother herself. In fact she never married and died blind and penniless in a Pennsylvania hospital. However, she made a lasting impact on the world when we celebrate our love for our mothers on Mother’s Day each year.