It had been a horrible trip over. They must have hit every storm between Ireland and New York. Kaitlyn O'Riely was close to joining her baby brother and her two sisters in tears. Ma had died giving birth to the baby on the first week of their trip. Katie hadn't been sure that they would survive to see Ellis Island. Da and Shawn, her older brother never got their sea legs so it had been up to Katie to ensure that all of them had enough to eat and drink. The burden had almost been to much for the 8 year old girl but now they were in New York City like Da had promised and Katie was sure that Da would be up to at least helping her take care of the three little ones.
The first mate come down to steerage and began to gather families together to get them off his boat. Da had barely gotten his feet under him and was still shaky but was determined to get off the boat by his own power. He leaned heavily on Katie who was holding the baby had the little sisters clinging to her skirts. "Katie girl you ready to see your new home?" her Da's Irish brogue was comforting. "Shawn Michel help your sister with the babes."
The older boy looked like he would have rather done anything but that, yet he did reach down and pick up the younger of the two girls, Niamh, while he took Meara's hand. He looked back at Katie, "Ya gonna come or do you wanna get left behind?" Katie gave him a hurt look as she hiked the baby into a better position and followed him out into the open air.
The deck of the boat was crowded and Katie grabbed onto her fathers pants to keep from losing him in the crowd. Katie was short for her age and her biggest fear was losing her father. They stood on the deck for what seemed like hours and the baby began to cry for food. Liam looked at his daughter, "Katie-girl give me the babe." Katie was glad to get rid of the extra burden of the baby and turned to Shawn and took Meara's hand. The family of six finally made it off the boat with their possessions and selves intact.
An immigration official came up to them. "You speak English?" He asked in slow clear voice.
"Aye we do." Liam answered.
"Name."
"Liam O'Riely."
"Country where you come from."
"Ireland, Dublin." Liam answered effortlessly.
"Good these kids all yours sir?" The official asked as he prepared his pencil to write.
"Aye, they are."
"You have a wife?"
"Not any more she passed on." Liam kept his feelings in check.
"Do youse have family here in New York?"
"Aye me brother and his wife live in Manhattan."
"Okay youse and the boy go over there and the goils are going to go to that woman there. They will meet youse on the other side of the fence. Next."
Liam knelt down to Katie's eye level. "Katie-girl you are gonna hafta take care of the wee ones till we get on the other side of that gate. Remember what you and your ma talked about before we left? This is what you were practicing for. That nice lady there is gonna look you all over to make sure you are healthy. Then we are gonna go find your Uncle Shamus and Cousin Bryon."
Katie nodded and motioned for her sisters to take a hold of her skirt as she went to stand in the line for the medical treatment. All three of the children were restless and grouchy as the wait seemed to last forever. Finally they were at the beginning of the line. The new Immigrant Official looked over her glasses to the young girl with 3 children.
"Next? What do we have here? What's your name?"
"Kaitlyn Elizabeth O'Riely." Katie gave her full name just like her ma had told her.
"Well Kaitlyn, where is your mother?" The nurse looked disapprovingly at the child.
"She died giving me a baby brother."
The nurse's face soften for a moment. "Well lets get a good look at you all. What are your sisters and brother's names?"
"Niamh Martha and Meara Ruth. Da hasn't named the barren yet." Katie hitched the baby up in her arms again.
"So it is Nia Martha and Mara Ruth?" Katie nodded barely noticing the woman had mispronounced her sisters' names. "Well lets look you all over. May I have the baby?"
The nurse reached for the boy and Katie hesitantly gave him over to her. "Well he is a bit undernourished but your pa will fix that I am sure." She then checked the younger girls, both she passed with out a second thought. Katie was the last one she looked over. "Well Kaitlyn you and your siblings are all quite healthy. Welcome to New York City." She tied some slips of paper to Katie's shirt and pointed them to where they were going to go next.
No one has ever said that getting into the United States was easy and many people that have tried never made it past those iron gates but Katie and her family fought the odds and made it. Katie stood with her siblings by the gates waiting for her father and Shawn to emerge from the confines of the quarantine gates. Finally she heard her father's voice over the crowd. "Kaitlyn Elizabeth O'Riely where are you?"
"Da? Shawn? We are over here!" Her voice barely carried over the crowd but suddenly the wall of humanity parted and there was her father. He lifted the little girls into his arms and instructed Katie to grab onto the familiar belt loop of his pants.
"I've found your Aunt and Uncle girl and they are very, very excited to see you." Liam called over his shoulder to her as they wove they way through the crowd. Katie just nodded and held on to her father until finally they reached the edge of the crowd.
"Liam you found them. Good, so you are Kaitlyn Elizabeth. Girl you look just like your mama when she was your age. Let me see all you children" Elaine, Katie's aunt fawned over her niece, as she took the baby out of Katie's arms. Her brogue wasn't as strong as Liam's it had yet to be taken over by the New York accent that Katie was hearing in the native men and women.
"My goodness Liam you have a bonnie bunch of barren's my sister would be proud." Shamus said to his brother. "I'd like you to meet your cousin, Bryon. He is about Shawn here's age." Shamus pushed forward a young man with red hair and bright blue eyes.
"So you be the cousins me Da is always talking about. I be Bryon O'Riely and don't you be forgetting that." His face suddenly broke into a smile, "So you two ready to see the real City?"
Both Katie and Shawn nodded but before they could run off with Bryon, Liam called out to them. "Katie-girl I need some help with the wee ones, don't go running off now." Katie faces squelched into disgust but she slowly walked back to where her father was standing, forcing to not look back to where her brother and cousin were running off to without her. She took the baby from Elaine's hands and began to slowly follow the adults as they headed off to their new home.
The first mate come down to steerage and began to gather families together to get them off his boat. Da had barely gotten his feet under him and was still shaky but was determined to get off the boat by his own power. He leaned heavily on Katie who was holding the baby had the little sisters clinging to her skirts. "Katie girl you ready to see your new home?" her Da's Irish brogue was comforting. "Shawn Michel help your sister with the babes."
The older boy looked like he would have rather done anything but that, yet he did reach down and pick up the younger of the two girls, Niamh, while he took Meara's hand. He looked back at Katie, "Ya gonna come or do you wanna get left behind?" Katie gave him a hurt look as she hiked the baby into a better position and followed him out into the open air.
The deck of the boat was crowded and Katie grabbed onto her fathers pants to keep from losing him in the crowd. Katie was short for her age and her biggest fear was losing her father. They stood on the deck for what seemed like hours and the baby began to cry for food. Liam looked at his daughter, "Katie-girl give me the babe." Katie was glad to get rid of the extra burden of the baby and turned to Shawn and took Meara's hand. The family of six finally made it off the boat with their possessions and selves intact.
An immigration official came up to them. "You speak English?" He asked in slow clear voice.
"Aye we do." Liam answered.
"Name."
"Liam O'Riely."
"Country where you come from."
"Ireland, Dublin." Liam answered effortlessly.
"Good these kids all yours sir?" The official asked as he prepared his pencil to write.
"Aye, they are."
"You have a wife?"
"Not any more she passed on." Liam kept his feelings in check.
"Do youse have family here in New York?"
"Aye me brother and his wife live in Manhattan."
"Okay youse and the boy go over there and the goils are going to go to that woman there. They will meet youse on the other side of the fence. Next."
Liam knelt down to Katie's eye level. "Katie-girl you are gonna hafta take care of the wee ones till we get on the other side of that gate. Remember what you and your ma talked about before we left? This is what you were practicing for. That nice lady there is gonna look you all over to make sure you are healthy. Then we are gonna go find your Uncle Shamus and Cousin Bryon."
Katie nodded and motioned for her sisters to take a hold of her skirt as she went to stand in the line for the medical treatment. All three of the children were restless and grouchy as the wait seemed to last forever. Finally they were at the beginning of the line. The new Immigrant Official looked over her glasses to the young girl with 3 children.
"Next? What do we have here? What's your name?"
"Kaitlyn Elizabeth O'Riely." Katie gave her full name just like her ma had told her.
"Well Kaitlyn, where is your mother?" The nurse looked disapprovingly at the child.
"She died giving me a baby brother."
The nurse's face soften for a moment. "Well lets get a good look at you all. What are your sisters and brother's names?"
"Niamh Martha and Meara Ruth. Da hasn't named the barren yet." Katie hitched the baby up in her arms again.
"So it is Nia Martha and Mara Ruth?" Katie nodded barely noticing the woman had mispronounced her sisters' names. "Well lets look you all over. May I have the baby?"
The nurse reached for the boy and Katie hesitantly gave him over to her. "Well he is a bit undernourished but your pa will fix that I am sure." She then checked the younger girls, both she passed with out a second thought. Katie was the last one she looked over. "Well Kaitlyn you and your siblings are all quite healthy. Welcome to New York City." She tied some slips of paper to Katie's shirt and pointed them to where they were going to go next.
No one has ever said that getting into the United States was easy and many people that have tried never made it past those iron gates but Katie and her family fought the odds and made it. Katie stood with her siblings by the gates waiting for her father and Shawn to emerge from the confines of the quarantine gates. Finally she heard her father's voice over the crowd. "Kaitlyn Elizabeth O'Riely where are you?"
"Da? Shawn? We are over here!" Her voice barely carried over the crowd but suddenly the wall of humanity parted and there was her father. He lifted the little girls into his arms and instructed Katie to grab onto the familiar belt loop of his pants.
"I've found your Aunt and Uncle girl and they are very, very excited to see you." Liam called over his shoulder to her as they wove they way through the crowd. Katie just nodded and held on to her father until finally they reached the edge of the crowd.
"Liam you found them. Good, so you are Kaitlyn Elizabeth. Girl you look just like your mama when she was your age. Let me see all you children" Elaine, Katie's aunt fawned over her niece, as she took the baby out of Katie's arms. Her brogue wasn't as strong as Liam's it had yet to be taken over by the New York accent that Katie was hearing in the native men and women.
"My goodness Liam you have a bonnie bunch of barren's my sister would be proud." Shamus said to his brother. "I'd like you to meet your cousin, Bryon. He is about Shawn here's age." Shamus pushed forward a young man with red hair and bright blue eyes.
"So you be the cousins me Da is always talking about. I be Bryon O'Riely and don't you be forgetting that." His face suddenly broke into a smile, "So you two ready to see the real City?"
Both Katie and Shawn nodded but before they could run off with Bryon, Liam called out to them. "Katie-girl I need some help with the wee ones, don't go running off now." Katie faces squelched into disgust but she slowly walked back to where her father was standing, forcing to not look back to where her brother and cousin were running off to without her. She took the baby from Elaine's hands and began to slowly follow the adults as they headed off to their new home.