Conamara Man Author:Ridge, Seamus Seamus Ridge was born on the island of Muighinis in Conamara, Ireland. During the "Trouble," he was an active member of the Irish Republican Army and was "on the run" many times, barely escaping the prison sentences that befell his father and younger brother. When things quieted down, he hoped to resume his teaching of Gaelic in the schools. At ... more »that time, however, all government employees were required to sign an oath of allegiance to the king of England. Seamus refused to do so and, in 1929, he emigrated to America.
Upon his arrival in New York, Seamus worked at anything he could get. In the evening he taught Gaelic for the New York Gaelic League and other Irish organizations. Then he found a job with the new York subway system, and worked for the IRT line until his retirement in 1960. At the time of his death in Nov. 1967, Mr. Ridge lived with his wife, Irene, in Watertown, New York.« less