My name is Gary. I wrote two published books: Coal and Iron (A Labor Story) and Irish Day. Coal and Iron is a book that tells a story about how it might have been to live in America as an Irish Catholic in the Coal Fields of Pa. in the time of the anti-Irish Catholic era and when the Molly Maguires were in the forefront of the Labor Movement. The story also tells of how the main character leaves the area as a young man and gets involved in the forming of another union, the union I actually represent today, the IRONWORKERS. Irish Day is a story of a young man who is drawn back from City life to the place of his ancestors and learns about his family, his Irish roots and his connection to the Molly Maguires. On the cover is my son Shawn, my Grandfather, Laurence Holohan, and me. In the background is St. Kieran's Church, which still stands today and was built by Irish Immigrants from County Kilkenny. My grandfather pictured was a son of Thomas Holohan, who was the first baby Baptised in St. Kieran's Church in August of 1858. "Irish Day" is actually an event held in Schuylkill County as a festival that over the years, has drawn more and more people back to County Schuylkill to learn about their roots. I've come on the site to try to wake up some old emotions and try to get a dialogue started and raise some questions and debate our heritage. All that I write is naturally my own opinion, but I do feel very strongly about the things I'm going to put on this page and I welcome any and all opinions.
I grew up in the "Coal Regions" of Pennsylvania, and other than the 4 years I spent in the Service, I have continued to live there, in Schuylkill County. Schuylkill County is, and always has been a melting pot of immigrants due to the labor force needed to mine the coal from the ground. Coal was discovered in the area around 1824, and as the industrial revolution evolved, the need for labor grew. When the great potato famine happened in Ireland, around 1847, the Schuylkill County coal "Barons" saw the famine as a great asset to them, and sent representives to County Kilkenny to bring starving laborers to America. Kilkenny was their first choice as the men there were experienced miners. The Castlecomer area (about 10 miles north of Kilkenny City), was home to the only Coal mine in Ireland. And so they came.
Many of the Kilkenny Irish settled in what is now called "the Valley" or "Irish Valley". Tiny patches of villages throughout the Valley, which was located about 10 miles outside of the town of Minersville, were built by the Coal companies to house their employees. To make a very long story a bit shorter, the Irish came to this Country to escape starvation and find a better life. Well, they didn't starve here, but their lives were nothing to envy. The Coal Barons worked the Irish as slaves. This was a money driven W.A.S.P. Country and as most of the Irish immigrants that came here were Catholic, they were suppressed in every way by the same gentry they thought they were escaping: THE ENGLISH.With the advent of the Civil War, the need for anthracite coal was overwhelming. More and more Irish came to the Coal Fields from all over Ireland. The working conditions were deplorable, and soon the workers revolted. First they tried peaceful negotiations through such leaders as John Siney (originally from County Wexford), but the English Bankers who owned the operations, and their American cousins, held fast. Violence erupted, and looking back in History, that's probably what the Coal Barons wanted. With the public sentiment against the miners (especially the "low life" Irish Catholic miners), the legend of the Molly Maguires in America was born. The Owners hired the Pinkerton Detective Agency to squash these militant miners, and the Pinkerton's had one of their own infiltrate the so-called Molly Maguires and become one of "them". In the end, and over a two year period, 24 alleged Mollies were hanged. On 21 June, 1877 what has become known as "Black Thursday", 10 were executed in one day. 6 were hanged in Pottsville, Schuylkill County, and 4 in Mauch Chunk (Jim Thorpe). That day, is, or should be, remembered by every person of Irish decent, as it is still the largest LEGAL mass execution ever held in America. I wouldn't want to go into all of the pro's and con's of the "Mollies", as there is too much information known and not known for me to devote this page to the subject, I will leave that to others. I just wanted to try and raised some questions about us "Irish-Americans", and hopefully others will join.
My passion for the subject of our people is the result of my upbringing. I never heard the term "Molly Maguire" until 1970 when Sean Connery was in a movie called the "Molly Maguires". Sitting at my grandmothers kitchen table, I asked, "Mamma, what can you you tell me about the Mollies"? She thought for a second and said, rather abruptly, "Oh, they weren't around here!" Then I asked, "well, tell me about your grandparents from Ireland". Again, she thought and said "I think we're German". My grandmother died in a Company home in 1975. She and my Grandfather raised 8 children in a one bedroom home. By the time she passed, she had modern heating in her home, but despite offers from all her family, she never had indoor bathroom facilities of any kind. She was a cross-over between the old and new. Were we (or her) German? Her maiden name was Brennan. She was married to my grandfather, Laurence Holohan. Her mother's maiden name was Curran. There wasn't a drop of blood in her body that wasn't Irish. Why did she not readily admit that?
Because, after the extermination of the so-called "Molly Maguires", the Irish Catholic miner in Schuylkill County, and most of Northeast Pa., had to suppress any pride of any kind in their heritage. They could not pass on to their children or grandchildren any story or tale that made their plight an "Irish Catholic" saga. They were now "Americans". That's the way the Coal Barons wanted them to think. If any Irishman spoke up about any working or living conditions, they were branded a "Molly" and blacklisted. No job. No credit at the company store. No home, as they only were allowed to live in those homes if they worked in the mines. And so, two generations of Irish lost the stories of their families. Two generations know nothing about their proud heritage. The English, who occupied our native Ireland, took everything from our ancestors and they did the same here in America. Over there, they outlawed our language. They outlawed our Religion. Then they let nearly 2 million die of starvation when they could have saved most. The cattle and sheep they raised, they sent to England and other European Countries.
And so, I write about these things because I get very upset and angry when we forget who we are. Yes, we are Americans. I'm proud to be an American. But! I think too many of us forget too easily that we, and those who came before us, aren't Americans because we wanted to be, our people had no choice. I wonder, how many would have stayed there if they could have? How many of us would be living there now if our ancestors weren't so suppressed? How strong economically, politically, and in every other fashion could we be today if our past wasn't hidden from us. We had our homeland invaded and occupied for 700 years. We had another culture forced on us, our customs and beliefs were all but destroyed. Every "American" with Irish roots should think about this: Our ancestors lived on a beautiful Island and enjoyed the most gifted poets and musicians and spoke an ancient language and practiced Celtic Christianity Religion. Our Monks recorded, saved, and spread all of the sacred texts of ancient religion and preserved those Holy works throughout the Dark Ages of Europe. Those are the type of people we are from. And we've only been in the "new land" for 150 some years but our ancestors lived on that Island for thousands and thousands of years. So a body of water separates us from that Island that our grandparents had to leave. Does this mean that we are, indeed, Americans?
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