In November 1959, 18-year-old Patricia Hollywood left her family and boarded the ocean liner Britannic, departing from her seaside home in Ardara, County Donegal. "I had just finished school," says Hollywood, Cleveland's 2015 Irish Mother of the Year. "America was a big drawing card." Three years later, Hollywood appeared on The Mike Douglas Show as winner of the Miss Cleveland crown in the Irish American Pageant. Returning to Ireland in 1969, she married and started a family before relocating to Cleveland for good in 1986. Hollywood now serves as owner and president of the Travel Connection in Aurora.
In 1959 I sailed out of Cobh, County Cork. The passengers stood on the deck singing some Irish folk songs as we watched the Emerald Isle fade from our view. It was very moving. There was a lot of camaraderie on board. We were all pursuing the American dream. There was a sense of sadness but also a sense of adventure, wondering what America was going to hold for us. It was November and the Atlantic was very rough. The waves were 30 feet high. I remember a priest walking the decks with me and telling me not to stay below. My traveling companions stayed below decks where people were getting sick. I didn't see them until we hit New York City. It was a different experience coming back here in 1986. Uprooting our children from their home was a calculated risk. We never regretted the decision and, over time, the kids learned to view America as their new home. Our religion, music and traditions are important, but family is the most important. — as told to Barry Goodrich
Green Ways
History Lesson
Kick Starters
Taste of Ireland
Irish Porter Cake
1 cup Guinness or Murphy Irish Stout
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
6 cups mixed dried fruit (equal quantities currants, raisins, sultanas with peel)
4 cups sieved flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1teaspoon mixed spice
Grated rind from small lemon (optional)
3 medium eggs
Melt the butter and sugar in the Guinness in a saucepan.
Add the fruit and simmer for 10 minutes.
Cool and add the sieved flour, baking soda, spices and lemon rind.
Beat the eggs and mix in with a wooden spoon.
Pour into a greased 9-inch cake tin and bake for 1-3/4 hours.
To test the cake, push a skewer into the center. If ready, the skewer will come out clean.
Allow the cake to cool. Store in airtight tin.
