Interview with JSmith13

Jim has been with the forum for almost 4 years, with almost 20,000 posts. His humour is loved by (almost!) all (you can't please everyone). Jim talks about his interest in his heritage, and about his life as a fire fighter. 23rd January 2007.

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Joined forum: 14th April 2003

Who is JSmith13?

My name is Jim Smith. I'm 39 and I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD, USA, but I live in Fairfield, PA now, near the town of Gettysburg. I'm a professional firefighter in Baltimore and I'm married with 3 daughters, Heather, 17, Amanda, 14, and Abby, 12. I enjoy history (especially the American Civil War), riding my motorcycle, spending time with my family and travelling.

So what's your connection to the Irish language? Are you involved with other Irish language groups, apart from IrishGaelicTranslator.com?

My grandmother on my mother's side was always telling me about my Irish heritage. Her parents came from Ireland in the later part of the 19th century from Cork. I remember hearing a little bit of Irish now and again when I was little but I didn't get interested in the language until I was an adult even though I've always had a strong link to my heritage. I've taken a beginner's class for Irish but I was a little bit ahead of my classmates (mostly old ladies talking about recipes and stuff ?) but I've been looking around for some other classes as well as people learning the language to practice with. I'm very active in the Irish community here. I belong to INAC (co-chair for the Baltimore Unit) as well as being on the board for the Baltimore Irish Parade and the Baltimore Irish Festival. I'm meeting more and more people interested in the Irish language lately so I'm hoping to brush up on my own skills in Irish.

What has been your path of learning Irish?

I started picking up on the Irish language about 5 or 6 years ago but didn't get serious until I found IrishGaelicTranslator.com Forum in 2003 or 2004. That's when I found out that there were a bunch of reference materials related to Irish. I have a lot of books and CD's but unfortunately my time is limited due to work, family, and other things, but I try to stick with it as much as I can. I have Foclóir Gaeilge Béarla, De Bhaldraithe, Buntús Cainte, Turas Teanga, Briathra na Gaeilge, and the Teach Yourself Irish series including Grammar just to name a few. I'm hoping to retire soon and devote more time to learning the language, but right now it's mostly just a hobby.

Since starting, it hasn't been a constant study, just when I get the chance. I have alot going on and I can't always devote all the time I'd like to Irish, but someday.........I can read Irish pretty good, writing it is more of a challenge and I rarely try to speak it at all because I don't get the chance so I'll say I'm best at reading Irish.

Do you see your Irish skills improving in the future?

I hope so. I've learned so much already I can only hope to get better in the future.

I want to start learning Irish. Where do I begin??

Start off by finding a class with a decent teacher. Make sure you try to get a good Irish-English and English-Irish dictionary as well as a good book on grammar.

Do you have any tips for people interested in learning Irish?

Stick with it. I've seen a few languages and Irish is one of the most difficult I've seen, especially the grammar. Don't get discouraged and you'll be fine.

What made you learn how to speak Irish or did you speak it before? Do you curse folk who get on your nerves at work in Irish? (asked by ConnorMurphy)

My family on my mother's side were Irish (her mother) and I grew up hearing stories about Ireland and the Irish. My grandfather was Lithuanian!! :D I was shopping in an Irish imports store in Annapolis, MD one day a few years back and came across an Irish language booklet with a cassette tape and I bought it. I dabbled a little bit with the language until I found you guys, then I started REALLY wanting to learn the language. The guys at work all know about my passion for all things Irish and a lot of times I'll write e-mails or even fill out reports as Gaeilge but I've never really cussed anybody with it. :)

Have you been able to interest your kids in learning Irish? (asked by Méabh)

The oldest (my stepdaughter) is learning Spanish so she pretty much sticks with that. The middle one is interested in Irish but she's way too cool right now to show an interest in anything but boys, the mirror, or the computer!! My baby, Abby, has the most interest of all. When she was in kindergarten she had a teacher who was from Spain. Abby would come home every day and tell me what she learned in school and throw in the Spanish she learned, so I would tell Abby how to say it in Irish. When I went to school for a conference once, the teacher was praising Abby (the teacher's pet) because she would ask Ab, 'Hello, how are you?' in Spanish, and Abby would answer 'Tá mé go maith'!! Abby is constantly looking at my books and even wants to learn Irish herself. She's even done some school projects on Ireland with titles and things as Gaeilge.

How long have you been studying Irish for, and is your writing stronger than your Irish speaking or is it the other way around? (asked by Benjamin)

I've been learning Irish for about 6 years more or less, not a constant study, just when I get the chance. I have alot going on and I can't always devote all the time I'd like to Irish, but someday.........I can read Irish pretty good, writing it is more of a challenge and I rarely try to speak it at all because I don't get the chance so I'll say I'm best at reading Irish.

Céard a dhéanfá dá mbuafá a lán airgid - cosúil leis an gcrannchur náisiúnta in Éirinn, mar shampla? Milliún euro nó mar sin, agus uaireanta níos mó. Agus tá mé i ndáirire, ba mhaith liom a fháil amach céard a dhéanfá? (ceist curtha ag kgleoite)

What would you do if you won a lot of money - like the National Lottery in Ireland? About a million euro and sometimes more. And I'm being sincere, I'd like to know what you'd do.

First, and I'm being sincere as well, I'd charter a plane and bring my wife and the girls to Ireland for a nice vacation, and while I was there I'd throw a big party so I could finally meet you guys. Then, most likely, I'd pay some off some bills, buy a bigger motorcycle, and put whatever was left in the bank. That, or give it all to Karen and let her dole out my weekly allowance.....same as always!! :)

What's it like being an American with a sense of humour? :) (asked by Riadach)

You've never met one I gather? There ARE actually a lot of us. What you see on T.V. or meet while they're on vacation are only a small part of the actual REAL people here. When I say 'real' I mean the everyday, average, tax-paying people who actually make this country work but don't get a lot of say in the how or why. I can personally guarantee that if you came to the US and hung around with me for a while, you'd get a sense of the REAL America, not what CNN shows.

Would you ever move to Ireland and continue your career there? (asked by Benjamin)

I would love to say 'Yes' to that, but to tell you the truth, I can't say 'Yes' until I actually get to visit. From the people I've talked to and the pictures and movies I've seen it's a beautiful place, but I'm a bit of a realist and I'd need to be there for awhile before I picked up and left everything and everyone I know. I also have my wife and daughters to think about. If it was just me, I'd be more inclined to say 'absolutely', but it's not. I'm not sure I'd want to continue being a firefighter either. I love my job. It's rewarding and fulfilling, but 20+ years of doing the same thing takes a toll on your mind and body, especially fighting fires (I've got the scars to prove it). Maybe I'd be a farmer or something.

Hey Jim... Are you Still able to Slide down that Pole Dancer thingy??? (asked by Tiarnan2)

Yup. I still slide down the pole every time I get the chance. The station I'm in now has poles but the only problem is.....when you slide down, you have to walk back up!! We have a big firehouse on the West Side of Baltimore with some of the longest fire poles on the East Coast, I believe. Almost 60' high. Now that's a ride. I remember one night we had a fire and my turnout pants were all wet. We got back and I went to bed. Around 3 or 4 am, another fire call came in and I was the first one to hit the pole. My pants were still wet so when I slid the pole I made the thing wet and slippery. MAN!! The rest of the guys slid down that thing about 100mph!!! It was funny but I'm glad nobody got hurt!!

List the top five places/sights in Ireland you'd like to see/visit and why, the why is optional, but I'd like to know. (asked by kgleoite)

Well, let's see.

I'd like to visit Cork because that's where my great-grandparents came from. The Aran Islands because from what I've seen it's gorgeous there. Newgrange because history fascinates me and I think it's really neat that people were building things like this thousands of years ago. Derry, Belfast, and the Giant's Causeway, the first two for reasons I'll leave alone (those of you who know me will know why), and the Causeway because again, I like that sort of thing, and Dublin because it's the capital of the country and there seems to be a lot going on there. I'd also need to hit a Harley Davidson shop so I could get a t-shirt and if we didn't get Waterford Crystal RIGHT from Waterford, Karen would choke me, so Waterford too!!

You say you had a bad injured pretty severely back in 2001. If they told you that you couldn't do the job any more, what other Profession would you have considered doing? Or would you have stayed in the fire department teaching others? (asked by SeanMurphy1)

Actually, I can't fight fires anymore but I'm still on the Fire Department. I work in IT now so I'm learning all kinds of stuff about computers. I like my job, but I'd rather still be riding the fire engine truth be told. When I was in the Burn Center after I got hurt I got really close to the staff so at one point I was considering becoming a nurse specializing in burn care at the burn center. I still might.......

Jim, what inspired you to become a fireman? (asked by Benjamin)

Both my dad and my uncle were firefighters in Baltimore so I can remember when I was a kid my dad coming home with his gear and smelling the smoke on it. I remember putting on his helmet and his boots and walking around the house. I can STILL remember that smell!! When I got older I just figured it was a good job with benefits so I took the test. I was first assigned to the slowest fire station in Baltimore, right when I got out of the Fire Academy. I did a year there and transferred to the busiest, actually the busiest in the state of Maryland. I loved it there and that's where I was up until the day I got hurt. But I have my dad and uncle to 'blame' for putting the love of firefighting in my blood. I remember when my dad retired, he used to carry a St. Florian (the patron Saint of firefighters) in his helmet. The day he retired he gave it to me and said, 'This protected me all these years so I want you to have it and hopefully it will do the same for you'. I'm not religious at all but I STILL have that card in my helmet. I had it in my helmet the day I got hurt and I'm still here. I'm probably one of the only people I know who had last rites given to them and are still here to tell about it so maybe the thing worked, I don't know.