I wear a Claddagh ring on my right hand with the heart facing away from me every single day. This ring symbolizes my strong Irish heritage and how proud I am of it. The ring itself represents love, loyalty, and friendship. This is important to me because these qualities were so significant to my parents when they immigrated to Boston, Massachusetts from Ireland in the 1990s. They both came here for better working opportunities, because work was scarce in rural Ireland. My Dad grew up in Co. Roscommon in a very small town, where he lived and worked on the family farm until he decided to move to America to start a new life. My Mom grew up in Co. Cork on their family farm. She went to school to be a nurse and after difficulty finding work  in Dublin, she got offered a job in Brighton, MA and moved there. Our family is unique because the rest of my family still lives in Ireland. My parents faced significant opposition leaving Ireland and their homes. They worked hard for many years and got to where they are today. Other families stories are similar to ours in that they came to work and make a better life for themselves and their children. My Claddagh ring reminds me of how proud I am to be the daughter of immigrants. I’m proud of my heritage and where I come from. It represents the work that my parents put in to give me a better life and how their perseverance has shaped me into who I am today. 

– NG

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant