Hi all, Since I posted yesterday about the St Patricks Day Parade I realised there is also something I don't know if many others out of the US know. And I thought some of you may find it very interesting.Many Irish ancestors after they came here to US and especially in NYC tended to join the fire and police forces. At one time I believe most police officers had "Irish" names. And in some ways in the city fire depts it is still a tradition that runs thru families. In fact if you look at the names of the firefighters that died on 9/11 you will see many Irish names. It became traditions in families for sons to follow fathers into the Depts. So there are families where a son followed his father , who had followed his father. And so it is a large reason why the city fire dept is a very tight knit group. Strong family tradition. This was true of the police dept way back. In fact a relative of mine a "Moroney" was a NYC police officer. This I believe is even more why as you watch the NYC St Patricks Day parade besides seeing "green" it is very "blue". Why? The large number of uniforms lol. Of course there are many who are definitely NOT Irish....but as Ive said before on this day we celebrate the fact we are and others celebrate because they "wish" they were! lol Unfortunately way back the jobs of fire and police were not held in as high of esteem as they are today. And many Irish immigrants coming here needed jobs, any job so those jobs were there with I believe very low pay scales. The interesting thing is that it started as a necessity yet became a tradition in families, and became a "reputable" way to earn a living. So as I said before....the Irish were very important to NYC and helped to build and protect her. I just thought you might find this interesting. Here is part of an article: " _Abroad in New York_ (http://www.nysun.com/related_results.php?term=Abroad+in+New+York&topic=TRUE) By _FRANCIS MORRONE_ (http://www.nysun.com/authors/Francis+Morrone) March 13, 2008 In the 1963 study of immigrant succession in _New York City_ (http://www.nysun.com/related_results.php?term=New+York+City) , "Beyond the Melting Pot," Nathan Glazer and Daniel Moynihan wrote that "New York used to be an Irish city." Irish had lived in New York from its earliest days. But not until the famine migrations, beginning in the late 1840s, did New York become "an Irish city." By 1855, nearly one-third of all New York City residents were Irish-born. _William Tweed_ (http://www.nysun.com/related_results.php?term=William+"Boss"+Tweed) (of Scottish Protestant descent), "boss" of the Tammany Hall Democratic machine in the 1860s, and formerly an anti-Catholic nativist, rose to power by recognizing the political strength latent among the new Irish. To win them over, he placed Irish in key positions in the Tammany hierarchy. When _Tweed_ (http://www.nysun.com/related_results.php?term=William+"Boss"+Tweed) 's corrupt tenure abruptly ended in 1872, Honest John Kelly, an Irish Catholic immigrant, was poised to take the Tammany reins. For several decades, the Irish dominated New York politics — and for several decades the stereotypical New Yorker spoke with a brogue. By 1855, nearly one-third of all New York City residents were Irish-born. _William Tweed_ (http://www.nysun.com/related_results.php?term=William+"Boss"+Tweed) (of Scottish Protestant descent), "boss" of the Tammany Hall Democratic machine in the 1860s, and formerly an anti-Catholic nativist, rose to power by recognizing the political strength latent among the new Irish. To win them over, he placed Irish in key positions in the Tammany hierarchy. When _Tweed_ (http://www.nysun.com/related_results.php?term=William+"Boss"+Tweed) 's corrupt tenure abruptly ended in 1872, Honest John Kelly, an Irish Catholic immigrant, was poised to take the Tammany reins. For several decades, the Irish dominated New York politics — and for several decades the stereotypical New Yorker spoke with a brogue. That it's hard to pick a spot in New York where some tangible sense of Irish history may be had is a measure of how thoroughly the Irish assimilated into the American mainstream. Yet Irishness imbues much of New York life. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, who was not struck by how many of the fallen firefighters and police had Irish surnames? It seemed as though the names might not have been much different in 1901. And New York has not, to this day, had a Catholic archbishop not of Irish descent. The approach of St. Patrick's Day makes one ponder the remarkable role of the Irish in the building of New York City. A brief stroll through New York's Irish history might begin in front of one of the city's grandest edifices, the old Police Headquarters building on Centre Street, between Broome and Grand streets. This Hoppin & Koen building opened in 1909, when Irish utterly dominated the police force. The subsistence farmers of Ireland arrived in New York with apparently no urban skills. Irishmen therefore took heavy-lifting jobs, such as dock, warehouse, and construction work. But their seemingly alien skills — for oral storytelling (the "gift of gab"), or clandestine organizing (a necessity amid repressive British rule) — suited the Irish for success in organizational life, and they succeeded wildly in politics, in the church, in the police and fire departments, and in the public school system. The glorious, great-domed building on Centre Street was a monument to a force just a bit more than 60 years old, and one dominated for half that time by the Irish. (The department moved to the new One Police Plaza in the 1970s, and the old headquarters is now apartments.)" If you want to read more of this article here is the site...... _http://www.nysun.com/article/72816_ (http://www.nysun.com/article/72816) So as I said before....the Irish were very important to NYC and helped to build and protect her. I just hought you might find this interesting. Sue in NY < recouping from "Green" day! lol **************It's Tax Time! Get tips, forms, and advice on AOL Money & Finance. (http://money.aol.com/tax?NCID=aolprf00030000000001)