A Piece of the Banner

Like most beginners, I set out to do the grunt work in the political campaigns on the streets of South Buffalo. I carried slingers, got petitions signed, posted banners and signs and did anything else that was needed. My father's brother Edward, an old Irish Republican ward healer, took me aside one day when I mentioned working in the precincts for a candidate. "Lad, if you are going to be marchin' in the parade, make sure that you carry a piece of the banner." I didn't understand his earthy wisdom for years to come until later in my career when I climbed the political ladder a few rungs. A Piece of the Banner is a tale of how working class Irish kids, in South Buffalo, NY, are primed for the business of politics.