Houlihans 1998, -front row, Brian aka Tom, John aka Bobo, top row Mike, King Size Paul, Danny, Willy, sister Mary.

Labor Day

By Mike Houlihan

August 31st, 2025

My big brother Paul died last August, just shy of his 89th birthday. He was the oldest of my five brothers, all of them now dead. It’s just me and my sister Mary now, and God love her, it just ain’t the same.

No more brothers in my life. I am the youngest of the six Houlihan brothers.

I miss them, that’s for sure.

Even though they would kick my ass regularly for my first twenty years, once we could drink together, all bets were off. Now I’m an old man.

Having five big brothers who had my back was something I got used to. They were all unique in their own ways, but I knew I could pick up the phone and reach out to them for help whenever things would get a little too intense, financially, romantically, or even politically, they got it.

My brother John, aka Bobo, was the funniest. He started his career in journalism as editor for a chain of tabloid newspapers with headlines like “Woman Gives Birth to Frog”, and worse!  Johnny married a gal whose father owned a liquor store in Milwaukee and settled down in Wisconsin.

“Bobo” eventually opened a saloon, “Mike Houlihan’s” in a shopping center there and then got sued by the “Houlihan’s” chain, which has no connection whatsoever to our family name or even Ireland for that matter. Those wankers!

Brother Willy, a former Board of Trade hustler and lothario loved to gamble and chase broads, and who could blame him? I used to talk to him on the phone EVERY day.

Brother Brian changed his name from Tom and was a stand-up comic in NY and LA and total wacko who finally, sadly just cracked up mentally. Poor soul died in a nursing home.

Brother Dan was my clout, former State Rep, zoning attorney and my first phone call from the police stations when I was a teenage delinquent. I could count on him.

And then last year my oldest big brother Paul died. We used to call him King Sized Paul, cuz he was 6’5” and worked for my old man in the electronics industry forever.

He was living at Smith Village when he died, I remember visiting him for lunch one day and two very attractive nurses stopped by to chat and I told them, “Paul likes to be spanked!” and he exploded “shut up you little” …and then unleased a stream of profanity that made the nurses blush and exit! He would have punched me in the head if his wheelchair wasn’t in the way.

Of course he was right, but it brought us back to being brothers again if only for that one wise-ass moment of mine.

They’re all in heaven now, I’m convinced. Mostly thanks to the prayers of my late sainted mom and dad.

I remember reading about the Chicago Fire Department, and their 1980 strike triggered by Mayor Jane Byrne and the strikers called themselves the “Brotherhood of the Barrell”.

Seems like hard times is when brothers come together for the good of the family.

As the founder of Hibernian Media NFP since 2013, promoting Irish and Irish American culture I’ve recently reached out to another band of brothers and we’ve formed our own Irish American Labor Alliance. We’re dedicated to telling the story of the Irish American Labor Movement as well as our Irish roots.

Unions are all about looking out for the rest of our families as we work together to protect and feed those closest to our hearts.

An Irishman named PJ McGuire is known as the “father of Labor Day” for his work organizing the Carpenters union back in Chicago in 1881.

This Labor Day I want to celebrate Irish labor leaders Jim Coyne of Plumber’s Union Local 130, Jim Sweeney of Local 150 International Union of Operating Engineers and Kevin McLaughlin of the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council. All three have recently joined the Hibernian Media Board of Directors and have helped us launch our upcoming 11th Annual Irish American Movie Hooley film festival, ‘the only Irish American film festival in the world.”, returning to the Wilmette Théâtre Sept. 26-27-28.

I’m thrilled to know they have my back, just like my brothers did.  We’re screening three terrific films, two from Ireland and our third film FIRE DEPARTMENT INC. tells the story of a union busting mayor in North Riverside who tried to crush their Firefighters Union.Please join us that weekend and bring your brothers! Happy Labor Day!

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Known around town as “Houli,” he is former features columnist for The Chicago Sun-Times, Irish American News and currently Chicago correspondent for The Irish Echo. He began his career in 1973 as an apprentice with The American Shakespeare Festival, appearing in the classics there and in regional productions across the nation as well as Off-Broadway, on Broadway, on TV and in major motion pictures. He is a playwright and author of anthologies “Hooliganism Stories” and “More Hooliganism Stories” and the gonzo Mayoral campaign journal “Nothin’s on The Square”. Founder of the Annual Irish American Movie Hooley film festival each Fall at The Wilmette Theatre. He was honored as 2020/2021 “Irishman of the Year” by the Emerald Society, the Irish American Police Association. His Hibernian Radio Hour podcast can be found at hibernianradio.org and streaming worldwide on Sat. nights from 7-8PM on Global Irish Radio, GIR.ie.

His latest book ” Chicago Irish Mythology” is available on Amazon and wherever else you buy your books.

https://abbeyfealepress.com/

Even more info about Houli is available here, on his latest adventures: hibernianmedia.org

Comments 19

  1. Thanks Houli for your family memories, it reminds me of the “diversity” of our families and the different paths we have all travelled through life though all from the same parents . I am a retired Local 134 IBEW electrician and I want to mention current Business Manager Don Finn to be included in the list of great local Irish-American union leaders. I was there years ago supporting the Chicago “firemen” ion there strike against Jane Byrne. Finally, does the film festival have to be located in the tony town and cake eating burb of Wilmette? All the best this Labor Day of 2025.

    1. Thanks Jim, we invited Don Finn to join us and he is always welcome. Regarding Wilmette location for “the only Irish American film festival in the world”, all I can tell you is the same response Willie Sutton gave to the reporter who asked him, “Why do you rob banks?” Willie said, “Because that’s where the money is!” Thanks pal, Houli

      1. Houli, many hours later and a few pinot noirs later, well said, we all know where the gelt is located. I must confess that I have a wee bit of resentment concerning the Northshore as I was part of Northside parish students(city rats) that attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette(cake eaters) in the 1960’s and personally experienced the divide….it still exists. I remember my first drunk in high school taking place in a coach house in Wilmette that was larger than me wee home in the city. Boy did I thirst for that and came close later in life bit the dear Lord had other plans. As was said in my family, you will miss them when their gone….and I do miss them no matter their faults. The best.

  2. John Joyce, great grandfather of Mike “Pickle” Joyce, was the head of the Meatcutters Union and an officer of the Knights of Labor. Young Upton Sinclair wrote “The Jungle” on the porch of Mr. Joyce’s home in Canaryville. Labor Vincit Omnia!

  3. I had four brothers, one older, three younger. Two have passed away. Being second oldest and the only girl for 15 years, I was like a mom to them whenever our mother was working the night shift at the hospital. When I was younger, I babysat to make extra money. One day one of the boys I was watching punched me in the face and my teeth ground together, wearing a small chip in one of my front teeth. I had just gotten my braces off after five years of dental torture! My brother found out, jumped in the Metro (Dad’s work van) and came to where I was, ready to deck the kid. I talked him out of it. When he was dying at 47 from the 4 brain tumors caused by his years of drug abuse, he asked that we donate his body to science so they could study what the drugs had done to him. Tom Terrific, I will always remember you! My defender, my friend, my older brother. Cherish them.

  4. Houli- great job, and you brought up a lot of memories. I am the eldest of ten (8 siblings and 2 cousins raised with us), from an Irish Father and an Italian Mother. Five boys and five girls, all good people whom I admire a great deal. Although we live all over the country now, we communicate regularly. I am convinced that the iPhone was invented so that my brothers could send me stupid text messages. My sisters, not so much, their messages are usually very sentimental and I love getting them on our “Family Group”.

    We are blessed that we are all healthy, and we talk about how fortunate we are to all still being on the right side of the sod. Thanks, Houli, you’re a good man and a gifted writer, my Friend.

  6. Thanks, Houli. Nothing like brothers.
    Record setter is my Irish friend, Frank, from Ireland.
    Ready? 23 brothers and sisters! One mom, no multiple births. Fasten your seat belt. Mom had 24 kids in 25 years. Mom lived to 93, ah, the Irish.

  7. Mike you brought back a lot of good memories. Your brother Dan was my close friend and always convinced me to invest in some of your famous shows like Going East on Ashland.
    Ah the Irish.
    I had 3 older brothers who always protected me growing up in Bridgeport. But truth be told they sent me out as bait to get beat up so they could smack down the guys who beat me up.
    Those were fun days.
    God Bless you Mike.

    1. Thanks George! Great to hear from you as always.I did not forget your help with GOIN’ EAST ON ASHLAND, and if you wnat to invest again, LOL, Please call me or go to hibernianmedia.org
      God bless all the Cullens!
      Houli

  8. Condolences on the loss of your brothers. Nicely said in memory of them. I lost my one and only brother a month ago. So I have an idea of your loss, but on a much smaller scale. I’d love to get to your Movie Hooley; what a great idea. Too bad I can’t make it because traveling to Chicago from Florida has become a challenge. Best of luck with it though.

  10. Had three brothers, now down to two. We can go months not seeing each other or speaking. But when we are together, it’s like that time was just a pause in the conversation.

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