Story by Brad Balfour
When John Weldon contacted IrishexaminerUSA.com to let us know about his efforts to connect Ireland directly with the 20th Anniversary of New York City’s 9/11 attack, we thought what a great idea.
The catastrophic assault on the World Trade Center’s two buildings downtown in the Wall Street area killed 2977 people of many nationalities and backgrounds. Among those killed were the many first responders who became trapped when both buildings fell — firemen, police personnel and EMTs among others. Given that so many people of Irish descent were among those killed, Ireland has a special relationship with that devastating tragedy.
Weldon thought that bringing a New York City fire engine would be a perfect symbol to draw a straight line from the Emerald Isle to the Big Apple and back. So, thanks to his friend Liam Moore, he got his hands on a 1987 Seagrave Tiller Ladder Truck and arranged to have it sent back to Dublin.
Having seen its share of tragedy through sectarian political violence, Ireland and its population was already familiar with such destruction — but on a much smaller scale. Nonetheless, it has learned to cope with such events with the right sense of gravitas and sentiment — just as New York City has done as well.
As Weldon explained, “Liam Moore and I are friends, so he contacted me about six months ago to purchase Glen Cove’s truck — when it became available — to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks at the upcoming ceremony in Dublin.”
The next step was to find funding and organize getting the huge vehicle to Ireland. Added Weldon, “In order to do so, I got the Terry Farrell Foundation [set up by Farrell’s late brother Bill to commemorate the veteran fireman who had died as a first responder] on board to help with getting this project done.”
As a result, Weldon added, “Liam and I decided to name the truck after Terry Farrell — it only seemed appropriate.”
And this classic fire engine was the ideal fit for such a task since it had an auspicious history. As Weldon further recalled, “The truck was perfect for this since it had a special history. It was involved in a famous rescue in Glen Cove (on Long Island’s North Shore) — and it also used in standby at the World Trade Trade center so it has a direct connection to 9/11.”
Once the the vehicle gets overseas, he noted, “It will be the biggest fire truck in Europe.”
As Weldon further elaborated, “Liam has the fire engine experience. He has two other fire trucks in Dublin which he uses for a lot of charity events.”
In fact, as Weldon recalled, “Liam was so committed to his truck, that he chopped three feet off the side of his house to accommodate parking for his fire engine.”
The Terry Farrell may not exactly be the typical vehicle to use to take the kids to the local ice cream parlor but it will be the perfect one to drive home the memory of all those lives lost in the 9/11 assault.