I paid a visit to the Easter Monday Commemoration on the 103rd Anniversary of The Easter Rising of April 24th, 1916, which was hosted by The Irish Monument Committee and The Society of the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick on Long Island, New York. It was held at the Irish Monument that is right in front of the Court House on Court House Drive in Mineola.
There was a very nice turnout for this event even though it rained a lot; as we say in Ireland, a soft day.
The great Victor Cunneen from Midleton County Cork and Sean Quinn performed the National Anthems and also at the end of the program they played and sang A Nation once Again. Rain or no rain they were just great.
The master of ceremonies was none other than Donald Mahony, chairman of the Irish Monument Committee. I will give you a short rundown of the guests who were in attendance: Ciaran Madden, Consul General of Ireland in New York, Honorable, Maureen O’Connell, Honorable Timothy Driscoll, Sinn Fein TD Martin Kenny, Dermot Kelly, Tim Myles, Eileen Cronin of Hofstra University Radio fame, and Betty McLoughlin, the woman for all seasons and I do mean that in a very positive way as she is one of the hardest workers in the Irish Community that I know, good on yea Betty. There were lots more in attendance and I have to mention the Nassau County Police Emerald Society Pipes and Drums that played at the opening who were just fabulous.
If you can visit the Monument right in front of the Court of Justice you will see why all Irish American are so proud of their history; it would bring a tear to your eye, so if you have time, go and see it for yourself.
I was talking to the great Donie Carroll the number one folk singer in North America with a suggestion about a particular folk song that I recommend. I am not going to tell you the name as I will leave that up to Donie. I hope he records it as I know it will be a big hit for him.
On May 4, the president and board of the County Mayo Foundation will host a special event at Battery Park City’s Irish Hunger Memorial in New York City to honor “Mayo Day,” a worldwide event that brings Mayo people of all stripes together to celebrate the county’s culture, its vibrant communities and its unquenchable spirit.
This year’s celebration will focus on the “Mayo Word,” a theme that speaks to Mayo people who have impacted the world as writers, poets, historians, musicians, business leaders and thinkers, athletes, innovators, and community leaders.
The event will include remarks from Mayo County Councilor Michael Holmes, who will present attorney and immigration activist Brian O’Dwyer with the Mayo Day New York Award, and from the Mayo County Council Head of Communications Martina Hughes. O’Dwyer, who served as Grand Marshal of this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City, is the son of the late Paul O’Dwyer from Bohola, Co. Mayo.
New York-based singer-songwriter John Munnelly, whose parents come from Mayo, will perform two songs and Mayo native Maura Mulligan, author of the memoir, “Call of the Lark,” will read an excerpt from her book.
The memorial, which has been a part of the downtown New York City landscape since 2002, features an abandoned stone cottage taken from a village in Mayo, along with stone walls from Ireland’s 32 counties, as well as fallow potato fields and flora from the West of Ireland. Mayo was one of the worst counties affected by the famine, which occurred between 1845 and 1850, starving millions and forcing mass emigration.
The celebration in New York is just one of many taking place across County Mayo and around the world. The campaign in Ireland is being launched at the National Museum of Ireland – Country Life in Turlough, Co. Mayo, also on May 4
The County Mayo Foundation is organized and operates as a non-profit corporation under the non-profit corporation law of the State of New York. Its purpose is to connect Mayo Diaspora living in the U.S. with the non-profit community in County Mayo. The foundation will also support people and non-profit organizations in the United States of America who have ties to County Mayo. More information on the foundation can be found at countymayofoundation.org.
Don’t forget about the Kildare Association of New York who are holding their Annual Dinner Dance on Saturday April 27 at Fairways at Dunwoodie (1 Wasylenko Lane, Yonkers). Cocktail Hour begins at 7:30 pm with a hot buffet, dessert and dancing from 8:30 pm to 12:30 am. Their Guest of Honor is Siobhan Dennehy, Executive Director of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center and music will be provided by the Guss Hayes Band. See their ad on page 20 for more details. I hope to be here myself as this is always a great night.
Another event that I recommend you support as it is for a very worthy cause is the HOPE Foundation Trivia Night which will be held on Wednesday, May 1 at the Gael Pub (83rd Street and Third Avenue.
See you all again next week when I am Out&About again.