Posted by Annabelle Derrick '23
After a long day of school in the 1930s, Michael E. Sweeney and his friends would head to the back of Number 1 School for a game of basketball. For an immigrant community, like the West Side, basketball was one way that local residents created a shared identity. Michael remembered these games fondly. He shared his memories in an interview with Leona “Lee” Casey Signore in 2001 as part of the West Side Oral Narrative Project. Michael Sweeney (1915-2006), who was one of two non-Italian boys at his school, explained how basketball created a community that transcended different ethnicities.
Michael grew up at 209 Grand Avenue in the Dublin neighborhood and a few blocks away from the current Beekman Street Arts District. A historic marker in Saratoga Springs states that Irish and then Italian immigrants populated the neighborhood from the 1840s to the 1890s. During Michael’s youth, many of the Irish had left. In his interview with Lee, Michael explained that “…other than Charles Winnie and myself, we were the only two boys in the class that were not of Italian parents.” While they recognized their own backgrounds, the boys created a new group defined as “Dublin boys,” that often played together. Michael also explained: “And of course, I mean we played with, you know, the rest of the Dublin boys, and all from Number 1 School. Played basketball with ’em, we grew up with ’em.” Playing basketball as the “Dublin Boys” not only recognized location and heritage, but also transcended the restraints of differing ethnicity. During Michael’s career, Governor Rockefeller appointed him to the appellate division of the Supreme Court in 1969. He credited part of his successful career to his West Side roots, and the bonds and community he built during his youth.
Michael grew up at 209 Grand Avenue in the Dublin neighborhood and a few blocks away from the current Beekman Street Arts District. A historic marker in Saratoga Springs states that Irish and then Italian immigrants populated the neighborhood from the 1840s to the 1890s. During Michael’s youth, many of the Irish had left. In his interview with Lee, Michael explained that “…other than Charles Winnie and myself, we were the only two boys in the class that were not of Italian parents.” While they recognized their own backgrounds, the boys created a new group defined as “Dublin boys,” that often played together. Michael also explained: “And of course, I mean we played with, you know, the rest of the Dublin boys, and all from Number 1 School. Played basketball with ’em, we grew up with ’em.” Playing basketball as the “Dublin Boys” not only recognized location and heritage, but also transcended the restraints of differing ethnicity. During Michael’s career, Governor Rockefeller appointed him to the appellate division of the Supreme Court in 1969. He credited part of his successful career to his West Side roots, and the bonds and community he built during his youth.
To learn more about Michael E. Sweeney, see “Local judge leaves behind rich legacy” for a brief article on his life, written by Paul Post and published by the Saratogian Newspaper on December 5, 2006.
(Online: https://www.saratogian.com/2006/12/05/local-judge-leaves-behind-rich-legacy/)
References
Fitzgerald, Mary Ann Cardillo. 2020. “Old No. 1 School Bell” Facebook group: You might be from the West Side of Saratoga Springs if…. Accessed December 10, 2021. Online: https://www.facebook.com/
Historical Society of the New York Courts. 2021. “Michael E. Sweeney” Accessed December 10, 2021. Online: https://history.nycourts.gov/biography/michael-e-sweeney/
(Online: https://www.saratogian.com/2006/12/05/local-judge-leaves-behind-rich-legacy/)
References
Fitzgerald, Mary Ann Cardillo. 2020. “Old No. 1 School Bell” Facebook group: You might be from the West Side of Saratoga Springs if…. Accessed December 10, 2021. Online: https://www.facebook.com/
Historical Society of the New York Courts. 2021. “Michael E. Sweeney” Accessed December 10, 2021. Online: https://history.nycourts.gov/biography/michael-e-sweeney/