My father’s story starts in Ireland, and takes him all over the world, finally landing, and staying, in Boston. In the 1980’s he traveled to many places in Europe and the United States. His first journey was from Ireland to Boston, where he held a variety of jobs from book binding to construction. From Boston, he travelled to Virginia and Los Angeles, working in construction in both places. After his time on the West Coast, he decided to head back home to Ireland for a while but when he did he could not settle, so his next adventure was London. On this adventure, he was accompanied by his oldest brother and they stayed there for a while. Eventually, he decided to return to Boston, feeling it was his best option, and it was. Boston has been his home for the past 35 years.

At the time, Boston was full of Irish people, so my dad had no problem finding a job in construction and securing an affordable apartment. He was in the construction business for a while, but he finally found his calling: bartending. He started bartending all around Boston and became very well-known. On one of his nights off, he met my mom, who was bartending at her bar, and they decided to go on a date. Their date was a movie at the now closed Harvard Square Theater. They agreed on meeting outside of the train station, but they could not find each other, it seemed as though neither of them showed up, but the reality was that they were both at different exits. As fate would have it, they were destined to meet. It turns out they knew the same couple, and they were both invited to the couple’s wedding. Reunited, they discovered what had happened on the night of their unsuccessful date. They hit it off, and eventually got married and had me in 2003.

The story does not end there though: My dad as a bartender has become somewhat of a legend in Boston. He works at Mr. Dooley’s in Boston, which is renowned for being one of the last authentic Irish Pubs in Boston. It is also known for being one of very few bars in Boston that has no televisions. My dad always says that going to the bar is for “banter,” which is essentially meeting people, talking, and having fun. If you go into Mr. Dooley’s, or any Irish Pub in the area, and ask about Terry Nixon, I guarantee 90% of the people will know him. My dad made an incredible journey all around the world, and one tiny decision changed his life forever. He could have never left Ireland, stayed in Virginia, Los Angeles, or London, but somehow, he decided that Boston was the place for him. The story of my dad is that of a fairytale, and the tiniest choices changed his, my moms’, and my life.

The journey my father embarked on impacted my life in many ways. First of these ways was a childhood that was enriching but not something that would provide me with greed. Both of my parents are immigrants so I am taught to be studious and know the importance of education because they did not have the opportunity of a third level education. Also, I am taught lessons by my father and mother very often about how to interact with people and give good impressions so in the future I have good traits and a stable lifestyle. When I am older, I will reflect about how my dad taught me to leave good impressions and be an overall good person to everyone.

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