by Geoff Cobb Most people associate Greenpoint with the Polish community, but our area has a long and deep connection to Ireland. Let’s answer a few questions to prepare you fully to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day locally.
1) When, how and why did the Irish come to Greenpoint?
Greenpoint really began to be a community in the 1850s, just after the Irish famine devastated the country. Already in 1855 a third of the local residents were Irish. The…
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Dr.O’Connell who lived on Milton Street and had his office there was a well known and respected physician who delivered me and my sister at Greenpoint Hospital in the 40s and was doctor to most of my relatives who lived there at that time. He used to come to your house to provide medical care. I went to his office as a patient until I was in my early twenties.
My late grandfather Hugh Mulvena (spelled Mulvenna in Ireland) came over to Greenpoint from County Antrim. He worked on a tugboat and there was a big explosion. He was injured & home wearing a truss for a long time to hold his stomach in tact. No medical insurance at that time. He used to walk to McCarren Park to meet others from the Old Country and catch up on news!
It is with great pride to see a picture of my grandfather Pete McGuinness on your website. He loved Greenpoint.
My maternal grandparents were from Ireland. My grandmother Anna Meehan was from Donegal and my grandfather Frank Bynon was from Dublin. They had 7 kids : Mary ( my mom who was known as Mae) Anita, Madeline, Frank, John, Joseph and Theresa who were all raised in Greenpoint. My sister and I and most of my cousins were also raised there. My Uncle Joe went on to become the head of Catholic Schools in the diocese of Brooklyn and then a Msgr. and pastor of Resurrection-Acension in Queens. My Uncle John became and Deputy Inspector on the NYPD. Sadly with the exception of my Aunt Anti McMullan ( she married into a Cushendun family from Antrim) have all passed. She will be 99 this year.
Thank you Geoff for your always excellent research on the Greenpoint Irish. My sister, Patty (Patricia Mulvena), commented above. And Maureen McWilliam (nee McQuade) was in my class at St. Anthony’s and in Mater Christi HS. Her mom was good friends with my mother, Genevieve Mulvena, & her Aunt Madeline was my mom’s Maid of Honor. It was a close knit clan in Greenpoint & I’ve always been proud of my Greenpoint Irish roots. We had 3 Irish step dancing schools & the McQuade girls won awards for their performances. Lots, but not all, Greenpointers were originally from Northern Ireland. Greenpoint was very Irish, very Catholic & a wonderful place to grow up in the 50’s. I still have the most wonderful friends from that great neighborhood. Cheers to Greenpointers everywhere!