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Football and family merge in Valley native’s book
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
At first glance, Mark Hamer’s new book, “Growing Up Irish,” is about the author’s lifelong devotion to the Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish football team, and his family’s yearly trips to see the team play.
But on a more important level, it’s about the lessons that fandom taught him in raising a family and building unity, loyalty and character.
Hamer is a Boardman native, and a 2000 graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School. He lives with his wife and their children in Cleveland, where he is a writer, producer and director for a film production company.
In “Growing Up Irish,” he recounts how the passion for Notre Dame that was stoked by his father was really a means to an end. The book is filled with descriptive moments that left an enduring impression on his younger self.
Growing up in Boardman, the highlight of every year for Hamer was the annual pilgrimage to South Bend, Ind. The weekend trips were conducted by Hamer’s father and his two pals. Each was a transcendent event, and for Hamer, the whole year revolved around it.
“I have been to many places around the world and learned a lot but some of the most valuable experiences I have had were those trips to Notre Dame with my dad,” Hamer told The Vindicator.
“Growing up in Youngstown, family, loyalty and pride were part of life,” he continued. “These were things we learned at an early age and carry with us all through life. I think our trips to Notre Dame were far more than just going to see a football game. They were about spending time with family and learning what loyalty means by supporting a team whether they won or lost. We learned how to have pride and passion for something bigger than ourselves.”
During these trips, the young Hamer got to know his father as a person, and at the most unremarkable places. A simple Saturday morning breakfast at a South Bend pancake house left indelible memories, insights, and life lessons he carries to this day.
“Growing Up Irish” is steeped in Hamer’s Catholic upbringing, his school and church community, and his tight-knit family.
But it also has a decidedly Youngstown flavor to it. The city’s influence, its personality and its traditions imperceptibly seep onto almost every page, and Hamer acknowledged their importance in shaping him into an adult.
“It wasn’t until I started traveling the world that I realized how special the Youngstown mindset is,” he said. “We love hard work, we love our sports, but more importantly we love and support each other.”
It’s that inheritance, and a desire to share it with others, that inspired Hamer to write his book.
“I wanted to write something that would preserve the memories of my youth but also help others look at their own lives as a story worth writing,” he said. “Youngstown is a special place full of passionate people with unique stories. Notre Dame football trips were a big part of my story, but what are some other stories?
“I hope this book inspires people to write them down and share.”
ABOUT THE BOOK
What: “Growing Up Irish: Adventures with the Team that Shaped My Life,” by Mark Andrew Hamer
Details: Published by Barnes & Noble Press; 152 pages; available in paperback ($14.99), hardcover ($22.95) and ebook ($7.99) at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com
Information: growingupirish.com