The ‘Unsinkable’ Bridgie Ned

PROUD HONOUR ?Bridgie Ned is pictured with her husband Manus, holding the Cleveland Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians Award after they named her the Hibernian of the Year.

From Ballycroy to Cleveland - the ‘Unsinkable’ Bridgie Ned

JC Sullivan

There are many indelible links between the Ballycroy/Achill areas and the Ohio city of Cleveland, links between families that have spanned many generations.
The path of immigration from the west of Ireland to Cleveland is a well worn one but Cleveland has been a welcoming home for many a young man or woman, who have gone to lead prosperous and fruitful lives.
One such woman is now a institution in Cleveland. Bridgie Ned Campbell was from a large Ballycroy family, born to Edward (Ned) Campbell and Nora (nee) Ginty. Not all of her siblings immigrated to America like Bridgie. John (Joan) emigrated and lived in Cleveland for some ten years but went back to care for his parents. He now lives in Ballycroy while brother Michael, who is single, lives in Mulranny. Martin went to England, the late Tom and Pat (Dympna) went to Chicago and Ed to Cleveland. Sister Margaret Gallagher (Tommy) lives in Achill.
Bridgie was 17 years old when she arrived in Cleveland in 1956, after she sailing on  Queen Mary with Pete Campbell (Newport) and Pat Kilroy (Furnace). Coincidentally, after a week at sea, they arrived in New York on St Patrick’s Day.  
“Pete had nothing in his pocket. He’d some drinks and stuff on the boat,” said Bridgie, who stayed overnight with Paddy and Ann McGowan, whose brother was married to her aunt Annie.
The next morning she was on the train to Cleveland along with Pete and Pat. Although her uncles John and Pete were already in Cleveland when she arrived, she stayed with her sponsors, aunt Maggie and uncle Mike McGowan.
 “I’ll always remember my uncle John Campbell, my father’s brother, and his wife Catherine, giving us five dollars each when we arrived in Cleveland. I can still see that five dollars. We were so happy. We thought we were so well off. I thought they were living in heaven you know. Maggie worked for five dollars a week back then.”
Bridgie found employment quickly. Like so many other Irish girls, she found work the week after arriving. And, like so many before and after, she worked as a live-in nanny with wealthy families in the suburbs of Cleveland.
“We worked and we were delighted to work and I was never out of money or work since I came.”
Bridgie considers herself lucky as she also received room and board. “I had my own room and food. I always remember my first paycheck was one hundred and forty dollars for one month…so I always sent money to my Dad. There was seven left at home after me.”

Wedding
When she returned to Mayo in 1963, she and Manus Conway, friends since childhood, were married at St Bridget’s Church on Valentine’s Day.
“My grandmother had never seen a wedding dress till she saw us. We had the wedding in my house and we cooked a whole lamb. He gave me an engagement ring and a wedding ring at the same time.” With a hearty laugh, Bridgie added: “He hasn’t bought me a thing since.”
Their first-born, Nora Margaret, died at six months from pneumonia. With today’s medical knowledge that wouldn’t not have happened. After living back in Mayo for the next two and a half years, Bridgie learned her brother John was emigrating so she and her husband decided to do the same.
Once in Cleveland again, Bridgie returned to doing domestic work and also supplemented her income by working for the late Alice (nee Cannon) Kilbane who owned Kelly Party Center. Manus worked in construction. After their children were grown up, she worked twenty years in homehealth care.
“One time I brought my mother here. We took her to Vegas. I was so excited for her to see Vegas. I said to her ‘Isn’t this the best thing you’ve ever seen in your whole life?” “No, not at all,” she said. “They have the same thing over in Galway.”
Bridgie lets out a great belly laugh: “I nearly died laughing about it. I gave her money to gamble but she couldn’t see the gambling at all.”
Bridgie and Manus have had a good life in Cleveland and make no bones about loving America.  
“Arriving here without any money, America has been good for us all. Of course, I love Ireland, where I was born, but America is all the world to me. It’s where I’ve made my living and raised my family; I had all my children here. It’s been good to my family back in Ireland too. My aunts and uncles, we always sent money and packages back. They also said America was very good to them.”
What changes has Bridgie seen since she first set foot in the US?  
“Oh my God. The changes are good and bad I say to myself sometimes. My son Frank said to me, ‘There’s no way of knowing what you went through. How could we understand, Mom, what you went through?’ As a banker he also told her he sees people wanting more and more. He sees it where he works. Frank agrees with me. They don’t want to enjoy what they have and they get all the stress that goes with it. He said ‘we had stress but in a different way.’”

Back home
Bridgie never lost track of her friends back home and is still in touch with them. I asked her if when she was young she noticed if the relatives that had left Mayo had changed when they had returned for visits. She said that years ago, when her aunts used to come home, nobody in town knew them.
“They were real Yanks at that time, American; they had the American talk. The thing was they had no money. And they always wore big hats. When we were kids, whenever they stayed at our house a night or two, and when we got a chance, we used to be looking in their suitcases to see all the perfume and everything. They were very stylish and American.”
The last time she was home, Pat Gallagher told her she was like one of the locals, she didn’t have the American accent.  
Her generosity among her friends and family is legendary. Ballina Native Gerry Quinn, host of the Gerry Quinn Irish Radio Show on Sunday mornings, said: “Bridgie’s generosity for her family and friends is legendary. She is known to always give away items she has. I’ve come home from a meeting with her only to find she has put small gifts in a bag. She loves to do these things for people.”

Proud honour
Bridgie is proud of the honour she recently received from the Cleveland Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians when they named her the Hibernian of the Year. More recently, Pat Campbell, now a Cleveland firefighter and co-owner with cousin Tom Leneghan of the very popular PJ McIntyre’s Irish Pub in the West Park area of Cleveland, named their Party Room as the ‘Bridgie Ned Room’.
“She is one of a kind.  All that she does in the community; everyone knows her. I’ve learned so much from her over the years. She’s a most generous person. And she brings me business so I have to give her a commission each month,” jokes Pat Campbell.
She is a member of the Board of the Mayo Society of Greater Cleveland. Both she and Manus are long-time members of the West Side Irish American Club. They are the parents of Nora Margaret, Ruth Ann, Rose Mary Wilson (Jim), Frank (Karin), Colleen Klein (James) and Keith (single) and thoroughly enjoy the company of their six grandchildren.
Bridgie is looking forward to visiting Ballycroy in May of this year for the twenty-sixth time (she looked it up on all the passports she’s kept). Her brother Martin’s son Shane is marrying Ballina native Maria Kilkenny at Holy Family Church.
“I love when I come home and meet them all. At my age they were concerned I wouldn’t be able to travel for the wedding. My brother Martin said, ‘Are you kidding? She’ll be the first one on the plane!”
No doubt all her relations at home in Mayo can’t wait to have her home again.

This article first appeared in the Irish Emigrant publication. Writer JP Sullivan resides in northeast Ohio.