O Liam Boy

It's no secret the little bugger is Irish. With a name like Liam Casey O'Neill, he's a wriggling Irish blessing. Or cursed to be a potato-eating alcoholic. I prefer the former.

Liam's Great Nana (my dad's mum) came to America on a boat from Ireland. She won a singing contest which covered the cost of freight for herself and her siblings. They came through Ellis Island and lived in New York with her aunt. When she got to Ellis Island they asked her name. She responded "My name is Sissy." They informed her that this was no sort of name and that she would now be known as Cecelia. Because what says "Welcome to America" like denying your birth name.

In Ireland, Cecelia lived in Belfast. Her mother was Catholic and her father was Protestant. So with that not being quite the popular pairing they were eager to get their children to America for "a better life." Life was definitely better in America and Cecelia would be the first to tell you how she was grateful to live here. I never thought it was strange when my father would tell me he had dreams of being in Belfast and throwing rocks at the British military trucks like the other kids.

Liam, always embrace your heritage - no matter how messy it gets. It's part of you.