Mothers will be celebrated all over the world for Mother's Day. Here's a beautiful tribute to an Irish mother, written by President Joseph R. Biden.
When working on a post to describe the attributes of Irish and Irish American mothers, I came across this speech, delivered a number of years ago to a gathering of the Irish America Fund, by then Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden.
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Catherine Eugenia Finnegan Biden
His heartfelt, poignant words, dedicated to his own mother, perfectly sum up the way I feel about my Irish mother.
My words seemed inadequate beside this beautiful tribute. I decided instead to share his eloquent speech with you today, as a tribute to mothers everywhere.
"Catherine Eugenia Finnegan Biden is the soul, spirit and essence of what it means to be an Irish American.
She is spiritual. She is romantic. She honors tradition, and understands the thickest of all substances is blood, and the greatest of all virtues is love.
She has taught her children, all her children in my neighborhood who flocked to her hearth, that you are defined by your sense of honor and you are redeemed by your loyalty. She is quintessentially Irish -- a combination of pragmatism and optimism.
She also understands as my friend Pat Moynihan once said, there is no "point in being Irish if you don't know that the world is going to break your heart eventually."
But she is more. She measures success in how quickly you get up after you have been knocked down.
She believes bravery lives in every heart, and her expectation is that it will be summoned. Failure at some point in everyone's life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.
Our Obligation to Strive
As long as you are alive you have an obligation to strive. And you are not dead until you've seen God's face.
My mother is a living portrait of what it means to be Irish - - proud, on the edge of defiance. Generous to a fault. Loyal to the end.
She made not only me believe, but scores of my friends and acquaintances believe in themselves. As a child I stuttered. She said it was because I was so bright I couldn't get the thoughts out quickly enough. When my face was dirty, and I was not as well dressed as others, she told me how handsome I was. When my wife and daughter were killed, she told me God sends no cross a man is not able to bear.
And when I triumphed, she reminded me it was because of others.
She was watching through the kitchen window as I got knocked down by two bigger guys behind my grandfather's home. She sent me back out and demanded that I, to use their phrase, "bloody their nose," so I could walk down that alley the next day.
When my father quit his job on the spot because his abusive boss threw a bucket full of silver dollars on the floor of a car dealership to humiliate his employees, she told him how proud she was.
No one is better than you,
You are every man's equal,
and every man is equal to you.
You must be a man of your word,
for without your word you are not a man.
When I was in eighth grade, I was a lieutenant on the safety patrol. My job was to keep order on the bus. My sister and best friend Valerie acted up. At dinner that night I told my mother and father I had a dilemma. I had to turn my sister in - it was a matter of honor. My parents said that was not my only option. The next day I turned my badge in.
I believe the traits that make my mother a remarkable woman mirror the traits that make the Irish a remarkable people. Bent, but never bowed. Discriminated against, but always looking down at their discriminator. Economically deprived, but spiritually enriched. Denied an education, but a land of scholars and poets.
Any Woman By Katherine Tynan
As I look out at those massive Corinthian columns, I see my 5 foot, 2 inch mother, who stands taller in my eyes than any pillar in this room.
And I think of the Irish poem "Any Woman" by Katherine Tynan:
"I am the pillars of the house;
The keystone of the arch am I.
Take me away, and roof and wall
Would fall to ruin utterly.
I am the fire upon the hearth,
I am the light of the good sun,
I am the heat that warms the earth,
Which else were colder than a stone."
A speech by Joseph R. Biden
The speech quoted above was an excerpt from a speech by President Joseph R. Biden.
Joe Biden's mother passed away in 2010. Her legacy is truly appreciated by her son.
As an Irish American Mom I strive to be a straight-talking but supportive, encouraging mother, just like she was.
Wishing you all a very happy Mother's Day.
Thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
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Kay G.
Lovely post.
Happy Mother's Day!
Love,
Kay
Irish American Mom
Happy Mother's Day to you too Kay. Hope you have a lovely day with your family.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Bobbi
Beautiful post, brought tears to my eyes. My late Mother called January 6th, Mothers Christmas. Is Mothers Day a different day in Ireland?
Happy Mother's Day to you, Mairead, and thank you for your Blog,
Bobbi
Irish American Mom
Bobbi - January 6th is "Women's Little Christmas" in our house too. The men of the family do the cooking that day to treat the women who have worked so hard over Christmas to make the holidays memorable.
Mother's Day in Ireland is celebrated in March rather than May. I don't know the reason for the scheduling difference between countries. I must check it out - might be a good post for next year.
Hope you have a lovely Mother's Day.
Mairéad
Sinead
What a beautiful speech. I had never read it before. Thanks so much for sharing it with us here, where we truly appreciate our Irish and Irish American mothers. Happy Mother's Day.
Irish American Mom
Mrs. Biden was truly a remarkable woman, and it is lovely to see that her son appreciated all of her sacrifices that helped him on the road to success.
Happy Mother's Day to you too,
Mairéad
Sophie Moss
That was really beautiful. Never seen that speech before. Thank you for sharing. Happy Mother's Day!
Irish American Mom
Sophie - Joe Biden's speech really struck a chord with me - such a beautiful tribute to his mother. Hope you have a lovely Mother's Day.
All the best,
Mairead
Sheila
What a beautiful tribute.
Irish American Mom
Sheila - Hope you had a lovely Mother's Day.
Best wishes,
Mairéad.
Penny Wolf
Thank you so much for this. I also felt the bulk of this could have been about my Mother.
Amazing! I too was sent back outside to bloody a nose at all of 5 years old. A lesson that has stuck
for 50 years and counting. I bet she was tired of hearing me tattle and cry about the bully next door.
Irish American Mom
Penny - Raising tough, resilient children is a priority for Irish mothers. I remember being teased at school and learning to ask the teaser "What's it to you?"
I read this speech also and thought of my own mother.
Hope you had a lovely day on Sunday.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Maureen Null
I loved this Tribute to an Irish Mother, it broke my heart. I had an irish mother who died when she was sixty one, our whole family fell apart, but on her example, continued on undaunted. Last Sunday when I was celebrating Mother's Day with my family , I thought of her and the tears still flowed. "A mother's love is a blessing................you will miss her when she is gone"...so the song goes. Thanks for sharing Joe Biden's speech.....spot on. I love your blog and look forward to your next post!
Irish American Mom
Maureen - I'm so glad you thought this speech by Joe Biden was "spot on" as a tribute to your late mother, too. It sounds like your mom was a wonderful woman, and dearly loved by all your family. I hope you found solace this Mother's Day from your memories of her love. You lost her when she was way too young.
Best wishes, and thank you so much for following my blog, and your kind words about my ramblings.
Take care,
Mairéad
Kathleen
I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day, Mairead. My mom was a wonderful strong Irish woman, widowed at 49. I had a sister who was in a wheelchair all her life, and she lovingly cared for her, as well as her other 3 girls. Can't was not part of her vocabulary!
I didn't get to celebrate with my family. We had seen them the day before for gson's First Communion I made 40 breads and 360 cookies as take homes, bagged and tagged, and I did the centerpieces and treat bags for the kids. I was exhausted. I did a post showing it. So, we stayed home, and I rested! 🙂
Kathleen
Forgot to say I have seen Mr. Biden at Mass here in Southampton when he comes for his vacation.
Irish American Mom
I'm sure his Irish American Mother is proud of him, and smiling down on him from heaven as he attends Mass.
All the best,
Mairéad
Irish American Mom
Kathleen - "Can’t was not part of her vocabulary!" I like that. It seems like can't is not part of your vocabulary either. You did an amazing job for your grandson's First Communion. Well done, and glad to hear you got some rest on Mother's Day.
Best wishes,
Mairéad