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Mother writes of son’s impending emigration

By Noreen Bowden | June 29, 2009

Patricia Leahy has written an extremely powerful article in today’s Irish Times about her son’s upcoming emigration. Leahy herself moved to Ireland 28 years ago; she is the daughter of Irish emigrants who left for New York in the 1940s. Seven decades later, after being unemployed for a year, her son is following in her father’s footsteps.

Leahy knows that her son’s emigration isn’t likely to sunder his link with Ireland:

As for his future, whether he stays or returns to Ireland, I hope the experience for him makes him grow into a man he can be proud of. I also hope it will heighten an appreciation of his country, culture and kinship.

Maybe it already has. Since he made the decision to emigrate, his musical tastes have switched from rap, rock and house music to that of The Dubliners, The Furey Brothers and The Wolfe Tones.

I am quite sure that Ireland hasn’t lost another son.

A deeply moving piece.

Irish Times: Irishwoman’s Diary

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