Ann Malone Kern, the main character in the first four Malone
mysteries, and her sister, Marnie, the protagonist in the fifth (and last) book
are of Irish descent but, as far as I know, I don’t have a drop of Irish blood
in my veins. (I’m Romanian, Greek and German.)
So why did I choose to write a series about an Irish family?
To be honest, I’m not really sure. Maybe because the culture has always
fascinated me and/or because the Irish played an
important role in the history of Cincinnati, my hometown. Next to the Germans,
they were the largest group of immigrants between 1840 and 1910.
Cincinnati was a major destination for immigrants from
Ireland who left their homeland because, due to the potato blight and resulting
famine in their country, they couldn’t pay their mortgages and they were
starving. Many were poor, spoke English with a brogue and were Roman Catholic
with large families. Some came with nothing more than a few pieces of clothing.
The city offered many opportunities for work on the
riverfront, digging for the Miami and Erie Canal and on railroad construction.
Although most had hoped to become farmers, with no money and desperate to feed
their families, when they arrived in the Queen City, many Irish took jobs that
were dangerous and unskilled with low pay.
Through the years, the Irish have contributed greatly to our
city’s growth and culture. During the Civil War, the Irish formed several
militia units, which became the core of the Ohio 10th Regiment. Later,
many became policemen and firemen, some were prosperous in industry and others
were active in politics.
Today, we have The Irish Heritage Center of Greater
Cincinnati. The IHC was founded to promote the Irish Culture through the study
of customs, dance, education, film, genealogy, history, language, lectures,
literature, music, mythology, poetry, social interaction, song, sport, theater
and the visual arts. And, of course, we have our annual St. Patrick's Day parade downtown.
So, whether you're Irish or not, be sure you're "wearin' the green" today and, if you're in the mood for a mystery, I hope you'll check out my series. (For a limited time, my publisher has reduced the price of all five eBooks to 99 cents each.)
Happy
St. Patrick’s Day!
