The early 1800s had Ireland’s population rapidly growing. Most people were poor and worked farms for miserly Irish landlords. Because of their poverty, most people depended on potatoes for food. From 1845 to 1848, however, Ireland’s potato crop failed due to a plant disease. “Naturally, of course the first thing that people in power should do, for a country facing starvation, was to forbid all export of foodstuffs from Ireland. But, as Englishmen in political power, having this source cut off meant having to pay a higher price for their corn (Macmanus, 602).” As a result of what became known as the Great Famine, about 750,000 people died of starvation or disease. The British government had controlled Ireland for centuries prior to the famine and due, to pressure from Irish Nationalists, gradually passed laws to help the poor in Ireland.

 Throughout the 1800s, a political movement dubbed Fenianism developed in Ireland and later came to the States. James Stephens was a Nationalist and founder of this movement. The American movement was affiliated with the movement at home (Macmanus, 613). The American Government sold ammunition and other military supplies to the Fenians. Basically the idea of the Fenians was to get British rule out of Ireland altogether, but if that couldn’t be done, it could at least be tempered and fair. The Fenians tried to invade Canada in 1866, and it was Irish-Americans that allowed the Fenians to cross the border. The British were already there and waiting, but to their surprise, the Irish “captured standards and large supplies (Macmanus, 619).”  While the invasion was a failure, the spirit of these nationalists has never left Ireland.

During the late 1800s, some Irish began to demand home rule, which would allow Britain and Ireland to share the British crown, but aside from that, Ireland would have its own Parliament and would govern itself.   There was opposition to the home rule plan by Ulster Protestants, because they feared a Catholic parliament. The Irish Republican Brotherhood was an organization developed in the early 1900s, which wanted Ireland to be completely independent of Britain. These members of the secret organization later became known as republicans. A Home Rule bill was passed in Britain in 1914, despite opposition from the Ulster Protestants. The outbreak of World War I, however, prevented the bill from taking effect. Many in Ireland wanted to seize the moment, hoping that the war could help Ireland’s independence. The Republicans started the Easter Rebellion in 1916. Fighting raged for a while, but Britain stepped in to control the fighting and murdered 15 Republicans. Due to the murders, most of Ireland gained sympathy for the cause. The Republicans gained control of Ireland’s 73 of 105 seats in British Parliament, and in 1919, Ireland declared itself an independent state. Following this declaration, British forces and the Irish rebels fought. (Fry, 270-277)

 In 1920, Britain passed the Government of Ireland Act. The act divided the land into two separate countries, Northern and Southern Ireland. Northern Ireland accepted the act, but Southern Ireland did not, and began fighting for independence from Britain. The Irish Republican Army, as the rebels were called, attacked British army installations and other government buildings. In 1921, Britain and the rebels came to an agreement in which Ireland could be a self-governing country.
The treaty was called the Irish Free State. (Kee, 194-195). The Irish Republican Army split in two once the treaty was made. The Irish Free State was opposed by Eamon de Valera who once said, “The treaty was the negation of everything I ever fought for.(Kee, 195)”. De Valera headed one of the subgroups of the IRA. There was also a group who supported the treaty headed by Michael Collins and he began the Free State troops. Eventually, these differing parties started a civil war that lasted for a year. Ireland had a tumultuous and complicated history.

 My family was from Southern Ireland and lived in Counties Kerry and Clare.   Some of my relatives had fishing as their livelihood, and they fished in Port Magee, Kerry County. My great-great grandfather John Deveane, along with his sons John and Mike, went on a fishing expedition for work with others. However, a large neap tide overturned the boat, and my great-grandfather, and his son John both died. Mike was able to survive, taking off his oil slicker and swimming for shore. On his way to shore, he was picked up by another fishing boat and survived. Their story was written up in “The Kerry Sentinel”, the local newspaper. My great-grandmother Mary Murphy then, was left widowed and with six other children to raise. Mike Deveane came first to the US, looking for a better life and traveled in steerage because he was poor. The name Deveane was changed at Ellis Island to an English-sounding Devine. He resided in Bridgeport, CT, and when he saved enough money, he would by a boarding pass for one of his brothers or sisters, and bring them over. Once that brother or sister came, they would save money and then send another sibling a pass to come to the US. The youngest brother who is my great-grandfather, Daniel Deveane(ine),  came to the US on June 22, 1915, aboard the Ardoona. His brother, Mike, met him at Ellis Island and took him home to Bridgeport. There Daniel worked for Crane Valve, and later Mitchell Dairy. (Interview)

 Two years prior to Daniel arriving in the US, a well-educated woman from County Clare came to the States on May 23, 1913. Katherine Keane, my great-grandmother, attended Ring College in Wexford and came to the US looking to make a better life and help out those who were still struggling financially after the famine. Her father thought Katherine would have a better life and she was anxious enough to forge ahead and make the trip. Katherine’s parents owned and worked at a little variety store, so they were one step up from poverty. Her dad also was a kind of spokesman for the people in their area, wrote up documents and such, like a statistician. She came to the US in 1913, hoping to make a better living. She worked as a domestic for several years in Bridgeport before giving up her job and moving to Danbury, CT, to take care of her ailing family and their neighbors who were plagued with influenza.  Katherine was well-educated for a woman of her time, and was able to speak Gaelic fluently. She had such a great speaking ability, that when the former Irish rebel, Eamon de Valera, came to Ellis Island to help raise funds for the struggling Irish in 1920, Katherine gave his welcoming address in Gaelic. De Valera at that time was the Mayor of Dublin and later became Prime Minister of Ireland. (Interview)

Katherine and Daniel were married on June 25, 1919. The Devines moved to Danbury where they made a life for themselves. They eventually had four children: Mary, Katherine, John and Joseph. Katherine was a stay-at-home mom and raised her four children. Being in an Irish neighborhood, they had citywide parties for all the Irish in town. Everyone brought something to drink and eat, they would play music and dance until the wee hours of the morning. No matter how late they were out, everyone always got up for Sunday mass. Katherine would always greet the partygoers with a poem in Gaelic, which when translated into English means “Dawn on the Hills in Ireland”. The Devines continued the tradition of bringing over friends and family to the US to live and create better lives. They would always keep in contact with family and friends in Ireland, and regularly sent money back home. (Interview)

 My grandmother was also named Katherine Divine. She is the third oldest of her siblings Joe, Mary, and  John. She was a high-school graduate who went for nurses training and graduated from Danbury Hospital School of Nursing. She worked for 23 years many as a private duty nurse on the “graveyard shift” which lasted from 11PM to 7AM. While working as a school nurse, Katherine attended Western CT State College evenings and summers to attaining a BS and MS in education. After teaching kindergarten and first grade for13 years, she retired in 1981.

My grandfather, Francis Jugler, was born in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, but spent most of his life working the family farm in Rising Sun, Maryland. His grandparents resided in the most northern part of Italy. However, the French government disputed the border placement and included the family in Alsace-Lorraine, France. Therefore, the family name was Gugliard (French) or Gugliardo (Italian) depending which government presided over the respective issue. Once his family arrived at Ellis Island, seeking the American dream, the name was changed to Jugler.  Francis was the second oldest of five. He completed high school and trade school as a tradesman. He later joined the U.S. Army and completed Officer Candidate School as a 2nd Lieutenant. Francis served six years, three and one half in the South Pacific during WWII. He spoke very little about the war, but once said to my father that the worst thing ever “was the smell of burning flesh.” Upon his return to the States, Frances was assigned to Ft. Devens, MA. There he met Katherine Devine, a volunteer Army nurse.

Frances and Katherine were married on February 23, 1946 and resided in Katherine’s childhood home. They raised six children together: Maureen, Brian, Patricia, Brendan, Nancy, and Sean. He began working as a  auto mechanic, but later took a job at Eagle Pencil Company, which is now called Berol Company, as a production mechanic. Frances considered any malfunctioning machine a challenge. One major challenge during his tenure at Berol was graciously accepted when the owners purchased a new and improved pencil-making machine from a German firm. The machine arrived in the U.S. totally unassembled. After several attempts to build this machine part-by-part by several engineers, supervisors, etc., the corporate executives asked Francis to give it a try. It took him one week to completely build the machine from blueprints. The Berol executives then were faced with another dilemma: What do we do with the machine now? The machine was originally to be set up in their Pennsylvania facility. After limited discussion, the machine was transported to the Danbury plant. After all, Francis was the only person in the corporation who could operate and maintain the machine. He retired in 1980. (Interview)

 The Irish-Catholic tradition has continued in our family. While we may all have different interpretations, religion is central to everyday life. The Juglers go regularly to Sunday mass and celebrate the anniversary of Francis’ death each year. In Katherine’s  family, there were three priests and her sister became a nun. In Southern Ireland, there was an anti-Catholic man named Marcus Keane who owned all the property in a little village. The Catholics in the village had no place to worship, and because Marcus owned the land, he objected to any church being built. The people of the town decided to make a little arc on wheels and roll it out into the ocean so they could have mass. The congregation included my great-grandmother and her family. They used to line the shore and the priest would walk out into the ocean and say the mass.

 Irish dancing is a continuing tradition in our family. Katherine Jugler had five of her six children Maureen, Brian, Patricia, Brendan, and Nancy all take Irish dancing lessons. Kathleen Mulkerin was a family friend who established the first Irish dancing school in CT in Stamford, where one of her first students was, ironically, my mother’s aunt, Joan Hagan. Kathleen’s father and Daniel Devine were longtime friends. Daniel encouraged her to add a studio in Danbury. Because of the wonderful dancing taught by Kathleen, my father, Brendan, won a State Junior Championship title in Irish dancing. When my father first met my mother, she saw the trophy and was so amazed by how large it was. My father told her it was for basketball, when it was really his State Champion trophy for Irish dancing. Also, my aunt Nancy has continued the tradition of Irish dancing and teaches at a local studio. I have seen my father and his sisters at several weddings and family get-togethers. I myself am not an Irish step-dancer, but I hope to learn one day from the best, my father. (Interview)

 The Irish have always been recognized for their strong work ethic, so most of the time did not experience discrimination in the labor market.  Some areas, however, had signs in their businesses that said, “Irish need not apply.” Basically, though, my family didn’t come into contact with any prejudices or discrimination. On the whole, my family is very close and we are a caring, nurturing, and generous people, just like those that came before us. We all get together on a regular basis, and celebrate birthdays and holidays with the whole family. We help each other just like our ancestors did, because we believe people want to be treated the same way they treat others. Giving is always generosity-based: no money is exchanged, and we share everything.

The Southern Irish are known for their easygoing and informal ways. Also, they are noted for their hospitality. I would have to say that my family always strives for that ideal of being hospitable, friendly and generous in all areas of their lives. Because the Irish are so informal, coming late to an event is acceptable. For my family, however, they have taken informality to the extreme. For holidays, my aunt Patty tells everyone to arrive at least a half-hour earlier than intended because she knows everyone will be late.  Falling asleep during a holiday gathering is usually reserved for those who are impolite, but in my family, it is seen as part of the informal and easygoing ways of the Irish. There are usually about 50 conversations going on, between the 30 or so of us Juglers, during a family party. Everyone just loves to talk and see how everyone is doing.  I regard our family as very smart, due to Katherine Devine’s brains. For the entire family, education has always been very important. We are generally a family of teachers and nurses, with a lawyer and several businessmen mixed in as well.

 Our family story is typical in my eyes. We were poor people looking for a better life and came to America hoping to realize the American Dream. We aren’t rich by any means, but we are hard workers and strive to serve our communities in any way we can. My father alone has three jobs as a guidance counselor, sports official, and painter. I think we have realized the American Dream. We have realized that hard work does eventually pay off, and that “what goes around comes around.” I am thankful to have such a great family. Although my ancestors weren’t famous or rich, I like it better that way because I think it suits my personality. I myself don’t like to put on airs, and I have worked very hard for all I have. I try every day to be the best me I can be, although at times I wish I were smarter, prettier, and more outgoing. Luckily, my Irish family has instilled in me values such as friendship, hard work, and a generous spirit that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I think that while my ancestors may have been poor, it afforded them the ability to have their priorities straight about life, that hard work is rewarding, being a true friend is priceless, and to be a good all-around person is what life is all about.

Fry, Peter and Fiona. A History of Ireland. Great Britain: Richard Clay Ltd., 1988.

Kee, Robert. Ireland: A History. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1980.

Macmanus, Seumas. The Story of the Irish Race. New Jersey: Wings Books, 1990.

 Interview on 11/24/00 with Katherine Jugler.

www.askireland.com

www.ireland.com

Tarchetti, Simona. Ireland. England: Tiger Books International, 1994.