St. Patrick’s Day was yesterday. While being Canadian by birth, the Irish roots run deep in my family. So much so that traditions and ways of life have been passed from generation to generation — sometimes intentionally, sometimes just because nobody thought to question them.
I grew up thinking that a roast beef wasn’t done until it was grey all the way through; that a little flat ginger ale could cure anything; and that it was perfectly normal to have holy water by the door so you could bless yourself as you left the house — and,
God willing, when you returned. In our home, both medicine and theology were conveniently located within arm’s reach of the front door.
Family stories were passed along regularly. And there was one story in particular that frequently popped up around this time of year. Given our Irish roots, the story may have been embellished a bit over the years, but the main points remained. I even did a bit of research to verify them, which is always a dangerous thing to do with family lore.
It was 117 years ago, on Wednesday, March 17, 1909, my great-grandfather, Thomas Whelan, set off for work early in the morning as usual, except that, he probably had a small sprig of a shamrock pinned to his uniform’s lapel. Unbeknownst to him, this St. Patrick’s Day was about to take a very tragic turn.
Thomas was a gateman at Windsor Station in downtown Montreal. I can remember being told that he was the station master (that would be the embellishment). No, he was a gateman. Still an important job, just without the fancy title.
Anyway, at about 8:30 that morning, Thomas received a signal that the overnight train from Boston, which he was expected shortly, had just run through the Montreal West station at break-neck speed. Then, word came that the engineer and brakeman had both jumped, or been thrown, from the train near the Westmount station.
Consider this for a moment: in 1909 a train station in a major city would have been absolutely packed with travellers and people waiting to greet arriving trains. This day was no different. The platform was crowded.
Knowing he had only a few minutes at best, Thomas started yelling and shoving people out of the way. He and a colleague then entered the bustling concourse at Windsor Station and did the same thing. Subtlety was not an option.
They managed to clear almost everyone out before the runaway train barrelled through a shed, smashed the barriers at the end of the track, continued through the wall into the concourse, and then, through the wall on the other side of the station. It finally came to rest teetering over the street below.
Accounts vary as to how many people perished that day. Neither the brakeman, nor the engineer survived. The engineer was hailed a hero, having done everything he could to try to save the fatally damaged train. In the crowded station, it was either two or four people who died, depending upon which version of the story you hear. Hundreds more survived.
There were many other, far cheerier stories passed along over the years, but that is one I always remember around this time of year. And you can be sure that my daughters know the story as well.
That, I suppose, is my point. Every family has its traditions and its stories. One of Thomas’s daughters — my great-aunt — was the first to tell me that story. Before she died she asked my sister, brother and me to keep the family memories and stories alive.
Do a little digging. It is so easy to find information online. Even easier, talk to family members. Many of us are only a generation or two away from people who helped build the communities we live in today. And those stories deserve to be brought into the light — any time of year.
Here’s hoping you celebrated well and had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day. There is more celebrating to come this weekend. Enjoy the parades. I’ll be driving one of the little Shriners’ cars in the downtown parade on Sunday.
So, from one very proud Irishman to everyone — whether you’re Irish or just wish you were — Sláinte.
Tom Whelan is a veteran broadcaster who can be heard weekend afternoons on CJAD 800 AM. He can be contacted by email at info@the1019report.ca.