A Folk Tradition Understood By ‘Themselves’

By Larissa Lytwyn

Folk musicians historically draw on the handed-down legends. The Irish music troupe Themselves is a part of this tradition.

The story of Irish immigrant Mary Claire Maloney (portrayed by Themselves’ vocalist and narrator Lynn Bowman) was spun through song and dance performed by Themselves dancer Sue Brotherton during a recent memorable performance at Middle Gate Elementary School.

“In addition to being near St Patrick’s Day, this program ties in beautifully with the book our students are reading now, Nory Ryan’s Song, by Patricia Reilly Giff,” noted third grade teacher Tisha McCoy.

Nory Ryan’s Song, a gritty account of the starvation and suffering that befell the Irish people during the Great Potato Famine of 1845, forever dispels Irish stereotypes of idle folk doing the jig or crafty leprechauns hoarding elusive treasures.

Similarly, Ms Bowman spoke plainly about the realities of the period. Displaying an actual 14-pound sack of potatoes, she said, “The reason potatoes were such a plentiful crop in Ireland was because they could be harvested on a very small area of land.”

Under English sovereignty, the Irish were tied to the yoke of the British monarch’s feudal system. They paid for tiny parcels of land distributed by British lords, eking their own meager living from the soil while proffering the majority of their goods to their foreign king.

Themselves performed a variety of songs tracing the hardships of the period.

“When the potato famine struck, no one knew [back then] that it was a fungus from South America that had been in our fertilizer,” said Ms Bowman, speaking with an Irish lilt to convey her character, Ms Maloney. “All we knew was that the potatoes were turning black and shriveled.”

While some nearby countries tried to help the Irish as their crop continued to spoil for several years, the help was, as Ms Bowman said, “precious little,” probably, she noted, because of English rule.

Instead, massive numbers of Irish immigrants began to cross the Atlantic to New York City. Some stayed with relatives while others pressed further, settling the great Western frontier.

When members of the family prepared to leave, their relatives threw them a “Great American Wake.”

“This was a bit of black Irish humor,” Ms Bowman chuckled. “Usually the Irish throw a wake at a funeral — but although these immigrants were going to America, many died on the ship. Even if they made it, it was unlikely that they’d see the rest of their kin for years, if ever at all!”

Continuing the story of Ms Maloney, Ms Bowman discussed how the immigrant woman sailed in a tiny, filthy quarters of a ship with 700 other passengers.

“We were in steerage,” she said. “We had little water, hardly any food.”

She was grateful when she sailed into New York harbor — although the joy was short-lived.

The Irish often confronted discrimination from established New Yorkers. Even if there were job offers, for example, the Irish were told on big, blatant signs that they “need not apply.”

Many of the songs the troupe sang grew out of this period.

“But gradually, this view began to change,” said Ms Bowman. She said it was because, by sheer number, more and more Irish were immigrating to American shores. They joined a boom of other ethnic groups.

Themselves was sponsored by the school’s PTA as part of its ongoing Cultural Arts program.

“I really loved the music, and the costumes [of Ms Brotherton],” said third grader Linda Biafore.

“It was astounding!” echoed her classmate, Katherine Schaedler. “I learned more about the Irish, too. I loved the music!”

“Today, people ask me what ethnicity I am,” said Ms Bowman. “I tell them I am an American who is proud of her Irish heritage!”