A Time to Make Amends, sixth in An Irish Family Saga, begins with Catherine bringing her son to visit Ireland. MaryAnne and George are living in Blackrock, and the reader who's read the five volumes before is bound to think, exasperated, what was Catherine thinking? Only, of course, she didn't know MaryAnne had a son, not having seen him before.
Tom on the other hand has received a letter in N.Y. in his absence from a lawyer and his father Patrick Gallagher sent him a telegram to Ireland informing him, and Tom having asked him to read it, Patrick discovered that Tom had been left a substantial legacy. Patrick immediately knew, and went to Thomas and Lily to ask if what he suspected was true.
Gilmore is bent on ruining Catherine's life even after his death! Not that different from standard English practice of dividing a country when they leave, after all - Ireland, India, Palestine,.....
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Patrick needs a release and goes into making speeches, even helping a Chinese family, which was then bordering illegal.
"Patrick drew his armchair closer to Thomas and spoke in a low voice as he told him about the young Chinese family he had given shelter to.
"“You must know somebody who can help them. I was hoping you might have a contact in Chinatown?”
"“The Chinese immigrants draw a lot of bad feelings upon themselves, Patrick. They work under conditions that no other men would put up with and for a lot less money, and they do not integrate with the rest of us.”
"“Did the Irish not do the same when they came here in their droves in the famine years? Many of them were unable to speak English and were taken advantage of in much the same way as this young Chinese couple. Are we not morally bound to help them, Thomas?”
"“Are you aware of The Chinese Exclusion Act, Patrick?”
"“I’ve never heard of it.”
"“It’s a law that forbids citizenship to the Chinese, even if they have permits to work here. It also prohibits the immigration of the wives and children of Chinese labourers. That is why we see so few of them here – and why the family you harbour in your home must leave immediately. You would be in serious trouble should someone report it.”"
And in case people think this racism is past, no, not quite. Late eighties, young students in southern California were accusing Chinese girls on campus of stealing their boyfriends, and had nothing to say when one pointed out that the "stealing" wasn't necessarily unique to Chinese girls, and if it was another one like them, the pain would be no different. And judging from the riots resulting from murder of Floyd, racism is being protested around the globe, yes, but not gone. It was thriving during Obama years as much as during Reagan or bush eras.
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Catherine and Patrick manage to find peace together at the end of this one, helped by their family.
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June 04, 2020 - June 04, 2020.
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