Name: ______
Irish Immigrant Question Sheet
Questions Video 1 “Duffy’s Cut”
- What country were the immigrants from? ______
- What is the name of the section of railroad the men were working on? ______
Questions Video 2 “The Ghost Hunt Begins”
- In what city did these events take place? ______
- Why was it called Duffy’s Cut? ______
“Duffy’s Cut” Discussion Questions
1. What happened to the 57 men on the hardest mile?
2. Why do you think these men were treated this way?
3. Describe the overall tone of the song. What message is the artist trying to portray? Use specific lines from the song to support your answer.
“Irish in America” Discussion Questions
1. List an example of prejudice or discrimination described in the song
2List two descriptions of daily life as immigrants in America.
3. Describe the overall tone of the song. What message is the artist trying to portray? Use specific lines from the song to support your answer.
Comparison
4. Compare the two songs. How are the themes of the songs the same? How are they different?
Name: ______
“Duffy’s Cut”
I'm heading for a life in the land of the free
Sending every penny home to the family
Off to find fortunes that can't be bought
Now Paddy's struck down from a single shot
Paddy's struck down from a single shot!
They lured the men away they promised wealth and riches
A thousand miles from home lying steel and digging ditches
The work would be a challenge nary a soul could stand the trial
These wayfaring boys built the railways toughest mile
Fifty-seven men on the hardest mile!
Fifty-seven men on the hardest mile
Murdered for their troubles, left to die
Immigrant sons from Donegal, Tyrone & Derry
Their numbers were few but they did the job of many
Eight weeks went by and the path was clear
Fifty-seven men had all disappeared
Not a mention of their name no stone was ever turned
It would be so many years before the truth was ever learned
Fifty-seven men on the hardest mile
Murdered for their troubles, left to die
Immigrant sons from Donegal, Tyrone & Derry
Their numbers were few but they did the job of many
Now ghosts dance a jig on an unmarked grave
A slug full of lead was the price they were paid
Vigilante justice, prejudice and pride
No one in this valley will be seen again alive
Fifty-seven men on the hardest mile
Murdered for their troubles, left to die
Immigrant sons from Donegal, Tyrone & Derry
Their numbers were few but they did the job of many
Fifty-seven men on the hardest mile
Murdered for their troubles, left to die
Immigrant sons from Donegal, Tyrone & Derry
Their numbers were few but they did the job of many
“Irish in America”
I sing now of a tale, of the tired and the poor
Of people yearning to breathe free.
All was taken from them; they needed to set sail,
To a new world far away.
From Ireland full of green fields, they were made to flee
Left their families far behind. Looking for a new start, in cities across the sea
To their fate they were resigned.
As ragged immigrants, they were worse than low.
Signs read “No Irish Need Apply”.
They took the thankless jobs no one would perform,
With mighty backs and stubborn pride.
They were Irish in America, forced to find new lives,
They worked their fingers to the bone. Lace curtains in their windows,
And pictures of the Pope, built this country, called it home.
They came to New York harbor, to Boston, and P.A.,
In tenements they settled down, raised up their children, in the shadow of the church
With friends and family all around.
Several generations, have now drifted by, things aren’t what they used to be.
We live our lives, thanks to who they were. They fought our wars and kept us free.
Grandfather sits, besides the fire in his chair. He talks to his grandson on his knee.
He tells him of his childhood, on a rural Galway farm, and how he got to N.Y.C.
They came before us, this was how they lived. They didn’t have another way.
This is heritage. This is what it means to be Irish in America
Name: ______