By Paddy McCarthy
Did you all have a nice Easter Sunday and weekend? I know quite well that I did love it and as kids love it so much getting into finding the easter eggs all over the house or even in the gardens or where ever they are planted by the Easter bunny.
I went up to Springfield, Massachusetts to visit my son’s James, his partner Sophia and their two kids Mila and Parker who are seven and five years old. It was well worth the trip up there by getting the Ferry from Port Jefferson on Long Island across to Bridgeport, Connecticut that takes about one hour or sometimes less. Now you can take your car across on the ferry and drive up from Bridgeport or you can take the Amtrak and sit back, read a book or have a look out the window at the scenery which I did. There a café on the train also so you can have a beverage or a snack, now where would yea get it, only on the train.
I hope you all had as much a fun time as I had with my family on Easter Sunday. Ahh I love those chocolate Easter eggs so much as it brings me back to good old days in Ireland that I miss of course.
Now here is some good news that the IBO April Evening Event will be held at 6 pm on Wednesday, April 15 in the Bank of Ireland NYC Hub (2 Grand Central Tower, 140 E 45th Street, 41st Floor). Entry is free for members and $20 for nonmembers. Photo ID is required at check-in.
The special guest for the event is Kristen Shaughnessy. After a 30 plus year career as an anchor/reporter Kristen is now an independent journalist exposing fraud in the financial market and fighting for trade settlement and market reform. Her work is largely on X at @kshaughnessy2. She was an anchor/reporter at NY1 for 26 years. She was named to Irish America’s Magazine’s “Top 100” list and was chosen as one of the “Top 50 Irish American Power Women” and “Top Media 30”.
She was reporting live from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 when the first tower fell and took part in an upcoming documentary for the 25th anniversary. Her series for the 15th anniversary won a NYS Associated Press award.
In the final years of her television career Kristen and four of her female colleagues took on the fight to make sure female journalists are valued for their hard work, experience and institutional knowledge. Their case made headlines in countries around the world, including Brazil and China. They are often asked to speak to small and large groups and have mentored countless women and men at various stages in their careers.
This newsletter came to me from a great friend of mine and The Irish Examiner USA. Even though I am cutting it tight I will still give you the news in my Out&About what is happening in Cork headed up by Adi Roach, so here goes. It’s the ‘Chornobyl is Forever’ Exhibition in Cork City Library.
“We warmly invite you to join us for a powerful and moving exhibition, ‘Chornobyl is Forever’, hosted at Cork City Library as part of the 40th Anniversary commemorations of the Chornobyl disaster. Featuring a rare and deeply personal collection of Chornobyl Children’s paintings created in the aftermath of the disaster, this exhibition honors young voices whose lives were forever changed, some of whom are no longer with us.
“Originally exhibited at UNHQ in New York in 2001, and refreshed and renewed for this poignant Anniversary, the artist’s work stands as a testament to resilience, memory, and the human cost of nuclear tragedy.
On display alongside these poignant pieces are authentic artefacts, including a ‘Liquidator’s’ helmet and medal… silent witnesses to the bravery and sacrifice of those who faced the unimaginable. The ‘Liquidators’ were the conscripted 800,000 soldiers and civilians; helicopter pilots, firemen; miners and engineers – who were sent into the Chornobyl nuclear conflagration to undertake the deadly task of trying to contain the leaking radiation that was already spreading across dozens of European countries, with little more than bare hands and shovels.
“They were true, brave and noble heroes. Their self sacrifice is unparalleled in history, as they saved the world.”
The exhibition will be accessible from Monday to Saturday throughout April. Presented by Chornobyl Children International, this exhibition is a tribute to the strength of survivors and a reminder that the story of Chornobyl is not confined to the past… Chornobyl is Forever. They say that they “would be honoured by your presence as we mark this important milestone together. Please feel free to share this invitation far and wide with friends, family, and colleagues who may be interested.”
I hope to see you all again next week when I am Out&About again…