News
Irish America In Monmouth County
By John Burton
Next wednesday there'll be the wearin' of the green everywhere as those of Irish heritage - or those who wish they had some of the Irish in 'em - celebrate St. Patrick's Day. But beyond the green beer, plastic shamrocks and music by the Chieftains, Black 47 and U2 lies a storied history that tells of America and of Monmouth County.
The tale of the Irish in Monmouth County is the story of America and that of many, maybe all, immigrant groups who make their way to these shores and assimilate and become part of that patchwork quilt that has defined us for more than two centuries.
Some who were interviewed for this story estimate that the percentage of Monmouth County's population claiming Irish ancestry is somewhere around 23-25 percent, based upon the now nearly 10-year-old U.S. Census data. And if one were to look only at a portion of the southern end of the county, from Belmar to Manasquan, the number of residents claiming Irish heritage increases substantially. In Spring Lake and neighboring Spring Lake Heights (with Avon-By-The-Sea coming in as a close runner-up), in 2000, remembered Mary Reilly, who owns Spring Lake's the Irish Centre, a shop dedicated to all things Irish, the census indicated that those towns had the largest percentage of Irish ancestry of anywhere in the U.S. "Though, you would think it was 90 percent," of the population in those towns, Reilly said.
The migration of the Irish to Monmouth County began in earnest in the 1850s, '60s and '70s, according to Mary Kiernan, research assistant for the Monmouth County's Library's Main Branch, Manalapan. "They managed their way down to Monmouth County," said Kiernan, from northern New Jersey, Newark, Bayonne, Jersey City, as well and from New York boroughs, Queens and Brooklyn, after coming through Castle Garden, prior to Ellis Island. Many of those who made their way to Monmouth County a hundred and a half-years ago "were dirt poor," Kiernan said.
The Irish immigrants of the time in this area came to settle in Middletown, Marlboro and Colts Neck, where they could work as farmhands and servants on the areas' large estates. Kiernan suspected there might have been another reason other than available work that drew them. She noted the green rolling hills of those communities. "It may have reminded them of home," Kiernan said.
For Reilly, the same might be true for those who settled in shore communities. Reilly said she suspected it was the draw to be near the sea, given Ireland is an island nation with many historically going to sea for a livelihood.
The Irish tend to go where the Irish are, Reilly and others pointed out. And once together there is a natural inclination to join together for the greater good, they said. "Ever since the Irish came to America, they organized," Reilly said, noting they would join the police, political and religious organizations with fellow countrymen and women, or their descendants.
"It's in us," Reilly said. "We don't stand alone."
The "term "Irish Riviera" really came into use in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, primarily through the activities of Martin Maloney, Reilly and others noted. Maloney, an Irishman who had been living in Philadelphia, became incredibly wealthy manufacturing oil burning streetlights, and established a large estate in Spring Lake. Maloney, in addition to hiring Irish, would invite many friends to stay at his elaborate mansion, when some local wit gave it that now well known sobriquet. Following the death of his teenage daughter from tuberculosis, he undertook constructing St. Catherine's, an ornate basilica-styled Roman Catholic church still standing in the community.
The term "Irish Riviera" even found its way into the widely read show business columns written by Walter Winchell, who would come to the shore to visit Sullivan's, a popular nightclub in the area, regularly frequented by celebrities of the day, Reilly mentioned.
The coming together, that joining, is seen in the numerous fraternal and charitable organizations, which have chapters here in Monmouth County. The Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick of the Jersey Shore and the Friendly Sons of the Shillelagh all have a presence in the county.
"When we left Ireland, especially in the 18th and 19th Century we had nothing," said Jack Sullivan, president of the Ancient order of the Hibernians, Division 2 (covering Monmouth County).
We had nothing so we hold onto our heritage and our religion, that's all we had."
"When you're driving along in your car, what ethic group mostly has a sticker on the back of their car?" Sullivan asked, appearing to indicate the answer is self-evident. "There's a reason for that."
And that reason is the pride in heritage, he stressed.
"There are still quite a few Irish from the Raritan [river] down," observed Bob Curley, president of the Sons of St. Patrick.
The reason they came, Curley said was that this area was more accepting than the eastern end of Long Island, where some went more than a century ago.
And still, "A lot wanted to come down here because it was a great place to raise your kids," offered Thomas Powers, who was a 24-year elected member of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Of Irish descent, Powers is active in a number of Irish organizations.
His parents, living in Brooklyn, never owned a car and never owned a home of their own. "As generations go on your family always wants you to do better than they did," he said.
Now those descendants are teachers, business owners, captains of industry, Superior Court judges, elected officials and leaders in their communities, Powers said. "They offer so much," he said.
Reilly was born in Queens, but her parents were from Ireland. After sharing a summer home in Spring Lake shortly after being married, Reilly said she and her husband decided to save with hopes of eventually moving to the "Riviera."
They moved here in 1969. "You were like a pioneer," she recalled of those days living in a community far removed from her home in New York. She and her husband opened their shop, which now has been operating for 32 years.
"You know, it's always pushed by economics," that migration, as people seek that better life for themselves and their families, she said. It hasn't changed.
"I just didn't have any opportunity at home," said Vince Gallagher.
For Gallagher, who now lives in Fair Haven, home 23 years ago was County Kildare.
In 1986, Gallagher decided to accompany a friend on a trip to the states for a bit of what the Irish call "the craic" (pronounced "crack"), meaning a wee bit of fun, a few laughs. And by pure "dumb luck" found his way from Kildare to Monmouth - specifically the Red Bank area.
'The states always had the allure that the streets were paved with gold," he remembered. "That is just the worldwide impression, especially for the oppressed for whatever beliefs."
But after a summer, "I decided I'm not going back home," he remembered. Gallagher worked as a laborer, as a dishwasher and any job he could find to support himself.
Gallagher is now married to an American woman, has two children, and operates a home renovation and construction business - "You know, you work hard you get the benefits of it," he said. Earlier on he would get homesick and think about returning to the old country. But those feelings have waned.
"I haven't given that a second thought in years. This is home now. I've spent more than half my life here," he said. "It is what it is."
