Boston, MA –

With his “Oh, I quit counting long ago” beer in hand, 74 year old Grandpa Alfie O’Malley, the grandson of Irish immigrants, told his grandchildren how much fun he used to have on St. Patrick’s Day before “all these new ones showed up.”

“I remember when I was a boy, everyone was out celebrating on this holy American holiday. My dad gave me my first shot of whiskey when I was two and teething, but that would be considered child abuse nowadays. This is why you kids are soft,” he told six-year-old Bella, the only grandchild left sitting there after the others made a quick escape.

“But now you’ve got people from all over the world showing up here. My grandpa came over here in the 1890s. Back then, you could get these huge tracts of land for free, but you had to work really hard for it. It wasn’t easy being an immigrant back then like it is now. There were Indians and everything. That Oklahoma Land Rush was where you proved you were a man,” he explained in between swigs of whiskey. “We’re just all filled up now. There’s no room left for all these Mexicans. But, you go run along now and play.”

By Emily Sanchez

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