THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 17, 1995 TAG: 9503150130
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 14 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
Everyone claims to be at least a wee bit Irish on St. Patrick's Day.
But William Sweeney makes that claim year-round, and for him and others like him, St. Patrick's Day means more than wearing green.
For Sweeney and other Irish-Americans, St. Patrick's Day is a day to celebrate their culture and family histories.
Sweeney's interest in Ireland and his family roots encouraged him to find others that want to talk about life in the old country.
``It's fun to know where you come from,'' said Sweeney, ``and to find people whose ancestors grew up or worked in the same areas. You have something in common right away.''
That's why one of the first things Sweeney did when he moved to Chesapeake was hook up with the Irish American Society of Tidewater. Sweeney and his wife, Cay,short for Cathleen, moved to Chesapeake in 1989 shortly after he retired from the New York City Police Department after 30 years of service.
Although Sweeney was glad to have an Irish community to turn to, he missed the network and enthusiasm he found in his previous society up north.
``My Irish society in New York had dances every other weekend,'' said Sweeney, ``but there aren't as many of us down here, and many Southern-American Irish have forgotten their family histories.''
``The Irish that came to Virginia and other southern states generally came to farm, which isolated them from other Irish. I think that's why it was easier for them to forget where they came from.''
But Sweeney and the fellow members of the Irish American Society of Tidewater can change all that for folks with last names of O'Brien, Brennan, O'Connell and the like. ``We've had members come to our meetings knowing very little about where their ancestors came from but other members were able to tell them.''
Sweeney does know a bit about his family history. His father's ancestors immigrated to the United States in 1848, around the time of the potato famine. Sweeney's mother's family came from a small farming community called Six Mile Bridge in County Clare and settled in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1860. Like many Irish who immigrated to the United States during the 19th century, Sweeney's relatives remained in New York and that's where he met and married Cathleen Deery, the daughter of two Irish immigrants from Donegal.
Sweeney has served as the society's treasurer for the past two years and he hopes the membership, currently around 150, will continue to grow.
``We'd like to attract younger members and increase our social agenda,'' said Sweeney. Currently, the society meets the first Wednesday of the month at the Virginia Beach Central Library.
So what does an Irishman do on St. Patrick's Day? He spends it with fellow Irish, of course. Sweeney said the society is planning a bash at Fort Monroe's officers club this evening, where they'll sing, dance, eat and drink till midnight.
So, if the spirit of the holiday has you green with envy wishing you too could claim Ireland as your homeland, fret not. Sweeney stresses that the Irish American Society of Tidewater isn't just for the Irish. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
William Sweeney's ancestors immigrated to the United States in
1848.
by CNB