3/12/21 from Luke: "My Great Grandfather was in the Butte newspaper yesterday!"

Wait, what?!?

Yep.

On Friday, the Montana Standard ran an article about the influence on Butte of the descendants of the Beara Peninsula, location of Ardgroom, Eyeries, County Cork and other family origins. Here’s what they said about Grandpa Jim:

James J. Murphy was just 45 years old when he died in [1938], but he accomplished much in his relatively short life.

Murphy worked his way up to management positions at Hennessy’s and for a time, ran the Centerville branch. If he wasn’t working, he was fully committed to the numerous Irish organizations, including the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

The one-time AOH president was not afraid to voice his opinion either. In a March 15, 1915 letter to Mayor C.A. Smith, who questioned the patriotism of Butte’s Irish organization, Murphy did not mince words.

Here are Grandpa Jim's own words: 

I wish to state that you have been misinformed as to the purpose of the St. Patrick’s Day parade. It is not intended as a Teutonic demonstration against the Allies or anyone else. Your appeal to the men taking part in the parade to refrain from disorderly or offensive conduct is altogether unnecessary. Your instructions prohibiting the carrying of firearms in this parade comes as a surprise, from the fact that we carried arms last year and on numerous other occasions without known opposition from any quarter. Therefore, your action at this time seems to me to be influenced by a few underground bigots.

Some in our family are known for being outspoken. C'mon on, Jim, tells us what you really think.

The history behind his references to “Teutonic demonstration,” “carrying of firearms,” “underground bigots,” and our GGGFather's leadership fills me with family pride ... but that’s a story for another day. 

I like the YouTube version here. Jim’s picture – thank you Luke! – is at minute 2:47.

The full Standard article is here. 

Check out Luke's FaceBook post.

Sláinte!! 

-D

 

Five to Nine

3/8/21

Molly Zive, granddaughter of Marty and Monita, got a shoutout Monday from The Financial Times:

Zive says she feels fortunate to have started her business during the pandemic. She even created a podcast called Therapy is Cool. “My business lit something up inside of me I have never felt in my career. I felt stimulated, challenged and effective,” she said. Zive’s decision to start a business alongside her existing work is a classic example of a side hustle, a term that has made its way into pop culture.

The article highlights how Molly and others use the internet to turn the traditional 9-5 job on its ear: 

Squarespace, which develops personal websites, paid Dolly Parton to rewrite the song “9 to 5” for a Super Bowl advert based on the phenomenon. “Working five to nine, you’ve got passion and a vision,” she sang. “It's hustling time, a whole new way to make a living.” 

Molly is having lots of fun with her new business -- see her Instagram posts here, or go directly to the link in her bio here.

The full article is available online if you have a Financial Times account, or here if not (don't tell FT).

A family of hustlers, that's for sure. Go Molly!!!

- D