It was a busy spring day in 1850 at a pier
in Ireland. The ship going to
America was being filled with luggage and goods. The passengers were milling
around the gangplank. They were hugging one another and wishing a tearful
good-bye to family and friends. According to stories I heard later from my
grandmother, there was one young couple, Colleen and Patrick McBride, who
were especially nervous. Colleen was pregnant with her second child and not
feeling well. Her mother-in-law, Peggy McBride, had begged to hold her
grandson, Michael, one last time before the younger family embarked for their
new home in the United States. The elder Mrs. McBride asked that she be
allowed to carry the child onto the huge vessel. When the ship's whistle
signaled an "all aboard" for the passengers, people crowded the
gangplank to
board the ship. The elder Mrs. McBride was nowhere in sight and, tragically,
the young couple had to leave Ireland without Michael........
