Irish America June / July 2012

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Fashion’sRising Star

DonO’NeillIrish Eye on

Hollywood

HistorianChristine

Kinealy

The Glory Days ofCeltic Park

Censoring the Nuns

George

PresidentMichael D.Higgins

IRISH AMERICAIRISH AMERICAOlder,Wiser,Serious about the Issues,and stillGeorgeous

EXCLUSIVE

Why the Diasporais Important to Ireland’s Recovery

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promising Ireland

for over 35 years The American Ireland

Fund has supported innovative work that preserves Irish

culture, counters sectarianism, advances education,

strengthens community development and cares for those

in need. Today, our Promising Ireland Campaign seeks to

raise $100 million for Irish charities by the end of 2013. With

charities facing increased demand for services with fewer

resources, your support is needed more than ever. Please

join us in Promising Ireland.

We invite you to learn about giving back to the

land that has given us so much. Please visit

www.theirelandfunds.org

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COVER PHOTO: AP IMAGES

FEATURES12 PRESIDENT MICHAEL D. HIGGINS

Ireland’s new President on his first official visit to NewYork, the importance of the diaspora, and the unique roleof the Irish President. Interview by Sheila Langan.

34 FENWAY AT 100The Red Sox and the City of Boston celebrate the 100thanniversary of one of America’s most beloved ballparks.By Michael Quinlin.

38 LANDSCAPES OF THE HEARTEoghan Kavanagh, one of Ireland’s best known photog-raphers, showcases some of his beautiful landscapes andtalks about his work.

42 GEORGE CLOONEY – A SERIOUS MANThe perennial leading man talks about his Irish roots,getting older, and his passion for activism.Interview by Patricia Danaher.

46 AN IRISH DON OF FASHION Don O’Neill, creative director of the up-and-cominglabel Theia, reflects on his journey from a small seasidetown in Co. Kerry to the fashion houses of London, Parisand New York, and finally, a showroom of his own.Interview by Sheila Langan.

50 THE GLORY DAYSOF CELTIC PARKIn its time, Celtic Park wasone of the premier track-and-field training facilitiesin the world, producing

more than two dozen Olympic medalists who collective-ly won more than 50 medals for the U.S. Olympic team. By Ian McGowan.

56 CITIZEN CHRONICLERAcclaimed scholar Christine Kinealy, whose work hasshed new light on forgotten elements of Irish history,talks with Daphne Wolf about growing up Irish inLiverpool and her tireless research towards setting therecord straight on the Great Famine.

62 A CLIMB TO GIVE THANKSNew York City native Patrick Connolly celebrated his 90th birthday by making a pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick. Interview by Catherine Davis.

66 WHAT ARE YOU LIKE?Karen Duffy “Duff,” model, television personality, andactress, answers questions about her life and work.

68 A GAELIC STORM LIGHTS UP ST. LOUISPatricia Harty reports on the annual Comhaltas CeoiltóiríÉireann Convention and the work that Helen Gannon hasdone in turning St. Louis into a vibrant Irish arts scene.

80 STANDING WITHTHE SISTERS

“Nuns are the wise women ofour tribe. We cannot let theVatican throw them under thebus.” Mary Pat Kelly has theLast Word on the Vatican moveto censor American nuns.

8 Readers Forum14 News16 Hibernia61 Roots70 Music Reviews

72 Book Reviews74 Sláinte76 Crossword78 Those We Lost82 Family Album

38

DEPARTMENTS

ContentsJune/July 2012 Vol. 27 No. 4

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62

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6 IRISH AMERICA JUNE / JULY 2012

Vol.27 No.4 • June / July 2012

Mortas CinePride In Our Heritage

IRISH AMERICA

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Irish America Magazine ISSN 0884-4240) © by Irish America Inc. Published

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Periodicals postage paid at New York and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster please send address changesto Irish America Magazine, P.O. Box1277, Bellmawr, NJ 08099-5277.

IRISH AMERICA IS PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

Founding Publisher:Niall O’Dowd

Co-Founder/Editor-in-Chief:Patricia Harty

Vice President of Marketing:Kate Overbeck

Art Director:Marian Fairweather

Deputy Editor:Sheila Langan

Copy Editor:John Anderson

Advertising & Events Coordinator

& Music EditorTara Dougherty

Director of Special Projects:Turlough McConnell

Financial Controller:Kevin M. Mangan

Editorial Assistants:Catherine Davis

Molly FernsMichelle Meagher

Patricia Danaher, who interviews GeorgeClooney in this issue, is a writer, journalist and

producer based in Los Angeles. She is the onlyIrish member of the Hollywood Foreign Press

Association with a vote in the Golden Globes. Alongtime political correspondent for UTV, she was

awarded a Nieman Fellowship to HarvardUniversity for stories which she broke regarding

the N. Ireland peace process.

Mary Pat Kelly is the author of thehistorical novel Galway Bay, which is currently beingmade into a mini-series. Mary Pat wrote and direct-

ed the feature film Proud, which focuses on the USSMason, the first US Navy ship with a predominantly

African American crew. In this issue she writesabout the Vatican’s plan to censor American nuns

Ian McGowan, the founder and executive director of theWinged Fist Organization, writes about the legacy of theIrish-American Athletic Club and Celtic Park, wheremany an Olympian was spawned. Ian lives with his wife,Regina Castro McGowan, in Woodside, Queens, in theCeltic Park apartments, which were built on the site ofthe former Irish-American Athletic Club stadium.

Daphne Dyer Wolf earned a master’s degree inIrish Studies in 2011 at New York University, whereshe continues to do battle with the Irish language.She worked for the Star-Ledger newspaper inNewark, NJ for over 25 years. Daphne interviewshistorian Christine Kinealy in this issue.

{contributors}Catherine Davis, a recent Fordham University

graduate, is an editorial assistant for Irish America.In her spare time, she enjoys reading out-of-contextquotes from Oscar Wilde and being a dental assis-tant. In this issue, she interviews actor JohnCusack and Patrick Connolly, a 90-year-old IrishAmerican who recently climbed Croagh Patrick.

Sheila Langan, Irish America’s deputy editor, is a first-generation American with an Irish passport and a love ofIrish literature. For this issue, she had the honor of inter-viewing Michael D. Higgins, the President of Ireland. AndDon O’Neill, who makes beautiful dresses.

Michael P. Quinlin, who writes about Fenway Parkfor this issue, is president and founder of the

Boston Irish Tourism Association, and author of thebook Irish Boston. He saw his first live baseball

game with his father at Forbes Field in Pittsburghin 1960, the year the Pirates won the World Series.

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The Irish on the TitanicMy great grandmother Minnie DriscollFinn was the first cousin of Titanic sur-vivor Bridget O’Driscoll (Driscoll) andwas listed as the person to whom Bridgetwas going in the manifest of theCarpathia. If you or your readers have anyinformation on Bridget, I would appreci-ate it. She was from Ballydehob in Cork,and had gone back home from the US tocare for her dying mother. Her motherdied before she got there, so she cameback to the States on the Titanic.

Tom FinnPosted online

The James Farrell mentioned in your arti-cle was from Clonee, Killoe, CountyLongford. On the 100th anniversary of thesinking of the Titanic, a memorial gardenin the village of Ennybegs in his nativeKilloe [was] dedicated to his memory.

Eugene DevaneyPosted online

About 20 Farrells from the U.S. traveledto County Longford for this memorial’sdedication, including James Farrell, 90,the nephew of the James Farrell who per-ished on the Titanic. We are extremelygrateful to the Devaneys and the peopleof Longford County for all the time,effort and money they’ve invested in pre-serving James Farrell’s legacy.

Jodi Mailander FarrellPosted online

Editor’s Note: Irish America wasthrilled to play a part in connectingTitanic hero and victim James Farrell’sU.S. relatives with the Devaney family

from his home parish in Ireland. AsJodi Mailander Farrell explained inan article in the Miami Herald, “TheFarrells’ link to Titanic was part of a2009 feature in Irish America maga-zine when my husband Patrick wonthe Pulitzer Prize for breaking newsphotography that year for his MiamiHerald coverage of another humanitari-an disaster: the deadly aftermath ofHurricane Ike and other serious stormsin Haiti. The story described the horrific,gripping images while weaving in theFarrells’ Irish history and its ties to themuch earlier tragedy. Two years later inIreland, John Devaney stumbled acrossthat story during a Google search. Hetracked down Patrick’s phone numberand called him in Miami.”

Painting the BurrenIn reading through the April/May 2012 issue of Irish America, I wasintrigued by the story entitled “PaintingThe Burren.” I read the titles of the paint-ings then turned the page to see more. Iimmediately recognized one of the paint-ings in particular and was so excited untilI saw that it was listed as “Untitled.” IKNOW THAT MOUNTAIN! It is theview from Maam, Co. Galway, essentiallyfrom my ancestors’ land, looking acrossthe River Corrib. The mountain is calledLackavrea (La-KAH-vrah) and has aunique shape. I have a photograph of itthat serves as my screensaver. It is not partof the Burren at all but is very near theMaamturks in Maam Valley. I don’t knowif the painting can be renamed, but I want-ed everyone to know what and where it is.

My Spellman ancestors would be pleasedto know that this painting exists!

Barbara Spellman ShutaVia e-mail

That’s a really lovely article about thecountry I call home! The paintings byAndy Weeks do it justice. Well done.

Brian LeddinPosted online

What America Can Learn From Ireland

I read each issue from cover to cover andenjoy it very much. I was, however, dis-mayed by your decision to have Mr. JonO’Brien’s article, “What America CanLearn from Ireland,” as your final state-ment in the magazine. Even though read-ers may agree or disagree with him, thereshould have been a companion article forthe other side of the argument to eventhings out, especially in a magazine withyour reputation and such a wide circula-tion.

[O’Brien’s article appears to be] themagazine’s take on a very important topic.If this is your stand and you do not allowa rebuttal, then you need to relook at theprocess.

I am a retired educator. I believe thattopics to be discussed should have bothsides of the argument presented to be fairto the reader or observer.

The topic of Mr. O’Brien’s article, con-traception, is a moral issue to many of us.Moral issues are not decided by a majori-ty “vote.”

Thank you for bringing much delight tomany, especially those of Irish descentwith your a magazine. I just believe faircoverage of controversial topics needs tobe presented.

Richard E. Kelly, PhD.La Jolla, California

Editor’s Note: As your editor I standcorrected. However, as a woman, I believethat denying any woman contraception isimmoral.


{readers forum}

Relatives of James Farrell who traveled to Ireland for the dedication of the memorial in his honor.

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JUNE / JULY 2012 IRISH AMERICA 9

Jon O’Brien’s “Last Word” piece in theApril/May issue claims to present lessonsAmerica can learn from Ireland, whichhe discovers by claiming they are theviews of several famous Irish andAmerican leaders. He goes on to excori-ate the Catholic Bishops of the UnitedStates for “fighting civil liberties” and“the conscience rights of human traffick-ing victims.” He ridicules the stance ofthe Bishops in opposing the recent pro-posals of the Obama administration tocompel Catholic institutions to provideinsurance coverage for contraception,abortion and sterilization on religious lib-erty grounds. The implication is thatIreland can teach Americans how to dealwith these issues and “free itself from theshackles of the Catholic hierarchy.”

Jon O’Brien is President of Catholics forChoice, a U.S. organization headquarteredin Washington, D.C. and known for its vir-ulent hatred of the Catholic Church teach-ings on abortion and birth control.Although claiming to be Catholic itreceives no Catholic support and has twicebeen condemned by the U.S. Bishops forusing the name “Catholic” in its title. It hasreceived substantial funding from thePlayboy Foundation and George Soros. Itsupports not only contraception, which Jonsays he promoted in Ireland, but also abor-tion which he does not mention in his arti-cle. If he did it might disturb a large num-ber of the faithful Catholic Irish Americanswho subscribe to your magazine.

Mr. O’Brien himself was formerly anInternational Program Director forPlanned Parenthood before moving onthis campaign to ignore or revise theteachings of the Catholic Church, itsPopes and Bishops, as in his article. Itwould seem that his only credential forappearing in your magazine is not his anti-Catholicism but the fact that he was bornin Ireland.

The Church in Ireland is going througha rough time now but I doubt that Jon’sviews had a large following there and lesshere I hope, at least among Catholics.

Albert Regan Doyle, Esq.Sanibel, Florida

Derogatory Irish ShirtsI read with interest the remarks of TomWilson and John J. Ragen of the IrishAnti-Defamation Federation and supporttheir efforts. In fact I took action after

learning about aderogatory shirtthat was being soldin advance of St.

Patrick’s Day by aso-called Irish bar in

Davenport, Iowa. The Quad City Timeswas very accommodating and generous inpublishing my comments on March 16 ina prominent location on the opinion page.

John M Dooley Received by e-mail

Visit us online at Irishamerica.com to leave your comments, or write to us:Send a fax (212-244-3344) , e-mail ([email protected]) or write to Letters, IrishAmerica Magazine, 875 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 201, New York, NY 10001.Letters should include the writer’s name, address and phone number and may beedited for clarity and length.

Dear Editor:May I offer a respectful dissent/clarification to the statement in “The First Word” ofyour February/March number to the effect that “…an Irish American, John Quinn,had argued the case for the publication of Ulysses in the United States…”

John Quinn’s involvement with the Ulysses American publication saga arose outof his unsuccessful defense of the two editors of The Little Review, MargaretAnderson and Jane Heap. In September 1920 the Secretary of the Society for thePrevention of Vice initiated a criminal proceeding seeking to suppress the serializa-tion of Ulysses in that publication and Quinn volunteered to defend the two womenat the two-day trial of the case on 14 and 21 February, 1921. Quinn’s defense asnot successful, the defendants were found guilty and fined $50 each, and no furtherefforts were ever made by either to publish Ulysses.

Quinn’s defense was compromised by the fact that he genuinely thought parts ofthe novel were obscene and he and his clients loathed each other. Quinn was a cor-porate lawyer who apparently never tried a criminal case, and there was no indica-tion that he ever sought the assistance or advice of a seasoned criminal lawyer. Inretrospect, it was probably a mistake for Quinn to have appeared in the case andhis efforts did nothing to advance the publication of Ulysses in America.

The lawyer who was responsible for the publication of Ulysses was Morris Ernstwho, together with Bennett Cerf of Random House, orchestrated the strategy tohave Ulysses legally published in the United States. In February 1932, Cerf con-veyed an offer to Joyce to publish Ulysses in the United States and suggested anadvance against royalties of $1,500 with the understanding that if efforts to legal-ize Ulysses were not successful, Joyce would keep the advance. Joyce promptlyaccepted.

As is well known, Ernst and Cerf arranged to have a volume of Ulysses importedfrom Paris and seized by United States Customs on a New York pier. Ernst alsotimed the hearing of the case so that it was assigned to Judge John M. Woolsey inthe federal court in Manhattan. The case was argued by Ernst on 25 Novemberand Woolsey handed down his opinion admitting Ulysses on December 6, 1933.The decision was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals and it was thesuperb lawyering of Ernst, not Quinn, that ultimately facilitated the publication ofUlysses in the United States.

One final comment on Quinn. His relationship with Joyce ended on a very sournote. In April 1921, Joyce wrote to Quinn confirming that the publication of Ulysseshad been arranged in Paris and explained that he was missing several pieces of themanuscript as the husband of one of his typists in Paris had seen what she was typ-ing, tore it up and burned several pages. Quinn had earlier purchased the originalmanuscript from Joyce and had it in New York, so Joyce in his letter to Quinn saidthat he needed “about six or seven pages back again for a day or two and willreturn them registered.”

Quinn refused this request.Ultimately, Quinn begrudgingly allowed several pages to be photocopied and

from these Joyce had copies typed and sent to the printer. That incident appears tohave ended any relationship Joyce had with Quinn.

Stephen J. Fearon, Esq.New York, NY

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{the first word}By Patricia Harty

The day was hot and humid and latein the afternoon the skies darkenedand you could not see the Arch

from the hotel window. By 6 p.m. the tor-nado alarm siren went off and we left thecocktail room and moved into the innersanctum of the hotel for safety.

I’d been drinking water but I pouredmyself a large glass of red wine and grabbeda slice of bread and cheese from the buffettable before following the others. I onlyknew of tornadoes what I’d seen on televi-sion, and I didn’t know how long we’d besequestered.

I should have been more scared. The yearbefore, a tornado had ripped the roof off theSt. Louis airport, but I was surrounded byIrish musicians and other promoters of Irishculture, who like myself were in St. Louisfor the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Convention,and in a weird compartment of my brain avoice said, “What a way to go?” Generationswould talk about me. “She died in a tornadoin St. Louis clutching a glass of wine andbrown bread. There was a smile on herface and Irish music playing.”

They’d tell the story of how I’d gone upon the Arch earlier that day, conqueringmy fear of heights and enclosed spaces.How I’d used my Irish America card toget to the head of the line, dropping KevinRoche’s name all over the place. How I’dstumbled back to the hotel afterwards, weakat the knees and in need of a large gin andtonic to right myself.

The tornado passed and I thanked God Ihadn’t been up on the Arch when the stormhit. I barely made it down when the rainstarted. But let me tell you why I went upon the Arch in the first place.

I did it for bragging rights, and to impressits architect, Kevin Roche, which I did bye-mail:

“Dear Kevin: I’m just back from St.Louis where I survived a tornado and atrip up the Arch. I was never so scared in allmy life – and I don’t mean the tornado!”

To which I got an immediate e-mailresponse:

“Dear Patricia, Great to hear from you.Sorry about the Arch. It is scary. But imag-ine going up on the outside!!! I did whenit was under construction!!! Talk aboutbeing scared.”

And so, here’s the point to my little tale.The tallest man-made monument in theUnited States was created by an Irish archi-tect. And humor aside, the Gateway Arch,which symbolizes the great western expan-sion of the United States, speaks to me of theIrish role in that expansion and in buildingthis nation’s infrastructure.

All across the country, canals, railroads,and bridges stand in testament to the workof Irish immigrants. The very first sky-scraper was built by Louis Sullivan, theson of an Irish immigrant.

How many young immigrants from smallfarms in Ireland worked on the EmpireState Building and on the Twin Towers? Howmany of them were afraid of heights butneeded the job?

As I stood under the Arch, taking in its fullheight of 630 feet, I heard my mother’svoice in my head. “Screw your courage tothe sticking place,” she said, quoting LadyMacbeth. (Mother often quoted Shakespeare– she only had to say, “Out, damned spot,out I say,” and Spot, our old black andwhite terrier, would hang her head andleave the kitchen.) As I stood there, I thoughtof my brothers, barely out of their teens whowent hundreds of feet underground to buildthe water tunnels in New York. And Ithought of all the young men who had to con-quer their fear every time they went up ina cage on the outside of a skyscraper or downinto a hole in the ground. Surely, I could goup on the Arch just one time as a kind of saluteto their courage.

Later, as I waited out the tornado sur-rounded by Irish Americans and Irish musicin a hotel on the banks of the Mississippi, Ithought about how Irish immigrants broughttheir music with them wherever they went– to bars in the Bronx when they finishedtheir shift in the tunnels, to mining camps inNevada, and to Alaska where in the ’70s mybrothers and others like them helped buildthe pipeline and foremen would vie to haveJoe “Banjo” Burke join their camp to liftmorale with his tunes.

I thought about how through the ages, andall the ups and downs, our music and culturehas stood by us. And how community andlaughter and music can help conquer evenone’s greatest fears.

On the final evening of the Comhaltas con-vention a young girl recited a stanza fromone of my favorite poems “We Are theMusic-Makers.” It was written by ArthurO’Shaughnessy, born in London to Irishparents on May 14, 1844. I don’t know if thepoet intended it as a reflection on Irishness,but to me it says a lot about who we are andwhat we have been through, and it stillrings true today.

We are the music-makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams,

Wandering by lone sea-breakers, And sitting by desolate streams.

World-losers and world-forsakers, Upon whom the pale moon gleams; Yet we are the movers and shakers

Of the world forever, it seems.

With wonderful deathless ditties We build up the world’s great cities,

And out of a fabulous story We fashion an empire’s glory:

One man with a dream, at pleasure, Shall go forth and conquer a crown; And three with a new song’s measure

Can trample an empire down.

We, in the ages lying In the buried past of the earth, Built Nineveh with our sighing, And Babel itself with our mirth;

And o’erthrew them with prophesying To the old of the new world’s worth;

For each age is a dream that is dying, Or one that is coming to birth.


“[The Arch] is a soaring curve in the sky that links the rich heritage of yesterday with the richer future of tomorrow."

– Vice President Hubert Humphrey at the opening of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.

Arch of Triumph

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The Finishing Touch

James Brenan, RHA (1837-1907)

DruiD presentsDruidMurphy-Plays by Tom Murphy in a co-production with Quinnipiac University Connecticut,

NUI Galway, Lincoln Center Festival and Galway Arts Festival

This epic play cycle of emigration spans from 1846 to 1980 and is told through three of the greatest

plays by Tom Murphy: Famine, A Whistle in the Dark and Conversations on a Homecoming.

Directed by Garry Hynes, DruidMurphy tours in Ireland, the UK and the US, and constitutes

a major retrospective of one of Ireland’s most respected living dramatists.

Ireland’s Great Hunger MuseumaT QUInnIpIac UnIverSITy connecTIcUT

opening in late-Fall 2012, Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum is home to the world’s largest

collection of Great Hunger-related art by noted contemporary Irish artists as well as a number

of 19th and 20th-century paintings by some of Ireland’s most important artists of that period.

The museum also seeks to educate audiences about the underlying political, social, economic

and historic causes of the Great Hunger, the magnitude of the disaster on Ireland and its

people, and its impact throughout the western world.

Famine Ship

John Behan, RHA (1938-)

Maquette of the Irish

Famine Memorial, Croagh Patrick,

Co. Mayo

Artworks from the collection of

Quinnipiac University

Quinnipiac University, Mount carmel avenue, Hamden, cT 06518 www.quinnipiac.edu

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Michael D. Higgins, the 9thPresident of Ireland, arrivedin New York on the eveningof April 30 for his first officialvisit to the U. S. The president

and his wife, Sabina, went straight to awelcoming reception at the ConsulateGeneral of Ireland. In the five days thatfollowed, they visited Irish immigrationcenters in the Bronx and Queens, touredmemorials to the Irish Famine in NewYork and Boston, paid respects at the 9/llmemorial, attended a World PressFreedom Event at the UN, took in the hitBroadway musical based on the Irish filmOnce, and met with a wide array of mem-bers from the Irish American community.

The president delivered three keyspeeches – or papers, as he calls them, inhis scholarly manner – at the AmericanIrish Historical Society, at GlucksmanIreland House at New York University, andat Boston’s Faneuil Hall. Though differingin focus, each of them touched upon com-mon themes: his belief that Ireland canprogress from the damaging paradigms itonce embraced, his immense pride inIreland’s creative spirit, and his great sen-sitivity and regard for the experience andstrength of the diaspora. They confirmedthat this scholar, poet, former Arts Ministerand Labor Party senator – outspoken andwise – is just what the country needs.

Speaking by phone from Áras anUachtaráin, the presidential residence inPhoenix Park, Dublin, he told IrishAmerica about his impressions from thevisit, his belief in the Irish diaspora, andhis plans to return.

Congratulations on a successful first official U.S. visit. What moments orexchanges stand out the most?

Yes, there was a very good reaction tothe trip. I’m very pleased about that.Moments that stand out would be theopening night reception [at the ConsulateGeneral of Ireland], the second eveningspent at the American Irish Historical soci-ety, where I met many people I had metbefore. Dr. Kevin Cahill [president of theAIHS] and I had met 30 years before inManagua, Nicaragua.

I think as well that the Irish immigration

centers in Queens and the Bronx werewonderful – the local Irish communitieshad rounded up their friends. And then inBoston, certainly delivering the Faminespeech at Faneuil Hall, and the visit to theFamine memorial was very, very moving.

Did Sabina (the First Lady) enjoy thevisit as well?

Oh, very much so. Sabina enjoys theUnited States and you know, we had beento Boston on our honeymoon in 1974.Sabina’s relatives live in San Francisco.We visited our daughter, Alice-Mary, whenshe studied at The New School for SocialResearch in New York. We like the life inNew York, it’s a great city. And then ofcourse we have very warm memories ofBoston. We remembered very clearlygoing down Boylston Street. We justwished we had more time – we had a very

packed program, with 25 events in 5 days.But we were very, very taken by thewarmth and the hospitality and the interest.We’re so glad that we had the opportunityto meet as many people as we did.

What message did you hope to spread? That Ireland is a country that is teeming

with creative people. That Irishness, as faras the 9th President is concerned, includesboth those at home and those abroad. Thatwe have been coming out of a bad decadeof mistakes in economic policy, but we area resilient people.

We have had to overcome obstacles inpractically every decade and we are goingto do so again. It’s going to be based onwhat we do best, which are all of the cre-ative things – not only in the performingarts and the creative arts, but also in sci-

ence and technology. Since I came backI’ve been doing practically four or fiveevents every day, and I’ve just come froma school where they teach technology as aLeaving Cert subject. It’s just extraordi-nary what some of the students haveinvented, it would give you great hope.The country is full of prospects and it willmake its way again, but it will be on amuch sounder basis.

The speech you delivered at the IrishConsulate concluded with an invitationto join in “making an Irishness of whichwe can all be proud.” What role doyou see Irish Americans playing?

I see them playing a very significantrole. If you take the 44 million people whoclaim a direct relationship [to Ireland] inthe United States alone, you add inAustralia, New Zealand and the rest of the

world, you get somewhere beyond 70 mil-lion. You place that in comparison to thoseof us that are actually living on the islandon a permanent basis, and there’s a hugeratio of those who are outside. So in talk-ing about Irishness – the identity, the inher-ited stories, the imagination that is associ-ated with being Irish, it obviously wouldmake sense to take this diasporic intelli-gence into account.

In the United States’ case, the examplein my Famine speech [is] very interesting.There’s an enormous debate about[whether] the worst of the famine couldhave been prevented by state policy. Andwhy? You have, in 1847, a very significantdecision to make: You know the famine’sthere, you know the potato is blighted, andyou know that people are dying. TheQuakers are doing wonderful things, but

The President’s VisitIreland’s new President on the importance of the diaspora, and the unique creativity of the Irish

Interview by Sheila Langan

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IA

the London Times is more or less sayingEnglish benevolence has gone far enoughand we can’t do anything about it, maybethis is the hand of God...With the Timesthere’s kind of a notion that nothing can bedone, that the Irish have drawn this on topof themselves. But then, much later, afterthe great emigrations have taken placepost-Famine, the Times writes another edi-torial and says “We have made perhaps aterrible mistake in underestimating the

power of the Irish in America.” That thereare millions of them there now, and they’reincreasing and multiplying in a countrythat is going to be a great power, and thatthey will forever be reminding us [theEnglish] of 700 years of mismanagement.

In a way, they were right, because whenyou look at every one of the great move-ments – the Literary movement, the Fenianmovement, Irish music, the Independencemovement, they all draw some inspirationfrom the United States...I think we haven’tmade enough of it, we’ve been inclined todraw our stories from what’s in front of ourfaces. I’m very interested in the peoplewho were transient, the people who carriedthe suitcases and the bundles. We owe it tothem because they carried pieces of theIrish language and so forth. We owe it tothem to take into account the migrant

experience, the American experience, thegeneral diasporic experience, in findingour Irishness. And I’ll be returning to thattheme regularly during my presidency.

In my Thomas Flanagan MemorialLecture at the American Irish HistoricalSociety, “Remembering and ImaginingIrishness,” I suggested that we have to takeinto account the real contribution to bemade by people who have been throughthe process of migration. In the Bostonpaper – really, the visit hung around threesubstantial papers – responding to the Irishmigration, I was making the point that youdidn’t have one simple type of migrationthat was post-Famine, but several, all withdifferent characteristics.

And of course I gave moral support –moral because I’m not a legislator, now –to the out-of-status Irish and to the shortterm initiatives in relation to E-3 visas,which of course is one of my concerns.

Since governmental systems are so different, when traveling abroad how doyou explain your role as President ofIreland?

The Irish presidency is defined quiteseparately from other forms of presidencyin different countries. Effectively, what itmeans is that I don’t get involved in day-to-day legislation. But I deal with issuesthat are longer in time than the period of agovernment, that are deeper in concern.Therefore I can speak, for example, aboutunemployment and about poverty, or aboutthe intellectual assumptions behind partic-ular economic thinking, or I might speakabout the relationship between homopho-bia and suicide in secondary schools, orbullying. So while I’m not involved in theday-to-day, I’m not at all precluded.

I address, as I said, deeper things over alonger period. And that’s why I have been

quite clearly defining my presidency as apresidency of ideas. I have, for that reason,given lectures at the London School ofEconomics on politics, on the question ofuniversities in the contemporary climate.I’ve spoken at Trinity on the same thing,and at Magee College in the North. That’sreally what I can do: I can effect discourse.Through that, I can effect consciousness.And then, about every six weeks I meetwith the Taoiseach, and he and I, underArticle 28 of the constitution, exchangeviews on his end of things and what’s com-ing to my attention as I travel throughoutthe country or abroad.

You participated in a film panel discus-sion at Lincoln Center. Given your lead-ership as Minister for the Arts in invig-orating the Irish film industry in the’90s, is it still something you’re passion-ate about?

I did indeed and it was wonderful. Therewas a wonderful small piece of animation,Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty fromBrown Bag Films, a re-telling of the fairytale. And yes, of course it is. Martin Sheenhas been here in the Áras to have lunchwith me, and I spent an evening with AlPacino not so long ago as well. It’s a won-derful area, film, and the Irish people arevery good at it. It’s full of prospects.

What do you hope to do on future visits to the U.S.?

Well I certainly will visit the WestCoast, and then I’ve had invitationsalready from my alma mater, IndianaUniversity, and from others in Chicago. SoI will be visiting the cities of the Midwest.And I would love to get back to New Yorkany time. I will be jumping at the opportu-nities, because I enjoy it…Far before I waspresident, I used to sit down there on theporches [stoops] of the houses in the EastVillage drinking coffee, and it was a greatexperience.

Sabina and I were both very, very grate-ful for all the kindness that was showntowards us. We will be back.

We look forward to it. Thank you,Mr. President.

Slán agus beannacht.

Opposite page, left to right: PresidentMichael D. Higgins at Boston’s FaneuilHall. President Higgins addressing thewelcome reception at the ConsulateGeneral of Ireland, New York. Below:Sabina Higgins and the president withMalachy McCourt. Left: President andSabina Higgins at the Great Irish HungerMemorial in downtown Manhattan.

PHOTOS BY FENNELL PHOTOGRAPHY

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The United Nations’ International TelecommunicationUnion’s conference, entitled “Girls in Technology,”had a special guest speaker on Thursday, April 26.Joanne O’Riordan, a 16-year-old from Millstreet, Co.Cork, addressed some of the world’s leading women in

technology with a keynote speech about how technology hasenhanced her life.

Joanne is the first person with a disability to be invited tospeak at the conference, and her speech, “Technology and Me,”centered around the theme “Because I’ve no limbs, I won’t belimited.” Joanne's disability, an extremely rare condition calledtotal amelia, hasn’t kept her from living a full life, and as Joanneexplained, it’s thanks to technology.

Technology allows Joanne to do the things anyone else doeswith their fingers “as good as them, if not better,” she said,

citing her remarkable ability to type 36 words a minute. Shecredited the devices she relies on every day with opening up a“world of possibilities,” in terms of both education and hersocial environment.

Though technology has progressed since Joanne was a childand has made less challenging her uphill battle to conquereveryday tasks, there is still much more to be discovered. In herspeech, Joanne challenged the assembled delegates to think“outside the box,” and to try to find new ways of making tech-nology more accessible for those most in need of it. She askedthe world’s leading women in technology to develop a robot thatcould simply pick up dropped objects.

Joanne’s advocacy gained attention in December, when shespoke out publicly against the Irish government’s plan to cut thedisability allowance for teenagers. The plan was reversed, andJoanne was invited to speak on the Late Late Show, Ireland’smost popular night-time talk show. – M.M.


PEOPLE | HERITAGE | EVENTS | ARTS | ENTERTAINMENT{hibernia}Inspiring Cork Teen

Addresses UN

DUBLIN ANNIVERSARY OF HANDEL’SMESSIAH PREMIERE

On April 13, 1742, the world premiere of George Frideric

Handel’s Messiah took place in Musick Hall on

Fishamble Street in Temple Bar, Dublin. Commemorating the

270th anniversary, on April 13, Our Lady’s Choral Society,

conducted by Proinnsías Ó Duinn, sang the composition on

the street where it was originally performed 270 years ago.

The event was opened by Lord Mayor of Dublin,Andrew

Montague, who noted that Handel could promote a “great

tourist attraction” to Ireland.The Lord Mayor went on to say

that Dublin’s use of its literary heritage and connections, cou-

pled with Handel’s global popularity, could increase the

opportunity to build upon the city’s rich Handel heritage.The

Temple Bar Cultural Trust organized the event free of charge

in the hopes that it would encourage people to come, not

only to listen, but to participate by singing along as well.The

weather held up throughout the al fresco concert, and several

hundred people filled the streets while others listened from

balconies or opened their office windows to hear the virtu-

oso performance. – M.M.

Only fifty original copies of the 1916 Proclamation of theIrish Republic remain in existence. The proclamation,

which famously called for a provisional government of the IrishRepublic and proclaimed the country’s independence from theUnited Kingdom, was distributed and read aloud by PatrickPearse outside the General Post Office, marking the beginning ofthe Easter Rising.

On April 18, one of these original copies sold for €124,000 ata James Adam & Sons auction in Dublin that dealt with impor-tant political, literary and military items. The proclamation hadbeen expected to sell for between €60,000 and €80,000.

The sellers were an elderly couple from Longford who hadstrong republican ties, according to Kieran O’Boyle, an auction-eer with James Adam & Sons.

“They want to make sure that it is bought by a passionate col-lector. That way it is preserved,” said O’Boyle. The proclamationwent to an unnamed bidder who informed the auctioneers that he

Important Items for Auction

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{news from ireland}

GUERILLA GARDENING IN IRELAND

Guerilla gardening, a phenomenon that started in the United States,

has now made its way to Ireland, becoming an outlet for those

frustrated in the aftermath of the Celtic Tiger and the “ghost estates”

that litter Ireland. Empty shopping malls, half-built banks, properties

falling to decay after years of neglect – the guerilla gardeners have seen

enough and have begun “beautifying” these derelict estates with surprise

acts of gardening.

Guerilla gardening is almost always done without the government’s

permission, which is precisely the case in Ireland. Fittingly enough,

Ireland’s guerilla gardeners go by the name of “NAMA to Nature,” a play

on the acronym for Ireland’s state-run National Asset Management

Agency, which oversees the abandoned properties. NAMA to Nature

members justify their actions with the logic that if the taxpayers fund

NAMA, they have say over NAMA’s ghost estates as well.

NAMA to Nature’s frustration is palpable, and their response is

already being seen in many of the over 600 ghost estates and 40,000

empty dwellings that dot the country. In Keshcarrigan, Co. Leitrim, 1,000

trees were planted on a ghost estate by NAMA to Nature volunteers. In

Dublin, artists nailed 28 paintings to an eight-story building that was

going to be Anglo Irish Bank’s new headquarters.

The term “guerilla” was coined in the early 19th century in response

to Napoleon’s invasion of Spain. It means “little war.” And NAMA to

Nature is indeed in a kind of small battle as they fight to restore the

beauty that Ireland is known for. – M.M.

intends to keep the historic document in Ireland.The same April 18 auction was supposed to feature another item of great histor-

ical significance – a lock of Michael Collins’ hair.When Michael Collins lay in state at Dublin City Hall, thousands of mourners

passed his coffin to pay their respects. Among them was his sister Kitty, who tookone final keepsake to remember her fallen brother – a lock of his hair.

She later gave it to friends, an unnamed couple, during the 1950s. The couple putthe lock of hair up for auction with James Adam & Sons Auctioneers on April 18.

It was estimated to sell for upwards of €5,000. However, they decided to with-draw the lock of hair from the auction because it was “not for monetary gain,” saidauctioneer Stuart Cole.

Instead, the owner donated it to the National Museum of Ireland.The lock of hair is enclosed in an envelope labeled “Hair of head of Michael

Collins when laid in State in the City Hall August 1922,” and is signed by KittyCollins, dated Christmas 1958.

Auctioneer Kieran O’Boyle described it as “a poignant item. There is still a deeplevel of interest in all things related to him,” he said. – M.F.

From Ireland’s Past Up in Dublin

UCD SMURFIT SCHOOLRECEIVES ANONYMOUSDONATION

The UCD Michael Smurfit Business School’s2012 Aspire Scholarship Program was launched

on March 28, made possible by an anonymous€500,000 donation to the school’s Aspire scholar-ship fund. The donor reportedly made the contribu-tion to help in the recovery of Ireland’s strugglingeconomy. The program is offering up to three MBAand nine MSc scholarships to deserving studentsthis year. Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, a professor at theschool and dean of UCD Business School,explained to Silicon Republic, “We want to ensurethat these scholarships go to students who are wor-thy recipients. Education makes a difference andthis scholarship will help change the course of theirlives.… Joining the school will provide these schol-ars with the chance to learn from the very best aca-demics, network with industry leaders and positionthemselves for a successful career in business.”

UCD Smurfit School is the only business schoolin Ireland, and holds accreditation from AACSB,EQUIS and AMBA — a recognition that less thanone percent of the world’s business schools enjoy.Former recipients of the Aspire scholarship, fundedby a previous anonymous donation five years ago,now hold positions at companies including Citi,Google, KPMG and PwC. – C.D.


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The girl with the dragon tattoo isgoing to become the girl with the Irishaccent. Rooney Mara – star of thesmash hit horror flick based on StiegLarsson’s trilogy of novels – is slated tostar in a big-screen adaptation of ColmToibin’s best-selling novel Brooklyn.The screenplay will be written byacclaimed British novelist Nick Hornby,whose novels include High Fidelity andAbout a Boy. Mara will play Ellis Lacey,who leaves her rural Irish village forBrooklyn, where she experiences a newkind of freedom and falls in love with anItalian American. After pleasurabletrips to Coney Island and Ebbets Field,Ellis is forced to choose between herfamily – and her old life – in Ireland,and her new life in the States.Though she is Irish American, Mara’sHibernian roots could not be stronger. She is a product ofthe Mara and Rooney clans, who have made the New YorkGiants and Pittsburgh Steelers powerhouses in the NationalFootball League. Mara is slated to begin shooting Brooklynin 2013 (no director is on board just yet). The film will beshot in Ireland and in the borough of New York which lendsthe film its title.

Another upcoming Nick Hornby project also has an Irishconnection. Pierce Brosnan is slated to star in a new filmbased on Hornby’s recent novel A Long Way Down. The filmwill have one of the more depressing premises of all time –it begins with four characters who meet on New Year’s Evewhen they are all about to commit suicide. Toni Colletteand Emile Hirsch will also star.

Michael Fassbender has done his time in thetrenches of independent film, with gritty perform-ances in Shame, as well as the dark Northern Irelandfilm Hunger, in which Fassbender played hungerstriker Bobby Sands. Now, Fassbender – who wasraised in his mother’s native Kerry – will be appear-ing in a big time popcorn film, out on June 8.Fassbender joins Charlize Theron and NoomiRapace in the Ridley Scott thriller Prometheus, aprequel to Scott’s 1979 Aliens, which starred SigourneyWeaver. The film has earned solid buzz because of its outerspace setting and the hints of mystery and intrigue providedby writer Damon Lindelof, who worked on TV’s intricateLost.

But you can’t accuse Fassbender of abandoning small-scale cinema – or for that matter, his Irish roots. Fassbenderis also working with Irish writer Ronan Bennett (PublicEnemies) to produce a film about the legendary Celtic war-rior Cúchulainn. Early reports suggest the film will be set in

Northern Ireland and will tell the storyof the clash between tribes, led by KingConchobar Mac Nessa and QueenMebh. Fassbender is slated to star asCúchulainn himself. Bennett andFassbender have a production companyfittingly named Finn McCool Films.

Anjelica Huston has long been themost famous member of the third gen-eration of the Huston show biz clan.First there was Walter Huston, then hisson John, the famous director whospent long stretches of time in Irelandand wrapped up his career with a daz-zling version of James Joyce’s TheDead, starring none other than his owndaughter, Anjelica.

She remains busy these days, starring in theNBC TV show Smash. Her half-brotherDanny Huston is also making quite a namefor himself. Currently, Danny can be seen in

the much-hyped Starz network TV series Magic City, whichhas been earning comparisons to Mad Men for itsEisenhower-era setting and its intense drama. Magic City isabout the Miami crime scene in the late 1950s. Huston playsa ruthless mobster Ben Diamond, known as “The Butcher.”

Danny Huston's next movie, Two Jacks, is also a familyaffair. Huston plays Jack, a legendary filmmaker whoreturns to Hollywood after a long absence looking to beginan ambitious new project. Instead, he drinks, seduces abeautiful woman (Sienna Miller), and battles with film exec-

{irish eye on hollywood}By Tom Deignan

TOP: Rooney Mara at the Paris premiere of GirlWith the Dragon Tattoo. ABOVE: MichaelFassbender as David, an android, in Prometheus.LEFT: Danny Huston in Magic City.


IA.IEOH2.qxd 5/11/12 9:54 PM Page 16

utives. Twenty years later, the filmmaker’s son (Danny’snephew, Jack Huston) arrives in Hollywood to make his owndirectorial debut, though it becomes clear he may not haveinherited his father’s talent.

Want more family connections? Also starring in Two Jacksis Jamie Harris, brother of Mad Men actor Jared Harris. Jamiehas appeared in films ranging from In the Name of the Fatherto 2011’s big hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Both Jared and Jamie are the sons of hell-raising Limerick-born legend Richard Harris. Down the road, look for DannyHuston in Wrath of the Titans (also featuring Liam Neeson)and Stolen (with Nicolas Cage). Next year, Huston willappear in The Congress with Paul Giamatti and Mad Man JonHamm.

Jared Harris also recentlysigned on to play the lead role inthe film The Quiet Ones,about an odd yet charismatic pro-fessor who persuades his top stu-dents to take part in a dangerousexperiment. Before that, Harriswill appear with Daniel Day-Lewis in Steven Spielberg’shighly anticipated AbrahamLincoln biopic. The Lincoln flickis due out this December. (Andis not to be confused with thesummer flick Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.)

Day-Lewis is also slated to star in the 2013 film Silence,directed by Martin Scorsese. The reunited dynamic duo (whomade magic with Gangs of New York in 2002) will team upwith Benicio del Toro for the film, which tells the story oftwo Jesuit priests in 17th-century Japan who attempt to con-vert Japanese citizens.

More information is coming out about the highly anticipat-ed BBC America show Copper, about the life of Irish immi-grant police officers in the notorious 19th century neighbor-hood Five Points, in New York City. The show stars TomWeston-Jones as Irish cop Kevin Corcoran, as well Irishactor Kevin Ryan. Copper premieres on BBC AmericaAugust 19.

“It’s about the immigrant experience at that time in NewYork. What was it like? How did people interact in thisworld?” The show’s executive producer, Christina Wayne,recently told The Hollywood Reporter “We wanted it to feellike the melting pot it was back then. It’s all about beingauthentic. We’ve stressed being gritty and real. We want

viewers to feel like they really lived there then. Therewere hundreds of people living on top of each other.Running water was a luxury. The world was a dirty,stinky place.”

British actor Weston-Jones added that he is in theprocess of learning a new accent. “It’s American with abend of Irish,” he said. “Whenever they swear, wheneverthey’re drunk, that’s when the Irish comes out.”

There were a number of Irish films at the star-studdedTribeca Film Festival in New York.

Earning serious buzz was Irish writer and directorMacdara Vallely’s debut feature film Babygirl, which isset in the Bronx, where there has traditionally been aheavy Irish presence. This film, however, explores a

Puerto Rican girl coming to terms with her mother’sboyfriend, who may or may not be hitting on her.

Vallelly recently told the Irish Voice newspaper that thefilm idea hit him one day on the subway.

“It was one of those things where I was on the number two train one day and I saw this vignette of a mother anddaughter on the train. The mother was in her thirties, thedaughter was in her teens and I saw this 20-year-old guy eye-ing them up. First I could see him looking at the daughter, but she wasn’t having any of it, then he turned his attentionsto the mother. It was one of those things that you see in New York every day.”

Meanwhile, Terry George (who won an Oscar for hisshort film The Shore, starring Ciaran Hinds and KerryCondon), unveiled a comedy entitled Whole Lotta Sole atTribeca. The film stars fellow Irishmen Colm Meaney andBrendan Fraser. Set in Belfast, Whole Lotta Sole centersaround Jimbo Regan (Belfast actor Martin McCann) whoowes a local loan shark $5,000. Jimbo’s only hope is to rob a fish market – which turns out to have its own ties to the loan shark.

Finally, at Tribeca there was Death of a Superhero, featur-ing Scottish actor Andy Serkis (Gollum from the Lord of theRings). The film explores the life of a young Irish teenagerfacing a life-threatening illness. IA


Kevin Ryan and Tom Weston-Jones in Copper.

Jared Harris

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{hibernia}

E xploring a characterforced to grapple withinner demons is a famil-

iar task for actor John Cusack,who has portrayed quite a fewanguished souls throughout hisversatile film career. From hisrole as an existentially suffer-ing puppeteer in CharlieKaufman’s absurdist BeingJohn Malkovich to his – notone but two – turns at playingtroubled assassins (first inGrosse Pointe Blank, and againin War, Inc., which he also co-wrote and produced), it’s clearthat Cusack is not one to skirt the darkeraspects of the human condition. His latestturn toward the macabre is his portrayal ofEdgar Allan Poe in April’s gory thrillerThe Raven, directed by James McTeigue.

For someone so drawn to the complexand disturbing, Cusack’s demeanor isquite calm. Asked about his fascinationwith such a morbid figure as Poe, hiseyes light up, and he replies simply, “Oh,it’s fun, right?” before elaborating,“That’s Poe’s deal, that we’re all sort ofattracted to the abyss. It’s poetic,” hegrins. “Poe-etic.”

It would seem that all this explorationof the depths has served as kind of purg-ing for Cusack. It’s a rare person who notonly can understand despair, but can alsofind humor within it. “AroundHalloween or the Day of the Dead,” hecontinues, “doesn’t everybody get intothe supernatural, and the ghouls, and theunderworld? Dreams and nightmares?It’s just an interesting headspace. It’s not

something I want to stay in, but it’s cer-tainly a fun place to visit once in a while– once a year, twice a year.”

Edgar Allan Poe, whose writings andmysterious life inspired the movie TheRaven, had roots stretching fromBaltimore, Maryland back to Dring,County Cavan, Ireland, where his great-grandfather grew up. Poe’s hometown ofBaltimore serves as backdrop for thefilm, which also stars Brendan Gleesonas the disapproving father of Poe’sbeloved. This entirely fictionalizedaccount of Poe’s last days entertains theunsettling question of how a real-lifeserial killer might have gone about mim-icking Poe’s grisliest stories. The movie’sanswer? Accurately.

“There are not many writers who try to[delve into] their worst nightmares,”Cusack maintains. “But there’s a couplewho want to go deeper in, and that’s justan interesting mind. [Poe] was this guywho wanted to embrace the nightmare.”

Cusack, like Poe, has a dis-tant Irish background. Raisedby politically active IrishCatholics in Chicago, he leadsa life at once thoroughly indi-vidualistic – disregarding themainstream in decisions bothartistic and lifestyle – whilestill deeply rooted in familytradition.

Though he has plenty to behappy about (he recentlyreceived a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame)

Cusack seems most at easewhen speaking about heavier

topics. Censorship, for one, is somethinghe believes does not belong in the arts. “Ithink the artist has got to get a free pass,because I don’t know how you canexplore, or go down different roads ifyou’re going to judge them all the time.That imagery [of the unconscious] is notsanitized. It’s violent, and it’s lurid, andit’s perverse. Dreams can be that way.”

Though he identifies entirely asAmerican, Cusack seems to be in touchwith that certain entangling of melan-choly and joy unique to the Celtic spirit.He reflects, “Poe was always talkingabout that space between waking anddreaming, sanity and insanity, life anddeath. He was always into that twilightspace.”

And Cusack is himself a bit of a livingparadox – this non-smoker who casuallypuffs on an electric cigarette, this relaxedfigure with the venti coffee cup in hand –with those intense eyes hovering abovethat easy smile. – Catherine Davis

John Cusackon Poe,

the Grotesque,and the

Role of the Artist

John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe and Brendan Gleeson as CaptainHamilton in The Raven.

John Cusackon Poe,

the Grotesque,and the

Role of the Artist

IA.Hib18(new).qxd 5/11/12 7:05 PM Page 18

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cashs.comcrystalclassics.comshopshannon.com800-999-0655

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irish_americanad4.indd 1 4/26/12 12:32 PMUntitled-9 1 5/9/12 3:23 PM


{hibernia}

The third annual Who Do We Think We Are? day-long program,presented and organized by Glucksman Ireland House at NewYork University, took place on Saturday, April 21. This year,

the theme was Economics, Family-Style, exploring the Irish andIrish-American family. Throughout the day, prominent writers, artistsand scholars explored and discussed how finances influenced familydecisions regarding emigration, marriage, and property, and howthese in turn affected the wider community.

The first session, titled Sharing Communities: Family Life Acrossthe Atlantic, was presented by Miriam Nyhan and Linda DowlingAlmeida, who run the Glucksman Ireland House Oral HistoryProject. Evocative audio clips were shared, and real stories hit a notewith everyone, evinced by the many scuffles in bags for tissues asmemories came flooding back. Poverty was a major theme through-out, but always with the caveat “we were poor but we didn’t knowwe were poor.” Other issues that have divided families then and nowwere raised: the family farm, the inheritance, mothers and daughters-in-law, mothers and sons, the “other” woman invading the familyhome. Happy memories were also discussed; particularly poignantwas the description of the ubiquitous American parcel that immi-grants in the U.S. would send to their families in Ireland: “an invita-tion to the exotic and mystery of the other world.”

Mary Higgins Clark, the pretty and petite Irish American knownworldwide for her suspense novels, gave the keynote address.Despite fame and fortune, Clark remains grounded, and her Irishupbringing shines through constantly. A central theme in her presen-tation was faith, optimism and triumph over tragedy, instilled in herby her Irish parents. She talked about the effects of poverty and death,living as she did through the Great Depression. She recalled wonder-ful memories of growing up in the beautiful “countryside,” as theBronx was then known. Her extended family would sit around thetable and the teapot, over which joys were shared and sorrows weresplit. She ended her eloquent and inspiring speech with the quote“unless you are a storyteller, you are not a writer.”

Prof. Brendan Mac Suibhne of Centenary College and Prof. KerbyMiller of University of Missouri presented the third session, Wealth,Poverty and Emigration. Brendan discussed the impact of the GreatFamine and its legacy on his native town land in Donegal. Kerbyexplored the complexities and perplexities that historians encounter,using the example of Edmund Ronayne (1832-1911), who was rec-ognized as a Fenian after his death, even though his life’s journeytook him from a devout Irish-Catholic upbringing in famine-struckIreland to the U.S., where he became an avid Freemason, then turnedto Presbyterianism and ran various anti-Freemason rallies, and endedup an impoverished man.

In the fourth session, Financing Futures: Sibling Support andMaternal Models, Professor Maureen Murphy of Hofstra Universitydiscussed how chain migration to the US was financed by women,including nuns, while Prof. Janet Nolan of Loyola University,Chicago, looked at upward mobility from mothers to daughters inAmerica. Bruce Morrison, former congressman from Connecticut,immigration lawyer, and lobbyist, then addressed the issue of mod-ern-day immigration. Noel Kilkenny, Consul General of Ireland,New York, made the closing remarks on what was a thoroughlyenjoyable and interesting day. – Aine Carroll

Economics, Family-Style, atGlucksman Ireland House

Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer; Ian McGowan,Executive Director of the Winged Fist Organization;Congressman Joe Crowley and State Senator Michael Gianaris.

Astretch of 43rd Street and 48th Avenue in

Sunnyside, Queens, received a second name on

March 10. Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, it became

Winged Fist Way, in honor of the Irish American

Athletic Club.The I-AAC, whose members were known

as The Winged Fists, thrived in Sunnyside at the begin-

ning of the 20th century as one of New York’s first

inclusive, multicultural athletic institutions, and a

record-setting number of its members brought home

medals from the Olympics.

“It is important that we recognize the achievements

of this dynamic athletic club which once called

Sunnyside and the borough home,” said Council

Member Jimmy Van Bramer, who passed legislation to

co-name the street.“Before its members knew it, the I-

AAC laid the foundation of what would become the

essence of Queens, a multicultural diaspora of people

who worked and lived together.” Council Member Van

Bramer was joined by Congressman Joe Crowley, Ian

McGowan, Executive Director of the Winged Fist

Organization, members of the Emerald Society and

ancestors of the early-20th-century I-AAC athletes.

Turn to page 50 to read the amazing history of The

Winged Fists.

T he Irish America team stepped out in sneakers

to run the Concern Worldwide U.S. Spring Run

on April 14, in Central Park.The 5 km race, which

raises money for Concern’s educational initiatives in

Haiti, enjoyed its most successful year to date, with

nearly 1,700 participants raising over $215,500.

The Irish America team

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{hibernia}

On April 9, Pramerica Systems Ireland,

Prudential Financial’s Irish branch, hon-

ored gold medal recipients Molly Gilmartin and

Bonnie Shortall for their outstanding youth vol-

unteer work at the sixth annual Pramerica

Spirit of Community Awards in Derry.

The two girls received engraved gold medals,

€1000 for charities of their choice and all-expens-

es-paid trips to the U.S. in May,when they will join

other gold medalist volunteers from around the

world at the Prudential Spirit of Community

Awards in Washington, D.C. Molly and Bonnie were

picked by a selection committee from a group of 20

Irish finalists.One member of the selection commit-

tee was politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner, John Hume.The

other 18 finalists were presented with silver medals and a per-

sonal award of €500.

Bonnie’s efforts in caring for sick and orphaned children

earned her the award. A student at St. Louis High School in

Rathmines, Dublin, she traveled to Tanzania for two weeks with

the Forever Angels charity. She worked 13 hours each day, feed-

ing, bathing, providing physiotherapy and playing with the chil-

dren. She has also helped raise €1,600 for the organization.

Molly, who attends Victoria College in Belfast, was recognized

for her volunteer work with Action Cancer. An active member

for six years, she founded and organized the “Sound of Action”

concert in 2010. It earned £12,000 and is now an annual event

held in Belfast. Molly has also worked with children abroad. In

2011, she traveled to India with the Global Schools Partnership

and worked at a school in Dehra Dun. – M.F.

T he 42nd Oireachtas Rince naCruinne, better known as the

World Irish Dancing Championships,returned to Belfast this year for thefourth time in twelve years. It alsomarks the third consecutive year thatthe Worlds were held abroad, withDublin in 2011 and Glasgow in 2010.Yet, despite competing on foreignground, American dancers still madetheir names known.

Peter Dziak, of Chicago’s TrinityAcademy of Irish Dance, defendedhis world championship title, win-ning the Boys 14-15 age group.Dziak won his first title in Dublin last year.

Olivia Griffin, who dances with theWest Coast Butler Fearon O’ConnorSchool of Irish Dance, came home with achampionship title. Griffin improvedupon her third place title from the 2011Worlds in Dublin. Butler FearonO’Connor also had another championdancer win first, Michaela Hinds ofCanada.

Michael Holland managed to claim hisfirst ever World Championship in the MenOver 21 category. Holland dances withthe Richens/Timm Academy and is fromOhio.

Another first place win was Team A of

the Cashel Dennehy School,based in Milwaukee. Theteam won the Senior GirlsCeil 16-19 competition.

A familiar American faceto those who have seen Jigis dancer Julia O’Rourkeof Malverne, Long Island. She was fea-tured as one of the nine dancers whocompeted in Glasgow’s 2010 Worlds inSue Bourne’s documentary Jig releasedin 2011. In Glasgow, she became the sec-ond female dancer from the Petri Schoolto win the first place title. In Dublin in2011 she placed fifth. At this year’sWorld, O’Rourke placed fourth.

Finally, Melissa McCarthy ofNorfolk, Massachusetts, also won herfirst World Championship title thisyear. Fifteen year-old McCarthy of theHarney Academy improved on her sec-ond place win last year and beat out theformer 2010 and 2011 champion, fel-low American Ann Paige Turilli. Turilliof Inishfree in New York took second,while MacKenzie Mahler of the BlakeySchool in Western Canada took third.This made the Girls 15-16 age group the

only Worlds competitionwith three North Americandancers on the podium.

Perhaps McCarthy candefend her title on hometurf next year when the2013 Oireachtas Rince naCruinne are held in Boston,from March 24-31. Bostonwon the bid to host the2013 World Champion-

ships after An Coimisiun Le RinciGaelacha, or the Irish DancingCommission, reviewed proposals fromcities around the world. Several IrishAmerican cultural groups and theMassachusetts Convention CenterAuthority helped make the bid success-ful. The event will take place at the JohnB. Hynes Convention Center. – M.F.

The Irish finalists for the 2012 Pramerica Spirit of Ireland Awards with (top left) JohnLongeran, Former Governor of Mountjoy Prison; NAPD President Donal O Buachalla;GTCNI Chairperson Ivan Arbuthnot; (top right) Henry McGarvey of MD Pramerica SystemsIreland Ltd; and, center, Nobel Laureate and Chairman of Judging Panel, John Hume.

Irish Teens Giving Back

North American Irish Dancers Win Big in Belfast

Boys Under 15 champions.

ABOVE LEFT: Melissa McCarthy andTaylor Nunes. RIGHT: Peter Dziak.

PH

OTO

:PA

UL M

CG

UC

KIN

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The American Ireland Fund’s 2012 New York

Dinner Gala marked a night of milestones for

the philanthropic organization. On May 4, close to

1,300 people gathered in an elegantly appointed

tent at Lincoln Center. Brian Moynihan, CEO of

Bank of America, was the guest of honor. Other

important attendees included the President of

Ireland, Michael D. Higgins; Mayor of New York,

Michael Bloomberg; New York City Police

Commissioner Ray Kelly; City Council Speaker

Christine Quinn; Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and

novelist Colum McCann. Kieran McLoughlin, the

Worldwide Ireland Funds’ president and CEO, and

Loretta Brennan Glucksman, chairman of the

American Ireland Fund, made the exciting

announcement that the AIF had surpassed the

goal of its Promising Ireland Campaign to raise

$100 million for Irish charities by the end of 2013,

with $120 million to date.The gala itself con-

tributed $4.2 million for Promising Ireland

– the most a single AIF event has ever achieved.

Promising News at the AIF GalaClockwise from left:The New York DinnerGala committee. LeslieC. Quick III and TomQuick present the LeslieC. Quick, Jr. LeadershipAward to Brian T.Moynihan. President &CEO of The WorldwideIreland Funds KieranMcLoughlin, Presidentof Ireland Michael D.Higgins, AmericanIreland Fund ChairmanLoretta BrennanGlucksman.

Certificate ofHeritage for Obama

During his St. Patrick’s Day visit to theWhite House, Taoiseach Enda Kenny

presented President Obama with an officialCertificate of Irish Heritage. These certifi-cates, which all members of the Irish dias-pora with at least one relative born inIreland are welcome to apply for, recog-nize the recipients’ Irish ancestors – in thiscase, Obama’s maternal great-great-great-grandfather, Falmouth Kearney ofMoneygall, Co. Offaly. The presidentthanked Taoiseach Kenny for the certifi-cate, and quipped that it would have a spe-cial place of honor alongside his (oncehighly contested) birth certificate.

Remarking on the significance of thecertificate, Taoiseach Kenny said “This is achance for everyone who has a sense oftheir Irishness, from Boston to Brisbane, toreceive an acknowledgement of that fromthe State.” Visit www.heritagecertificate.ie

Celebrating July 4th in IrelandAnyone who has ever stopped to ponder what a 4th of July celebration would be

like in Ireland will get an answer this Independence Day. On July 4th, the town

of New Ross, Co.Wexford will celebrate its first Irish America Day, in recognition of

the strong ties between Ireland and the United States. For New Ross, those connec-

tions are particularly important. Patrick Kennedy and Bridget Murphy, John F.

Kennedy’s great-grandparents, emigrated from New Ross, as did the grandparents of

playwright Eugene O’Neill.Thousands of other immigrants left from the quays of

New Ross, and their journeys have been immortalized by the Dunbrody Emigration

History Center.

The Irish America Day celebrations will include the best of American history, tra-

dition and fun, with a flag raising, a reading of the Declaration of Independence,

Boston Tea Party re-enactments, Mark Twain readings, barbecues, an Irish America

Day parade, and the naming of a town Prom King and Queen. Comedian Des

Bishop will perform on July 3 at the Brandon House Hotel and The Three Tenors

will be joined by special guest Declan O’Rourke at the JFK Arboretum on the night

of the 4th. As one future attendee put it,“America celebrates Ireland’s national holi-

day, why not the other way around?” More information: www.irishamericaday.com

Susan Cahill, acclaimedtravel writer and editor ofcollections of women’s

fiction, recently released aguide to the Hidden Gardens ofParis. Cahill is the author oftwo books about Ireland: Forthe Love of Ireland and ALiterary Guide to Ireland,which she co-wrote with herhusband, Thomas Cahill, theprolific historian behind theHinges of History series, whichincludes the seminal How the Irish Saved

Civilization. The Cahills spend afew months of each year inParis, and over the years Susandeveloped a wonderful knowl-edge of the city’s most beautifulgardens – some cloistered, others hiding in plain sight. Sheprovides a thorough entree toeach one, complete with histori-cal background, directions, andnearby attractions. The delight-ful book also includes page afterpage of stunning photographs

by Marion Ranoux.

Cahill’s Guide to Paris

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Call Atalanta Corporation908-372-6040

9:00 am OPENING CEREMONY Formal Raising of the

Stars and Stripes and the Tricolour at the JFK Statue,

the quay, New Ross, Military Colour Party.

11:00 am Boston Tea Party Re-enactment at the

Dunbrody Ship.Also at 12PM, 2PM and 3PM.

12:00 pm Reading of the Declaration of Independenceat The Tholsel New Ross, followed by laying of

wreath to those that lost their lives in the 1798

Rebellion in New Ross.

5:00 pm Irish America Hall of Fame InductionCeremony at the Irish America Hall of Fame in the

Dunbrody Emigration Centre will include such nota-

bles of yesteryear as James Hoban, the architect who

designed the White House; Mary (Mother) Jones,

labor leader and civil rights activist; James Concannon

of the Aran Islands who established the Concannon

Winery in California in 1883, and director John

Huston.

6:00 pm Irish America Day Parade on the quay,

featuring: Marching Bands and Majorettes; a Classic

Car and a Harley Davidson Bike Rally.

4th July 2012 • A National Celebration Inaugural EventNew Ross, Co Wexford

With the support of and the New Ross Town Council

Come see the town of New Ross

en fete withbunting, flags and red, white

and blue!

OTHER ATTRACTIONS WILL INCLUDE:

Performance by Irish-American comedian Des Bishop at the Brandon House Hotel on the evening of 3rd July 2012. Dixieland and jazz music. Line dancing and hoedown on South Street.

American-style barbeque at the Hook Lighthouse Family Day. All-day American Literature Mark Twain Readings in New Ross Library. All week Classic American films at St Michael’s Theatre.

Prom night in Brandon House Hotel.

For more information: www.irishamericaday.com

Now available in the United States!

An initiative of the JFK Trust, New Ross and Irish America Magazine, New York

8:00 pm The Three Tenors Ireland in concert at the

JFK Arboretum with special guest Declan

O’Rourke.

10:00 pm Formal lowering of the flags at the

Arboretum after concert.

10:30 pm Fireworks display near the Dunbrody

in New Ross.

www.wexfordcreamery.com

Mature Irish Cheddar

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In Dallas, Texas, it’s all about com-munity and camaraderie over com-petition. Spurred by the success ofthe Celtic Cowboys, a GaelicAthletic Association (GAA) league

formed in Austin in 2004, Fionn MacCumhaill GAA was founded in Dallas in2010. Emmett Long, Brian Geraghty,Kevin McCann, Paddy Walsh and DaveyDevlin were among the founding mem-bers – all from Ireland. They sent e-mailsaround to every person that they couldremember who was from Ireland, of Irishdecent, or just had a love for things Irish.

Shortly after, the six founding membersgrew to a club of sixteen. To date, theleague has grown to field three men’steams and two women’s teams.

“The football club is the backbone ofany community in Ireland. With so manyIrish coming and going from Dallas all ofthe time, we thought it was a good wayfor people to find a home away fromhome and have a bit of craic,” said KevinMcCann, Chairman, on the motivationbehind starting the club.

The Dallas GAA was named Fionn MacCumhaill for a team that had been started15 years prior by a group of expatriates,but eventually dissolved. According tolegend, Fionn Mac Cumhaill (pronouncedFinn McCool) was the leader of theancient Fianna warriors who lived on thenorth Antrim coast.

Since the club’s formation, the DallasGAA has grown to include over 100active members, ranging from the ages of21 to 60. With the help of sponsors, likelocal Irish publicans, and events includ-ing booths at Irish festivals, publicityplugs on local radio stations, and a jointparty with The American Ireland Fund,Fionn Mac Cumhaill has gained muchsupport.Their Facebook and Twitter pageshave over 1,000 likes and followers.

Their competitive success has alsohelped in gaining recruits.

“Last September we competed in the

National Championships in San Franciscoand caused a major upset by beating moreestablished teams from Seattle andIndianapolis. Based on that success, wehave started recruiting new members fromall over Texas as the word spreads,” saidBarry Brennan, from County Donegal, ofthe combined Dallas and Austin hurlingteam, which took home the national title.

The Dallas GAA football team alsocompeted in Nationals. Altogether, theleague consists of a hurling team, twotraveling football teams, a ladies footballteam and three pub-league teams.

The men’s football and hurling teamswill compete again at the 2012 Nationals,held in Philadelphia over Labor Day week-end. In addition, the ladies football team,which was established just this year, willcompete in the Nationals for the first time.

The league trains hard and has built ontheir training schedule for the upcoming2012 Nationals. There is a bootcamp andtraining held every Tuesday night, alongwith additional hurling practice onThursday evenings and additional foot-ball practice on Saturday mornings.

“Bootcamp is tough but it’s essential tobuild up your confidence and ability inthe game,” said member Noreen GrantCabrera.

It may seem odd that Texas has such athriving GAA community. Besides FionnMac Cumhaill, there are three other

GAA leagues in exis-tence. The othersinclude Austin’sCeltic Cowboys, theHouston Fenians andthe San AntonioDefenders. All fourteams spend theirsummer playing oneanother in tourna-ments for the TexasChampion-ship andthe Adrienne HusseyMemorial cup.

“Although Dallasdoes not have the Irishpopulation that youwould expect fromcities like Boston,New York or Chicago,we do have many Irish

in Dallas that have come forwork or family.” In addition to the GAA,Dallas has several other Irish groupsincluding the Irish American Society ofDallas, the Texas Rose of Tralee and theAmerican Ireland Fund – Dallas chapter.“The groups are individual of each other,but very supportive,” said Erin McCann ofthe Irish population in Dallas.

It is clear that in Dallas Gaelic sports isnot about catering to a large Irish popula-tion, but rather about bringing a smallcommunity together “with sports as thecornerstone.”

“Many people who join the club don’tplay sports, but they do enjoy the com-munity and camaraderie of our group.Our social activities are always wellattended. It draws together those with acommon love of the Irish and the Irishculture,” said McCann. – Molly Ferns

GAA Takes Off in Texas

The Fionn Mac Cumhaill GAA Club’s men’s and women’s Gaelic football and hurling teams in action.

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Loretta Brennan Glucksman“I am humbled by this honor today. I

thank you for it for all the people in theAmerican Ireland Fund who are so stead-fast and passionate about that wonderfullittle place that draws us back and back allthe time…I would just like to close, andthis is name-dropping in the most shame-less way, with a poem that was sent to meafter Lew [Glucksman, her late husband]died, and it was from Seamus Heaney:‘Between us, you and I can tell the worldit can be better. And the reason is what wepracticed: generous behavior.’ What all ofyou in this room practice is generousbehavior, and I thank you for it.”

Ray Kelly“Like so many people in this room, I

have been heir to a proud legacy of Irishdedication to hard work and accomplish-ment. Our forefathers came here to digtunnels, to build bridges, to lay rails and toapply their political skills in the newworld. And they did a great job. I thinkmost of us are familiar with their contribu-tions to public safety and security in thiscity. Indeed throughout much of the histo-ry of the NYPD, our ranks were filled withmany Irish Americans, and I can assureyou that police officers of Irish descent arestill doing very impressive, indeed phe-nomenal things…[Detectives KevinBrennan and Kevin Herlihy] embody theheroic spirit of New York City police offi-cers and our proud Irish tradition.”

John L. Lahey“Over the past 15 years now, we’ve

acquired the largest collection of Famine

art anywhere in the world. It so overflowsthe room that we now have under con-struction a 5,000 square foot [museum]near the campus that will be ready, webelieve, by August…We hope that this isa continuing and even larger vehicle toeducate people about the Great Hunger,but it also is something that I hope in timewill be recognized as one of the great col-lections of Irish art…My grandfatherDaniel Lahey, who was born inKnockglossmore just outside of Tralee inCounty Kerry – I think, I hope, he wouldbe proud that his grandson’s name issomewhere in Ireland. Now, he was aproud Kerryman so Wexford may not bethe best place in Ireland, but nonethelessit is in Ireland! And on behalf of Daniel,who made the trip over here as a boy, Ithank you.”

Thomas Moran“One person that is not here is [the late]

Fr. Aengus Finucane, one of the originalfounders of Concern Worldwide. Follow-ing Aengus around Africa, finding all ofthe places that he has been – and evenwhere he hasn’t been – there are still sto-ries of this wonderful Irish priest thatalways managed, no matter how far deepin the Congo he might be, to find a goodbottle of Irish whiskey to enjoy. SoAengus, I hope you’re looking down on usand enjoying the day, as you do every St.Patrick’s Day. I was also blessed withbeing able to follow in Bill Flynn’s foot-steps at Mutual of America. He taught methat we all can make a difference, that the

only limitations we have are those weplace on ourselves.”

Kevin Roche“I grew up in a very, very small town in

County Cork. And I must have been abouttwelve when I decided that I wouldbecome an architect. I didn’t know why,and nobody understood because nobodyhad ever heard of an ‘arshitect.’ They’dsay, ‘Now why do you want to become anarchitect? Sure, if you want to build some-thing there’s Johnny over there, he’s a car-penter, and there’s Paddy down the road,he’s a mason so he could put a building up.What would you do? You’d just standthere waving your hands.’ So here I amsome seventy or eighty years later, wavingmy hands still…I’ve been working withthe Metropolitan Museum [of Art] for forty-three years and I’ve becomeinvolved with Japanese, Chinese,Egyptian, Roman, all of these cultures.And when you get to know them you real-ize that they were all people, they all hadideas, they all had great hopes – they allknew how to fight wars too, which isanother problem, but they had these greatexpectations.

“What can we do with our lives to real-ly pass something worthwhile along to thenext generation and to the generationbeyond that? It’s very important to think inthose terms. And in that regard of course,America is the great hope for all of theimmigrants who came here, it filled all oftheir expectations. Let us make it the greathope for the rest of the world.”


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Celebrating the 2012 Irish America Hall of Fame

The 2012 Irish America Hall ofFame honorees were inducted inan awards ceremony on March

14th at the New York Yacht Club. Theinductees are Chairman of the AmericanIreland Fund, Loretta BrennanGlucksman; New York City PoliceCommissioner Ray Kelly; President ofQuinnipiac University, Dr. John L.Lahey; Chairman, President & CEO ofMutual of America and Chairman ofConcern Worldwide US, ThomasMoran; and renowned architect KevinRoche. Each of the honorees and speak-ers had different gems of insight, thanksand humor to share. Enjoy these briefexcerpts from their speeches:

The 2012 IrishAmerica Hall ofFame inductees:John Lahey, Tom Moran,Loretta BrennanGlucksman,KevinRoche and Ray Kelly.

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Irish America publisher Niall O’Dowdpresents Commissioner Ray Kelly witha Certificate of Irish Heritage. Thecertificate is an official recognition bythe Irish government of those whoare proud of their Irish ancestors andtheir own Irish heritage.

The Irish Spirit

TheCertificate

of IrishHeritage

Ireland’s Minister for SocialProtection Joan Burton with BrianStack, President of CIE Tours.

2011 Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Kevin Cahill, 2012inductee Kevin Roche and Consul General NoelKilkenny.

2011 Irish America Business 100 honorees Thomas Coddand Kieran Claffey, of PwC, with Hall of Fame inducteeTom Moran.

Above left: Patricia Harty and Business 100honoree John Concannon, fourth-generationvintner at Concannon Vineyard. Above: DavidMcCoy of the House of Waterford Crystal,honoree Dr. John Lahey, and Niall O'Dowd.Left: Dr. Garrett O'Connor and his wife,actress Fionnula Flanagan.

Sean Reidy, CEO of the Dunbrody visitor center, where the Irish AmericaHall of Fame has its home, and Irish Senator Jim Walsh, present honoreeTom Moran with the House of Waterford Crystal Colleen Bowl.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly with Irish-American hero cops KevinBrennan and Kevin Herlihy.

In another presentation at the Hall of Fame awards, Arthur and

Barbara Gelb, co-authors of O’Neill: Life with Monte Cristo, the definitive

biography of Eugene O’Neill,were given Irish America’s Spirit of Ireland

Award. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd spoke of the Gelbs

in her inimitable fashion: “My mom always said that the Jews and theIrish had an affinity. Not only the corned beef, not only the guilt, notonly the history of persecution. It as also that we both believed, asthey said of Scaramouch, that we were born with the gift of laugh-ter and a sense that the world was mad.... I met the glorious, glam-orous Gelbs when I came to the Times. And they made my life somuch richer, as they have the lives of everyone who was luckyenough to meet them – the luck of the Irish. More than anyone elseI know, Barbara and Arthur Gelb deserve the Spirit of Ireland Awardbecause for 55 years they have lived inside the head of EugeneO’Neill. And that is a very scary place to be!”

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People find different ways to dealwith their struggles. Mary Finlaysonwrote down her worries, concerns,

hopes and prayers and placed them in a“God box.” And as the saying goes, likemother, like daughter. Finlayson’s daugh-ter, Mary Lou Quinlan, also learned to dealwith her struggles through writing. In com-ing to terms with the loss of her mother,Quinlan wrote her new book The God Box:Sharing My Mother’s Gift of Faith, Loveand Letting Go.

The term “God box” was a common onein Mary Lou’s life – she always knew thather mother kept one. After retiring toFlorida in 1986, Finlayson typed out herfirst prayer of this kind to God: “DearLord, Protect my good health – my eyes –my family – my dear husband. Protect Jackin decisions in his job. Protect Marylouand Joe in their jobs, and especially a deci-sion on buying this house in New Hope.Thank you for all our blessings. You arewith us always. Love, Mary.” She foldedthe small piece of paper and placed it in alittle box, which she dubbed her “Godbox.” Finlayson’s well-worn phrasebecame “I’ll put it in the God box” when-ever Quinlan or her brother, Jack, hadexpressed concern over something. In thebook, Mary Lou recalls how just hearingthat phrase made her feel as though hermother, who lived miles away in Florida,was hugging her.

Those spiritual hugs of sort continuedeven after her mother’s death from a strokein 2006. On the night before her mother’sfuneral, Mary Lou, Jack and her father,Ray, were all sitting in the family room,when Jack suddenly asked, “Where’sMom’s God box?”

That night they found not just one Godbox, but seven.

“We turned the boxes upside down andhundreds of notes tumbled out,” saidQuinlan. “We were stunned. We were face-to-face with every molehill and mountainof our family’s life dating back twentyyears…Mom had left behind a diary of ourfamily’s life, her love letter to us in a thou-sand pieces.”

Mary Lou then took these notes andturned them into a book. Though she is the

author of two previous books on market-ing, What She's Not Telling You and TimeOff for Good Behavior, writing The GodBox was a different, more personal chal-lenge. But like every successful journey, itwas both difficult and rewarding.

“It was hard, because I had to get it right,for Mom,” Quinlan said.“She was an incrediblycompassionate woman,always concerned witheveryone else. This time, itwas her turn. And it washarder because I had to digdown to some of the saddestmemories of losing her, los-ing Dad. I admit I cried a lot

during the process. It was also morerewarding than writing my business-ori-ented books because I found a way tohonor this marvelous mother and her tradi-tion of keeping a God Box. I am alreadyhearing stories from readers who are somoved by the book and now starting theirown God Boxes.”

Quinlan spent two decades in the adver-tising and marketing business. In 1999, shestarted her own business called Just Ask aWoman, through which she helps compa-nies market to women in a personal andstrategic manner. This also allowed her theopportunity to branch out into publicspeaking, television work and writing.

There is no doubt that Quinlan’s successhas a strong foundation in how she wasraised and supported by her mother. MaryFinlayson instilled in her daughter themeaning of an Irish work ethic and strongfaith – “I am fourth-generation Irish,” saidQuinlan .

The God boxes were Mary Finlayson'sway of taking life’s concerns and troublesand placing them in God's hands. It was aphysical manifestation of her great belief.As Mary Lou recounts, her mother rarelymissed a Sunday Mass. When first settlingdown, she and Ray chose a working-classCatholic neighborhood of Philadelphia.

She sent Mary Lou and Jackto Catholic school. She hada great deal of respect fornuns.

“Her letters reveal anincredibly personal andhonest relationship withGod, like a friend,” saidQuinlan. “They were likepen pals, one-way pen pals.Mom also used to call theSisters of St. Joseph inPhiladelphia to talk through

what was on her mind and ask for theirprayers. In Florida, in retirement, shebefriended a small monastery of cloisteredsisters in Ft. Myers, the Poor Clares.”

Mary Finlayson had a background as asecretary (her claim to fame was workingat the Philadelphia Navy Yard for RichardNixon.) This led to almost all of her Godbox notes being written in a clipped, secre-tarial style. Many of them read along thelines of: “Please help Dad get his speechback 100 percent” or “Please help myneighbor Rachel.”

A common theme in all of Mary’s writ-ten prayers is how often she thought aboutother people over herself. Her family washer greatest concern, but she also dedicat-ed prayers to acquaintances or people shebriefly knew.

In the book, Quinlan describes her as“the empathetic ‘everymother’ whose sup-port came with no strings.”

Accordingly, proceeds from the book’ssales are going towards the AmericanCancer Society. In addition, Quinlan isworking on a play in conjunction with thebook.

“I'm working very hard on this and lov-ing every minute, and have watched audi-ences go through the emotional rolle-coaster along with me and Mom. What athrill! Mom would love it!”

– Molly Ferns

The God BoxA Mother’s Prayers,

Remembered by Her Daughter

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The inaugural John Ford IrelandFilm Symposium will take place inDublin over four days, June 7-10.

The symposium’s screenings, talks andevents will center on Ford’s own films, inaddition to other films and filmmakersinspired by his work and legacy.

Ford, whose parents wereborn in the west of Ireland,directed 137 films throughouthis prolific career, includingThe Searchers, The Grapes ofWrath, Fort Apache, RioGrande, Stagecoach, The ManWho Shot Liberty Valance,How Green Was My Valley,and The Quiet Man, whichwas said to be his most per-sonal film. He revolutionizedthe Western genre and provid-ed an important perspective on portrayingIreland in film. He still holds the recordfor winning the most Oscars work as adirector.

Ford was the first recipient of theAmerican Film Institute’s LifetimeAchievement Award, and received thePresidential Medal of Freedom for hiswar documentaries during his World War

II American Navy service. In conjunctionwith the John Ford Symposium, the IrishFilm and Television Association hasfounded an award in his name, to honorworld-renowned filmmakers who havefollowed in his footsteps. Clint Eastwoodwas named as the first recipient.

The program willinclude public screeningsof Ford’s films – both pop-ular and rare. Highlightswill include a screening tocelebrate the 60th anniver-sary of The Quiet Man,with special guestsMaureen O’Hara, JohnFord’s grandson Dan Ford,and Redmond Morris, sonof Quiet Man producerLord Killanin; a public

interview and master class with leg-endary Oscar-nominated director PeterBogdanovich, who knew Ford; a keynoteaddress by film historian JosephMcBride, biographer of Ford, StephenSpielberg and Orson Welles; and a slewof other screenings and panel discus-sions.

IFTA Chief Executive Áine Moriarty

said, “Ford’s films have always connectedwith and continue to resonate with ordi-nary people around the world. He was agreat storyteller but moreover he was amaster filmmaker who has influenced somany of cinema’s great filmmakers today.The Academy is proud that this annualFord Film Symposium will now be held inIreland each year.”

Jimmy Deenihan, Ireland’s Minister forArts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, said, “Ianticipate a tremendous excitement withinIreland’s film industry with the establish-ment of this initiative – and I look forwardto welcoming film communities and theextensive Irish Diaspora across the globewho have been inspired by the incrediblework of John Ford.” – S.L.

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Fr. Flanagan, the Irish Catholic priest who founded the famous

Boys Town orphanage, has been named a Servant of God, a

designation that officially places him on the path to sainthood.

Edward J. Flanagan was born in Roscommon in 1886, immi-

grated to the United States in 1904, and was ordained as a priest

in 1912. He established the Father Flanagan’s Boys Home in

Nebraska in 1917. Founded upon Fr. Flanagan’s belief that kind-

ness, understanding, hard work and a supportive home environ-

ment could work wonders in a child’s life, the home eventually

expanded into a much larger complex, which is today home to

boys, girls and families in need of help. A 1938 movie titled BoysTown starred Spencer Tracy as Fr. Flanagan in a moving dramatiza-

tion.Tracy an Oscar for best actor.

Following WWII, at the request of President Truman, Fr.

Flanagan toured Europe to visit orphaned children of the war.

While there, he went through Ireland and was openly critical of

the condition of many facilities for young people. Before he

could return to the U.S., he died of a heart attack in Berlin in

1948.

It was announced in February that the archdiocese of Omaha,

Nebraska was putting him forward for canonization.The process

began on March 17, when George Lucas, Archbishop of Omaha,

opened the cause for sainthood at Immaculate Conception

Church, the site of Father Flanagan’s tomb at Boys Town.

The process for sainthood originates in the archdiocese, then

proceeds to the Congregation of the Causes of Saints in Rome

and to the pope. In order to be qualified as a saint, at least two

miracles associated with the person must have occurred and

be confirmed. – S.L.For more information and updates about Fr. Flanagan’s path

towards sainthood, visit www.fatherflanagan.org

Father Flanagan On the Path to Sainthood

Director John Ford Celebratedwith Irish Symposium

John Ford andMaureen O’Hara

in Ireland

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“It is inconceivable that in the 21stcentury we don’t understand theimportance of the unmet needs of family planning. When I heardthat story of the Georgetowngraduate student who was called a ‘slut,’ it reminded me of what I was called in 1971 in Ireland.”

– Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, as told to Ubspectrum.com.

QuoteUnquote


{hibernia}

“Apple was a pioneer of an accounting technique known as the‘Double Irish with a Dutch Sandwich,’ which reduces taxes by rout-ing profits through Irish subsidiaries and the Netherlands and then tothe Caribbean. Today, that tactic is used by hundreds of other corpo-rations – some of which directly imitated Apple’s methods, sayaccountants at those companies…Because of a quirk in Irish law, ifthe Irish subsidiary is controlled by managers elsewhere, like theCaribbean, then the profits can skip across the world tax-free.”

– From a New York Times article on Sunday, April 29, chroniclingApple’s strategies for avoiding taxes, one of which is the “Double Irishwith a Dutch Sandwich.” Above, the Apple headquarters in Co. Cork.

“He was much more thanjust a great military leader.He had many different hats and his political andadministrative skills tend tobe a lot more overlooked.”

– Gabriel Doherty, a lecturer at UniversityCollege Cork, on Michael Collins being named

Britain’s second greatest foe, trailing GeorgeWashington. Collins won 21% of the vote in the

National Army Museum’s online poll.

“We in our time have experienced the sense of cri-sis that occurs when something deemed unsinkable– in our case a speculative economy – is confound-ed not only by circumstance and error but by thehubris that accompanied belief in what proved to bean irrational version of the economic.”

– Irish President Michael Higgins speaking in thetown of Cobh, at the Titanic Centenary tribute.

“If you throw a stick inIreland,chances areyou’ll hit apoet or a writer.”

– Writer Kevin Barry at areading of his novel, City of

Bohane, in New York City.

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By Michael P. Quinlin

Honey Fitz, aka John FrancisFitzgerald, would have loved thepageantry of “Fenway 100,” thecelebration of Boston’s Fenway

Park on April 20, 2012. The grandfather of President John F.

Kennedy would have especially relishedthe sight of his descendants, CarolineKennedy and Tom Fitzgerald, tossing outthe ceremonial first pitches at this cente-nary game, as Honey Fitz himself did acentury earlier as Mayor of Boston.

Back then, in the early 20th century,Fenway was a brand new park full ofpromise and possibility, much like theunfolding Kennedy-Fitzgerald saga itself.“Eager to be tried,” as poet Robert Frostwrote about young President Kennedy atthe 1961 inauguration.

And now, a century later, Fenway hasindeed stood the test of time, avoiding thewrecking ball that beset so many otherparks, and ultimately enduring as thenation’s oldest professional baseball park.

The Fenway 100 celebration, so exquis-itely nostalgic and sentimental, offeredBostonians a chance to reflect on a centu-ry of drama, disappointment and joy inthis storied ballpark, built by Charles E.Logue, an Irish immigrant from Derry.

And it offered a wistful yet poignantLast Hurrah of sorts for the Kennedy fam-ily, whose epic battles against fate, adver-sity and private demons seemed to mirrorat times the ups and downs of the hometown team itself. Like the park, the fami-ly has also endured.

The Fenway celebration was colorful,with red, white and blue bunting flutter-ing against sheets of green that distin-guish Fenway Park: over 36,000 greenseats, a pristine infield sod, and theGreen Monster wall looming out in leftfield that bedevils even the best hitters.

It was lavish, as dozens of Red Sox old-timers promenaded across the field, a cou-ple of them in wheelchairs, teary-eyedwith memories of days gone by, cheeredon by generations of fans whose loyalty toRed Sox veterans is legendary.

It was musical, thanks to the world pre-miere of “Fenway Fanfare,” an originalcomposition by conductor John Williams,performed live by the famous BostonPops Orchestra. Honey Fitz, nicknamedfor his mellifluous singing voice, wouldhave enjoyed it.

And Fenway 100 was patriotic, as twoAir Force fighter jets flew overhead as theNational Anthem was coming to an end.

These pre-game activities all led to theceremonial first pitches, as CarolineKennedy and Tom Fitzgerald, along withMayor Tom Menino, stood in the firstbase box seats, waiting for their turn to bea part of history.

Fitzgerald tossed his baseball to RedSox Hall-of-Famer Carl Yastrzemski,eliciting a cheer from the crowd. The 77-year-old retired teacher was the oldestgrandson of Honey Fitz, and oftenaccompanied his famous grandfather tothe park, he writes in his touching mem-oir, Grandpa Stories. Next, MayorMenino tossed his ball to Red Sox greatJim Rice.

The Red Sox and the City of Boston celebrate the 100th anniversaryof one of America’s most beloved ballparks.

Honey Fitz and Sweet Caroline – A Century of Fenway

PH

OTO

CO

URT

ESY

OF JFK

LIB

RA

RY.

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Finally, Caroline Kennedy, theintensely private public figure whohas shouldered the Kennedy legacywith style and grace, lobbed a left-handed toss to Red Sox star CarltonFisk, who somehow missed it andhad to chase the baseball underfootas dozens of TV photographerscaptured the light-hearted moment.Afterwards, Caroline asked Fisk toautograph the ball.

As always, Kennedy carried herselfwell, flashing the famous family grin dur-ing the seventh inning stretch as the entireball park broke into “Sweet Caroline,”which is sung at every home game, rightafter “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Itturns out that Caroline herself was theinspiration for songwriter Neil Diamond’sgreatest hit, which he penned as a strug-gling songwriter back in the 1960s.

Between the eras of Honey Fitz andSweet Caroline, other episodes linked theKennedy family and Fenway Park.Joseph P. Kennedy, father of JFK and hus-band of Rose Fitzgerald, Honey Fitz’sdaughter, tried but failed to buy the RedSox team from owner Joe Lannin, accord-ing to David L. Fleitz in his excellentbook, The Irish in Baseball.

President Kennedy was a Red Sox fantoo, and like Honey Fitz, he knew how tomix politics and sports. After World WarII, John attended a Red Sox vs. DetroitTigers game in 1946, a gaunt, recoveringwar hero running his very first campaignfor Congress. He posed for a photo withRed Sox great Ted Williams and playersfrom both teams. It was the start of his

public life in the limelight.As president, Kennedy was

invited to throw out the firstpitch in 1962, when Fenwaycelebrated its 50th anniver-sary. It was a grand occasion,featuring saxophonist SamDonahue and the famousTommy Dorsey Band per-forming songs from 1912, aswell as a cast of old-time Red

Sox players like Duffy Lewis and SmokeyJoe Wood. But JFK declined, optinginstead to attend a family reunion in PalmBeach, according to The Boston Globe.

Sadly, JFK’s opening day at FenwayPark didn’t arrive until April 17, 1964, butby then it was more like a memorial serv-ice to the assassinated president, who haddied the previous November. But even so,there was a comforting pomp and circum-stance to the game – Boston Red Sox vs.Chicago White Sox – that helped to heal agrieving city.

Tom Yawkey, president of the Sox,announced that he would donate the entireproceeds of opening day ticket sales,about $50,000, to the Kennedy MemorialLibrary Fund which ultimately led to theJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library &Museum. Yawkey gave the first 6,000ticket buyers a commemorative, newlyminted, JFK half dollar.

It was a moving ceremony. PresidentKennedy’s brothers Bobby and Ted andsisters Jean Smith and Patricia Lawfordattended, along with Joe Cronin, presidentof the American League; baseball legendStan Musial, head of JFK’s Physical

Fitness Program; Mayor John Collins; andboxers Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney.Robert Kennedy, who was U.S. AttorneyGeneral at the time, threw out the firstpitch in his brother’s memory.

Senator Ted Kennedy, too, would havea chance to throw out the first pitch of aRed Sox season, in the opening gameagainst the Tampa Bay Rays on April 8,2009, just four months before he died ofbrain cancer. Flashing his signature grin,and weak from his treatments, the senatormanaged to throw the ball just severalfeet, but landed it right into the glove ofJim Rice. Ted later told friends and fami-ly that it was the one of the best days of hislife.

That sentiment – of a ball park beingcentral not to just the good times, but tothe best times of one’s life – is a commonnotion here in New England, as it is forfans all across the country where baseballevokes a nostalgia that is beautiful and bit-tersweet.

Fenway Park is glorious not justbecause it survived the ravishes of time,resisted the demands of progress, andweathered the disappointments of RedSox fans, one generation after the next,these past 100 years. The glory of FenwayPark is that it continues to evoke thepromise of better days to come, of staginga comeback after repeated defeats, of tak-ing a shot at the biggest prize of all. It’sabout singing Sweet Caroline at the top ofyour lungs during the seventh inningstretch, “good times never seemed sogood,” with 36,000 baseball fans, no mat-ter who is winning the game.

FAR LEFT: JFK withbat at Fenway,April, 1946. ABOVE: Hand-waving HoneyFitz, opening dayat Fenway Park.To his left are thepark’s builders (l-r)James E.McLaughlin, architect; Frank C.Osborn, engineer,and Charles E.Logue, contractor.

IA

Caroline Kennedy throwing inthe ball at the Fenway 100Celebration.

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Walk the mythic, rugged steps of the Giant’s Causewayand roam amongst the ghosts of the Titanic. Embrace

Belfast's nightlife at some of Europe's best restaurants.Take in the festi-

vals, the music and the vibrant new face of Northern Ireland in 2012.

Northern Ireland 2012 is a yearlong celebration of a place unlike any

other. It’s a packed calendar of stunning museum openings and attractions,

sporting events and festivals. Cross the fabled Carrick-a-rede Rope

Bridge and explore the Old Bushmills distillery. Experience some of

Europe's finest dining one night, then pop into a pub for some tradition-

al Irish music the next.There was never a better time to see it all firsthand!

Titanic Belfast Opens Since its opening on March 31, 2012, over

40,000 visitors have been transported to

early 20th century Belfast, visiting the ship-

yards and the iconic grand staircase of the

majestic and tragic RMS Titanic. Ghostly

projections of actors recreate a first-class

cabin experience as well as recreations of

the humble third-class quarters populate the

six stories of interactive galleries and

exhibits-an experience like no other

through the long fabled tale of the Titanic.

Visitors relive the journey of the massive

ship, with interactive floors designed to

transport visitors to the booming Belfast

where Titanic was born, on to full-scale

reconstructions of the actual building of the

ship, to grand windows depicting the his-

toric day Titanic launched from Ireland's

northern shores and lastly to the oceanic

decayed views of Titanic in her ultimately

tragic resting place. This year marksthe Centenary Anniversary of thatill-fated voyage, and Titanic Belfastoffers the most complete andpotent walk through the shockinglyshort life of the Titanic, from the state-

of-the-art industrial shipyard to the unparal-

leled glamor of what had been known as the

grandest ship in the world.

The Irish OpenA banner year for golf fans, after almost 60

years, the Irish Open will be returningfor the first time to NorthernIreland.Witness the best competitors in

the world, including Northern Ireland's own

homegrown champions Rory McIlroy, Darren

Clarke and Graeme McDowell at the Royal

Portrush from June 28 through July 1.

Situated on the Northern

Causeway Coast, the Royal

Portrush's 36-hole course

boasts of valleys and sandhills

that create unprecedented

challenges and unrivaled natural

beauty.

The Giant’sCausewayAs the summer winds down, a

trip to the coast of Antrim to

see one of Ireland’s most spectacular mar-

vels of nature is essential. The Giant’sCauseway, an area of interlockingbasalt columns, clothed in ancientmyth and modern wonder, will bedebuting its new visitor center onAugust 20.The breathtaking views and

mysterious hexagonal columns attract visi-

tors from all over the world to explore the

wonder of the Northern coast.

Halloween Festival in Derry/LondonderryThere is no grander celebration of All

Hallows Eve than the Halloween festivalin the great walled city ofDerry/Londonderry. Experience the

autumn festivities with elaborate costumes

painting the city with a flash of color and

fireworks that simply cannot be missed.

2012NorthernIreland

Brought to you by Tourism Ireland

Photos,from top:

The Carrick-a-rede Rope

Bridge,Giant’s

Causeway,City Hall inBelfast, and

the Halloweenfesitval

parade inDerry/

Londonderry

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Landscapes of the

Ibegan to work as a freelance photographic assistant

in New York City twenty years ago. It was a wonder-

ful opportunity but I could not settle, and eventually

I returned to Ireland. What I did not know then, but

I know now, is just how powerful a draw the Irish

countryside has for me.

A short while after I returned, I borrowed my father’s car

and went to the west to take my first serious landscape

photographs.For the next ten years, I continued to take trips

mainly to the west of Ireland and combined them with a

career working as an advertising photographer. Eventually, I

made the decision to set up my own gallery and sell limited

edition prints to support my ongoing project to capture the

landscape the way I saw it when I first returned from the U.S.

One of the most popular images in my gallery today,

“Tree Lake,” was taken on that first trip. It was the first

image I put in the window of my gallery, the first image I

sold in my gallery, and coincidentally, the night after I took

that image, I stayed in a room over a pub in Kenmare that

is directly opposite where my gallery is now.

I have worked the same way since I began taking land-

scapes. I spend a lot of time researching a location, decid-

ing on composition and what I need in terms of light, wind

direction, cloud, mist, fog, and rain. All of the different

weather conditions affect the final image. I work exclusive-

ly on film and use a large format 4x5 wooden field camera.

The intricacies and the challenges of working with film

make the images more special. – Eoghan Kavanagh

Landscapes of the

Photographer Eoghan Kavanagh

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TOP: This is Allihies, a village on theBeara Peninsula. As they do in lots ofvillages in Ireland, the people herepaint their houses in different brightcolors. I really wanted to bring thisout in the image and that’s why Iwanted the dark sky. I also like theway the houses are dotted in thelandscape. You can get a real senseof scale when there is a house in animage. It is one of my newest imagesand it was in the planning stages forover a year before all the variablescame together to create the perfectscene for me. It is a strangely color-

ful place and I wanted that stormysky, which invariably comes withflashes of light as the clouds open upfor a short period of time.

ABOVE: These three images are ofthe same Hawthorn tree at LoughBrinn. Five years elapsed betweenthe first one, taken in the fall, andthe last one in the winter, and youcan see the branches of the treehave gotten a little bigger. I aminterested in the passage of time asit affects the landscape. We got anearly snow that winter, so you can

see the red berries peeping through,as if it had been decorated forChristmas. There are lots of mythsthat surround the Hawthorn treeand it is considered extremely badluck to break even a branch. When Iphotographed the tree in summer itwas as if it was lit with a halo oflight. I took four days to shoot theimage as I wanted the flowers attheir maximum bloom. The fallimage was taken after a very mildwinter and an unusually wet sum-mer. I have not since seen so manyberries on the tree.



TOP: The Skellig Islands. I like tophotograph that line that marks thesky from the sea. It is, in fact, how Icame up with the name “Skyline” formy gallery. This image was shot on aday when the clouds were flying byin a very strong north westerly windand it was just a matter of setting upthe camera and waiting for a fewhours for the light to approach. Thisis as close as I have gotten to theislands – I took this photograph fromthe mainland – however I do haveplans for a three-day trip soon. Livingin Kerry has been a great thing forme and has given me the chance tocapture some amazing images.People have a hard time believingmy photos are not retouched, but itis not a difficult thing to do if youwatch the weather, know what youare doing, and where you are going.

ABOVE: The Healy Pass on the BearaPeninsula has been photographedmany times and it is very importantto me that my work does not repli-cate what has been done before.

This image was made on a typicallymisty day that offered just the occa-sional bright patch of blue, whichgave me the contrast I needed to liftthe detail in the mountain road. Ilove the way the road curves andthen disappears into the mist. It isone of my favorite images and itproves that bad weather days aresometimes the best days to makelandscapes. If you only take photo-graphs on nice days all your imageswill look like everyone else's.

RIGHT: “Tree Lake.” Sometimes ittakes years before I am actuallyhappy with an image, but this is oneof the first images that I capturedon my return from the U.S. It wastaken in Killarney National Park andI have not since come across such aperfect scene. It was a calm, frostymorning, the light was just up and itwas still quite dark. The later imagesfrom this shoot look totally different– all frosty and blue with a brightblue sky, but the mood of this darkmorning is what I like.

For more information on Eoghan Kavanagh’s photography

or to purchase prints, go tohttp://skyline.ie or visit

Skyline Gallery, 27 Henry Street,Kenmare, Co. Kerry. Tel: 064-664-8621.

E-mail: [email protected]



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George Clooney has nothing to prove as an actorand he knows it. It’s part of what makes himsuch a pleasant and relaxed interview – quickwith the self-effacing jokes, interested in thewider world beyond where he now sits, at home

in his own skin. At 51, he is aging beautifully and hasmore mischief in him than people half his age. If all thecharm, the intelligence, the wit and the chivalry is all anact – which after interviewing him six times by now, Idon’t believe it can be – it’s a damn good one. What yousee with George Timothy Clooney is what you get.

“I’m not out trying to prove anything. I’m sort of fin-ished with that, so I get to play in other sandboxes and tryand figure out what I like and I’m interested in,” he says.“When my Aunt Rosemary said that later in her life shecould sing better than ever, even though she could nolonger hit or reach every note, she said to me that she wasa better singer then because she didn’t have to prove any-thing and she could relax. I sort of feel the same.”

Notwithstanding the fact that he hit the half centurymark in May of last year, Clooney appears to be gettingcooler and even more relaxed with age. Take his wheelsfor example; these days he’d prefer the comfort of a mini-van over a sports car and his nonchalance has a way ofmaking that cool too.

“In LA, I have two cars and two motorcycles. In Italy, Ihave three motorcycles because other people want to rideand you can’t ride them all at the same time. When you’reyoung you’re into sports cars and shit like that and it real-ly does matter. But now in Italy, we pull up to the Villad’Este Hotel and I’m in a minivan! I lost all my cool –straight out the window!” he laughs. “After a while, youjust want transportation, and things like cool cars or

motorcycles are all about getting attention. I get all theattention I could ever need, so I kind of like being in aminivan and people not paying so much attention to me.”

The long-planned trip to Ireland he said he was finallygoing to take, will be a tour of the country by motorbike.“It’s finally happening,” he told me, grinning broadly. “Iran into Bono in Toronto, who was in town for the docu-mentary about U2, and he’s as much of a bike nut as I am.He started telling me about lots of cool places I shouldcheck out, so I’ve committed to going.”

The actor makes frequent and fond references to hisIrish roots and his Catholic upbringing. Clooney has Irishroots on both sides of the family, but most of his greenblood comes paternally. His father’s great-great-grandfa-ther Nicholas Clooney, came from County Kilkenny.

The name Clooney is an anglicized version of theGaelic O’Cluanaigh, which translates as a descendant ofClugnach, meaning a rogue or a flatterer. His father’smother’s maiden name, meanwhile, was Guilfoyle.

“I’ve been in Dublin before, but never with my folks,”said Clooney. “My dad went to Ireland two years ago andfound a town called Clooney. When he told them hisname, he said everyone insisted on buying him drinks andhe got smashed and had a great time!”

Growing up the son of the well-known and respectedjournalist and broadcaster Nick Clooney formed much ofthe character which makes George Clooney the man he istoday. Seeing celebrity up close through his father and hisaunt Rosemary, made him recognize the traps of fame, butit also imbued in him the sense of justice and fairness whichhas led him to become involved in various political issues.

“My father was and is a great journalist. Thirty yearsago, I was studying broadcasting in college and the prob-

The perennial leading man talks with Patricia Danaher about his Irish roots, gettingolder, and his passion for activism.

SeriousGeorge


lem was I wasn’t nearly as good as my father. I wasn’t asquick or as smart as my old man, and I realized it wouldbe a long time before I was ever going to be, and I decid-ed to do something else. My uncle was Jose Ferrer theactor and he got me a part as an extra in a movie he wasin. After that I got in my ’76 Monte Carlo and drove to LAto be an actor and I got lucky, quite honestly.

“My parents were disappointed I didn’t finish collegeand they were really upset when I went to Hollywood tobecome an actor. I was a big disappointment to them. Myfather used to write me long letters for about seven oreight years, which I still have, where he used to say‘knock this off and get a real job.’ That was the first timethey felt ashamed of me. But we are really close.

“I’ve been lucky to be in a few films that will last. I’vemade some turkeys along the way, some dumb choices,but luckily that was early in my career when peopleweren’t paying attention!”

Currently writing, directing and producing a slew ofnew movies, on top of this year’s Golden Globe win forThe Descendants, Clooney’s intelligence and appetite fora wide range of topics is once again on display. One of hisupcoming movies is called Enron, which probably needsno explanation, and another called Hardan v Rumsfeld,whose title also says it all. His next directorial feature,The Boys from Belmont, is lighter fare about the reunionof a gang of thieves who get together to finish off a jobthey started seven years earlier.

Using his fame as leverage for creating awareness aboutpolitical issues is one of the ways in which he evens outthe toll of living in the glare of publicity. His March arrestin Washington, D.C. on the grounds of the SudaneseEmbassy, was a clearly planned publicity stunt to drawattention to what is happening in South Sudan.

“Probably the thing I am most proud of is beinginvolved with places and issues [and people] who mightnot otherwise have had their voices heard. I have all thisattention on me, which I’ve been able to deflect to Darfurand South Sudan and people who could use it. Thetelethons and the things like that, that we’ve been able toput together, I’m proud of these things. Being able to takesomething that’s going well for you, and deflecting it onto other people, those are real successes.

“I have a lot of things I want to get done and I don’treally have a lot of time. The best advice my AuntRosemary gave me was ‘Don’t wake up at 65 and saywhat you should have done.’ I think that’s a smart pieceof advice. She also told me never to mix wine and vodkaand that’s a lesson I forgot to take last night!”

Given that he has crossed the half century mark, has hegiven any thought to plans for after his death?

“I tried to donate my liver, but no one would take it!Imagine how disappointed I was! We have a thing in theU.S. where you check a box on your driver’s license todonate an organ. I really think it should be the other wayaround. I think you should automatically donate your

Left: Clooney andShailene Woodley in The Descendants.

Right: Clooney and his father, Nick, were arrested on March 16that a protest outside theSudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C.

“Probably the thing I am most proud ofis being involved with places and issues [and people] who might not otherwise have had their voices heard.”




organs because that would turn the balance of organ donation in a huge way. I would donate whatever anybodywould take and I’d probably do the cremation bit. I don’t really like the idea of getting stuck in a box. I havethese best friends of mine, I put them all in my will and Isaid I would give them each some ashes and some moneyand have them take me on a trip somewhere I’ve never seenbefore. It wouldn’t be such a bad way to see the world!”

Clooney’s love life and the seeming never-ending succes-sion of 20-something-year-old girlfriends is an endless stapleof the tabloids. He quickly replaced his Italian girlfriend oftwo years standing, Elisabetta Canellis, with Stacey Kiebler(31), a wrestler turned model. When I try to ahem, wrestle acomment out of him about his latest flame, he pounces.

“I knew it was coming!” he laughs. “Some of the sneakyquestions about this topic are often disguised in seriousquestions like, ‘this thing in Darfur is so sad with thesechildren,’ and you go, ‘oh yes,’ and then they go, ‘have you

ever wanted to have children?’ They think if you sneak itthrough the serious stuff, I’ve got to answer. I’ve foundthat answering these questions has never been beneficial tome in any way. It’s beneficial to people selling magazinesand newspapers, but not to me. So I always avoid them.”

Back to politics, where he’s more at home, he’s firmlybacking Obama in the fall. He just used the phone and hisextensive database of the powerful and wealthy to organizea fundraising dinner at his home in Studio City, LosAngeles on May 9, which raised $15 million for the re-election campaign.

“It’s very easy for people to be critical of PresidentObama’s first term, but let’s face it, he didn’t exactly inher-it the country in the best shape. I’m a lifelong Democratand I get very impatient when I hear people criticize thePresident because he didn’t fulfill all their wishesovernight. I’ll die a Democrat. But let’s hope that won’t beany time soon.” IA



When we meet at hisgarment districtshowroom on anafternoon in earlyApril, it’s clear thatDon O’Neill, cre-ative director of thefledgling couture

label Theia, is still basking in the glow ofhis first solo runway show duringFebruary’s New York Fashion Week. Theshow, like his Fall 2012 collection, was astudy in elegance and strength, with arange of looks inspired by the Greek god-dess Athena. The finely tuned drama of thecollection’s dark colors, sharp angles andstructured tailoring was enhanced by thecrystal bejeweled headpieces donned byeach of the models.

“I really wanted to do something specialby New York standards, because in NewYork a lot of the fashion shows – not all,but a majority of them – tend to be veryclean and very simple,” he explains. “It’sjust about showing product, it’s not neces-

sarily about a fantasy, which is a moreEuropean way of showing, and I justthought ‘Feck it! I want to do fantasy andI want to create a character and tell a story.’And that’s what I did.”

With a résumé that includes working inthe atelier of Christian Lacroix, ten yearswith New York-based evening-weardesigner Carmen Marc Valvo and threeyears at the helm of the Badgley Mischkadiffusion label, Badgley MischkaPlatinum, O’Neill, a youthful 45, is some-thing of a fashion veteran. But Theia,which was founded in 2009, marks a hugeturning point in his career: his own label.“It was a dream come true,” he says. “Ithink every designer, when you go todesign college, assumes that one dayyou’ll just have your label and be havingfashion shows, and you think that it willhappen sooner rather than later – mine wasjust a little later rather than sooner.”

O’Neill grew up in the small seasidetown of Ballyheigue in Co. Kerry, wherehis family ran seaweed baths and currently

owns a popular bed and breakfast. Perchedon a clifftop overlooking the water, theO’Neills’ home was surrounded with plen-ty to inspire a young mind. There was acastle across the road (“Where else wouldyou have a castle?” O’Neill asks) with oldwaste tunnels running through the hillside,where lost silver was rumored to be buried.The masts of a sea-wrecked Spanishgalleon were still just visible off shore, andthe ruins of an ancient church that pre-dated the shoreline were said to be out atsea, causing a permanent white-crestedwave on the horizon. “It was very fantasti-cal,” he says fondly. “You believed thateverything was magic, and there wasenough around you to engender this sparkthat mystical things were possible.”

Between this rich imaginative landscapeand his mother’s excellent dress collection,O’Neill’s interest in fashion formed at anearly age. His mother, who had worked asa nanny in New York in 1963 and ’64, hada number of Bergdorf Goodman dressesfrom her former employer, a Park Avenue

An IrishDesigner

in New York

Don O’Neill, creative director of the up-and-coming label Theia, reflects on hisjourney from a small seaside town in Co. Kerry to the fashion houses ofLondon, Paris and New York, and finally, a showroom of his own.Interview by Sheila Langan

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socialite. “As a little kid I was fascinatedby those dresses,” he recalls. “It even gotto the stage where Mom wasn’t wearingthem anymore, but they were so specialthat she kept them.” He also mentions astore in nearby Ballybunion, “for ladies inthe know.” It carried pieces by IbJorgensen, a Danish designer based inDublin, who was Ireland’s premier cloth-ier at the time. “All of his clothes werehandmade and very expensive, so it wasamazing to get your hands on them. I can’tbelieve those women even sold them, tome they’d be like collector’s items.”

A bigger realization came when he was12 or 13 and saw a TV documen-tary on Karl Lagerfeld, who wasthen at Chloé. “This sounds sonaïve when I look back at it, but Ivividly remember two dresses. Onehad a faucet embroidered on theshoulder and beading like waterrunning down the front of the dress.And then the finale dress was along, black gown with what lookedlike a tail behind it. [The model’s]hands were by her sides, and thenall of a sudden she flicked herwrists and a peacock tail flipped upover her head. That image stayed inmy head, and I knew I would loveto do that. I didn’t know why orhow, but it just stuck.”

He didn’t turn to fashion imme-diately. After an ill-fated interviewto join the Irish Air Corps (he con-fused the plane models the corpsused with X-Wing Fighters fromStar Wars) quelled his desire tobecome a pilot, O’Neill went to college inDublin – vacillating between graphicdesign and fashion. Homesick, hereturned to Kerry after three months andstarted training to be a chef. Showingpromise, O’Neill was asked to join theIrish junior team for the 1985 CulinaryOlympics. A team demonstration for theIrish media in Dublin landed his photo-graph on the front page of the Irish Times– he cut his finger de-boning a chicken,and the photographer snapped a shot ofO’Neill holding up his bloody hand.

In the meantime, he was always sketch-ing in his culinary books, “in the marginsand the corners there were always gowns.I never really thought about changing

careers, this was just something that I didwhen I was doodling.”

But fashion came calling again afterO’Neill had started working at a restaurantin Galway. The Irish Independent was run-ning a fashion design contest, and the sec-ond prize was a MichaelMortell coat O’Neillthought would lookamazing on his youngersister, Deirdre. He sub-mitted a dress he haddesigned for Deirdre’s

graduation, and it won – notsecond prize, but first prize:tuition to the BarbaraBourke College of Fashionin Dublin.

After graduating withrecognition (his final collec-tion was in the window ofone of Dublin’s poshestdepartment stores for aweek), O’Neill moved toLondon. He lived in the veryIrish neighborhood ofKilburn, but was determined not to get toocozy there. Gina Fratini, whose elaborateball gowns were favored among the royals,took him on as an intern and let him

design. He worked with Donald Campbellat his studio in Knightsbridge, where hegot a taste of a different perspective.“Donald made real dresses for real Britishcountry ladies who needed sleeves andnecklines up to here, skirt lengths down to

here, and pretty fabrics.Very expensive,” heexplains.

He had been planningon moving to Paris whenhe was head-hunted towork with Lady DaleTryon – a friend of PrinceCharles, also known asKanga – whose longpolyester dresses hadbecome immensely pop-ular after Princess Dianawore one to the Live Aidconcert in 1985. His rolewas to help her expandinto couture. “She want-ed these very expensiveevening dresses andcocktail suits, which iswhat we were making,but we were spendingmoney hand over fist,” herecalls. “I would come in

to work in the morning and itwould be ‘Don, we’re on the11 a.m. flight to Paris, we’reshopping for buttons,’”which he admits sounds likean episode of the ’90s BritishTV show AbsolutelyFabulous, about fashionistasof a certain age who see noproblem with taking theConcord to New York to findthe perfect doorknob.“Everyone thought they werebeing ridiculous, but theyweren’t! They were makingfun of people like us,” helaughs.

When the label ran intofinancial trouble, O’Neillreturned to Dublin for a year tostudy pattern making andlanded a job with his child-

hood idol Ib Jorgensen, which “broughteverything full circle.” After six months,with Jorgensen’s encouragement, he headed to Paris.

Three dresses from Theia’sSpring 2012 collection.



With no French except for what heremembered from secondary school,O’Neill got off to a shaky start. “The onlyplace I could find work was at McDonalds,and since my French wasn’t very good Iwas even bad at that. I kept thinking tomyself ‘I’m a trained chef and I can’t puttogether a Big Mac?’” he says, still look-ing mildly horrified all these years later.After a few weeks, he found work at anAmerican restaurant and set about tryingto get his portfolio to the big fashion hous-es. This involved, at first, some little whitelies, which O’Neill relishes in telling,endearingly impressed by his own moxie.

He blithely showed up at Chanel andsaid that John Fairchild, the publisher ofWomen’s Wear Daily, was his godfatherand had arranged for him to see the head ofthe studio. He got into Givenchy in a sim-ilar way, and on his way out passed awoman with “brown hair in a chignon anda beautiful camel swing coat, very short.She had brown opaque tights on and whatlooked like flat crocodile ballet flats and abeautiful crocodile bag.” It was AudreyHepburn.

At Yves Saint Laurent, he told them thatPierre Berge, Saint Laurent’s partner at the

time, had said he should come in. It was alittle bit trickier getting in at YSL, herecalls, but adds that “once you’re in oneof those situations you just have to keep itgoing or you'll start thinking ‘Oh my GodI’m going to be arrested.’”

At Dior, he said that he had an interviewwith the head of the studio, and thatBernard Arnault, the president of LVMH(which owns Dior) had arranged for him tosee her. He had to wait, but it worked, andhe was taken into “the inner sanctum ofDior. She look[ed] at my book, which,since I had been in London with DonaldCampbell, had very safe, lady-like littlebits and pieces, and said ‘I think youshould throw this in the Seine. This is tooold. This is not French, this is not modern.’My face fell. She said that she saw talentbut that I needed to re-do the book with aFrench mentality. She told me to do a proj-ect for Dior and to bring it back.”

In the meantime, O’Neill began cos-tume work for a production at the Opéra deLyon. The designer in charge had workedfor Christian Lacroix for 10 years, andpromised to get O’Neill an interview withthe fashion house in exchange for his help.While there, he also met his partner of 19

years: Pascal, a dancer, with whom he nowlives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Lacroix and Dior both wound up offer-ing internships for the winter of 1993, andhe went with Lacroix, whose dramaticdesigns and fantastic runway shows pro-vided the inspiration necessary for O’Neillto expand his own vision as a designer.“Christian was really good to me, he lovedthe Irish,” O’Neill enthuses. Fluent inFrench now, he credits his clumsiness withthe “tu” and “vous” forms with – fortu-nately – endearing him to the designer,whom he was supposed to address in theformal but often didn’t. “People adoredChristian Lacroix because he treatedeverybody equally,” he explains.“Whether you were the janitor sweepingthe floor or the CEO of the company, hetreated everyone the same. There werepeople who were not so sweet or pleasantbecause they were ‘at Lacroix.’ They hadairs and graces just because of where theyworked. But he did not.”

Towards the end of the internshipO’Neill won a Morrison visa and, actingupon the advice of Lacroix’s astrologer,moved to New York. Even though he hadletters from Lacroix introducing him to


designers including Ralph Lauren, DonnaKaran and Oscar de la Renta, he had a hardtime finding work. Whereas before he hadbeen too confined in the neat style ofDonald Campbell, he was now too far intothe realm of Lacroix’s inspired but some-times impractical taste. He recalls DonnaKaran explaining to him that she wouldpare down his sketch of a jacket to such adegree that it wouldn’t be recognizable asthe same design. Oscar de la Renta offeredhim a job, but rescinded when O’Neillasked for a salary of $35,000, stating thatit was too much.

He eventually interviewed with theevening-wear designer Carmen MarcValvo: the people on the hiring team werebig fans of the show Absolutely Fabulous,which often referenced Lacroix, and want-ed to meet someone who had worked withhim. He was offered the job. “It’s reallythanks to AbFab and Lacroix that I got towork,” he laughs. O’Neill spent 10 yearswith Valvo, progressing from juniordesigner to design director.

In 2005, he got a call from JS Group, thesame company that Theia is a part of. Theywere looking for someone to head BadgleyMischka Platinum, a line based off of the

aesthetic of the design team of MarkBadgley and James Mischka, but at aslightly lower price point. “I went in for ameeting and found out that I was going tobe in charge of everything – it was justgoing to be me and a desk and a phone,finding pattern makers, cutters, sewers. Isaid ‘sure, I’d be able to do that,’ but I wasterrified.”

He recalls almost wishing that it would-n’t work out – that Valvo would insist hestay; that a former colleague he had inmind to join him wouldn’t be available.But things fortunately conspired againsthim, in his best interest. He didn’t feelquite comfortable for the first six monthsheading Badgley Mischka Platinum, but asuccessful first year proved he was capa-ble. The line’s profits greatly surpassedexpectations. An issue of Women’s WearDaily displayed one of his dresses on thecover.

One has to wonder how, having workedfor other designers for so many years,O’Neill went about forming his uniquevision for Theia when the line was found-ed in 2009.

He chose the name, taken from theGreek goddess of light, mother of Helios,

the Sun, Selene, the Moon, and Eros, thedawn. This goddess inspiration makesperfect sense with O’Neill’s philosophyas a designer, which is to “empowerwomen to be strong and fierce and beau-tiful. It’s about having that strength andinner confidence that you can take on theworld.”

His client list includes names andphysiques as diverse as Taylor Swift,Emmy Rossum, Angela Basset, CarrieUnderwood, First Lady of Ireland SabinaHiggins, and Oprah, who wore one of hissequined creations to accept her honoraryaward at the Oscars this year. Universalappeal is also a top priority. “I want every-one to feel that they can have a Theia dressand they can look amazing in it. Basically,I just want to make everyone happy.”

By all accounts, his dresses are makingpeople very happy. Over 350 stores aroundthe world, including Saks Fifth Avenueand Neiman Marcus, carry Theia, and theline has found a devoted following amongbrides-to-be, for whom O’Neill designs awhite line of dresses that range from flow-ing and ethereal to sequined and sexy.

His creative process, which can take


Opposite page: A photograph of aBallyheigue sunset andthe silk and leather dress it inspired for theFall 2012 collection. This page: Four designsfrom the Fall 2012 runway show.

Continued on to page 65



In the early 20th century, amateur athletics were viewed as a rich man’sleisure activity, a notion largely influ-enced by Victorian and Edwardianperceptions of athleticism.

At the time, amateur athletics in NewYork were dominated by the then almostentirely Protestant New York AthleticClub, the oldest private athletic club inthe United States, founded in 1868. Butthen, in 1887, a group of Irish immi-grants formed a social club whose mem-bers were largely working class anddevoted to athletics.

The Greater New York Irish-AmericanAssociation, which adopted as itsemblem a winged fist adorned withAmerican flags and shamrocks and theIrish motto “Láim Láidir Abú” or“Strong Hand Forever,” purchasedapproximately seven acres of land in the

suburban farming communityof Long Island known as LaurelHill for $9,000. On this landthey built an athletic complexthey named Celtic Park thatwould become a venue forGaelic football, hurling andtrack-and-field events, a meet-ing place for Irish immigrants inNew York, and a trainingground for some of the best athletes theworld has ever seen.

The inaugural track meet was held onMay 30, 1898 with New York CityMagistrate Henry Brann, a native ofIreland, delivering the dedication speech,but it wasn’t until 1901 that Celtic Parkwas completely finished and, accordingto the New York Times, “emerged as oneof the most completely equipped placesof the kind about the city.”

The clubhouse, a two-storybuilding, included a diningroom that could seat 1,000, anda basement with 12-foot-highceilings, and bowling lanes. Onthe second floor, there was acafé, as well as dressing rooms,reception rooms, a private din-ing hall, and piazzas with viewsof the track-and-field and the

Manhattan skyline. The west side of thegrounds held an enclosed grandstandwith a seating capacity of 2,500.

Another feature of the park was itsaccessibility. The founding members hadintentionally built the park close to thetrolley line to Calvary Cemetery, making itconvenient for Irish immigrants to visittheir dearly departed in the city’s largestCatholic burial place before taking in aSunday game.

One of the premier track-and-field training facilitiesin the world in its time,Celtic Park producedmore than two dozenOlympic medalists whocollectively won morethan 50 medals for theU.S. Olympic team, andmore than a dozen forother countries.

By Ian McGowan

THE

Glory DaysOF

Celtic Park

County Offaly hurling team,1926 New Yorkchampions, atCeltic Park.Fourth from theright is team captain PaddyGrimes, one-time owner ofthe Irish Echonewspaper.

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The Athletes of Celtic ParkThough largely Irish in composition, theIrish-American Athletic Club (I-AAC), asit was renamed in 1904, quickly becameone of the most ethnically diverse organi-zations of its day. In an era of segregationand discrimination, it served as a working-man’s athletic club – regardless of race orreligion. The two head coaches wereErnie Hjertberg (Swedish) and LawsonRobertson (Scottish), and the membershipincluded German, Finns, Swedes, Italians,and Hispanics.

The club boasted the first Irish athleteto win a gold medal for the U.S. – theLimerick-born John Joseph Flanagan, athree-time Olympic gold medalist who isconsidered the father of modern hammerthrowing. Myer Prinstein (the firstJewish-American Olympic gold medalist)was a member, as was Dr. John BaxterTaylor, Jr., (the first African-American towin an Olympic gold medal for the U.S.)

Taylor’s decision to join the I-AACwas noted in several national newspapersat the time. The New York Times ran theheadline “Taylor to Run as an Irish-American,” while The Washington Postreported, “It may be said that there is noathlete more popular with the Celtic Parkcrowd than Taylor. . . And every man ofthe Irish contingent around the trackroots himself hoarse to see Taylor win.”

Numerous national and world records

were frequently set or broken at Celtic Parkat events governed by the rules of theAmateur Athletic Union (AAU).

The park hosted six AAU All-AroundChampionships (the predecessor of themodern decathlon). Today the decathlonis conducted over two days of competi-tions, back then the 10-event all-aroundmeet was held in a single afternoon.

John Martin Sheridan, a five-timeOlympic medalist, who was heralded bythe New York Times as the greatest all-round athlete of his day, won the champi-onship in 1907 and again in 1909. Thefinal All-Around Championship held atCeltic Park in 1912, was won by JimThorpe, who was of Native Americanand Irish ancestry.

Sheridan, a New York City police offi-cer who had been born in Co. Mayo, waspresent to watch his record being brokenby Thorpe. Reports show that he shookThorpe’s hand saying, “Jim my boy,you’re a great man. I never expect tolook upon a finer athlete.”

In the seven Olympic Games heldfrom 1900 to 1924, members of the I-AAC won a total of twenty-six Gold,twenty-two Silver and eight Bronzemedals for the U.S. Olympic Team.While these men were not all membersof the I-AAC when they won theirOlympic medals, all of them wore theWinged Fist insignia of the Irish-American Athletic Club at some point intheir athletic careers.

Celtic Park and the Irish-AmericanCommunity

A record of the role that Celtic Parkplayed in the New York Irish communitycan be found in a 1908 front-page articlethat appeared in The Gaelic Americannewspaper entitled “Irish Athletes MadeSplendid Records.”

“Irishmen are responsible in a largedegree for the healthy athletic influencesnow prevalent in American cities. Thefirst centenary of the Irish Revolution of1798 was remarkable as being the yearwhich saw the birth of the Irish-IrelandMovement and the sweeping of the lastvestige of an old world tyranny from theAmerican main. The Spanish War wasinsignificant compared to the foundationof the athletic America, which can hon-estly be claimed by the men who con-ceived Celtic Park. … The formation ofthe Public Schools’ Athletic League, theCatholic Athletic League, the MilitaryAthletic League and the Irish CountiesAthletic Union can be traced directly toCeltic Park.”

In addition to being the home of theIrish-American Athletic Club and its cel-ebrated Winged Fist-wearing world-classathletes, Celtic Park played a critical roleas the meeting place for Irish fraternal,social and political organizations.

The Irish Counties Athletic Union(predecessor of the United Irish Counties

A Steeplechaserace at CelticPark, circa1910.



Association), the Gaelic Athletic Assoc-iation (G.A.A) and the Irish Volunteers allregularly held events, meetings andfundraisers at Celtic Park. Some of theseactivities attracted crowds of more thanfifteen thousand.

From as early as 1905, until at least1921, the political organization Clan-na-Gael held fundraisers, picnics and athleticevents at Celtic Park. At these events thatattracted thousands of Irish exiles andIrish-Americans, Clan-na-Gael publiclyadvocated armed resistance to Britishoccupation of Ireland well over a decade

before the Easter Rising. It appears that asignificant portion of the money that theClan-na-Gael raised to finance the EasterRising came from the 25-cent admissioncharged at the gate of Celtic Park.

The Decline of Celtic ParkThere were a few major factors that con-tributed to the decline of the Irish-American Athletic Club and Celtic Park.The initial factor was the advent of WorldWar I. “We decided to give up athletics

for its duration,” P.J. Conway, foundingmember of the I-AAC and its presidentfor 27 years said, commenting on theimpact of the Great War. “We wrote toPresident Wilson and offered Celtic Parkto the nation for any purpose he saw fit.He thanked us for our patriotism but saidthat he had to decline the offer. After thewar it was impossible to gather the oldcrowds together.”

The decline of Celtic Park was alsohastened by Prohibition’s thirteen-year

Matthew John “Matt” McGrathAs a youngster in Co. Tipperary, Matt McGrath devel-

oped exceptional strength and endurance working

alongside his father and brothers plowing fields, reaping

harvests and tending to livestock. As Matt grew to full

manhood, an array of athletic skills began to emerge

and he became known throughout the region for his

prowess as a wrestler, boxer, runner, and weight man.

And although he excelled at every sport he tried,

it was the hammer throw that drew him the most

attention.

At 19, McGrath left his Co.Tipperary home to seek

a better life in the United States. Seven years later – at

the urging of his father-in-law, a captain with the New

York City Police Department – he became a police offi-

cer, and twice during his distinguished career was recip-

ient of the NYPD’s Medal for Valor.

Beginning as a beat cop

in 1902, Matt advanced steadily

through the ranks: sergeant in

1917, lieutenant in 1918, captain in

1927, deputy inspector in 1930, and

inspector in 1936. Six feet tall and

nearly 250 pounds in his prime,

McGrath made an imposing figure

in his NYPD blues.

Although a lifelong member of

the New York Athletic Club, Matt was

also a lifetime honorary and briefly

active member of the Irish-American

Athletic Club. He counted members of

the I-AAC (including archrival John

Flanagan) among his closest friends and

was a familiar face at Celtic Park.

In addition to hundreds of ribbons,

medals and trophies from regional and

national track-and-field meets – as well

as several national and world records to

his credit – Matt McGrath won one

Olympic gold medal in the hammer

throw (1912), and two silver medals

(1908 and 1924).

The farm boy from Nenagh was one

of the greatest weight men ever, and for

nearly forty years was a decorated

member of the NYPD. In the fall of 1940, suffering with a seri-

ous liver ailment, Matt was hospitalized. And although he was

soon released and recuperating at his Bronx home while on sick

leave from his police duties, McGrath had a relapse and died on

January 29, 1941.

Despite having left behind an athletic and law enforcement

legacy matched by few, Matt McGrath is buried in an unmarked

grave at Calvary Cemetery in Queens, New York. In 2002 a stat-

ue of McGrath was unveiled in the town square in Nenagh.

Olympic Medalists of the Irish Dozens of Irish athletes who were members of Irish-American Athletic Club won Olympic medals for the

BORN: December 18,1876 – Nenagh, Co.Tipperary, IrelandDIED: January 29, 1941– New York CityNew York City PoliceDepartment 1902-1941Inspector,Traffic Division –Two NYPD Medals for Valor

In 1910, the Mecca Cigarette Company released a series ofchampion athlete and prizefighter trading cards. Printed in

New York City, these cards were an early example of anillustrating technique that involved hand-colorizing

photographs, in an era before the popularity of color photography. Mecca Cigarette trading cards were also a very

early example of the use of athletic stars to promote a product,in this case, cigarettes. The champion athletes featured at right

were all members of the Irish-American Athletic Club.



Patrick Joseph “Babe” McDonald An error at Ellis Island resulted in Pat McDonnell becoming

Pat McDonald, but in his native Co. Clare the great Olympic

champion is remembered by his baptismal name at a memorial

erected near his birthplace at Doonbeg. And if a monument to

Pat is ever erected in the United States, it would logically stand

at Times Square – his beat as a traffic cop from 1905-20.

It was said of Pat (known to

friends and foes as “Babe”) that

his Falstaffian figure, Irish brogue

and friendly banter were as famil-

iar to New Yorkers as the best

hotels, restaurants and landmarks

of the era. George M. Cohan,

noticing one afternoon that

Officer McDonald was not on

duty at Broadway and 43rd Street, made a point of going up to

him the next day to ask about his health.

McDonald, who left Ireland in 1899 and six years later had a

NYPD badge pinned on an extra-large uniform, started his

career with a rookie’s $66.59 monthly salary and held down the

Times Square beat for fifteen years. In early 1921 he became a

plainclothes sergeant, was promoted to lieutenant in 1926, and

ten years later became a captain.

The 6’ 4” Irish-American Athletic Club stalwart, who com-

peted at over 260 pounds throughout most of his career, won an

amazing sixteen national championships throwing the 56-lbs weight

– the first in 1907 and last in 1933, at

the age of 55. He also won an Olympic

gold medal in 1912 for the shot put and

another in 1920 for the 56-lbs weight

throw.

In addition to several commenda-

tions for heroism and valor as a mem-

ber of the NYPD, Pat was given the

honor of being the flag bearer at the

Opening Ceremonies of both the 1920

and 1924 Olympic Games. Coupled

with distance runner George Bonhag –

who carried the American flag in the

Opening Ceremony at the1912 Games

– members of the I-AAC were United

States flag bearers at three Olympics.

When the 75-year-old retired police

captain and Olympic champion died in

1954, New York Times columnist Arthur

Daley remembered how McDonald had

gone through life, “with a song in his

heart, a twinkle in his eye and laughter ever bubbling within him.”

Pat “Babe” McDonald was buried at the Gate of Heaven

Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant, NY, and the only Irish Whale to out-

live him was I-AAC teammate Paddy Ryan – also an Olympic

gold medalist in 1920 – who died in Limerick, Ireland in 1964, a

month past his 83rd birthday.

– American Athletic Club United States, including Matt McGrath, Patrick “Babe” McDonald, and Martin Sheridan. By Steve Cottrell

BORN: July 29, 1878 –Doonbeg, Co. Clare, IrelandDIED: May 16, 1954 –New York CityNew York City PoliceDepartment 1905-1946Captain,Traffic Division –“The Times Square Cop”

ban on the sale of alco-hol, beginning in 1920.

The park quicklybecame a high-profile target for lawenforcement scrutiny and the object ofunflattering media reports.

“For more than six months allegedbootleggers have been arrested at thepark every Sunday, sometimes as manyas a dozen men being taken into custody.These men have been doing a retail business from bottles of whiskey carriedin their pockets,” the New York Timesreported on July 25, 1922.

Prohibition was justone of the factors insounding the deathknell for Celtic Park.The new, more mod-ern facilities that werebeing built in the NewYork City area andthe growing urban-ization of the area

around the park also contributed. The decline in popularity of the park as

a venue for athletic competitions forcedthe club to find other income-producingevents. From 1928-30, on the same trackwhere Olympic gold medalists had onceperformed before thousands of cheeringspectators, greyhound races were held.And in tribute to a bygone era, track pro-moters included a race where the win-ning dog’s owner received the “Martin J.Sheridan Trophy,” named in honor of the

I-AAC’s great Olympic champion. Butgreyhound racing at Celtic Park didn’tlast long, in large part due to pressurefrom the growing residential community.

The New York Times reported onSeptember 21, 1928 that the Laurel HillImprovement Association had united withthe Thomson Hill Taxpayers’ Associationin an effort to prevent the holding of grey-hound races in Celtic Park. George W.Morton Jr., President of the Laurel Hillassociation, said that “the races would bea detriment to the community, since onlya gambling and ‘riff-raff’ elementwould be attracted by them.”

Sold for HousingIn 1930, after more than thirty years as ameeting place for the Irish in New Yorkand a training ground for world-class ath-letes, Celtic Park was sold to the City and

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Martin John SheridanWhen Martin Sheridan died, the New York Times called him,

“Without question the greatest all-around athlete this country

has ever known.” In addition, he was a decorated New York City

police officer – in recognition of

which his fellow officers and

friends established the Martin J.

Sheridan Medal for Valor, awarded

from 1922 through 1974.

Sheridan began his track-and-

field career with the Pastimes

A.C. in 1901 then soon joined the

Irish-American Athletic Club. In

1904, at St. Louis, he won his first Olympic medal – a

gold in the discus. In all, Sheridan won nine Olympic

medals: five gold, three silver and one bronze, and to

date, he stands as the New York City police officer and

Irishman to have won the most Olympic medals.

At 6’ 3” and under 200 pounds, he was the light-

est of the vaunted Irish Whales, but his combination of

speed and strength resulted in three All-Around titles

(precursor of the Decathlon). On a single afternoon,

men competed in ten grueling track-and-field events,

culminating with the mile run. Sheridan won the 1905,

1907 and 1909 All-Around meets – setting new world

records at each competition. His record held until

1912, when it was surpassed by legendary Native

American athlete Jim Thorpe.

As captain of the 1908 U.S. Olympic team, Sheridan

and his Winged Fist teammates accounted for nearly

half of all medals won by the U. S. at London. After the

1908 Olympic Games, he traveled to Ireland for a triumphant

tour that took him back to his home in Co. Mayo. It was the

first and only time since sailing for America in 1897 that he

walked on Irish soil.

Although he retired from athletic competition prior to the

1912 Olympics, Sheridan kept active with the I-AAC, mentoring

younger competitors. And as a member of the NYPD, he organ-

ized an annual track meet and picnic at Celtic Park where pro-

ceeds were placed in a fund to assist widows and orphans of

fallen New York City police officers.

Forty-eight years after his sudden death from pneumonia – and

formal police burial under a Celtic Cross at Calvary Cemetery in

Queens, New York – a monument honoring native son Martin

Sheridan was dedicated at the Bohola

village square, across the green from

P.J. Clarke’s Pub.

Among those in attendance at the

1966 Bohola monument dedication

was Andrew “Andy” Sheridan,

Martin’s younger brother. Although

Andy spent much of his professional

life in Chicago, he also threw the

weights as a member of the I-AAC.

But among the Sheridan boys, it was

brother Richard – 1901 national dis-

cus champion – whose career most

paralleled Martin’s. Deputy Inspector

Dick Sheridan served with the NYPD

from 1901-1937, then spent four

years as Deputy Chief of Police with

the special World’s Fair police unit.

BORN: March 28, 1881 –Bohola, Co. Mayo, IrelandDIED: March 27, 1918 –New York CityNew York City PoliceDepartment 1905-1918Sergeant Attached to theDetective Bureau

Suburban Homes Company for the con-struction of apartments for working-classfamilies.

Nearly eighty years after constructionof the Celtic Park apartments, there arejust a handful of reminders of the neigh-borhood’s history. To the south of CelticPark, Laurel Hill Boulevard remains; andto the north is a small city park calledThomson Hill Park – named after theman the land was purchased from in1897. The only reminder of the glorioushistory of the athletes who trained thereis the one-block-long Celtic Avenue, and,

of course, the housing complex that gotits name from the Irish-AmericanAthletic Club’s track & field stadium –Celtic Park.

In July of 2011, the New York CityCouncil passed a bill introduced byQueens Councilman Jimmy VanBramer, and signed into law by MayorMichael Bloomberg, co-naming thestreet that runs through Celtic Park“Winged Fist Way,” in honor of the ath-letes of the Irish-American AthleticClub. The street sign was unveiled inMarch of 2012.

Olympic Medalists of the Irish-American Athletic Club

Cover of Collier’s magazine, June 9, 1906,depicting Martin Sheridan, winner of theDiscus event at the Olympic Games atAthens, from a painting by J.C.Leyendecker. This image is courtesy ofthe family of I-AAC coach, LawsonRobertson. It has been digitally restoredand enhanced by, and is © CopyrightWinged Fist Organization.

About the author: Ian McGowan is the founder and executive director of the Winged FistOrganization (www.wingedfist.org), which was founded in the summer of 2008 (one hundredyears after the Irish-American Athletic Club’s outstanding performance at the 1908 Olympics inLondon) to preserve the legacy of the Irish-American Athletic Club and to bring their athleticaccomplishments to the attention of the public. Ian lives with his wife Regina Castro McGowanin Woodside, Queens, in the Celtic Park apartments, which was built on the site of the formerIrish-American Athletic Club stadium. He can be reached at [email protected].

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In Juno and the Paycock, SeanO’Casey’s play of the Irish CivilWar, two characters riff on the wayshistory can be censored and distort-

ed (by clerics, in this case):

Boyle: (becoming enthusiastic): Didn’tthey prevent the people in ’47 fromseizin’ the corn, an’ they starvin’; didn’tthey down Parnell; didn’t they say thathell wasn’t hot enough nor eternity longenough to punish the Fenians? We don’tforget, we don’t forget them things, Joxer.If they’ve taken everything else from us,Joxer, they’ve left us our memory.

Joxer: For mem’ry’s the only friendthat grief can call its own…

The conundrum of Irish memory andhistory has absorbed Christine Kinealy’sattention ever since she discoveredO’Casey and his ne’er-do-wells as ayoung student in Liverpool, England.Growing up there as part of an extendedIrish Catholic family, she went to schoolswhere Irish history was never taught.She lived in a community in which beingIrish was something to keep under yourhat, and where memories of Ireland were

discussed only within the four walls ofhome. Coming out of that vacuum,O’Casey’s subversive viewpoints caughther by the jugular.

Today, a professor since 2007 in theCasperson Graduate School at DrewUniversity in Madison, New Jersey(where she received the 2009 WillHerberg Award for Excellence in

Teaching), she is a renowned scholar ofthe Great Famine and the author ofnumerous books and articles on topicsranging from the Orange Order to DanielO’Connell. But it was that chanceencounter with Irish history oozing fromthe mouths of O’Casey’s characters thatfirst sparked her desire to decode itscomplicated layers.

Taking an extra class to work onO’Casey, she researched his three Dublinplays (which also include Shadow of aGunman and The Plough and the Stars).“And,” she recalls with triumphantemphasis, “that was it.”

“I never wanted to be a teacher,” sheclaims. “I always wanted to research.But teaching and research are indivisible;they feed into each other. I get feedbackfrom my students about my research, andit is exciting for them to see their profes-sor in the archives, to know that thingsdon’t stand still. Primary research is veryexciting; it keeps me fresh. Because I’malways researching, I never teach a classthe same way twice.”

She did not visit Ireland until shebegan her Ph.D. work at Trinity CollegeDublin, which she completed in 1984

Acclaimed scholar Christine Kinealy, whose work has shed new light on forgotten elements of Irish history, talks with

Daphne Wolf about growing up Irish in Liverpool and her tireless research towards setting the record straight on the Great Famine.

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with a dissertation on the Irish work-house system from 1838-62. That work,fueled by a curiosity about how societiestreat the poor, drove her to scour previ-ously untapped sources in Dublin, Mayo,Belfast and elsewhere. She found onetrove of workhouse records abandoned ina jailhouse where it was claimed someparticipants in the 1798 Rebellion hadbeen imprisoned.

“A common theme in my writings ismy interest in social injustice,” sheexplains. “It underpins my work on theFamine, but also my interests in women,abolition, ‘invisible Protestants’ (asopposed to hard-line ones), and the treat-ment of Jews. Poverty and, in its extremeform, starvation are not simply aboutpolitics or religion. It is far more compli-cated, and I have tried to reflect that inmy writings and teaching. Other peoplehave imposed labels on me; they are notmy labels.”

In the 1980s, during the Troubles inNorthern Ireland, Kinealy taught eveningclasses in Irish history at a women’s cen-ter in the strongly loyalist Shankill dis-trict of Belfast. She never felt the need toadjust her lectures to suit the politics of

her listeners, who lived in what was thenone of the poorest parts of Europe. Thestudents related viscerally to her discus-sions about poverty, disenfranchisementand women’s issues.

“Irish history doesn’t have to be adivided history,” she says. “I learned asmuch from them as they learned fromme.”

The workhouse study for her doctorateled to an interest in the Famine. Evenwhile working as an administrator for anAmerican firm in Dublin and later for anorganization based in the public recordsoffice in Belfast, she continued to diginto Famine records in her spare time. Inthe late 1980s when “tourists were notreally going to Belfast, and there washigh unemployment,” she says, “I con-sciously included the city and the Northin my work. I wanted an all-Ireland viewof the Famine.”

Praised – and vilified – for her writingon the Famine, Kinealy says much of thecriticism leveled at her was ideologicallybased and did not focus on the actualresearch. What she said about the Famineshook up some accepted interpretations.In her award-winning This Great

Calamity: The Irish Famine 1845-52(1994), in A Death-Dealing Famine: TheGreat Hunger in Ireland (1997), and inmany other publications, she offeredconcrete evidence that the British gov-ernment was fully aware of the gravity ofthe tragedy unfolding in Ireland duringthe potato blight, but, for reasons of eco-nomic and social philosophy, deliberate-ly chose to limit its response.

“My conclusions were not what Iexpected,” she says. “I never imagined Iwould find that the British knew whatwas going on. But my interpretation iswhat my sources have led me to.”

After This Great Calamity was pub-lished, Kinealy found herself in the mid-dle of a firestorm, with some claimingthat the 1990s (the period leading up tothe Peace Process) was no time to rekin-dle past animosities. She was castigatedfor questioning the work of historianswho had championed the “revisionist”interpretation of the Famine.Revisionists argued that demographicand social forces – like overpopulationand the dependence on the potato – hadmade the catastrophe inevitable. Some ofthese writers also minimized the impor-

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tance of the Famine as a strategic turningpoint in Irish history. They suggested thatother events, like the end of theNapoleonic Wars in 1815 that deflated aboom in Irish agricultural exports, had agreater impact on the development ofmodern Ireland.

When Irish Times columnist KevinMyers attacked This Great Calamity forits “scatter-gun approach to historiansone dislikes,” particularly citing herremarks on the work of the eminentscholar Roy Foster, Kinealy fired back inthe letters column.

“What Mr. Myers is seeking to do is toreduce the debate on the Famine to thetraditional ‘revisionist vs. non-revision-ist,’ ‘British vs. Irish’ and now, ‘Fostervs. Kinealy,” she wrote. “This polariza-tion is both dishonest and meaningless.Historians are continually challengingand extending the work of other histori-ans.”

While Kinealy characterized theBritish relief effort as inadequate, andinsisted that the Famine was of deepimportance to Irish history, she alsoemphasized that there is no easy explana-tion for what occurred, and that all theevidence reveals that the Famine wasmuch more complicated than polemicsand finger-pointing would suggest.

“People in the British civil servicewere speaking out against the govern-ment policies all the time,” she empha-sizes. Referring to the Irish radicalnationalist who wrote about ships carry-ing grain out of Ireland while peoplestarved, she explains, “Everything JohnMitchel said in 1847, the then Irish LordLieutenant, Lord Bessborough, saidmore clearly, calling the lack of a grainembargo a politically-motivated nodtowards the Irish merchant class in anelection year.” It was the Earl ofClarendon, his successor, who describedhis government’s actions as leading to “apolicy of extermination.”

Assessing Mitchel’s storied accusa-tion of deliberate genocide by Britain as“an easy way out of the complexity,” shedid what no one else had bothered to dobefore: she painstakingly examined theshipping manifests. She found thatexports of grain, and many other prod-ucts, had indeed continued throughoutthe Famine from ports all over Ireland toBritain, and that “disease and starvationexisted side-by-side with a substantial

commercial sector.” Furthermore, thegovernment admitted that its own statis-tics, which show that by 1847 more foodwas coming into Ireland than going out,were flawed and incomplete. Adding tothe complexity, the intricacies of Britishnavigation and free trade regulationswreaked havoc with the flow of goods inboth directions.

“In looking at the issue of foodexports,” she wrote, “the role of ideologyhas been emphasized whilst the financialmotivations…have been underestimat-

ed….The role of Irish farmers and mer-chants, both individually and collective-ly, has been neglected.”

A soft-spoken woman with a readysmile, Kinealy’s face hardens and herhands slice the air when she describes thefrustration of responding to critics whojump to ideological and politically-moti-vated conclusions about her research.

“People want to pigeon-hole me asanti-British or as a nationalist. How dothey know what my politics or motiva-tions are? This Great Calamity was verypositively received; at that time, no oneelse had done so much primary research.But I was criticized for things like imply-ing that Belfast suffered during theFamine, because statistics show the pop-ulation actually increased. Well, the pop-ulation grew because people were com-ing into the city from the country where

they were starving. This was the patternin all Irish cities. My work on the Faminein Belfast showed how poor Protestantsalso belonged to an underclass, and diedin large numbers.”

Dr. John Lahey, president ofQuinnipiac University, which is home tothe world’s largest collection of artworks relating to the Great Hunger, cred-its Kinealy with sparking his deep inter-est in the Famine, and in re-evaluatinghow it is remembered. “[She] really blewthe lid off all of the inaccuracies and thedramatically downplayed scale of thetragedy,” he said in a 2011 interview withIrish America. “She documented allkinds of food exports and found that theshipment of food out of Ireland actuallyincreased during the years of the Famine.She argued that much of the guilt andself-blame felt by the Irish was mis-placed. For the greater part of 150 years,the world and the Irish believed that theIrish themselves [were principally toblame] in bringing about the famine. Butthe conditions of poverty and the dispro-portionate dependence on a single potatocrop were also imposed, over time, bythe British. We now know that this wasthe greatest tragedy in 19th centuryEurope, and probably the greatest catas-trophe in Ireland’s history, and it is all themore tragic because it was largely pre-ventable.”

Much more research on the Famineremains to be done, Kinealy says, andrather than curtail the discussion forpolitical reasons, it needs to flourishbecause of what it reveals about howsocieties work and how power is distrib-uted. Kinealy says continued researchneeds to be done on food exports, on theimpact of the Famine on Protestants, andon the actions of farmers, merchants andlandlords, especially at an individual orlocal level. She is now investigating pri-vate charitable donations during theFamine, which were the first examples inworld history of a major internationalrelief effort.

Aside from her work on the Famine,Kinealy has a deep interest in other per-sonalities and issues of the 1840s inIreland, particularly those of the YoungIreland rebellion in 1848, which shewrote about in Repeal and Revolution:1848 in Ireland (2009).

“I loved the inclusiveness of the YoungIrelanders – men and women, Catholics


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and Protestants together – even whenthey came to America and were dividedover the American Civil War. Beforeeach battle, former Young IrelanderThomas Francis Meagher, who foughtfor the Union, toasted his fellowIrishmen fighting for the Confederacy.It’s a good lesson in how to be graciouseven to those people with whom you dis-agree.”

Pulling another thread from thisvolatile period, Kinealy has writtenabout Daniel O’Connell and his supportfor abolition in The Saddest People theSun Sees: Daniel O’Connell and theAnti-Slavery Movement (2011). She saysO’Connell’s involvement with abolitionhad “largely been written out of history”and that, while deeply involved in Irishaffairs, he was writing “some of thefinest statements on slavery” of any peri-od. He was remembered in this lightthroughout many of the public remarksmade during President Obama’s historictrip to Ireland last May.

Kinealy’s affection for Belfast andNorthern Ireland is palpable. In 2010,she published War and Peace: IrelandSince the 1960s “to put on record whathappened in the North through the prismof social justice, to give the women’spoint of view, and to bear testimony tothe losses that people from all traditionsendured.”

That affection also emerges from rem-iniscences about her work there in thelate 1980s with unemployed teenageboys in a government initiative meant tofoster mutual understanding betweenCatholics and Protestants. The boys took“rubbings” and transcribed informationfrom tombstones in Belfast cemeteries,and later plugged that information intocomputers, creating a historical andgenealogical database. For many of themit was a hands-on initiation into theircommon history, and a first-time, face-to-face introduction to their neighborsfrom “the other side.”

At about the same time, she co-authored a textbook for 12-16-year-oldscalled Making Sense of History:Evidence in Ireland for the YoungHistorian, which approached a sharedsense of history through primary sourceslike those she uses in her own research.It won a national award. Given theopportunity, she would like to return tothe North and work on similar projectsfor school children.

As a child in Liverpool, Kinealy saidshe always “felt Irish.” But as recentlyas the early 1990s, when her Dublin-born daughter Siobhán was in primaryschool in Liverpool, it was a very sectar-ian city. Siobhán was bullied for herIrish accent, and when she asked herteacher if the class could celebrateIreland and St. Patrick’s Day as part ofthe school’s multi-cultural program, shewas told, “No, they kill people there.”Arriving in the United States for the firsttime in 1995, Kinealy was amazed athow freely Irish Americans celebratedtheir heritage, an impossibility at thetime in Britain.

“Where we grew up, you wereCatholic or you were Protestant,” saysKinealy, who was raised Catholic (con-servatively at school, liberally at home).

“Irish people in Britain lived under thetremendous strain of trying to remaininvisible. This intensified after 1969,especially when there were reports ofviolence. There was a high rate of sui-cide and mental illness in the Irish immi-grant community.”

In the last 15 years, largely due to thePeace Process, Kinealy observes thatmuch of that has changed. “Now, even inBritain, it is cool to be Irish,” she says.

But her relationship with Great Britainis, like Ireland’s, complicated. To someextent, she admits, her writing andresearch provide an antidote for all thoseyears when it was far from cool to pro-claim her nationality.

“I spent a lot of my formative years inBritain and I don’t hate ‘the Brits.’ But Ido abhor some of the things that theBritish government has done historically.At the same time, I am an admirer of theBritish radical tradition, which has a lotin common with the Irish radical tradi-tion, and of the British charitable impulse– thousands of nameless people raisedmoney for Ireland during the Famine,including prisoners in London. Oh, yes,also British soccer – and chocolate.American chocolate just isn’t the same.”

In 1997, the same year Prime MinisterTony Blair apologized for the Famine,Kinealy was invited to speak about theFamine in the British Houses ofParliament, in the place, as she recalls,“where so many egregious relief policieshad been made that resulted in so manytragic deaths.”

Besides her early years in England andlife in Dublin and Belfast, she spentmany years teaching in British universi-ties. Now, Kinealy is hard-pressed to saywhere her “home” is, although sheadmits that Ireland has always been her“spiritual home.” Her children havemoved to America – son Ciarán in NewYork State with his new wife, andSiobhán in law school at RutgersUniversity – so her orientation has shift-ed somewhat. Guinness, Kinealy’ssheepdog so-named by Ciarán because“he’s black and white and comes fromIreland,” has an EU pet passport, butseems content to be living in New Jersey.His leash and bowl sit complacently nearthe desk in her office at Drew.

“I always thought I’d retire to Ireland,but I honestly don’t know where my realhome is,” she admits with a puzzledfrown. “It’s complicated.”

“Where we grew up, you were Catholic oryou were Protestant.

Irish people inBritain lived under

the tremendousstrain of trying toremain invisible.”

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In Ireland, the surname Clooneyhas several origins. One possibleplace of origin is in CountyClare, where two towns, Bally-maclune and Tiermaclune, are

named for the former MacClune clan ofthe area. Records exist of a person namedTeag MacCluin living in Quin, CountyClare in 1542.

The Clooney surname, also recordedas Clune, O’Cloney, Cloney, Clowney,MacCluin and MacClune, canlikewise be tied to CountyWexford. Several families haveanglicized their name to Cloneyor Clowney in this eastern regionof Ireland.

Finally, there are several townsin Northern Ireland which derivetheir name from the Clooney clan.In County Derry, there is the smalltown of Clooney. According tosurveys, the town was originallyknown as Ballynecloney, withvariations such as Cloney, Cloanor Cloane existing in later years,until Clooney was decided upon.Another village, known asDonaghcloney, exists in CountyDown. It has strong links to the Irish linen industry. Donagh-cloney has a large Protestant pop-ulation. Former leader of theUlster Volunteer Force Robin “theJackal” Jackson was a notableresident of Donaghcloney.

In all cases, the name Clooneyis said to originate from the Irishword “Cluana.” Today, the mean-ing of cluana is difficult to identi-fy. It is believed that when refer-ring to a place it means “mead-ow,” but when referring to a per-son, it could mean “rogue” or “quick-wit-ted.”

The most famous “quick-witted”Clooney is actor, director, and politicalactivist George Clooney, who appearson the cover of this issue. Born inLexington, Kentucky on May 6, 1961,George can trace his ancestral back-ground to Ireland. His parents were Ninaand Nick Clooney and his great-great-grandparents on his father’s side were

County Kilkenny immigrants, NicholasClooney and Bridget Byron.

George was born into a family withstrong connections to the entertainmentindustry. His father Nick Clooney’scareer took off in the 1960s as a TV newsanchor in Lexington. He then went on tohost his own show in Ohio called TheNick Clooney Show. He gained nationalfame hosting an ABC game show calledThe Money Maze. Returning as an

anchor, he helped WKRC-TV (Ohio’sABC affiliate) reach #1 in the local newsratings. In 1994, Nick appeared again onnational television as a host for AmericanMovie Classics (AMC).

George tried to follow in his father’sfootsteps. He attended Northern KentuckyUniversity from 1979 to 1981 and thenUniversity of Cincinnati, majoring inBroadcast Journalism, but he did notgraduate.

Rosemary Clooney was the sister ofNick Clooney. She and her sister Betty,who was also a singer, won a radio spot onOhio’s WLW in 1945. This kickstarted hercareer. In 1946, she recorded with TonyPastor’s big band for Columbia Records. In1949, Columbia signed her as a solo artist.Her first record, Come on-a My House in1951, was a hit. In 1954, Rosemary starredin the famous film White Christmas along-side Bing Crosby. Following that film’ssuccess came a musical variety TV show,The Rosemary Clooney Show. She contin-ued to sing through the 60s and 70s, andreceived a Grammy Lifetime AchievementAward in 2002.

Rosemary married Academy Award-winning actor Jose Ferrer in 1953. Theyhad five children, two of whom, Migueland Rafael Ferrer became actors. WhileRafael mostly worked in television doingvoice-overs, Miguel gained success with

a role in the movie RoboCop andon television dramas Twin Peaksand Crossing Jordan.

After working odd jobs,George Clooney decided to tryacting. He appeared on TV in TheFacts of Life, The Golden Girlsand Roseanne. His breakthroughrole came with the chance to playDr. Doug Ross on the televisionhospital drama ER. Soon afterthat he began appearing in filmslike One Fine Day, The PerfectStorm, Ocean’s Eleven, etc. Hewon his first Academy Award for

Best Supporting Actor for Syriana. He wasnominated for Best Actor for MichaelClayton, Up in the Air, and TheDescendants. He is also well known for hishumanitarian and charity work, specifical-ly raising awareness about Darfur.

Other notable Clooneys include FrankClune, a famous Australian author, andFrancis X. Clooney, S.J., a respectedHarvard professor and scholar of com-parative theology. IA

The Clooney Clan

George Clooney

Rosemary ClooneyNick Clooney

{roots}By Molly Ferns

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Most people, upon reachingtheir 90th birthday, cele-brate the milestone in someway that is significant tothemselves and to their

loved ones. Most people, upon reachingtheir 90th birthday, however, do not climbmountains – significant or not. But mostpeople are not Patrick Connolly, and thisis exactly what he did. On August 3, 2011,just two days before officially turning 90,he, along with 59 of his relatives, summit-ed Ireland’s holy mountain, CroaghPatrick. The location of the mountain(County Mayo) holds special significancefor Patrick, as Mayo was his father’shome, and the place from which his fatheremigrated so many years before.

From his family farm in Mayo,Patrick’s father, also Patrick Connolly, leftfor Queenstown (now Cobh) in Ireland,where he boarded the RMS Lusitania. Hepaid for his passage to America by shov-eling coal. It was on the Lusitania that he

met Anna Beagan, who was also workingon board, as a waitress. Seven years later,to the month, they married. The coupleeventually settled in Howard Beach,Queens, just blocks from where their son,Patrick, and his wife, Breeda, live today.

The Connollys’ kitchen is tidy andcomfortable. Like the rest of the house, itis filled with family photographs, and car-ries the faint aroma of homemade bread –soda bread, what else? Every corner,every shelf, has a different story to tell.Here is a little change bank in the shape ofa smiling cottage (dubbed the “Ireland orBust” bank) which once sat atop the fridgecollecting pocket change, in an effort tosave up money for the family’s first trip toIreland together. Over here, a clock thatwas hand-carved for them by a man inLong Kesh Prison, circa 1978; a giftthanking the family for their involvementwith a Troubles relief program, ProjectChildren. The late-morning sun falls juston the edge of their kitchen table, which is

set for tea. While Breeda pours, Patrickand two of the couple’s eight children,Brian and Stephen, sit down around thetable.

“The best you ever had,” Patrick says,referring to Breeda’s soda bread.

And it ought to be. Mary Breeda Walshgrew up in Limerick City until she was16. She came to America in 1938, just intime for the World’s Fair, to visit herfather and brother, who had moved herefor work. But in 1939, World War IIbroke out in Europe, and civilian travelwas cut off, leaving her an effectiverefugee in Howard Beach. It was there,just down the block from her father’shouse, that she and Patrick first metthrough his sister, Helen, whom Breedahad forged a deep friendship with whilePatrick was serving in Europe as a bom-bardier with the Air Corps. And it was 15years ago, on one of their visits back toBreeda’s homeland, that Patrick sawCroagh Patrick for the first time. They

New York City native Patrick Connolly celebrated his 90th birthday by making a pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick. Interview by Catherine Davis

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could not climb that day because of badweather, but just being in the mountain’spresence was enough for him to grasp themeaning of the majestic rock as a placeof spiritual power.

Croagh Patrick, or Cruach Phádraig,locally known as the Reek, measures 764meters (2,507 feet) in height, and is apopular destination for spiritual seekersof many faiths, from all over the world.Saint Patrick is said to have fasted at thetop of the mountain for 40 days, and leg-end says he built a church up there. Asmall chapel was erected at the summitjust after the turn of the 20th century, andsome visitors choose to make their waythrough the difficult – and occasionallydeadly – terrain barefoot, as an ascetic actof penance and self-sacrifice. But CroaghPatrick has held holy significance forclimbers long before Christianity wasintroduced to Ireland in the fifth century.The ground there was considered sacredby the Druids, who are thought to haveused the mountain for pilgrimages duringthe summer solstice – a special time ofyear for them, as they revered the sun.

Patrick describes the view over ClewBay. “At the end of July, the beginning ofAugust, as the sun’s setting in the west, itlooks like it’s rolling down the mountain.And that’s one of the reasons why [theDruids] thought this was a holy place.But it’s biblical, too,” he continues, “thatbeing on a mountain is sacred. That wasall part of this.”

By “this,” Patrick means his remark-

able ascent up what, towards thetop of the summit, becomes a 50-degree incline. But he also meansthe gathering of approximately 80of his relatives (those who didn’tdo the climb still came to cheerthe others on, and to take part inthe rest of the 10 days’ worth ofactivities that Patrick’s son, Stephen, hadplanned out). It was a get-together whichrequired considerable organization, butStephen was unfazed by the logistics of it.He has worked with documentary crewsin several countries, under all kinds ofconditions, and has managed tours forsome popular musicians. Of course, ithelps to have friends and cousins all overthe country, making suggestions for theitinerary.

Two years ago, the Connollys were onanother one of their excursions (this one,too, organized by Stephen) when a groupdecided to attempt climbing CroaghPatrick. It was the elder Patrick’s 88thbirthday, and though he got as far up as thefirst stop on the pilgrimage – a statue of thepatron saint – he didn’t trust himself tomake it all the way to the top. During a carride later the same trip, Patrick confided inStephen that he had made a vow back atthe foot of the mountain, that he wouldclimb Croagh Patrick on his 90th birthday,in honor of his and Breeda’s parents.

The only agreement they made: if hisdoctor said he couldn’t do it, he wouldn’t.

When his doctor asked him why hewanted to do the climb, Patrick told him

it was to be his way of thankingGod for his Irish roots, for hisfamily, and for his friends. Thedoctor replied simply, “Well,I’m not going to stand betweenyou and God. So send me a pic-ture of the rock from the top.”

“I have a pacemaker,” Patrickexplains, “and take a stress test every sixmonths. I knew it was going to be diffi-cult, that I had to work out. I asked forguidance.” It was while Patrick was exer-cising, early on into his training, that hesuddenly felt an overwhelming sense ofcalm. It was, he believes, the Holy Spirit,sending him the message, “You do yourpart, and I’ll do mine.” He began usingthe treadmill at the gym three times aweek, and would spend another one ortwo days walking around his neighbor-hood, or in Forest Park, eventually walk-ing four or five miles at a time.

Of course, they still took plenty of pre-cautions. Conveniently, firemen andEMTs abound in this family (Patrick wasonce himself a fireman). Fully preparedwith water, chairs, and even tents in casethe need presented itself, the groupstopped every 100 yards or so to say adecade of the Rosary, as a way of pacingthemselves, and also out of respect forPatrick’s wishes, that this trip be an act ofthanksgiving and praise.

Brian Connolly remembers when hischildren finally reached the summit.“Because it takes so long, and it does chal-lenge your will to continue, they clearly

Far left: TheConnolly clan infront of thechapel at thesummit. Above:Patrick and rela-tives during theclimb up themountain.



began to understand that ‘this whole thingis bigger than me.’ You have a moment,and whether there’s a church there or not,you realize how small you are, and themajesty of God’s earth...There’s no ques-tion, if you’re open, there is a messagefrom the Creator there.”

By Patrick’s side the entire time was hisseven-year-old great-grandson, alsonamed Patrick. For the full 15-hour trek,fifth-generation Patrick Connolly stayedright in step with second-generationPatrick Connolly. “Now I know I can doanything,” he told his mother. Seeing thisyoung boy – and the whole span of gener-ations of girls and boys, and women andmen (including his younger sister, Nancy,who made the climb despite recent healthissues) all gathered together in one place,going on the same journey together –Patrick realized that his should not bethought of as a pilgrimage solely of faithand gratitude for what had already come

to pass, but also as one to celebrate hopefor the future, and love in the present.

Here, Breeda interjects, “I didn’t climbup. I stayed in Campbell’s Pub!” Butthen she clarifies, “We were in and out.We did go part ways up the mountain.”This pub, Campbell’s, has been at thefoot of Croagh Patrick for centuries, andhas been in current owner PádraigFitzpatrick’s family for 175 years. “Theyare Croagh Patrick,” Brian explains.“There’s no other commercial anythingthere. [Pádraig] is the gatekeeper ofCroagh Patrick.” Pádraig kept his pubopen well into the night, sitting and chat-ting with Breeda and the others, waiting

to welcome in the hikers. “He kept thepints pouring,” Brian smiles apprecia-tively. “The sandwiches just kept comingout of the kitchen, and they kept the firegoing. I don’t even know if anyone paida bill that night.”

Stephen has pulled out the family treethat he put together and distributedamong his relatives. A bound collectionof personal accounts from everyone whohas descended from Patrick’s parents, it’squite a tome. The book’s weight alonesuggests how remarkable it is that thislarge family, which has expanded so rap-idly over the course of just a couple ofgenerations, has all come into beingbecause of the love shared between thesetwo courageous immigrants pictured onthe cover.

Flipping through the book, Stephenremarks, “It’s happened many times, thatthere’ll be a wedding scheduled or aparty scheduled, and somebody diedright before it. A lot of times, peoplewould reschedule the party or cancel theparty. But we don’t do that. That party’sgoing on, and that’s one of the goodthings about being in this family, becauseif you were ever a part of the family, youcan know we’re going to remember you.

And we’ll celebrate your life. But we’removing on, too, because it’s alwaysgoing to be about the next generation,and the next generation, and the nextgeneration.”

And the continuation of the genera-tions is really what this whole pilgrim-age was about in the first place – thank-ing those who came before, embracingthose who are here now, and awaitingthose who are yet to come. For theConnolly clan, as they refer to them-selves, doesn’t actually have a familytree, so much as a family mountain. AndPatrick Connolly now sits at the verytop, beaming.

Above: Patrick in uniform:B–17 Bombardier, 8th AirForce; taken inMendlesham, England,1944–45. Right: Patrickand Breeda celebrate their50th Anniversary.

IA



place anywhere from his office overlook-ing Broadway to a seat-back table onflights from Shannon to New York, “lit-erally has peaks and troughs,” he says.“When you’re in a trough you’re like ‘Ishould have been a bus driver,’ becauseyou can’t see what's next. It’s not likewhen you’re a chef and you learn yourskills and you always know how to chopan onion. In this business, okay, youknow how to chop an onion, but youneed to figure out a fresh and excitingway to chop it every day.”

After years of designing, he still seemsalmost reverentially uncertain of wherethe inspiration comes from. “There aredays when it’s like a magical portalopens in my head and I pick upmy pen and all the sketchesare pretty and it flows. I’llusually have two days,maybe three if I’m lucky, andthen the portal shuts tight. A lotof what I do just comes throughmy hand. I don’t see it in myhead, which is weird. It justappears on the page.” He often lis-tens to music as he designs, lettingthe beat and rhythm inform his sketch-ing. He also relies very much on his nat-ural instinct to guide him. “If I’m lookingat ugly fabric I get knots in my stomach,it’s amazing,” he insists.

Until fairly recently, he didn’t look tohis Irishness for inspiration, but thatchanged when he saw the Irish animatedfilm The Secret of Kells (2009). “I thinkfor a long time I was sort of distancingmyself from [my heritage]. Over herethere was a certain amount of disconnectfrom who Irish people are and what peo-ple think we’re supposed to be,” hereflects. “Instead of propagating who wereally are I just backed away from itentirely. But then when I saw The Secretof Kells and that makes me so proud to beIrish: when you see somebody take ourheritage and do something amazing withit.” The film led him to look towardsCeltic artifacts such as Newgrange andThe Book of Kells for Theia’s Fall 2011collection

He has quickly become a darling of theIrish media, with every outlet from TheGloss, (the Irish Times fashion maga-zine) to The Kerryman newspaper track-ing his success. The whole O’Neill fami-ly traveled from Ireland to New York for

his fashion show in February (“Front row– they got the VIP treatment,” he assuresme) and returned home to a barrage ofpress. “I wasn’t there, so I didn’t imme-diately feel the benefit of it, but theywere getting the full effect. Mom waslike ‘We can’t go anywhere anymore!Everyone’s congratulating us.’”

O’Neill is thrilled with the attention,but also hopes that his story is one thatwill inspire. “People at home seem reallyproud of the fact that they have a design-er [in New York] who’s doing well.They’re using the story to motivate kidswho are coming out of school right nowand emigrating. That’s what happened inthe ’80s when I finished college – noneof us stayed. Maybe this can give them aray of hope that if you leave, there areopportunities and people do make it inspite of all sorts of adversity.”

O’Neill is also proof that Irish design-ers, who more often than not must maketheir careers abroad, don’t have to leaveIreland behind completely.

When asked to choose a favorite piecefrom the Fall collection, he eventuallysettles on a vibrant silk dress with aleather waist. The pattern, with itsswirling orange, gold, red and purple,

was inspired by a photograph his brotherPatrick took of the sunset in Ballyheigue.“He sent me the picture last year, and itwas too late to do anything with it then,but I sent it to the print studio I work within Milan to see if there was some way wecould interpret it, and they came up withthis fabric,” he explains.

“The sunset gown is one of myfavorites because it’s more personal to me than everything else. This is home– this is Ballyheigue coming down

a runway in New York. It’s amazingthat I could do something like

that.”

Left: O’Neill’s sketchfor one of the run-

way looks in his Fall2012 collection.

Below: A dress witha Newgrange-

inspired pattern,from Fall 2011.

AN IRISH DESIGNER IN NEW YORK continued from page 49

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What is your current state of mind? I have a birthday coming up and a gent Igreatly admire told me, “There are twoimportant days in your life, the day youare born and the day you figure out whyyou were born.” I count myself quitelucky; when I met my son I understoodwhy I was born.

Your greatest extravagance? I am a bit of a Cheap Pete but I do spenda fortune on books and false moustachesand practical jokes.

Who is your hero? My Mt. Rushmore of hero worship wouldinclude Ralph Waldo Emerson, MarcusAurelius, Frank Sinatra and Barry White.

What is on your bedside table? A copy of a daily devotional, rosarybeads, a Greek icon of St. John theBaptist, water carafe, pill bottles, budvase and a stack of books: The GrouchoLetters, Pocket Book of Patriotism, andobscure commonplace books of miscel-lany I find at The Strand and AlibrisBooks. I love the notebooks from exlib-risanonymous.com; they make journalsfrom old hardbacks. I wind up writing inbed, and after I fell asleep with a sharpiemarker and drew all over my husband, Inow use colored pencils and keep asharpener and flashlight in a basket underthe bed.

What was your first job? I was an elf. My father managed shop-ping malls when I was a kid and my highschool job was to dress up in an elf costume and take photos of kids sittingon Santa Claus’ lap. The guy who played

Santa is now a parish priestand we are still greatfriends. He used to pinchthe kids who would stay onhis lap too long and holdup the line.

Your earliest memory? My brother Jim is 13months older than me and Iremember doing every-thing with him. A veryearly memory is seeing oursister Kate in a bassinetunder the Christmas tree. She was a new-born and I was about 20 months old.

Best advice ever received? It is a mistake to do nothing just becauseyou think you can only do a little.

Long plane rides – do you chat? NO! Never. I value the quiet time to readand contemplate the marvel of air travel.I practice making an unfriendly puss andwrap my ears in headphones, eyes inshades and screw my features up to read“Do Not Disturb.” My husband isamused at my in-air persona non grata.One time, a lavishly proportioned seat-mate kept creeping across the armrestand kept pressing into me. I wrote on aPost It note “kindly keep your arm frommy midsection” and adhered it to hersleeve. Her arm was the size of a pro-sciutto and I don’t like to get squished bystrangers.

Where do you go to think? I get all my best thinking done walkingaround the city. I love walking aroundthe West Village. Seven generations of

Duffys walked this neigh-borhood. On weekends wejig up to our farm inLitchfield County, CT and Ilove to walk in the pasturewith my pair of jackasses.They were a birthday giftfrom my husband and son –a pair of used donkeys.They are full brothers andare equine charisma on thehoof.

Your hidden talent? I have a photogenic memory – not strongenough for photographic, but pretty good.

Qualities you seek in friends? A sense of humor and longevity. I metmy two best girlfriends in primaryschool. We went to junior high, highschool and college together. We movedback to NYC together and lived togetheruntil we each got married. Then webought apartments in the same building.

Your typical day? Get up, click on NPR and make coffee inthis fantastic gizmo from Nespresso. Iread the NY papers and make my boybreakfast and walk him to school. Somemornings I go to chapel. I have a verymessy office in my home, but I write allover the place. I write letters and e-mails,write or research for my book or column.I usually set meetings for the late after-noon. My son plays hockey and I am pro-ducing a TV show about insane sportsparents. I have a chronic progressive dis-ease called Neurosarcoidosis so I have togo to doctors and hospital visits everyweek. I think of myself as a healthy-look-

Karen Duffy

{what are you like?}By Patricia Harty

Amodel, actress and author, Karen Duffy was born in New York City and raised in Park Ridge, New Jersey.She graduated from University of Colorado with a degree in recreational therapy, and in 1989 she beganmodeling in television commercials. She became a video jockey for MTV in the early 1990s, going by thename Duff, and went on to win small roles in films such as 1994’s Dumb & Dumber. Most recently in film, Duffy provided the voice for Linda Otter in 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. In 1995, Duff was at the height of her

career, serving as the spokesmodel for Revlon and a correspondent for Michael Moore’s The Awful Truth, when shewas diagnosed with neurosarcoidosis, which often leaves her in excruciating pain. Duffy battles the disease with hersense of humor, as shown in her autobiography Model Patient: My Life As an Incurable Wise-Ass. In 1997, she marriedJohn Lambros. They have a son, Jack. She currently writes a weekly column in the New York Daily News and is an edi-tor at large at PBS Metrofocus.

IA.WhatLike.qxd 5/11/12 11:42 PM Page 66

ing sick person. If I only were productiveon days I felt good, I’d never get anythingdone.

Your perfect day? Having a chronic illness has taught mequite a bit. My body may be sick but myspirit is pretty happy and optimistic, so Iguess it makes up for it in a way. Theancient Greeks defined happiness by lead-ing a productive life. It’s not how muchtime we have, rather it’s what we do withit. I really love my husband and son. Aperfect day is a day spent with them.

Favorite travel destination? My very generous pal has a gorgeoushome in Italy. It has become a summertradition to visit and I love our timetogether. You never know who will showup when the dinner bell rings. We havelong suppers under the stars, and spendthe days reading and swimming andboating. It is heaven.

Best opening in a piece of music? The enthusiastic explosion of notes fromHerb Alpert’s The Lonely Bull.

Favorite film clip? I love the “Hurray for Captain Spalding”routine in Animal Crackers, and anyMarx Brothers or Stooges classic.Whenever I see a baby in one of thosemovies I think “Wow, that baby probablydied of old age already.”

What drives you? The Emersonian idea that you becomewhat you think about the most. I feelgrateful for my parents and siblings, myhusband, son and great friends. Thismotivates me to try to give back. MotherTeresa said “We all can’t do great things,but we can all do small things with greatlove”.

Most embarrassing moment?I was working as a VJ host on MTV andwhile filming a live segment my shortwrap skirt unwrapped and rolled downmy legs, exposing my knickers to mycrew and the audience.

Favorite place? That villa in Italy.

Favorite sound? My son Jack greeting me when he walksin the door from hockey practice.

Favorite smell? I lost my sense of smell from having abrain injury and six years of chemo. Ihave a sense memory, so I will ask myhusband or son to describe a smell so I can imagine it.

Favorite meal? Our lobster clambake at my parents’beach house on the dunes in New Jersey.

Favorite drink? Jameson on the rocks. When we drive upto our farm on Friday nights I like tomake a strong drink in a crystal glass andlight a fire. I take it up to our bedroomand I like to drink the melted dregswhen I wake up the nextmorning.

What’s your mostdistinguishingcharacteristic? I do see a lot ofhumor in the world.

What do youdeplore in oth-ers? Greed, bad manners,vulgarity.

What’s your motto? You become whatyou think aboutthe most.

What would you do if you weren’tdoing what you are doing? I guess if I weren’t so sick, I would travelmore. Often the disease and drugs leaveme as weak as a kitten. I wish I werehealthy enough for bigger adventures.

What question do you wish some-one would ask you? How may we cash this billion-dollar check?

What are you working on? Editing my new book and producing thisnew TV show. I’m also working onanother book, a collection of essays, andlaunching a site called Sugarwhistle.com

What are you like? Um, read the preceding 20 questions,you’ll get a good idea. IA

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Storm clouds gather over St. Louis,but Helen Gannon is unfazed asthe tornado warning siren blaresand we move into the center of the

hotel, away from the windows. After many years of living here, she has

made her peace with the weather patternsthat in spring can range from heavy rain tosevere storms. And right now, as chairper-son of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Éireann (CCÉ)North America, Helen’s concern is for herguests, who have come to this city on theMississippi from all over the U.S., Canadaand Ireland for the annual convention.

“I didn’t like this place when I firstarrived,” she admits, as we wait out thetornado. “It was so hot and humid, and Iwas pregnant. We arrived the day thefinal piece was being put in the GatewayArch. It didn’t fit.”

Helen didn’t fit in either. The youngnurse whose husband, P.J., a psychiatrist,had taken a job at the state mental hospi-tal, wanted to go home to Ireland. And itwasn’t just the heat. St. Louis had little tooffer in the way of Irish culture. But P.J.liked his job, and employment opportuni-ties were few and far between in Ireland,so they stayed and made the best of things.

Meanwhile, back on the day of theGannons’ arrival, Irish architect KevinRoche was working on the Arch.(Designer Eero Saarinen died while themonument was still in the planningstages and Roche took over the project.)He too was also having trouble with theheat, which had caused thermal expan-sion of the metal. Fire Department hosescooled down the metal, making it con-strict as a hydraulic wrench pulled thesouth leg back and the top was droppedinto place from above. Problem solved.

“[The Arch] is a soaring curve in thesky that links the rich heritage of yester-day with the richer future of tomorrow,”Vice President Hubert Humphrey com-mented at the opening of the monument,which symbolizes the western expansionof the United States.

The Vice President’s words could just aseasily have applied to Helen Gannon. Itwould take a little time, but she too wouldsettle in, and become a master at expand-ing Irish culture into St. Louis and theMidwest region.

In 1972, inspired by the first CCÉ tour ofIrish musicians, which stopped in St.Louis, Helen began offering weekly tin

whistle lessons to adults and children. Herefforts evolved into a fully-fledged musicand dance school. There dance studentswould also receive a lesson on the tinwhistle, and were encouraged to take up asecond instrument, such as the fiddle orIrish harp.

Forty years on, and many hundreds ofstudents later, Helen’s school, St. LouisIrish Arts, is also the second largest ofCCÉ North America’s 44 branches, and ischarged with hosting the annual CCÉNorth American convention, held duringthe last weekend in April.

Helen is doing double duty as hostessand chairperson, and in her own inim-itable way, she brings the feel of a largefamily gathering to the four-day event.

The lobby of the Hilton Ball ParkHotel (so named as it is directly oppositethe St. Louis Cardinals’ ball park) isawash with Irish people who greet eachother by name and huddle over drinks asthey catch up. Chairs are moved into cir-cles, musical instruments are broughtout, and impromptu sessions spring upand carry on late into the evening.

The musicians are some of the best intheir field. One, Seamus Connelly, is a

Patricia Harty writes about Helen Gannon and the Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Convention.

A Gaelic StormLights Up St. Louis

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master fiddler from Co. Clare,who came to America on the firstCCÉ tour in 1972, and stayed onto teach music at Boston College.He had flown in from Maine,“because Helen asked me to.”

Katherine Irwin Thomas, whogrew up playing old-style fiddlemusic in Tennessee, has her ownschool in Atlanta. “I have twenty-five students now,” she said.“Nothing like Helen’s school, but sheinspired me to try.”

Eamonn O’Loughlin, a fine pianistwho happens to publish Canada’s IrishConnections magazine, also has highpraise for Helen. “When it comes to thearts, the school that she founded, St.Louis Irish Arts, is our equivalent to NewYork’s Juilliard School,” he says.

In addition to the musicians, there areset dancers – lots of them – and they comefrom all over the U.S., Canada and Irelandto take part in the ceilis. On the evening Istopped by to watch, a Chicago bandnamed Broken Pledge is playing. Theyoung flute player taps out the rhythm withhis feet as the dancers maneuver into intri-cate formations on a floor flown in fromKansas City especially for the occasion.

On the final evening, the ballroom islaid out for the closing banquet (Helenbaked 40 loaves of Irish bread for theoccasion). The stage is filled with musi-cians, and the very youngest students,resplendent in their costumes, someclutching fiddles and tin whistles, line upin front of the stage.

This is St. Louis Irish Arts’ night to

shine, and they don’t disap-point. Eimear Arkins, amusician, singer and dancerfrom Ruan, County Clare,is a law student at St. LouisUniversity, and a teacher atHelen’s school. She sets thetone for the evening bysinging the Canadian, Irish(as Gaeilge) and Americannational anthems.

The Irish language is emphasized at St.Louis Irish Arts, and the young studentswho sing along with Eimear flub not aword of the Gaeilge.

Irish poetry is also on the program. Ayoung girl of maybe eight gives a flaw-less rendition of Arthur Shaughnessy’s“The Music Makers.” She has beencoached by Helen’s husband, P.J., whohas from the start been an integral part ofthe school, as have the couple’s children.Daughter Eileen teaches the Irish harpand son Niall the fiddle.

The dance segments are spectacular.Shannon Flecke, a St. Louis native whobegan taking dance lessons at Helen’sschool at age four, and is now a teacherthere, joins James Mounsey fromNenagh, Co. Tipperary in an extraordi-nary performance that is wholly tradi-tional and yet has elements of Argentinetango. The two met when Shannon spenta summer at Bru Boru, the Comhaltascultural center in Cashel, Co. Tipperary.

And there are speeches, of course.Earlier, as hail the size of golf ballspounded the windows of the hotel, Helenhad handed out Comhaltas medallions to

members whose work deserved specialmention. And now it’s her turn to be feted.

After serving as chairperson of CCÉNorth America for six years, she is step-ping down and passing on the baton toTom Vesey.

Labhárs O Murchú, head of CCÉ, hasflown in from Ireland for the occasionwith his wife Una. He praises Helen as atireless campaigner in developing a loveand a passion for traditional Irish music,song and dance across North America.

Meithal is the old Irish word for“team,” explains CCÉ president SeamusMacCormaic. For him, the word bringsto mind how the neighbors back home inSligo helped each other with the harvest.Helen would be part of a new Meithalcommittee set up to further help with thework of Comhaltas in North America.

As we drifted from the room, I spokewith Tom Krippene, who describes him-self as Irish through his family. Tom hadacted as the Master of Ceremonies for theevening. All four of his daughters attend-ed Helen’s school and were enriched bythe experience. Their oldest, though incollege now, continues to play the Irishharp. “I can’t say enough about how St.Louis Irish Arts helped bring our familyunit together,” Tom says.

It all looks natural now, this vibrantIrish scene in St. Louis. Hard to believe itwasn’t always so. Helen and P.J. havebecome the embodiment of the Arch,linking the old world with the new, andensuring that Ireland’s rich culture,music and dance, will be enjoyed by generations of Americans to come.

Top left: Labhárs O Murchú, head ofCCÉ, Helen Gannon,Tom Vesey, and CCÉ

founding member BillMcEvoy. Two photosbottom left and farright: St. Louis IrishArts students. Above:Set dancers at theCeili.

IA

PHOTOGRAPHS: PETER MAHER, PUBLISHER MIDWEST IRISH FOCUS

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At First Light • Idir

Adebut release from the newly formed At First Light, Idir isa perfectly-paced, delightful addition to any Irish library.What sets Celtic music apart from most other genres is that

any handful of one’s favorite artists are just a moment away fromcollaborating on new projects. Formerly of Lunasa, John McSherryand Michael McGoldrick have long been in high demand on thescene, working on endless projects together and separately, most ofwhich have gained accolades at every turn. Their new project bringseven more experienced talent, and it seems the more experience andtime this duo has allowed themselves, the more spark their creativi-ty has gained.

McSherry and McGoldrick have definitely expanded in this newproject. The album has remnants of that Lunas signature sound, butthe unique rasp of Donal O’Connor’s fiddle is just one element, par-ticularly on the track “Ar Thoir an Donn,” which makes Idir breatheall on its own. While the album is mostly instrumental, the very wel-come vocals of Ciara McCirckard on “Aird Uí Chuain (The QuietLand of Erin)” are gorgeously mastered in a way that detracts noth-ing from the fabulous instrumentation.

At First Light have stormed onto the scene as a new act with thisalbum, a definite triumph, proving that all its experienced players aretruly ripened.

Marie Reilly •The Anvil: A Dedication to Michael Reilly

Fiddler Marie Reilly released The Anvil this spring, an eighteentrack tribute album jam-packed with rare and ancient folksongs whose roots lie in southern Leitrim and Longford. It is

a lively and sentimental collection, paying tribute to her late father,Michael. A debut album, it carries a wealth of traditional tunes andechoes the sounds of a Longford style that is too often overlooked.The final three tracks on Anvil were recorded by the late MichaelReilly himself.

Reilly’s transitions throughout the album’s medleys are flawless.“The Vermont & The Friendly Visit” hornpipes are a particular high-light early in the collection, toeing the line between the kinetic fid-dles energy and the sullen tone of a hornpipe rather masterfully.Reilly seems most at home, however, with her reels; attacking thenotes without the hesitation that can at times overshadow a debutrelease. Overall, The Anvil is a gentle collection. With simple andmodest production, it is a “living room” record–a perfect soundtrackto a Sunday afternoon. IA

{music reviews}By Tara Dougherty

Summer FestivalsWant to get out and hear some great live Irishmusic this summer? Remember these are just afew of the hundreds of festivals featuring won-derful Irish music across the country. Be sureto check out your neck of the woods for Irishfestivals year round and support live Celticmusic!

Annapolis Irish FestivalAnne Arundel Country Fairgrounds,Crownsville, MDJULY 14• Featuring: McClean Avenue, Screaming

Orphans, Barleyjuice and more!• For more information visit:

www.annapolisirishfestival.com

Dublin Irish FestivalCoffman Park, Dublin, OHAUGUST 3-5• Featuring: Tannahill Weavers, Martin Hayes

& Dennis Cahill, The Mahones and more!• For more information visit:

www.dublinirishfestival.org

Milwaukee Irish FestHenry W. Maeir Festival Park, Milwaukee, WIAUGUST 16-19• Featuring: The High Kings, Liz Carroll,

Brock McGuire Band and more!• For more information visit:

www.irishfest.com

International Celtic FestivalHunter Mountain Resort, Hunter, NYAUGUST 18-19• Featuring: Black 47, Frankie Gavin and De

Dannan, Shilelagh Law and more!• For more information visit

www.huntermtn.com/festivals

Pittsburgh Irish FestivalRiverplex at Sandcastle, Homestead PASEPTEMBER 7-10• Featuring: Gaelic Storm,

Maken and Spain Brothers• For more information: www.pghirishfest.org

Rocky Mountain Irish Festival Civic Center Park, Fort Collins COSEPTEMBER 28-30• Featuring: Lineup to be announced.• For more information visit:

www.fortcollinsirishfestival.com

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{review of books}Recently published books of Irish and Irish-American interest.

Recommended:The O’Briens

The O’Briens is the long-await-ed second novel of Canadian

author Peter Behrens, whosedebut, Law of Dreams, captivatedreaders in 2006 with the story ofIrishman Fergus O’Brien’s gruel-ing journey to escape the GreatFamine. The O’Briens marks a return to thefamily’s saga but skips a generation, withFergus’s grandson Joe as the protagonist.He is the eldest of five siblings growing upin the pine forests of northern Quebec in1887, and has had no choice but to becomethe head of his family after his father’sdeath in the Boer War. Early on, Joe dis-plays a great talent for business, starting hisown logging business and employing menthree times his age. When their mother diesand their waste of a stepfather crosses theline with their younger sisters, Joe and hisbrother Grattan quickly makeplans for themselves and their sib-lings. The two girls and theiryounger brother join the nuns andthe Jesuits, respectively, whileGrattan heads to California andJoe sets out to make his fortunebuilding railroads.

Throughout The O’Briens,Behrens flits from one period intime to the next, from one charac-ter’s perspective to another. In 1912, inVenice Beach, Joe meets Iseult Wilkins –also French Canadian and also an orphan.They find something each was missing inthe other and wed quickly.

The next five decades of the novel takeus from California to railway camps in theCanadian wilderness, from an imposingMontreal mansion to a peaceful dinghymaking its way from Maine to CapeBreton. We see Joe and Iseult’s family lifeevolve – strained and then repaired, anddamaged again when WWII breaks out,altering their own lives and the lives oftheir children, Michael, Margot andFrankie. Through the children’s perspec-tives, we learn far more about Joe than wedo when the narrative makes us privy tohis thoughts – his sternness and his dis-tance, his cloistered bouts of drinking, andhis tenacity to see the best for his family.Though the disclaimer at the end of thebook states otherwise, Behrens has

revealed that Joe O’Brien wasbased on his own grandfather,whom he didn’t know wellbut was always fascinated by.In The O’Briens, he has ren-dered him fully.

– Sheila Langan(400 pages / Pantheon

Books / $24.95)

My American Struggle for Justice inNorthern Ireland

In My American Struggle for Justice inNorthern Ireland, Fr. Sean McManus

tells an important and highly personalaccount of his years of lobbying and non-violent protest on Capitol Hill in his missionto achieve justice in Northern Ireland.McManus, who founded the National IrishCaucus in 1974 and played a crucial role inseeing the MacBride Principles passed inNorthern Ireland, gives insight into how hisupbringing, family and early years as a

Redemptionist priest set him onhis journey to the U.S., and pro-vides a detailed look at hiswork, the allegiances he madeand the obstacles he faced inAmerican politics and in theIrish-American community.

McManus was born in 1944,the tenth of twelve children,and was raised on a farm nearthe village of Kinawley, two

miles from the border. As he explains,“The historic parish of Kinawley is actual-ly divided by the British-imposed border.So I grew up extremely conscious that theBritish government had not only parti-tioned my country, but also my ownancient parish.” Though he had alwaysheld patriotic sentiments and had protest-ed, it wasn’t until his brother Patrick diedin 1972, transporting an IRA bomb thatexploded prematurely, that the full force ofhis outspokenness gained attention, andsaw him pushed out of Britain bythe Church. McManus tells how,once in the U.S., inspired by lead-ers like Martin Luther King, Jr.and Mahatma Gandhi, he devel-oped his philosophy of non-vio-lent protest: “Unless you resist,you are not practicing non-vio-lence,” he writes. “If you closeyour eyes to injustice and vio-lence – as so many Churchmen

do – you are not being non-violent: you arebeing cowardly, lazy and indifferent tohuman suffering.” He takes the readerthrough the ways in which this philosophyserved him throughout the late ’70s, the’80s and the ’90s.

For those who know McManus’s story,his thorough account will give new detailsand new angles from which to considerthis important time in Irish and Irish-American history – particularly the inter-personal conflicts between the differentparties involved, which Fr. McManus doesnot shy away from discussing. For thosewho aren’t as familiar, it will provide athorough entrée into his remarkable strug-gle and accomplishments.

– Sheila Langan (280 pages / The Collins Press / $19.16 )

Non-Fiction:Hey, America, Your Roots AreShowing

Megan Smolenyak is without a doubtthe most interesting and intrepid

genealogist working today. In Hey,America, Your Roots Are Showing,Smolenyak discusses her manygenealogical adventures – from figuringout the identity of the real Annie Moore,Ellis Island’s first immigrant, to hermuch publicized accomplishment of trac-ing President Obama’s Irish roots back toMoneygall, Co. Offaly.

Smolenyak takes care to provide thefacts and dispel the myths about her fieldof work. Navigating around the currentobsession with which celebrity is an 8thcousin once removed of another famousperson (which she points out doesn’t meanmuch) Smolenyak opens with a chapter onher efforts to identify missing soldiersfrom WWII and the Korean and Vietnamwars. Though she later delves into some of her most fascinating celebrity cases (figur-

ing out Michelle Obama’s familytree when it had stumped somany others; hurriedly tracingHoda Kotb’s Egyptian rootsbefore an appearance on GoodMorning America; determiningthat Rev. Al Sharpton’s enslavedancestors were owned by thefamily of segregationist SenatorStrom Thurmond), Smolenyakalso emphasizes the stories of

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average Americans, which she claims to bethe real beauty of genealogical research –remembering those who might otherwisebe forgotten. Her work is fascinating, andfar from overly technical; her conversa-tional style is a delight throughout, likethat of a brilliant and charming genealogi-cal detective. – Sheila Langan

(256 pages / Kensington Books / $15.95)

Wise Irish Women

Women of Irishheritage have

persevered throughouthistory. It is fascinatingto think where the Irishand Irish Americanswould be today withoutthe strength of Irishmothers to lead theirfamilies. But Irish women are not onlymothers; they are also business women,teachers, writers, friends and sisters, oftenwearing many hats at a time. Cousins andco-authors Patricia Connorton Kagerer andLaura Prendergast Gordon’s new bookWise Irish Women tells the true stories ofinspiring Irish women, both past and pres-ent, who come from different backgroundsand pursue various lifestyles, but who areall united by their common “Irishness”which helps them to succeed.

Wise Irish Women is surprisingly mov-ing. Every woman in the book has some-thing different to shed light on, a new les-son to teach.

Granted, some women stand out morethan others. The story of how acclaimedauthor Mary Higgins Clarke became awriter is awe-inspiring. But the way inwhich her Irish heritage helped motivateher is also reflected in the story of EileenLynch, a widow who struggled to raisefour children on her own. Every story doesits best to “inspire the Irish spirit” andreaders who pick up Wise Irish Women willfeel this heartwarming effect.

– Molly Ferns(234 pages / The Small Press / $19.95)

Fiction:Until the Next Time

Cloaked in mystery but rich in mysticalnuances, Kevin Fox’s Until the Next

Time is a transcendental tale about the past,present and future of Sean Corrigan, a 21-

year-old Irish American whoembarks upon a life-alteringjourney after receiving anunusual birthday gift fromhis father: the journal of hisdeceased uncle, Michael (anuncle Sean never knewexisted). It unfolds thatMichael, a New York Citycop, fled to Ireland to avoidbeing executed for killing a man. On aquest to prove his uncle’s innocence, Seangoes to Ireland, following in Michael’sfootsteps.

The places Sean visits, the people heencounters, and, most importantly, thejournal itself, offer clues to Sean’s ownpast and future, and reveal just how inter-woven his life is with his uncle’s. Thejournal also reveals a timeless love storyand becomes Sean’s key to finding thewoman he’s destined to be with.

Until the Next Time is a suspensefulstory that will both intrigue and confuseyou. If you don’t pay close attention, youmight get lost in the jumping back andforth between Michael’s and Sean’s lives,as the layering of the characters makes ithard at times to keep track of who is who.Nevertheless, Kevin Fox’s novelwill draw you in and keep youthere. – Michelle Meagher

( 404 pages / Algonquin Books /$15.95)

Photography:Tribe: A Portrait of Galway

In this incredible coffee table col-lection of photographs, Reg

Gordon captures the soul of contempo-rary Galway – not through pristine pho-tographs of the bay or the SpanishArch, but through thoughtfully com-posed portraits of its inhabitants. “Icould suggest that it is difficult todefine what makes a town,” Gordonwrites in the introduction, “but I wouldbe lying. It’s actually very simple. It’sthe people. It’s always the people.”

The people of Galway portrayed in thesepages range from famous residents like theSaw Doctors, Tommy Tiernan, and DruidTheater director Garry Hynes, to the fire-men, librarians, hospice workers, publi-cans and shop owners who keep the townrunning on a daily basis. There are thelocal fixtures who have lived there for gen-erations, like the Kenny family of Kenny’sBooks, and those who came from far awayto make Galway their home, like DanRosen (featured on the cover), a NewYorker who runs a popular doughnut standand makes his own clothes. Each person ispictured in a place of some special significance throughout Galway and itsenvirons, and each photograph providesquiet insight into its subject.

It must also be noted that Tribe is aprime example of the rare self-published book that looks,feels and reads as if it had awhole team of professionaldesigners and editors behindit. This is a beautiful book inevery way. – Sheila Langan

(176 pages / Self-published/ $55.00 - includes

international shipping)


Irish Traditional Cooking: Over 300 Recipes from Ireland’sHeritage, Revised EditionJudging Darina Allen’s Irish Traditional Cooking by its cover alone, you

could be forgiven for assuming that it contains mostly recipes for

leaves.The high-definition photograph of leafy-greens-and-purples

does not exactly call to mind Ireland’s most famous dishes. But rest

assured, this cookbook is not for those who wish to avoid a hearty, rustic meal.

Cookbooks for non-professionals rarely provide this much historical and contextual

background to their dishes. It’s clear that Allen has put a tremendous amount of effort

into creating content that is detailed and informative, while still quite accessible to the

casual cook. Often, anecdotes and trivia accompany her descriptions of food items – the

Jonathan Swift poem found alongside a recipe for Baked Onions is particularly amusing.

The chapter on pork ends with a page-long lesson on “Killing a Pig.” There are several dif-

ferent recipes for soda bread, but only one for “Protestant Cake,” which is a shortcake

topped with toffee and chocolate.

This book is a refined look at unrefined foods, in both senses of the word.The dishes,

so elegantly presented and academically described, are simple, humble, and not far

removed from their sources. It is sure to appeal to those new to Irish cooking, and those

looking to add a bit of nostalgia to their kitchen. – Catherine Davis(288 pages / Kyle Books / $35)

Cooking:

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{sláinte}By Edythe Preet

If you ever visit Ireland during the month of June, it’stempting to maximize summer’s daylight hours and ram-ble until the sun goes down. Not a good idea. In theisland’s northern latitude, sunset is a nighttime ratherthan evening affair. This is especially true in mid-Junewhen the sun doesn’t set on the Emerald Isle until almost

10:00 p.m. and by that time most kitchens are closed tighter thanan oyster.

I learned this lesson the hard way. I was traveling throughWexford and it had been a glorious day. Overcast in the morn-ing, but the sun broke through just shy of noon. The countrysidewas so rich with shades of green that I actually tried countinghow many I could spot. With golden sunshine creating postcardviews at every turn, I was tempted to dawdle. But my ‘must see’schedule was so tight I dutifully barreled on to each next desti-nation, not even pausing to grab a pub lunch.

Angels must have been looking after me. Around a bend in aparticularly snaky and unpopulated stretch of road, I came acrossa lone fellow selling strawberries. “Just the ticket,” I thought. “Afruit snack will hold me until dinner.” Compared to the giantCalifornia strawberries I was used to, his petite fruits lookedpuny, but I purchased a pint. One bite told the tale. The basket ofincredibly sweet and fragrant berries disappeared in less than amile, so I sped back to the vendor and bought half a flat!

County Wexford, Ireland’s premier soft fruit growing district, isknown as “The Sunny Southeast” because it receives more sun-shine and less rainfall than any other part of the country. The coun-ty is renowned for its strawberries, and although production weighsin at more than 2,000 tons per year, most of the crop is consumedlocally. During the annual Strawberry Festival in Enniscorthy (firstweekend in June 2012), fairgoers will consume 15 tons of berries

drenched in more than 1,500 gallons of sweet cream.While Wexford’s strawberries are delicious eaten straight out

of hand or strewn fresh on morning bowls of muesli, many aretransformed into luscious jams, preserves and jellies. A favoritesummer dessert, Strawberry Fool, dates from Norman times.The term ‘fool’ comes from the French ‘fouler’ meaning ‘tocrush’ and the dessert is traditionally prepared from pureedberries mixed with whipped cream, vanilla custard, or a combi-nation of the two. Fools can also be made with rhubarb, goose-berries, raspberries, plums or black currants whose tart flavorssupply an excellent contrast to the rich cream.

As summer rolls on, wild raspberry patches and crab applestands can be found tucked away in shady woodlands. Whileraspberries are prized for making ruby red preserves and the tartflavor they impart to fresh fruit desserts, crab apples are usedmainly for making jelly, wine and a thick jam which is an excel-

lent accompaniment to roast pork, duck or autumn goose.In ancient Ireland, the July full moon marked the Feast

of Lughnasa when Lugh, God of Light, held a wake tohonor the death of his foster-mother Tailtu, Goddess ofAgriculture. As the festival that celebrated the first gath-ering of earth’s autumn bounty, Lughnasa was the timewhen people could finally stop surviving on the meagerremains from last year’s harvest and begin to bring in thenew crops.

Since small landholders determined if they could beginraising a family based on the earnings they obtained fromtheir crops, marriages were common after harvest-time.At the great Oenach Tailten Fair, which survived inCounty Meath until the late eighteenth century, the cus-tom of a ‘Teltown marriage’ evolved. A wall was erectedin which there was a hole big enough to admit a hand.Men and women passed on either side of the hole reach-ing through it and whoever grasped hands were consid-ered married for nine months. At the end of that time ifeither party were dissatisfied, the trial marriage was can-celed!

Lughnasa still marks the end of summer and the startof autumn on Ireland’s rural calendar. It’s the time when

bilberries (also known as fraughans, blaeberries and blueberries)can be found growing wild on heather-covered mountainsides.Families hike into the hills to pick the sweet juicy berries, thenwith fingers and clothes stained forty shades of purple, everyonereturns home to feast on potatoes, bacon, cabbage, and bowls ofsugared bilberries and cream.

By late August, countless hedgerows along country roadsbegin producing tons of deep purple blackberries, and anyonewith a mind to go picking will be rewarded with buckets full ofplump fruit. Blackberry mousse is an elegant dessert, andblackberry sauce can be sweet or savory to complement icecream and custards, or roast fowl and game. Combined withapples, blackberries make one of Ireland’s most populardesserts, a rich pastry tart. In years past, Irish cooks baked inthe all-purpose cast iron black pots that sat atop smoldering turf

Ireland: It’s The Berries!

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fires and only diligent watching and turning kept their pies frombecoming singed by the fierce heat of the glowing coals.

At the height of summer when Ireland’s strawberries, raspber-ries, blackberries and blueberries are all in season at once, thesebrilliantly hued fruits are frequently combined to make SummerPudding, one of the world’s most strikingly beautiful and deli-cious desserts.

Although Americans associate the term ‘pudding’ with milk-based custards, Irish puddings often have a bread or crumb baseand are baked, boiled or steamed — sometimes for hours. Themost familiar are Christmas Plum Pudding, which is servedflaming with a rich brandy sauce, and Bread Pudding, which isoften accompanied with a whiskey sauce.

Summer Pudding is another story altogether. Made by layer-ing bread slices with a mixture of lightly poached strawberries,raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, it is not cooked at all,

but simply left to sit until the berry juices have completely satu-rated the bread slices and colored them a brilliant shade ofshocking pink. As the finale of a warm weather meal, SummerPudding makes even a part-time cook look like a full-time culi-nary genius with hardly any effort at all!

On that memorable day when I first encountered the joy ofIreland’s summer fruits, the half-flat of berries I purchased bythe side of the road held my appetite at bay for hours. Combinedwith my hectic touring schedule, I never noticed that daylightwas lasting much longer than I was used to. With the sun linger-ing in a softly glowing sky, it was nearly 8PM when I realizedhow the time had flown. Pressing pedal to the metal, I hastenedto my night’s lodging arriving only moments before the eveningmeal. Missing that feast of freshly caught baked salmon, sautéedwild greens, itty bitty buttered baby potatoes, and sublimestrawberry shortcake would have been tragic. Sláinte!


IA

RECIPESStrawberry Fool

(personal recipe)3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons sugar

11⁄2 cups whole milk1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pint strawberries, hulled &

coarsely chopped1⁄2 cup whipping cream

CUSTARD: In a medium stainless steelbowl, whisk together the eggs and sugarthen set aside. In a small heavysaucepan, combine the milk and vanillaand scald the milk until a skin forms onthe surface. Remove the milk from theheat, skim off the scalded skin and grad-ually whisk the milk into the egg mix-ture. Suspend the bowl over a pot ofsimmering water and cook the custard,stirring constantly with a wooden spoon,for about 5 minutes, until it begins tothicken. Do not let the custard boil. Assoon as the custard is pudding thick,remove it from the heat and place thebowl in a large bowl of ice to immedi-ately stop the cooking process. Coverthe pudding bowl with plastic wrap tokeep the surface from getting hard.Refrigerate until completely cooled.

ASSEMBLY: Set aside 3 large straw-berries. Put the remainder in a smallbowl and mash with a fork. Place thestrawberry puree in a sieve and let drainfor 15 minutes. While the puree is drain-ing, pour the cream into a separate bowland whip until stiff peaks form. Measureout 1 1/2 cups of custard into a large

bowl and stir in the strawberry puree.Fold in the whipped cream. Put the Foolin serving glasses and chill for at leastone hour before serving. Decorate withstrawberry halves. Makes 4-6 servings.

Summer Pudding (personal recipe)

1 pint strawberries, hulled and

quartered

1 pint raspberries

1 pint blueberries

1 pint blackberries1⁄4 cup sugar

1 loaf sliced French bread,

crusts removed

extra mixed berries for garnishing

Butter the inside of a large mixingbowl, and line with a sheet of plasticwrap. Line with bread slices as follows.Place one round of bread on the bottomof the bowl, and line the sides withbread slices taper-trimmed to fit vertical-ly tight against each other. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, combine thefruits with the sugar. Warm over lowheat until the berries soften and releasetheir juices. Pour berries and juice intothe bread-lined bowl. Cover the surfacecompletely with additional bread slices.Place a small plate on top of the pud-ding, and set a weight on it (a mediumjar filled with water and capped worksnicely). Put the pudding in the refrigera-tor and let sit for 24 hours, siphoning offand saving juices as they rise to the sur-face. Just before serving, siphon off any

last bit of juice then place a large plateon top of the bowl and invert the pud-ding onto the plate. Carefully removethe plastic wrap making sure not to dis-lodge any of the bread slices. Garnishthe plate with extra mixed berries.Present the pudding whole and cut intopie-shaped wedges to serve. Place eachpudding wedge on a dessert plate andsurround with reserved pudding juice.Makes 8 servings.

Note: Summer Pudding is lovelyserved with a custard sauce. Follow thecustard directions given in the Foolrecipe, but remove from heat as soon asthe custard begins to thicken and coatsthe back of a spoon. The custard can bemade 24 hours ahead if kept coveredand refrigerated.

Quick StrawberryShortcake

(personal recipe)1 pint strawberries, hulled, chopped

and sugared

1 package purchased shortcake rounds

(4 units)

1 pint heavy whipping cream sugar

Beat whipping cream until thick andfluffy. Add sugar to taste. Place short-cake rounds on individual dessert plates.Ladle strawberries over. Scoop generousamount of whipped cream on strawber-ries. Top with another spoonful of straw-berries. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 shortcakes.

IA.Slainte.qxd 5/11/12 6:36 PM Page 75

ACROSS1 See 16 down (7)8 Eleven people from this Mayo

parish perished on Titanic (10)9 The first ever St. Patrick’s Day

Parade was held in this city in 1737 (6)

10 (& 6 down) This actress won aLifetime Achievement Award at theIrish Film & Television Awards inFebruary (8)

14 Abbreviated medic (1,1)15 See 39 across (1, 8)17 An overdose, in short (1,1)18 Wipe all traces of (5)19 To slip by or pass (6)20 (& 7 down) Irish for Kildare (4)22 Layer or ranking (4)23 Short for Patrick or Patricia (3)25 Centimeter (1,1)27 The ‘P’ in SOPA (6)31 See 44 across (7)33 Anger (3)34 Many Irish Army peacekeeping

forces served here through the years (5)

35 (& 29 down) New DVD series fromRoma Downey (6)

36 Not off (2)37 Father & son former US Presidents:

George _____ (4)39 (& 15 across) This athlete will carry

the Olympic Torch in Ireland thissummer (5)

41 ____ Girl: Dublin memoir ofBrooklyn-based writer HonorMolloy (6)

44 Screenwriter brother of playwrightMartin McDonagh (4)

45 Life begins at _____ (5)46 Pre-Easter period, traditionally a

time of abstinence (4)

DOWN1 (& 34 down) This legendary

Canadian singer returns to Ireland in September for three Dublinshows (7)

2 To be or ____ to be (3)3 To possess or have (3)

4 Sleep disorder (10)5 Meat sauce served with spaghetti,

popular in Ireland (9)6 See 10 across (8)7 See 20 across (4)

11 This county’s GAA colors are green and white (8)

12 An upcoming BBC America show about Irish cops in 1860s New York (6)

13 Castle and folk park in Co. Clare (8)14 2004 play by John Patrick Shanley,

later a movie with Meryl Streep (5)16 (& 1 across) An Augustus Saint-

Gauden statue of this President was acquired by the MetropolitanMuseum of Art in NYC (7)

21 Carrick-on-Shannon is thecounty town for whichlovely county? (7)

24 To prepare land for the cultivation of crops (4)

25 Signed note for money owed for food and drink (4)

26 (& 38 down) Clare bornfiddle player regarded as

one of the world’s best (6)28 Chemical element with the symbol

Fe (4)29 See 35 across (6)30 Sticks used for playing billiards,

snooker or pool (4)32 Snake-like fish (3)34 See 1 down (5)37 See 43 down (5)38 See 26 down (5)40 Glen Hansard movie now a

Broadway play (4)42 Boy’s name which means ‘red

king’ (4)43 (& 37 down) New England Patriots

quarterback (3)


{crossword}By Darina Molloy

Win a subscription to Irish America magazine

April / May Solution

Please send your completed crossword puzzle to Irish America, 875 Sixth Avenue,Suite 201, New York, NY 10001, to arrive no later than July 2, 2012.

A winner will be drawn from among all correct entries. If there are no correct solutions, the prize will be awarded for the completed puzzle which comes

closest in the opinion of our staff. Winner’s name will be published along with thesolution in our next issue. Xerox copies are acceptable.

Winner of the APRIL / MAY Crossword: Leslie Burns, Wilmington, DE.

IA.Crossword.qxd 5/11/12 9:27 PM Page 76

Roisin FitzpatrickArtist of the Light®

Follow

Irish American Heritage Museum, AlbanySolo Exhibition May 8 – June 30 2012

ArtistoftheLight.com

‘A great example of contemporary Irish art’ H.E. MICHAEL COLLINS, AMBASSADOR OF IRELAND TO THE U.S. ‘Clarity...Realize the oneness’ WASHINGTON POST ‘Simple elegance’ FORBES ‘Uplifting’ WALL STREET JOURNAL ‘Inspiring!’ DEEPAK CHOPRA

IRISH TREASURES GIFT GUIDEWhether you are looking for the parian china, knitwear, collectibles, books or travel

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Whether you are looking for fine parian china, knitwear, collectibles, books or travelinformation, here are some of the finest Irish treasures available for any season.

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Homestyle Jam, Marmalade, Jelly, Chutney, Wine Jelly & Fruit Preserves

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IT.indd 1 5/9/12 3:14 PM


Louis le Brocquy1916-2012

Louis le Brocquy, one of the most importantand influential Irish artists of the last century,died at age 95 in his family home in Dublin onApril 25.

Le Brocquy was born in Dublin onNovember 10, 1916, the son of Albert leBrocquy, the honorary secretary of the IrishLeague of Nations Society, and Sybil Staunton,co-founder of Amnesty International Irelandand a noted figure within Dublin’s literary cir-cles. Le Brocquy was educated at St. Gerard’sSchool, Co. Wicklow, and studied chemistry atKevin Street Technical School and then TrinityCollege Dublin. At the same time, his child-hood interest in art, particularly painting, re-emerged, and he pro-duced two early experimental paintings, both of which wereaccepted for exhibition by the Royal Hibernian Academy.

According to le Brocquy’s wife and biographer, Anne Madden,the summer of 1938 marked the time when le Brocquy the chem-istry student first considered becoming le Brocquy the painter.That November, he left Ireland to immerse himself in studying theEuropean art collections of London’s National Gallery, the Louvrein Paris and the Prado Collection on loan to Geneva. By 1940 hehad returned to Ireland, where his work began to get attention.Throughout a career spanning over seven decades and manyground-breaking stylistic manifestations, le Brocquy became inter-nationally recognized as one of the foremost Irish painters of the20th century. In 2002, his seminal 1951 work, A Family, was addedto the Permanent Irish Collection of the National Gallery ofIreland, making him the first and living artist to be included in thecollection. The “Head Images” of literary figures for which he isso famous began in 1964, with portraits of James Joyce andSamuel Beckett. In 1975 he began a series on W.B. Yeats.

Le Brocquy is survived by his wife, Anne Madden, their sons Pierre and Alexis, and a daughter, Seyre, from a previousmarriage. – M.A.

Priscilla Buckley1921-2012

Ninety-year-old journalist and authorPriscilla Buckley died on March 25 ofkidney failure at her family’s home inSharon, Connecticut. It was the house inwhich she and her nine siblings grew up.

Buckley was born on October 17,1921 in New York City to WilliamFrank Buckley, of Irish descent, andAloise Josephine Antonia Steiner, aNew Orleans native of Swiss-Germandescent. She graduated from SmithCollege in 1943 with a bachelor’s

degree in history, and soon after got a job with the United Press.She took a break from journalism to work for the CentralIntelligence Agency, before eventually returning to the UnitedPress as a reporter in Paris. Her brother, William F. Buckley Jr.,founded the National Review in 1955, and asked her to join themagazine the following year. She was soon made managing editor.

Eventually stepping down from the position, shebecame a senior editor at the magazine—a posi-tion she retained until her retirement in 1999.

Buckley is survived by her brothers James L.Buckley and F. Reid Buckley, and by her sister,Carol Buckley. – C.D.

George Cowan 1920-2012

George Cowan, a chemist who helped build thefirst atomic bomb, died on Friday, April 20, at hishome in Los Alamos, NM. Friends said his deathfollowed a fall. He was 92.

Born on February 15, 1920 in Worcester,Mass., Cowan attended local schools before grad-uating from Worcester Polytechnic Institute with

a degree in chemistry in 1941. Cowan first worked under EugeneWigner at Princeton University. That experience led him to helpthe federal government’s secret effort to develop the atomic bombwith the Manhattan Project. In 1946, Cowan married fellowchemist Helen Dunham. They were married for 65 years and hadno children. She died last year. In 1950, Cowan received his doc-torate in physical chemistry from the Carnegie Mellon University.Cowan was part of the group ordered by President Harry S.Truman to develop the hydrogen bomb and served on the WhiteHouse science council during the Reagan administration.

In 1984, Cowan assembled scientists to found the Santa FeInstitute, a scientific research center. Hewas awarded the Federal EnergyDepartment’s highest honor, the EnricoFermi Award, as well as the Los AlamosMedal, the highest honor given by the LosAlamos National Laboratory. – M.M.

Murray Lender1930-2012

Murray Lender, vice chairman of Quinnipiac University’s boardof trustees, who played a key role in forming the school’s unparal-leled Ireland’s Great Hunger Special Collection, died on March 21in a Miami hospital, following complications from a fall.

Along with his brothers Marvin and Sam, Murray Lender wasresponsible for transforming their father’s New Haven, CT bagelbusiness, H. Lender & Sons, into the leading national distributor offrozen bagels. The company went from selling wholesale to localbakeries to selling millions of bagels each year. It was purchasedby Kraft in 1984 and by Pinnacle Food Group in 2003.

Murray Isaac Lender was born on October 29, 1930 in NewHaven to Harry and Rose Lender. After college he served in theArmy for two years and then went to work in the family business,becoming president and, later, chairman. Lender was extremelyactive and generous with his alma mater, Quinnipiac University,from which he graduated in 1950 (when it was still called theJunior College of Commerce). In addition to serving as vice chair-man, he provided significant funding for the university’s school ofbusiness, which bears his family’s name, and played a vital role inthe development of Quinnipiac’s Great Hunger Collection.

When Quinnipiac’s president, Dr. John Lahey, served as GrandMarshal of the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1997, he centeredhis speeches around the Great Famine, which caught Lender’s

{Those We Lost}

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attention. As Lahey explained in a 2010interview with Irish America, “While I wasgiving all these speeches, he came to meand said, ‘John, it’s just amazing to me, thisstory of the Great Hunger.’ You could tellthat he associated it with persecution of theJews and other ethnic groups, AfricanAmericans, Native Americans, in this coun-try, and he said, ‘I’ll give you a gift for the

library but it’s got to be for the Irish Great Hunger special collec-tion. You go out and tell me what you need to do and collect the artand get the research materials and the books and periodicals, andwe’ll take care of it.’” The collection, which is soon to move intoits own museum space, contains 700 volumes of historic and con-temporary texts, and an ever-growing number of works of art thatportray or respond to the loss of more than 1.5 million Irish livesbetween 1845 and 1852. In a statement released to the campus, Dr.Lahey stated that he was “deeply saddened” to report Lender’sdeath, and commended his “outstanding leadership.”

Lender is survived by his wife, Gilda, a daughter, two sons, eightgrandchildren, and his brother Marvin. – S.L.

Barney McKenna1939-2012

Barney McKenna, the last surviving founding member of theIrish folk group The Dubliners, died on April 5 in Dublin; he was72. McKenna, a household name in Ireland, was a self-taught.gifted musician who began playing the banjo because he couldn’tafford a mandolin. He is credited with revolutionizing the use ofthe banjo in traditional Irish music and was known as one of theworld’s finest banjo players. McKenna was born inDonnycarney, Co Dublin on December 16, 1939. Rejected fromthe Irish army band due to poor eyesight, he played with a fewgroups in the 50’s and 60’s before joining up with Ronnie Drew;together they played at O’Donoghue’s pub and were later joinedby Luke Kelly and Ciaran Bourke; the four comprised “TheDubliners.”

The Dubliners rose to international acclaim as one of the world’smost famous folk groups. However, McKenna’s greatest pridecame not from fame, but from knowing he helped popularize thebanjo in modern folk culture. He was extremely influential in howthe instrument was played – his style was copied by many banjoplayers around the world, making it the standard for Irish music.McKenna was happiest in the company of musicians and contin-ued performing and touring. Before his death, he finished up TheDubliner’s 50th anniversary tour, and in February, The Dublinerswon the BBC folk award’s lifetime achievement award.McKenna’s wife, Joka,died in the 1980s. He issurvived by his partner,Tina, his sister, Marie,and brother, Sean. – M.M.

Mel Parnell1922-2012

Melvin Lloyd Parnell,a famed left-handed start-ing pitcher for the BostonRed Sox, died in his New

Orleans home on March 20, ofcomplications from cancer.

Parnell was born in NewOrleans on June 13, 1922. Hisfather, Patrick, was a mechanicon a passenger train betweenChicago and New Orleans. Afterplaying baseball for his highschool team, Parnell spent threeyears pitching in the minorleagues before beginning hiscareer with the Boston Red Soxin 1947. The team, which wonover 90 games a season between the years 1948 and 1950, at onepoint had a lineup that included Ted Williams, Dom DiMaggio,Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr and Vern Stephens. Parnell’s best sea-son was in 1949, during which he won 25 games. After an elbowinjury forced him to retire from the major leagues, he coached atTulane University, and later served as general manager to the NewOrleans Pelicans. In 1965, he became a broadcaster for the RedSox.

Parnell is survived by his wife of 64 years, their four children,and three grandchildren. – C.D.

Rory Staunton1999-2012

Rory Staunton, the belovedtwelve-year-old son of CiaranStaunton, founder of the IrishLobby for Immigration Reform,and Orlaith Staunton, and nephewof Irish America’s co-founder andpublisher Niall O’Dowd, diedtragically and suddenly on April 1,when an elbow scrape sustainedplaying basketball became infect-ed with a toxic bacteria.

The outpouring of sadness over Rory’s death and the supportfor his grieving family members was tremendous on both sides ofthe Atlantic. A commemoration service on April 5 in Woodside,Queens, drew close to 1,500 people to St. Mary Winfield Church,where Rory was praised and remembered by his family andfriends, his classmates and teachers from the nearby GardenSchool, and by members of the Irish American community,including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn andCongressman Joe Crowley. With each tribute, the character of thisremarkable boy became clearer and clearer, as those gatheredremembered his intelligence, humor and kindness; his passion forpolitics; his keen interest in piloting airplanes; and his love ofIreland.

He was flown to Ireland on Good Friday for a funeral mass inDrogheda, Co. Louth. Taoiseach Enda Kenny paid his respectsat the mass, as did Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and MartinMcGuinness, deputy first minister of Northern Ireland. He wasthen waked by his family: his parents, Ciaran and Orlaith; hisyounger sister, Kathleen; his grandmother Tessie Staunton;uncles Joe, Pearse, Declan, Noel, Aidan, Fintan and Gabriel;aunts Debbie, Dervla, Triona and Loretta, and many more. Hewas laid to rest beside his grandmother Kathleen O’Dowd. IA

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{the last word}

Iam shocked and heartsick at theVatican’s action to censor the nuns. Iknow a lot of nuns, I was one myself

for six years. Nuns are the wise womenof our tribe. We cannot let the Vaticanthrow them under the bus.

I wrote about a visit to the Mother-house of my order, the Sisters ofProvidence at St. Mary-of-the-Woods inIndiana, in the April/May 2011 issue ofIrish America. As I was walked throughrow after row of white crosses in thecemetery and read the names – SisterMarcella, Grace O’Malley; Sister MarieDenise, Hannah Sullivan; Sister MaryOlive, Olive O’Connell – I rememberedhow millions of Irish and Irish-Americanwomen gave their lives to the Church,and to us, while many still serve today.

And now, through serendipity andprovidence, on Sunday, May 6, twoweeks after Rome announced a crack-down on the Leadership Conference ofWomen Religious, which represents 80percent of the 56,000 Sisters in theUnited States, I was sitting in with about30 nuns from various congregations.

The nuns, members of the Partnershipfor Global Justice, were gathered in NewYork City to present their annual JusticeAward to the International Council ofThirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, agroup of women elders native to North,South and Central America, Africa, Asiaand the Arctic who travel the globe work-ing and praying for “Mother Earth and allher children.”

I had been involved with a documen-tary about the grandmothers, For TheNext 7 Generations, produced and direct-ed by my friend Carole Hart. I wasdelighted at the confluence of grandmoth-ers and nuns at the Partnership’s awardpresentation, and realized how much theyhad in common as keepers of wisdom andnurturers of the next generation.

I introduced myself to some of thenuns and mentioned my time in the con-

vent. They all nodded. Their communi-ties too had witnessed a boom in voca-tions in the 1960s from young women,many of whom later left religious life.I’ve always had great respect for thewomen who stayed the course, adjustingto changing times and finding ways tofollow the gospel by serving those mostin need under great financial con-straints.

Many people don’t realize that mostcongregations of religious women get nomoney at all from the Church. Andbecause the parishes where nuns taughtfor so many years did not pay into SocialSecurity, the orders themselves had tosell their most valuable properties tomake a large lump sum payment so theirmembers could be eligible for Medicare,an absolute necessity as nuns age andtheir health declines.

Various orders of nuns devote moreand more of their resources to the care ofretired Sisters while still carrying outtheir mission of “ministering to God’speople through works of love, mercy andjustice,” as the Sisters of Providencewebsite puts it. The orders depend on thesalaries of younger working nuns and ondonations.

Last year I brought Marine Gen.Martin Berndt and his wife, Diana, to St.Mary-of-the-Woods. General Berndt wasextremely impressed by the efficiency ofthe operation: the nun teachers at St.Mary-of-the-Woods College, the retiredSisters who staffed the food pantry andthe Sister nurses who ran a free clinic. Hewas also very surprised at the lack ofChurch support and wrote a check for$1,000 then and there.

And now three of the IndigenousGrandmothers had come to accept thisaward. Beatrice Long Visitor Holy Danceis an Ogala Lakota from the Pine RidgeReservation. Mona Polaca is Hopi-Tewaon her father’s side and Havasupai, thepeople of the blue-green water from the

Grand Canyon, on her mother’s.Grandmother Agnes Pilgrim-Baker,

whose native name is Taowhywee,Morning Star, is the oldest female mem-ber of the Roque River Indians in Oregonand chairs the Grandmothers Council.The three prayed with the Sisters andspoke of how heartened they were toreceive this award. One of the nuns readfrom the citation “Your lives are a deepmessage to the entire world that livingyour vision of hope and healing is theonly option.”

Hope and healing. I’m sure theseSisters could use a dose of that right now.I thought, if I was upset about theVatican’s action, how must they feel?Their general superiors belonged to theLeadership Conference of WomenReligious that the Vatican Congregationfor the Doctrine of the Faith had justordered to reform under the direction ofSeattle Archbishop Peter Sartain and twoother bishops.

These men have complete authority topreside over the revision of theLeadership Conference’s statutes, plansand programs and publications. Allfuture speakers at assemblies must firstbe approved by the Archbishop.

What caused such a sweeping takeoverof an organization that has been workingwith and for the American bishops andthe Vatican since its founding at Rome’srequest in 1956?

According to the Vatican’s eight-page“Doctrinal Assessment,” the investiga-tion was triggered by problematicaddresses given at annual assemblieswhich advocated “policies of corporatedissent.” For example, the Holy See saidit received letters from nuns asking thatwomen’s ordination be discussed, andthat the Church be more open to minis-tering to gay Catholics. And “radicalfeminism” had been evidenced by com-mentaries on the patriarchy of theChurch. The document also complains

Stand With the SistersMary Pat Kelly looks at the Vatican’s latest censorship move to silence American nuns.

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that while the Conference did a great dealof work “promoting issues of social jus-tice” the nuns had not spoken out enoughon right-to-life issues. The Vatican con-cluded the nuns were guilty of seriousdoctrinal error.

Bryan Cones, editor of US Catholic,challenges that claim and in fact finds thewhole Vatican document “a tissue of mis-information, misrepresentation and innu-endo that does a profound disservice tothese religious women.” His persuasiveanalysis makes the actions of the Vaticaneven more puzzling.

We Catholics (and I’ve been a dailyCommunicant since my own FirstCommunion) have endured decades ofhorrific revelations about priests whoraped our children while Church authori-ties covered up their actions and thuscondemned more innocents to such tor-ture. As the Cloyne Report on sexualabuse released in Ireland last summershowed, the Vatican frustrated the inves-tigations that did take place “as little asthree years ago [if] not three decadesago,” said Ireland’s prime minister, AnTaoiseach Enda Kenny, in a no-holds-barred speech. “The report,” Kenny said,“excavates the disconnection, the dys-function, elitism, the narcissism thatdominate the culture of the Vatican tothis day.” He spoke of the clericalismthat “rendered some of Ireland’s mostprivileged and powerful men eitherunwilling or unable to address the abuseset out in the Ryan and Murphy reports.This Roman clericalism must be devas-

tating for good priests, some of them old,others struggling to keep their humanityand even their sanity as they work hard tobe keepers of the Church’s life, light andgoodness...But thankfully for them andfor us this is not Rome. Nor is it industri-al school or Magdalene Ireland where theswish of a soutane smothered conscienceand humanity and the swing of a thuribleruled the Irish Catholic world. This is theRepublic of Ireland...As a practicingCatholic, I don’t say any of this easily.Growing up many of us here learned tobe part of the pilgrim church. Today thatChurch needs to be a penitent Church.”The Irish people have taken this bravespeech, which should be read in itsentirety, to heart and even now areprotesting the Vatican’s silencing of fiveof their most popular priests.

It’s hard not to see that same clerical-ism, the culture of elitism and dysfunc-tion, at work in this latest crackdown onthe nuns. Still the swish of a soutane canbe scary and I was afraid for theseSisters. The Vatican will soon release areport on the Apostolic Visitation thatinvolved more than a hundred congrega-tions of women. Will it have the sameharsh tone?

I didn’t want to put any of the Sisters Iwas with on May 6 on the spot, sincethey didn’t want to comment until afterthe Board of the Leadership Conferencemet during Pentecost week, May 27-June 2. But I saw no panic among thenuns. They are women of faith who real-ly do believe the Spirit blows where it

will. Many spoke of turning to prayerand meditation in the coming days.

We members of the laity are the oneswho must speak up and stand up for thenuns. NunJustice.tumblr.com is one web-site with suggestions. And then there’salways money. A staff member at theLeadership Conference told me that theyare getting a lot of donations, which theyappreciate, and asked for prayers. We canalso give to the orders that taught us andexpress our support.

When I called one of my friends in theSisters of Providence she reminded methat Mother Theodore Guerin, foundressof the order, once had her own problemwith a bishop. He excommunicated herfor not handing over the deed to theSisters’ land. The bishop was replaced,his edict overturned.

“When one has nothing more to lose,the heart is inaccessible to fear,” MotherGuerin said.

She was canonized in 2006.I told my friend the story of St. Brigid

(b.453), who is one of Ireland’s patronsaints, and what happened when BishopMel (later St. Mel) came to consecrateher as Abbess of Kildare. He enjoyed somuch of the nuns’ famous beer that heturned the wrong page in the missal andmade Bridget a bishop. “God’s will,”Mel said, and ever after the Abbess ofKildare held the rank of bishop.

So it’s a long road that has no turning.These are the wise women of our tribe.Let’s not let the Vatican throw themunder the bus!

Sister Rita Arthur pre-senting the annualPartnership for GlobalJustice Award to theInternational Council ofThirteen IndigenousGrandmothers, a groupof women elders nativeto North, South andCentral America, Africa,Asia and the Arcticwho travel the globeworking and prayingfor “Mother Earth andall her children.”

IA

Photo: Marisol Villanueva, courtesy of the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers.

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This is a photo-graph of mygrandmother,Ellen Heaney,who immigrat-ed to New

York City in 1900 fromDrumlish, County Longford.She was a maid and from hermeager salary she saved up topurchase this dress fromMacy’s.

She married Michael Kanefrom Esker, County Longfordin 1908. They lived on theWestside in St. Bernard’sParish where they raised sixchildren, one of whom was myfather, Bill, “Kano,” who hadto go to work on the dockswhen he was 14 years old.Times were tough and education was a luxury theycould not afford.

To show how far the Irishhave come since then, theirgreat-grandson Michael gradu-ated from Harvard and is now studying to be a doctor.

Patricia Kane FarrellEllicot City, MD


{photo album}Family Pictures

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Irish America June / July 2012