Irish/ Scranton: Dying Language

my parents are from a very Irish area of Pennsylvania, near Scranton, coal mining area, Depression era. in fact my great grandfather was one of the many miners who was injured back then, which led to the formation of american first aid instruction.

there are words, language, ways of speaking that i've heard from my parents, especially my mother, which i've never heard since. i think it was a development of Irish idioms, saying etc mixed with the time and Americana Pennsylvania. want to write about this more in the future before it dies out but here's a taste:

• if you're busy going in and out the door, you're "in and out like fiddler's elbow." i think it's an Irish saying, once Malacy Mccourt (Frank's brother, an actor) said it to me
• something that's extremely black is "black as hell's waistcoat"
• many pronouns have "-self" attached: "and here's himself!" "where's himself?" "well if it isn't herself in all her glory!" the second one above is one of the first lines in what's been called one of the great plays of history, Playboy of the Western World, Synge

like i said just a taste for the holiday.