GROWING UP IN DORCHESTER!

CHAPTER 3.
“LIVING IN DORCHESTER WAS
EXTRA SPECIAL.”

You know, living in Dorchester(where I was born) was a very extra special part of the world. Most of Mom and Dad’s family lived either downstairs on the first floor or down the street on the corner of Centre Street and Adams Street. Up the street was Dorchester Avenue, that wonderful thoroughfare on which there were stores like Crawford Drug, Cumberland Farms, and Spiro’s Coffee Shop.
And of course, there was St. Mark’s Church, where the family went to Mass on Sundays and holydays. It was where most of the rest of my family were educated(except me, of course). It was the place where we’d go to for their bingo nights, dances, Christmas bazaars, and, of course, the St. Patrick’s Day Shows. All the kids would get together and dress up in Irish style costumes; they’d sing Irish and American songs, there’d be a couple of girls doing Irish step dancing, and there’d be a sing-along for the audience to take part in.
My earliest memory of that kind of show was when my sister Patrice sang “Tora Loora Loora” in a show sometime around the late 60s. And of course the choir of kids sang “It’s a Great Day For The Irish.” We were treated to a couple of Irish step dancers. And we enjoyed the Irish sing-alongs.
I pointed out that my Dad came from Killarney in 1949 and stayed here for the rest of his life(except when he and Mom went on vacation). When he was growing up in his hometown, the only time you heard Irish music was around St. Patrick’s Day; most of the rest of the time, it was American pop music. He was very ambivalent to all the “Irish” songs composed by Tin Pan Alley writers who didn’t have a drop of Irish in them.
“The Auld Come-All-Yes,” my Dad called them. He preferred the real Irish music performed by artists like Tommy Makem, Liam Clancy & The Clancy Brothers or the Irish showbands who played at the local clubs. And yes, he always had Irish music on the radio every weekend. John Latchford, who was a disc jockey on WRYT radio in Boston(now WROL), would spend hours on air playing the “latest songs from the Republic of Ireland, plus all the old Irish favorites.” Growing up on Centre Street in Dorchester, our weekends were filled with the sounds of Ireland.
For recreation, we’d go down to a park on Victory Road, where we’d play on the swings or seesaws or watch a Little League Baseball Game. We’d go over to a field on Dorchester Avenue in Fields Corner where we’d go skating in the winter or watch baseball games in the summer. During the holidays, I would go into town to see the Enchanted Village and sit on Santa’s lap at Jordan Marsh. Then we’d see all the beautiful lights at the Boston Common. And on St. Patrick’s Day, we’d go to South Boston to see the Parade with marching bands, floats and all kinds of politicians.
Yeah, our St. Patrick’s Day Parade is full of politicians, politicians and more politicians. Every year, the Senate President presides over that great corn beef and cabbage breakfast where all of them trade jabs with each other or try to say something that’ll get ‘em in trouble.
I remember, also, there was a truck that had a “whip” ride. Every time it would come around, we’d get on it and take an exciting ride around for 5 or 10 minutes. And what a ride it was. It was only the beginning of more exciting rides that I’d go on at amusement parks that no longer exist. And of course, there was Famous Pizza, where Dad would take me for a couple of pizza slices and a coke from time to time.
You know, my curiosity for the area around me had me wandering around in places like Codman Square or on Morrissey Boulevard. And of course, my parents would get angry at me for doing that.
“You’re on punishment until midnight!” they’d say when I’d done something wrong. Of course, even though that was the case, I’d actually be on punishment until I woke up the next morning. And you know me, crying the night away. But I was very interested in the world around me, especially outside my own neighborhood.
I know you want me to get into the gory details, but if I did, I’d have to put you on punishment until midnight, too.
And you know what that means? No TV tonight, buddy!