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Birth in Ireland
My name is Aidan Brannigan and this is my story of immigration to the US. My childhood in Ireland was terrible. The house was filthy and because of the potato famine, we are starved. Mom and Dad were scraping any extra money together for our long awaited trip to America for what we had heard is a better life. -
Ellis Island Arrival
Our poor life in Ireland was hopefully finished. We`v arrived at Ellis Island after a two week trip across the Atlantic. When we saw the statue of liberty, we were so happy! However, it was a long day of many inspections especially for a 6 year old. One of the worst was when they checked our eyes with a buttonhook. It was very painful and I remember crying after that inspection. Although many of the inspections were painful, we were all here together. We had another shot! -
Tammany Hall
As soon as our Ferry arrived at New York City, a well dressed and friendly looking American man approached my father. He welcomed us to America and asked my dad if we had living accomodations. Obviously we didn`t and when we told him he was shocked. Then he asked if he had a job. Again we said no. Reluctantly then, he offered him an apartment and a job on a skyscraper if, we vote for Tweed for councilman at election time. Obviously we agreed and we were "set". -
Living in a Tenement
We had been in America for quite some time now and wasn`t that much different than our poverty in Ireland. Our apartment room given to us by Tammany Hall is small and very crammed even for the four of us. Surprisingly, even with me, my brother, my mother, and my father having jobs we struggle to live there and keep the "living space". We don`t have much
money at all so this is our only living option. I hate living here! -
Railroad story of "Duffy`s Cut"
To help my family, I found a better paying job on a railroad in Chester, PA. Soon after I got my job, a close friend on the railroad told me about "Duffy`s Cut". He said, "There were 57 new Irish workers for the railroad. They were working the toughest stretch of the railroad, Mile 59, and within six weeks, they were all killed. The company kept it a secret but the whole Irish community still thinks they`re in a mass grave in
the middle of nowhere." Frightened for my life, I went back to NYC. -
Working on a Skyscraper
Luckily, I was able to find a job on a skyscraper back home away from the bias threats (sort of). I still got a lot of looks and racists comments but I had to support my family whatever it took. It was the most frightening thing I`d ever experienced. We had no harnesses and the worst part was getting to the top of the building. My heart pounded every time I looked at the city from a bird`s eye view. I went to work every day with the
fear of plunging into the streets but it helped my family.
