Irish in name only...

Dear Diary,

Today is St. Patrick's Day, a day to celebrate your Irish heritage of which I have none.  Still, they like to say that today everyone is Irish!  My father's father began using "Sullivan" as his surname sometime before 1932.   Why he chose to reject his Polish name is anyone's guess.  Discrimination probably had a lot to do with it. I have my father's grade 8 report card with his name as Sullivan.  Later, in 1939, my father made it official.  Two of his brothers chose different last names, a genealogist's nightmare.  When my dad married my mother they named their children Michael, Patricia and Kathryn, all Irish first names.  I use to say I was Irish by court decree!

I remember that when I went into the hospital to have my knee operated on when I was 12 a nurse told me not to worry, I had the luck of the Irish and commented on how I had the map of Ireland written all over my face!  I had a real chuckle over that. 

I made my first trip to Ireland in 2007 and I've been back several times since.  I adore the country and its people.  I jokingly tell my friends that dad's name change was an omen!  I thought I might find some Irish roots when I did my genealogy but the closest I got to the old sod was my 9X great grandmother who lived in Ireland because her father's business brought him there.  She was born in England.

So, to all who are Irish either by birth or decree and everyone else, Happy St. Patrick's Day!