I am accused by some arsigans (over here) of being ethnocentric, if it means being proud of one’s heritage, tradition, homeland, whatever…Yes, I am ethnocentric! - Unrepentant & unbowed. Indeed in the words of Brendan Behan, "F**k the begrudgers! ".
I am proud of where I come from, the people I grew up amongst and the ancestry we all revere. Part of the Celtic psyche is a deep affection for the land we spring from and the families we adhere to.
So without further ado, I’ll tell you of a common link between my home today (Cincinnati) and my home of yesteryear (Wexford), I discovered the other day whilst out with the family “taking the air’ at Sawyer Point in Cincinnati. Some interesting things happened that day, some interesting sights - but that’s for another day’s telling.
Some years ago, I marketed and sold a property called St.John’s Manor, a late Georgian residence situated a couple of miles down the river Slaney from Enniscorthy in County Wexford.
St. John's Manor
Selling the property was a formulative experience in my real estate career but a highly enjoyable one at the same time. The amount of times the property was viewed was in the hundreds incurring thousands of miles in driving and thousands of hours in viewing. The people I encountered were varied to say the least. I owe a huge debt of thanks to Pat & Brenda Murphy for giving me that commission.
As I was/am a local history buff, I researched my new charge and dug up an impressive history on the property. Founded as an Augustinian priory in 1232, the property remained in the hands of the church till the time of Henry the eight, who annexed the lands & property and leased the lands out eventually the lands being granted by Cromwell in 1652 to a minion for services rendered.
The property changed hands a number of times before a man who enjoyed/endured the name “Onesiphorous Gamble” inherited the demesne around 1780. farming was not his "gig" & the Gambles decided to emigrate to the newly founded United States. The family eventually located themselves in Cincinnati whereupon one of it’s members – James, met a fellow by the name of William Procter lately arrived from England and founded a soap making enterprise. Almost two hundred years later and their Company is one of the largest conglomerates in the world.
Regarding St. John’s, the current residence was built in 1810 by Dr. Charles Hill who had purchased the property from the Gamble family. The poet Thomas Kinsella had (if I recall) hadl links with the Manor and one of his most popular poems “Another September” was inspired by his visits there.
Dreams fled away, this country bedroom, raw
With the touch of dawn, wrapped in a minor peace,
Hears through an open window the garden draw
Long pitch black breaths , lay bear its apple trees,
Ripe pear trees, brambles, windfall-sweethened soil,
Exhale rough sweetness against the starry slates.
Nearer the river sleeps St.Johns, all toil
Locked fast inside a dream with iron gates.
Leaving cert poetry remembered !...I loved that phrase, "locked fast inside a dream with iron gates" but enough of the reverie. Back to Cinci & the ethnocentric Irishman...
There is a wealth of stories about the Irish in Cincinnati which I'll research and tell here eventually. We've made our mark in Medicine, Education, the Arts not to mention the Business World and I take great pride in celebrating their achievements - Ethnocentricity my arse!
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