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BRIGHTON, DORCHESTER
Fighting for their voice
Irish immigrants seek role in D.C. debate
By Will Kilburn, Globe Correspondent | July 2, 2006

At first glance, the scene last weekend at two pubs could have been mistaken for that of a typical summer Sunday, with pints flowing, bands playing, and patrons in soccer jerseys smiling, laughing, and trading stories. But along with the celebratory air, the gatherings at the Banshee in Dorchester and the Green Briar in Brighton also had a sense of urgency: Organized by local members of the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform , the morning-till-last-call events were fund-raisers for a bus trip to Washington, D.C., last Wednesday to make sure Irish voices are heard as Congress prepares to debate the future of immigration in America.

``I want to live here, have a life, family, buy a home. This has been my home for seven years," said 30-year-old Kevin Shaw of Dorchester, an undocumented construction worker originally from Belfast who attended the Banshee event. ``So if I want to become legal, this is our only chance."

``People don't generally associate Irish people out here as having problems with immigration," said one of the Green Briar event's organizers, 32-year-old Jimmy Gallagher of Needham, a construction worker who left Sligo 13 years ago with his family. ``But there's well over 45,000 undocumented Irish here right now that are living in the shadow. They can't get driver's licenses, they can't get work, they can't get benefits, nothing."

Such has been the case for some time now, but after a Republican-sponsored bill was proposed late last year which would effectively criminalize undocumented immigrants, a number of Irish immigrants in New York formed the Irish Lobby last December with the intention of adding their voices to the debate. A Boston chapter was formed soon after, and made its presence known in March when about 1,000 people from the Boston area joined 1,400 others from New York and across the country in Washington to meet with members of Congress, including Arizona Senator John McCain and Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, himself the descendant of Irish immigrants. Following the March trip, members of the Boston contingent said Kennedy told them they'd helped change the minds of five senators and keep a compromise bill alive.

``This organization could not have grown in the strength and the size that it has without them," said Kelly Fincham , a former journalist who is now the executive director of the organization at its main office in New York. A native of County Louth , Fincham confirms that the group continually fights the perception that Irish are trying to beat the system somehow.

``I'm sick and tired of people saying to me, `My parents came over in such-and-such; you should all just stand in line,' " Fincham said. ``Everyone would stand in line if there was a line, if there was a system."

While many at last weekend's events have their hearts set on staying in the United States and being able to drive legally, buy a home, and live without fear of being deported -- a number also said they look forward to the day when they can visit relatives in Ireland and not have to worry about being allowed to return to their adopted home.

For more information about the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, go to www.irishlobbyusa.org.