Lace curtain and shanty Irish

Last updated
Interior of a prosperous American household in 1905, with a lace curtain American homes and gardens (1910) (17536088643).jpg
Interior of a prosperous American household in 1905, with a lace curtain
"The Patch", an Irish shanty town in Holyoke, Massachusetts, 1850 The Patch, Holyoke, circa 1850s.jpg
"The Patch", an Irish shanty town in Holyoke, Massachusetts, 1850

Lace curtain Irish and shanty Irish are terms that were commonly used in the 19th and 20th centuries to categorize Irish people, particularly Irish Americans, by social class. The "lace curtain Irish" were those who were well off, while the "shanty Irish" were the poor, who were presumed to live in shanties, or roughly built cabins. [1]

Contents

Neither term was complimentary. Aside from financial status, the term "lace curtain Irish" connoted pretentiousness and social climbing, while the "shanty Irish" were stereotyped as feckless and ignorant. [2] As lace curtains became commonplace in Irish-American working-class homes, "lace curtain" was still used in a metaphorical, and often pejorative, sense. In the early 20th century, James Michael Curley, a famously populist Boston politician who was called "mayor of the poor", used the term "cut glass Irish" to mock the Irish-American middle class, but the term did not catch on. [3] The term “two-toilet Irish” has also been used as a synonym for lace curtain Irish. [4]

Irish Americans who prospered or married well could go from "shanty Irish" to "lace curtain Irish", and wealthy socialites could have shanty Irish roots. [2] John F. Kennedy, for example, is considered "lace curtain" even though his great-grandparents were working-class Irish immigrants. [5]

Origin

The term "shanty" is suggested as deriving from the Irish noun seanteach (lit. "old house" - pronounced shan-tchawk). [1] though it is closer to the plural noun "old houses", Seantithe, pronounced shan-tiha. However the direct back translation of shan-ty would arrive at sean tí, the latter word an adjective meaning 'of the house' much in the vein of Bean an tí, ban-on-tee, means the matriarch of the house. Many poor Irish tenant farmers lived in one-room cabins. "The Irishman's Shanty", a 19th-century comic song, describes a stereotypical Irishman's quarters: [6]

He has three rooms in one, kitchen, bedroom, and hall,
And his chist is three wooden pegs in the wall:
Two suits of owld clothes make his wardrobe complete,
One to wear in the shanty, that same for the street.

The occasional malapropisms and social blunders of the upwardly mobile "lace curtain" Irish were gleefully lampooned in vaudeville, popular song, and comic strips such as Bringing Up Father , starring Maggie and Jiggs, which ran in daily newspapers for 87 years (1913 to 2000). [7] [8]

In James T. Farrell's novel trilogy Studs Lonigan (1932–1935), which is set in an Irish-American Chicago neighborhood during the early twentieth century including the Great Depression, the father of Studs refers to their pompous neighbor Dennis Gorman as "Stickin' up his nose and actin' like he was high-brow, lace-curtain Irish." Other, usually derogatory, references are made to "lace-curtain Irish" throughout the novel, and at one point Studs is jokingly greeted by his friends as "Shanty Irish Lonigan." [9]

In the Season 10 episode of Law & Order "Entitled," New York District Attorney (DA) Adam Schiff (played by Steven Hill) is asked by New York Assistant District Attorney Abbie Carmichael (played by Angie Harmon), “Why is everyone so afraid of this [defendant of Irish background]?” to which Schiff replies, "[the defendant’s] favorite joke, it's the difference between lace-curtain Irish and shanty Irish..." New York Executive Assistant District Attorney (Jack McCoy (played by Sam Waterston) responds by saying, "With lace-curtain Irish, they move the dishes before they piss in the kitchen sink!" Later, McCoy states proudly [10] that, like the defendant, he too is shanty Irish. [11]

In The Departed (2006), Staff Sergeant Dignam repeatedly points out the dichotomy between the lace curtain Irish lifestyle Billy Costigan enjoyed with his mother, and the shanty Irish lifestyle of Costigan's father. [12]

The dichotomous labels caused some in-fighting among Irish people. Some saw "lace curtain" Irish Americans as betraying their Irish roots in an attempt to curry favor with White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs). "To be genuinely Irish is to challenge WASP dominance," wrote California politician Tom Hayden. [13] The depiction of Irish people in the films of John Ford was a counterpoint to WASP standards of rectitude. "The procession of rambunctious and feckless Celts through Ford's films, Irish and otherwise, was meant to cock a snoot at WASP or 'lace-curtain Irish' ideas of respectability." [14]

In a 1999 episode of The Sopranos called "The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti", Livia tells Carmela her neighbor is "so shanty Irish with all her airs."

Related Research Articles

A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class action originated in the United States and is still predominantly an American phenomenon, but Canada, as well as several European countries with civil law, have made changes in recent years to allow consumer organizations to bring claims on behalf of consumers.

Testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglo-Irish people</span> Ethnic group and historical social class in Ireland

Anglo-Irish people denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until 1871, or to a lesser extent one of the English dissenting churches, such as the Methodist church, though some were Roman Catholics. They often defined themselves as simply "British", and less frequently "Anglo-Irish", "Irish" or "English". Many became eminent as administrators in the British Empire and as senior army and naval officers since the Kingdom of England and Great Britain were in a real union with the Kingdom of Ireland for over a century, before politically uniting into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Anglo-Saxon Protestants</span> Sociological category in the US

In the United States, White Anglo-Saxon Protestants or WASP is a sociological term which is often used to describe white Protestant Americans who are generally part of the white dominant culture or upper-class and historically often the Mainline Protestant elite. Historically or most consistently, WASPS are of British descent, though the definition of WASP varies in this respect. WASPs have dominated American society, culture, and politics for most of the history of the United States. Critics have disparaged them as "The Establishment". Although the social influence of wealthy WASPs has declined since the 1960s, the group continues to play a central role in American finance, politics and philanthropy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea shanty</span> Rhythmical work song sung on sailing vessels

A sea shanty, chantey, or chanty is a genre of traditional folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large merchant sailing vessels. The term shanty most accurately refers to a specific style of work song belonging to this historical repertoire. However, in recent, popular usage, the scope of its definition is sometimes expanded to admit a wider range of repertoire and characteristics, or to refer to a "maritime work song" in general.

<i>Bringing Up Father</i> 1913–2000 American comic strip

Bringing Up Father is an American comic strip created by cartoonist George McManus. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, it ran for 87 years, from January 2, 1913, to May 28, 2000.

<i>Studs Lonigan</i> Novel trilogy by James T. Farrell

Studs Lonigan is a novel trilogy by American author James T. Farrell: Young Lonigan (1932), The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan (1934), and Judgment Day (1935). In 1998, the Modern Library ranked the Studs Lonigan trilogy 29th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

Events from the year 1976 in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 United States Senate elections</span>

The 1964 United States Senate elections were held on November 3. The 33 seats of Class 1 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. They coincided with the election of President Lyndon B. Johnson by an overwhelming majority, to a full term. His Democratic Party picked up a net two seats from the Republicans. As of 2023, this was the last time either party has had a two-thirds majority in the Senate, which would have hypothetically allowed the Senate Democrats to override a veto, propose constitutional amendments, or convict and expel certain officials without any votes from Senate Republicans. In practice, however, internal divisions effectively prevented the Democrats from doing so. The Senate election cycle coincided with Democratic gains in the House in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1962 United States Senate elections</span>

The 1962 United States Senate elections was an election for the United States Senate. Held on November 6, the 34 seats of Class 3 were contested in regular elections. Special elections were also held to fill vacancies. They occurred in the middle of President John F. Kennedy's term. His Democratic Party made a net gain of four seats from the Republicans, increasing their control of the Senate to 68–32. However, this was reduced to 67–33 between the election and the next Congress, as on November 18, 1962, Democrat Dennis Chávez, who was not up for election that year, died. He was replaced on November 30, 1962, by Republican appointee Edwin L. Mechem. Additionally, Democrat Strom Thurmond became a Republican in 1964, further reducing Democrats to 66–34. This was the first time since 1932 that Democrats gained seats in this class of Senators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James T. Farrell</span> American novelist

James Thomas Farrell was an American novelist, short-story writer and poet.

An information is a formal criminal charge which begins a criminal proceeding in the courts. The information is one of the oldest common law pleadings, and is nearly as old as the better-known indictment, with which it has always coexisted.

The social novel, also known as the social problemnovel, is a "work of fiction in which a prevailing social problem, such as gender, race, or class prejudice, is dramatized through its effect on the characters of a novel". More specific examples of social problems that are addressed in such works include poverty, conditions in factories and mines, the plight of child labor, violence against women, rising criminality, and epidemics because of over-crowding and poor sanitation in cities.

Patrick Joseph Nee is an Irish-American former mobster and Irish republican sympathizer. A former member of the Mullen Gang and the Winter Hill Gang, he is a Vietnam War veteran, and author of A Criminal and an Irishman; The Inside Story of the Boston Mob-IRA Connection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White ethnic</span>

White ethnic is a term used to refer to white Americans who are not Old Stock or White Anglo-Saxon Protestant. They consist of a number of distinct groups and make up approximately 69.4% of the white population in the United States. The term usually refers to the descendants of immigrants from Southern, Central and Eastern Europe, Ireland, the Caucasus and France/Francophone Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John A. Farrell</span> American author

John Aloysius Farrell is an American author and historian. He has written biographies of U.S. President Richard Nixon, Senator Ted Kennedy, House Speaker Thomas "Tip" O'Neill, and defense attorney Clarence Darrow. He is a former White House correspondent and Washington editor for The Boston Globe and a former Washington bureau chief and columnist for The Denver Post.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fenian</span> Secret political organisations which fought for Irish independence

The word Fenian served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood. They were secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries dedicated to the establishment of an independent Irish Republic. In 1867 they sought to coordinate raids into Canada from the United States with a rising in Ireland. In the 1916 Easter Rising and the 1919–1921 Irish War of Independence, the IRB led the republican struggle.

Young Lonigan is a 1932 novel by James T. Farrell. It is the first part of a trilogy about William "Studs" Lonigan, a young Irish-American growing up in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josie Lloyd</span> American actress (1940–2020)

Susanna Josephine Lloyd, credited professionally as Josie Lloyd, was an American actress. She was the daughter of Norman Lloyd and Peggy Lloyd, who was also an accomplished Broadway actress and director. Lloyd had roles on The Andy Griffith Show, including her 1962 and 1965 portrayals of the eccentric character Lydia Crosswaithe. Lloyd was the fourth wife of puppeteer Bil Baird, who was 36 years her senior. They were married in 1974 and remained together until Baird's death in 1987.

Tristram Edward Kennedy was an Irish Liberal, Whig and Independent Irish Party politician, and lawyer.

References

  1. 1 2 Hutson, Arthur E. (February 1947). "Gaelic Loan-Words in American". American Speech. 22 (1): 18–23. doi:10.2307/487372. JSTOR   487372.
  2. 1 2 Shannon, William V. (1989). The American Irish: A Political and Social Portrait . University of Massachusetts Press. p.  142. ISBN   9780870236891.
  3. Dallek, Robert (2004). John F. Kennedy: An Unfinished Life 1917-1963. Penguin. p. 25. ISBN   9780141925820.
  4. Reardon, Nancy (March 17, 2008). "'Lace curtain' Irish are now the norm". The Patriot Ledger . Retrieved July 16, 2022. In the 1930s and 1940s, the first cycle of Irish families moved from Boston and its outskirts down to the South Shore. They were called "lace-curtain Irish" or "two-toilet Irish."
  5. Smith, Robert C. (2013). John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, and the Politics of Ethnic Incorporation and Avoidance. SUNY Press. p. 39. ISBN   9781438445618.
  6. Rice, Dan (1863). Dan Rice's Great American Humorist Song Book. The British Library. pp. 15–16.
  7. William H. A. Williams, "Green Again: Irish-American Lace-Curtain Satire," New Hibernia Review, Winter 2002, Vol. 6 Issue 2, pp. 9–24
  8. Kerry Soper, "Performing 'Jiggs': Irish Caricature and Comedic Ambivalence Toward Assimilation and the American Dream in George McManus's 'Bringing Up Father'", Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, April 2005, Vol. 4#2, pp. 173–213,
  9. Farrell, James T. (2001). Studs Lonigan. Penguin. p. 61. ISBN   9781101503164.
  10. "Entitled". IMDb . 18 February 2000.
  11. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Law_and_Order/Season_10#Entitled_[10.14] [ bare URL ]
  12. "The Departed (2006) Quotes". IMDb.
  13. Tom Hayden, Irish on the Inside: In Search of the Soul of Irish America (2003) p. 6
  14. Luke Gibbons, Keith Hopper, and Gráinne Humphreys, The Quiet Man (2002) p. 13