Even in the Cold the Oil Is Too Dear

In a weak voice, Mary told RTE's radio presenter Joe Duffy that she was back in her bed under an electric blanket at 2 p.m. trying to stay warm as Ireland suffered for another day of bitter cold and snow. She wasn't going to turn on the oil heat until later in the evening because in extreme recessionary times, this pensioner weighed the cost of oil against her own comfort and made the choice. Mary had the radio and a book for company and said she was doing fine.
After last week, with the IMF coming in and taking over the country's finances, the Irish couldn't catch a break. What followed was bitter cold here in the first week of December.
And then I read about the emigration of the young Irish families to New York or back to New York in many cases.
Years ago I naively asked older Irish-born people in Brooklyn why they ever left such a gorgeous country. It was for jobs then and it's for jobs now.
Heartbreaking. Will this new generation ever get the chance to go home?

Bad News from a Beautiful Country

All morning long I hear the dire news from Ireland via RTE News on my computer. Will the EU or IMF come in to rescue Ireland from insolvency? The horrific costs of proposed budget cuts have edged up further and further as Finance Minister Brian Lenihan drops bigger and bigger crumbs leading up to the December 7 (a Day of Infamy?) Budget announcement. Word is that even the pensioners may share in having their benefits cut. All this coming up to Christmas and the time when people will be searching their pockets to pay their ESB bills or for oil to heat the house.
All this and the global economic doldrums have lowered the number of tourists to Ireland this year by 850,000. I know the feeling. The gorgeous coastal vistas along the Slea Head Drive in Dingle are often in my mind, probably because they are in frames beside my computer. They will have to do for now until I feel more free about spending on travel.
If you would like to check them out or would like to have a 2011 calendar of Irish scenes visit my new online store at
http://www.cafepress.com/ShopAllIrelandPhotos?nocache=yes

Let's hope that 2011 is a better year for Ireland and for us all.

Invitation to Visit the North of Ireland

For six days at the end of September, travelers entering Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan could choose Belfast in the North of Ireland as their destination.

Discover Ireland, in an effort to draw visitors to the six counties of Antrim, Fermanagh, Tyrone, Derry, Armagh and Down, filled Vanderbilt Hall with exhibits, music, food and story telling from the region Sept. 24-29.

A multi-media exhibit on the Titanic, which was built in Belfast, described a newly developed tour of what was once the city's bustling shipyard. Generous displays of tourist literature and maps were on offer to help in planning a trip to enjoy Belfast's rich history and traditional music heritage, both found in pubs such as Kelly's Cellars.

During breaks from Irish dancing performances, actors presented history lessons on the walled city of Derry, chefs gave cooking demonstrations -- the Irish palate has graduated from beef, potatoes and veg --and Kabosh, the award-winning Belfast theater troupe, entertained.

Some lucky traveler will win two tickets to Belfast,courtesy of Discover Ireland, and will have the chance to experience a part of Ireland not often on the tour guide's agenda.

Last Friday Night at 1stIrish Festival

I really want to say something positive about "Three Irish Widows versus The Rest of the World," Ed Malone's one-man performance at Stage Left Studio as part of the 1stIrish Theatre Festival.

Last year I saw three 1stIrish productions and loved each one for its professionalism, fine acting and intimate theatre space. So, I was really looking forward to "Three Irish Widows."

Cheryl King greeted audience members warmly as they arrived at the 6th floor of 214 W. 30th Street in Manhattan, the new site of her Stage Left Studio performance space. The "black box" space, which is really painted red, accommodates an audience of about 20. we settled into our folding chairs in the front row with great anticipation.

Malone, who also wrote "Three Irish Widows," based the play on his mother and two aunts back home in Cork. After losing her husband, each woman sets out to look for love. The dearly departed were not always dearly beloved we learn.

Malone uses each woman's real name, so lucky they have not seen it performed, because the tales about their adventures in New York, Spain and India range from humorous to crude. It leaves you feeling embarrassed for his mother most of all. It seems that Malone is processing some of his own issues about growing up and a bout of alcoholism at the expense of Maura, Breda and Margaret.

The stage is completely bare except for a very frenetic, curly-haired Malone dressed in cargo shorts and an old plaid shirt.

I would love to return to Stage Left Studio to see another production with a little more heart and a bit more art.

Festival of Irish Theatre Returns

Great news for lovers of Irish theatre...1stIrish 2010 steps off on September 7, offering performances by Irish playwrights at venues across New York City.

Leading up to the celebration was a production of Frank McCourt's "The Irish...and How They Got That Way," which opened on July 14 at the Irish Repertory Theatre. The production, which commemorates the first anniversary of McCourt's passing, was well-received and has been extended to September 26.

What I enjoyed about last year's festival was the high level of acting and the intimate settings. I actually sat on the stage for one production. Now I'm looking through the schedule of this year's offerings to see what I can afford to attend.

The reviews for "Wife to James Whelan" at the Mint Theatre have been very positive. The playwright, Teresa Deevy (1894-1963), may have been forgotten in some circles but this production has some very modern themes of choices between love and ambition.

At the Stage Left Studio you can catch "Three Irish Widows Versus the Rest of the World," which sounds like a hen party version of "Eat Pray Love" with the three named widows traveling to Spain, New York and India in search of adventure and romance.

In "Hue and Cry" two Dublin cousins come together at a family funeral, and of course, all that emotion boils over in this Irish Repertory Theatre production.

A symposium about Irish theatre featuring leading actors, directors and playwrights comes near the end of the festival on September 25 at NYU Glucksman Ireland House.

For a full schedule check out www.1stirish.org. You'll find it hard to whittle your choices to just a few.

1916 Easter Rising Commemorated in the Bronx

There was a great turnout for the Easter Rising Mass and Commemoration celebrated at the Green Tree Restaurant in the Bronx on Easter Sunday, which was dedicated to the men and women who fought for Irish freedom.
The celebration of the 94th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland was organized by Sean Oglaigh na hEireann and Friends of Irish Freedom.
Msgr. Patrick Moloney celebrated Mass for the gathering. He reminded them that “it was not an accident” that “just a handful of men would choose Easter to rise up” as Easter is a day of resurrection. “Our country is and was a land of saints and scholars, a holy island.” In a strident voice, Msgr. Moloney said the “mandate of 1916…has not yet been accomplished.” He said the civil rights that Bobby Sands died for have not yet been attained in the north. “Keep up the good fight. Keep the banner high,” he said calling for an “Ireland united and free…a nation once again.”
After Mass and before the guest speaker, the original 1916 Proclamation was read in Irish and in English by Maurice Brick and Michael McDermott, respectively.
Cathleen O’Brien, an organizer of the commemoration, also reported to the gathering on abuses in the north including PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland) harassment through use of Section 44 to “stop, search and arrest” in republican areas.
Special guest was Lorna Brady of Strabane, County Tyrone, younger sister of John Brady, 40, who died in custody at the Strand Road Barracks in Derry on October 3, 2009. Brady, a well-known republican, had served 18 years in Long Kesh and Maghaberry prisons. He was due for release in November 2009 and had been out on weekend parole when he was involved in a dispute with a brother-in-law. He was picked up in Tyrone by the PSNI/RUC and taken to Derry. The next morning, Brady’s solicitor, John Finucane, visited him. Finucane left Brady in a legal consultation room for 15 or 20 minutes. When he returned, Brady was dead. The PSNI claimed that he had hung himself with shoelaces from a window.
Lorna Brady said that her family strongly disputes the claim that Brady committed suicide, saying that he was in good form when Finucane left him. She said this was the latest in a pattern of harassment of the Brady family which has included death threats of all including an 8-year-old child. Brady said it was an attempt to “demonize” people like her brother who were “true republicans.”
“I am here today to campaign for truth and justice,” said Lorna Brady, who is waiting for results of a PSNI investigation into her brother’s death. “We do not have the rights proclaimed in 1916….Do not forget those who live in Ireland under British rule. Support groups like [Friends of] Irish Freedom and the Republican Network for Unity.”

Here in New York, it's not just Happy St. Patrick's Day or week, but a whole month of parades.

Yesterday, the Brooklyn Irish American Parade Committee led contingents of bagpipers, ste dancers, Hibernians and school children through the streets of Park Slope. Onlookers filled the curbs along Seventh Ave. on a gorgeous second day of spring. The Luck of the Irish has smiled on the parades this year with unseasonably warm days.

Among the marchers were Mary Nolan leading the members of the Commodore Barry Club of Brooklyn, which was founded in 1951. Irish human rights activist Cody McCone marched behind the Shamrocks Gaelic football club banner. The AOH gentlemen from Flatbush and young ladies from the St. Saviour H.S. Gaelic Society, who are parade regulars, strode down the avenue.

Hopefully, the Bay Ridge St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday, March 28, in which our friend Mary Lennon will serve as an Aide to the Grand Marshal, will be favored with the same gorgeous weather.

Friends of Irish Freedom Marched in Manhattan

Many supporters of the Friends of Irish Freedom marched up Fifth Ave. in Manhattan in the 249th St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 17.
The warm sun was at their backs as they strode up the avenue passing thousands of onlookers sporting their green. Cheers rang out as the Pat Mullin chapter passed. Seeing the FOIF green banner struck a chord with some who were far from home.
There were a few shouts of “England out of Ireland” heard.
Before the parade stepped off, members had a chance to share their varied experiences of Ireland and to discuss the situation in the north. Because what happens on the ground in the north of Ireland is barely reported in the New York press, chatting one-on-one can be very enlightening.
Even better, next time you go to Ireland, pass up the nights in Temple Bar and take a trip up to the six northern counties. Go to Derry or Tyrone. If you aren’t up to driving on the left side of the road, it is very simple to get on a train at Connolly Station in Dublin and travel two hours up to Belfast. Chat with your fellow travelers on the journey and then take the time to walk around the city, talk with locals in a pub or cross over the Motorway and walk around West Belfast. Go see things for yourself. Pick up a local newspaper.
If you can’t make it to Ireland this year, come to the Friends of Irish Freedom annual Easter Mass & Commemoration on Easter Sunday at the Green Tree Restaurant at the corner of Riverdale Ave. and W. 259th St. in Riverdale in the West Bronx, north of Gaelic Park.

Setting the Musical Mood for St. Patrick's Day

Morning rain gave way to hints of sunshine, just like an Irish morning. So, I thought I'd take a chance and head out to the Irish Arts Center's Open House in Manhattan on Sunday, March 14. By the time I got into the city from Brooklyn, lashing rain, even more like Ireland, was pouring down as I walked briskly along West 51st Street to #553 in Clinton (Hell's Kitchen).
I found one of the few remaining seats in the first-floor auditorium and settled in to enjoy performances of Irish music by the IAC Ceili Band. Adult members of fiddle, tin whistle and step-dancing classes joined them. Three fiddlers played traditional music including the lovely Four Green Fields. It took me back to the Cork Folk Music Festival performances at An Spailpin in Cork City a few years ago.
The Ceili Band featured fiddles, tin whistle, banjo, and guitar. An elderly Irish woman played the keyboard with such intensity in her face. I wondered if she might have been playing all her life. She had too be at least 80. It was all about the music, a collection of musicians playing beautiful music with great joy and sharing that with the audience.
What a great way to get in the mood for St. Patrick's Day on Wednesday. I'll be sure to go back to the IAC soon.

Bloody Sunday Remembered in Brooklyn

Anna Henry carried the white wooden cross bearing the name of Patsy Doherty in the 38th anniversary Bloody Sunday Memorial Mass and March on Sunday, February 14, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
Henry, wearing a Derry sash, is a veteran of the annual Bay Ridge Irish-American Action Association’s commemoration. It is the longest continuous observance of Bloody Sunday outside Ireland.
Youngsters, as well as seniors, carried crosses bearing the names of the 14 unarmed civil rights marchers who were killed by British paratroopers on January 30, 1972, in Derry, Northern Ireland.
The line of march began at the Irish Haven pub on Fourth Avenue at 58th Street and, led by the Clann Eireann Pipe Band, made its way to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica on Fifth Avenue at 59th Street.
As curious onlookers in the multicultural neighborhood watched from the curbside, the solemn procession also paid homage to Michael Kelly, Hugh Gilmore, William McKinney, Jack Duddy, Bernard McGuigan, Gerald McKinney, William Nash, James Wray, Michael McDaid, Gerald Donaghy, John Johnston, Kevin McElhinney and John Young. All were part of a peaceful protest against internment that day in 1972, which became known as “Bloody Sunday.”
Families of the victims still await the report of the British Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday, which after 11 years and 2,500 witness statements, has yet to publish its findings.
Father Francis Mulvaney, C.Ss.R, celebrated Mass in the upper church at O.L.P.H. Longtime Irish advocate Father Colm Campbell, founder of the New York Irish Center, served as homilist.
Father Campbell recalled the sectarian divisions in his native Belfast, where an area such as Catholic Turf Lodge might have had 90% unemployment while in the suburbs there was “no sign of the Troubles.” He said that once Catholics gained educational advantages some such as Bernadette Devlin, Pat Finucane, and Rosemary Nelson “chose to use their talents in service to the poor and to bring justice.” Father Campbell also praised the Irish- American community here who “gave their time and skills” in the struggle for peace and justice in Ireland.
Father Campbell said that “peace with justice and reconciliation” involves “forgiveness.” He noted the latest power-sharing moves in the devolution of policing powers and said that a “change of attitudes” will come through shock, gradual change or “a third way – prayer.”
Afterward the marchers gathered back at the Irish Haven for tea and soda bread, as well as sharing of news from Derry. As in years past, the commemoration was organized by Mary Nolan and Martin Brennan.
Nolan shared a statement from the families of the victims of Bloody Sunday released at this year’s commemoration in Derry.
“The Bloody Sunday families and the wounded have faced many tests over the last 38 years,” they stated. “They say that patience is a virtue and we have shown great patience, but our patience is now wearing very thin indeed. We have had delay after delay waiting for the report of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
“For the past two years we have hoped that the report would be released, only to have our hopes dashed. Now we have been promised again that the report will be released in the week beginning 22nd of March. We call on everyone concerned to ensure that that date is met.”
After expressing concerns that the report will languish in British government bureaucracy, the families ended their statement by saying, “Many family members and half those wounded have since passed away without seeing justice. Don’t let this happen anymore. We now say ‘enough is enough Lord Saville, give us the report and Set the Truth Free.’”

In Belfast History Is Written by Winners

While walking in West Belfast in the North of Ireland last year, I photographed many political murals including the one at left.

"History Is Written by the Winner" is the message. Not that you would have to beat the people there on Oakman Street over the head with that sentiment.

I think of Belfast often and enjoyed discovering history around each corner. I lived on Clonard Rise off the Falls Road for the month of June 2006. Just down the street from the massive mural of hunger-striker Bobby Sands on the side of the Sinn Fein headquarters. Wandering through West Belfast was a history lesson by mural. But I also had the opportunity to interview a middle-aged West Belfast mom who in her youth spent time in an English prison because of her role in a bombing. I met a man who had been imprisoned for seven years for possession of a rifle and his 20-year-old son who showed me the bullet scars in his back.

I think of all of that again because it was announced over the past week that there was further agreement between Sinn Fein and the DUP in how policing powers will be transferred from British to local hands. The latest in the peace process.

People equate peace with economic prosperity. And in a recession, who doesn't want that? But I remember that West Belfast woman sitting on a basement couch in Ballymurphy telling me that the hunger strikers wouldn't have missed "one breakfast" for the Good Friday Agreement. They had wanted reunification of the northern six counties with the Irish Republic. And I haven't heard much about that in the news these days.

Ireland Looking at Obama

The tables are turned today and instead of me eavesdropping on the Irish, I hear the RTE afternoon drivetime chat show discussing President Obama (they pronounce O'bama like Alabama) on the first anniversary of his inauguration. Since my first trip to Ireland in 2003 I have always been taken aback by how much more the Irish know about our government than we know about theirs. Very few Americans would know who the Irish Taoiseach is (Brian Cowen). We don't get the news from there and many people here think there are leprechauns on the roadsides looking for their pots of gold. Few Americans know that Ireland is very multicultural. Just walk around Cork City and hear all European languages and meet a woman from Mongolia working in a toy shop. Few Americans know that what was a few years ago the Celtic Tiger is now an economy on its knees. This morning, Pat Kenny was hosting a discussion about a proposed "banking inquiry commission" to find out who is to blame for the banking collapse. Laughter greeted Minister John Gormley's projecting the inquiry into 2011 and beyond. In the meantime, air traffic controllers have called an industrial action and closed airport traffic this afternoon...just when the icy roads had melted and flood waters subsided.

Trad Irish Music Across the Sea

I can so easily forget that I am in Brooklyn listening to Ceili House, RTE's Saturday evening program of traditional Irish music. Fiddle music, uilleann pipes, flutes, concertinas and harps, toes tapping. I could very easily be in the upstairs room of An Spailpin Fanach on S. Main Street in Cork City, across from the Beamish Brewery. A few Septembers ago, I was very fortunately there during the Cork Folk Festival. On one rainy Sunday afternoon, I enjoyed a "box concert" there in that tight little space...pure natural joy. Am listening to Ceili House now...fingers are flying across fiddles and I am there again. Much of the commentary is in Irish. I have to go pick up my dusty copy of Irish for Beginners and make another try at that.

Haitian Quake Shows It Is a Small World

Here in New York I know there are many Haitians living in Flatbush as evidenced by the delicious aromas coming from restaurants in the neighborhood, especially in East Flatbush along Church Ave. near Holy Cross Church.
But it was a bit of a surprise to hear so many Haitian emigres to Ireland calling into RTE's Liveline show with Joe Duffy today. They shared how they had not been able to reach loved ones caught in the destruction of Tuesday's massive 7.0 earthquake near Port au Prince. The presenter put them in touch with others trying to contact friends and relatives in Haiti through the RTE web site and ended each call with "God bless." Human kindness goes a long way.
Anyone desiring to donate was advised to contact: Concern Worldwide, Oxfam, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Trócaire, The Irish Red Cross, or Haven.

Irish reach out to Haitian earthquake victims

Callers into RTE radio shows this morning said that even though they were without water and after several weeks of crippling ice and snow, still they are better off than the victims of last night's devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

More than 3 million people may have been affected by the quake.

By satellite phone, a young Irish woman, Susan Westwood, working at a Haitian orphanage about 50 kilometers from the capital, said that they were still experiencing tremors this morning. She reported that the immediate needs were for clean water and drive generators.

An Irish doctor, Simon Collins, who works for Medecins Sans Frontieres, explained to RTE's Drivetime Radio that MSF already has over 800 staff in Haiti, their presence going back to 1991. He said the MSF hospital in Port-au-Prince has suffered collapse of the first floor and emergency treatment is going on under cover of canvas protection. He said people are being treated for many types of "crush injuries."

This afternoon I received an email from the Irish-based group Concern, which works with refugees and in emergency situations throughout the world. They have asked for donations through their web site www.concernusa.org.

The View at the Roundabout Inn

I saw the cover of the Evening Echo today and had to smile. The Echo is the afternoon paper out of Cork City...you can hear the news sellers bellowing "Echo... Echo," each weekday afternoon up and down Patrick Street. But today's cover shot was an overhead of the Mallow roundabout on the N20 Cork to Limerick road. The headline declares, "Cork battles snow blitz," but there is maybe an inch or two of snow on the road and cars look to be gingerly passing through the roundabout past the yellow aptly named Roundabout Inn at a snail's pace. (I remember eating a breakfast there at the Inn with a friend one morning before heading off to Shannon Airport...lovely old wood in the dining room, maybe a fireplace, massive breakfast.) The poor Corkonians! Not ones to enjoy the "slaves" or farmers on tractors who cause long tailbacks on single lane roads. And now having to deal with a "snow blitz." They must be counting the days till spring and hoping to have their days of lashing rain back. Or better yet, summer...I remember summer there in 2006 when the temperatures in July reached about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the headlines spoke of the "sweltering heat."

Mrs. Robinson of N. Ireland

Amid the stories of Ireland at a standstill under a couple of inches of snow comes the story of Iris Robinson, wife of First Minister Peter Robinson of Northern Ireland. The story has everything -- money, sex, politicians and hypocrisy. Apparently, when the Robinsons found out that the BBC was planning a Spotlight show on them, they preempted the program by announcing that Iris was suffering from depression and leaving her own MP seat. This was followed up my Peter's statement that he had found out his wife had had an affair (a year ago) and attempted suicide (last March). Of course, the press went to work uncovering the rest of the story, especially eager because Iris has held herself as holier-than-thou, famously calling homosexuality an "abomination." Turns out Iris was allegedly having an affair with a then 19-year-old fella and worse, she went to Belfast developers to get 50,000 pounds to finance her lover's opening a cafe. Needless to say the press is in headline heaven enjoying all the Mrs. Robinson comparisons. But the First Minister isn't laughing because he is being asked to tell when he first knew about the money transfer, which was not properly reported (wonder why). This amid the ongoing "peace process" and questions of devolution in the North. The Irish are never dull.

Still 'Slippy' All Over Ireland

Listeners to RTE radio this morning were advised to wear wool socks over their shoes in order to navigate the sidewalks which are still very 'slippy.' Horror stories of long tailbacks on main roads and in and around Dublin filled the air. Apparently county authorities say there is not enough salt or grit to treat the roads, but so far 11 quarries have called in to to Joe Duffy's afternoon call-in show to say they have plenty of grit available. Minister John Gormley has taken over coordination of the efforts to get access to salt. Three and a half tons are due in port next week. More sleet and snow in the forecast!

An 85-year-old woman, Ellen, called in to say she went out and cleared the wee path to her house herself. Asked if it was as bad as the snow of 1963, she said, "Not a'tall." No winging for Ellen!

Earlier in the morning, Dara Molloy, a Celtic monk who lives on Inis Mor, was Pat Kenny's guest. Interesting insights on how the Roman Church changed Celtic Christianity...expanded on in his book "Globalisation of God." Wondered how he manages to support his family of wife and four kids in the Aran Islands. From his website it seems he provides tours, pilgrimages and Celtic wedding ceremonies. Envious of his life on Inish Mor, as far as you can get away from the 21st Century.

No End to Suffering in Ireland

Whenever I have been in Ireland I tune into RTE radio as I drive through Kerry to Dingle and listen to the chat shows where Irish people share their thoughts, opinions and memories about the birds of the field, the trad musician in the local pub, or writers at the Listowel Writers Conference reading their work. But here in New York I tune in at 5 a.m. on my computer to listen to great interviewers Pat Kenny or Marian Finucane. For the past few months, it's been so much news of suffering. In mid November, a week of lashing rain caused "the worst floods in memory" turning fields into lakes and Cork City into Venice. The elderly and disabled were stranded in their homes. Then on December 9, came the long-awaited budget announcement by Finance Minister Brian Lenihan detailing deep cuts into social welfare payments and public sector salaries. The chat shows were full of talk of young jobless Irish thinking again of emigration. And just in time for Christmas and the New Year, came bitter cold and snow with roads and roundabouts turned into skating rinks. One can only hope there will be better news for the Irish as the year gets going. Slan go foill.