Letters
Heroes of Vietnam
Further to your article “Irish Heroes of the Vietnam War” (June/July 2005), I wish to clarify the proposed work of the Irish Veterans Historical Research Centre (IVHRC), as some readers may assume we were established solely to erect a memorial to those Irish who lost their lives in Vietnam.
While an important part of the project will be the creation of a suitable physical memorial to all Irish who served, the IVHRC is seeking information on all Irish men and women who served in forces outside of, though not excluding, the Defence Forces of the Irish State, from roughly 1900 to the present day.
We have little information on Irish women, in particular. We are also acutely aware of the fact that many Irish have ancestors who served in the American Civil War, Indian Wars, etc., and such information will be included in our historical archive.
IVHRC website can be accessed at www.irishveteransresearch.com
E-mail: dectwth@eircom.net (please put Irish Veterans in the subject line). Address to write or send support: Irish Veterans Memorial Project, Capel Chambers, 119 Capel Street, Dublin 1, Ireland.
Declan P Hughes Coordinator
Irish Veterans Memorial Project
Dublin, Ireland
Choosing the Green
I really enjoyed the June/July issue.
I particularly want to comment on “Choosing the Green” by Brian Dooley.
Readers who found this article fascinating may want to take a look at Enchanted by Dreams by Joe Good (Brandon). A tremendous amount of the 1916 men, like Good, were London-born Irish (and remember Michael Collins lived in London between 1906 and 1916). Good gives a rare glimpse into the Irish
community in London, where he was a close friend of Collins. Both were members of the GAA and IRB. The most fascinating piece of history in the book was that Collins in 1913 attended a London economic summit – remember he was the first Finance Minister of the new state – where one of the speakers was Vladimir Lenin. Imagine, having the two most prominent revolutionaries of the 20th century in the same room!
Good went on to fight at Kelly Corner’s in 1916, spent time with Collins in prison in Wales, before returning to Dublin to fight in the War of Independence. His portrait of Collins is unusual, almost playful. He knew how to stick the needle in the Big Fellow, which would often send Michael away in a huff. There’s great stuff in this little known memoir.
Dermot McEvoy
New York, New York
Dermot McEvoy, a senior editor at Publishers Weekly, is the author of Terrible Angel: A Novel of Michael Collins in New York (Lyons Press)
Irish Roots “Flaherty”
As a long time reader of your magazine, I especially enjoy your “Irish Roots” page. The one name that should have been on your list of Flahertys was the late Villiage Voice bard Joe Flaherty. In his many years with that paper, no one turned a phrase quite like Joe.
Back in the early 70’s, the best journalism school in the country was the Lion’s Head Pub in Greenwich Village. It was there you could run into the likes of Pete Hamill, Jack Deacy, or an up-and-coming contender named Frank McCourt. But my favorite was always Flaherty. He would sit at the bar, contemplating the complexities of The Racing Form, and throwing out well-turned phrases to anyone who would listen.
It has been almost 20 years since Joe has passed, but his great story-telling ability still lives with me.
Bill Browne
Cincinnati, Ohio
News from Holy Cross
Most people know Holy Cross Girls’ Primary School (I.A. June/July issue) from when a dangerous and damaging protest targeted the children. It began on June 19, 2001 when rioting broke out over the putting up of Loyalist flags near the school. From June 20 until the summer vacation the children were prevented from going to school along Ardoyne Road. This is the only recognized way of accessing the school. Those who went to school for those ten days went along another road and through the grounds of another school eventually climbing a hill and crossing a football pitch.
When I arrived in Holy Cross in August 2001, after seven years in Rome, I was appalled by what I found. I listened to the parents and the families. They feared greatly for the lives and safety of the 225 girls aged four to eleven years.
I was greatly honored to be invited to walk with them daily when they returned to school on September 3. For three months, until November 23, 2001, the throwing of a bomb, urine balloons, scaldings with hot tea, the holding up of pornographic images, the blowing of whistles and the shouting of abuse could not provoke the parents to retaliate.
The school has been regularly targeted by pipe bombs even as recently as December 2004. But with all of this the school is a haven of peace and beauty in the midst of so much violence.
The dignity of the parents and the bravery of the children will remain with me to my dying day as a wonderful example of what makes the people of Holy Cross, Ardoyne, so special.
The Head Teacher, Anne Tanney, has now retired and is succeeded by Betty Quinn. The staff is all female and mostly young. Not once during the protest did one teacher take as much as a day off work. This says something about their dedication and love. In fact, the school has grown in every way and provides a top class education to the pupils now and we hope for many years to come.
Father Aidan Troy, C.P.
Holy Cross Monastery
432 Crumlin Road
Belfast, N. Ireland, BT 14 7GE
Letters of support can be mailed to Fr. Troy, c/o The Holy Cross Ardoyne Trust, at the above address.
The Irish Wolfhoud
The reference made to the breeding of Ch. Wildisle Warlock in “The Irish Wolfhound” (June/July issue), is incorrect. Warlock was bred by me, Jill Bregy, Wildisle, reg. kennels. He produced from my second litter and was whelped on 4/1/1973. He was bred by me and represented my second-generation of breeding.
This dog is the most famous dog of the 20th century and continues to influence the breed today. I resent that the author of your article is giving credit for my breeding program and dogs to any person other than myself.
Jill Bregy
Weston, Connecticut.
Ed. Note: Apologies, the mistake was due to an editing error. |
