Convention Woes

By NiallO’Dowd

MANY of the Irish businesses in the Madison Square Garden area are bracing themselves for a very difficult week next week when the Republican convention arrives. The huge lockdown security, and the probability that many locals will take the week off rather than battle the security hassle may have a deep impact on their businesses.

Staffers at the Irish Voice can count ourselves among that group. Our offices are a block from the Garden, and we’ve received letters from our landlord advising of the need to have authorization letters proving we work in the area, and picture IDs at all times. 

But the convention is an historic event that will compensate for the security hassles by being held here. New York became the center of the earth that day in September 2001 when the al-Qaeda murderers struck. A few years later it is a grand gesture that the party in power brings their convention here, just a short distance from Ground Zero.

Our world, of course, has changed so dramatically since September 11, and not for the better. However, New York is still open for business, and the Republican convention makes that clear to the world. A few days of inconvenience is worth it.