By Paddy McCarthy
How was your Easter Sunday? I am sure it was a good one as the weather was just perfect. I traveled up to Norwalk, Connecticut as I took the ferry from Port Jefferson to Bridgeport, Connecticut. I was visiting my daughter Christina and her husband Kevin Coyne with my family joined by my son James who is now living in Smithville, Worcester County, Massachusetts. We had a very nice get-together for Easter dinner at their apartment, that is a beautiful place and not too far from New York City.
It was another busy week Out&About starting on Tuesday when I got to meet a good friend of mine Dermot Kelly. I met him in Penn Station as I had just got off the train and we headed up to the Pig’n’Whistle on 36th Street, just off Seventh Avenue, to say hello to Cormac McCormack. This is a great place to meet people as I planes to meet my editor and our Special Correspondent from Belfast Peter Kelly who’d brought you great coverage of President Clinton and Gerry Adams’ visit to Manhattan to celebrate the Good Friday Agreement before its 25th Anniversary. If you missed it in last week’s issue of The Irish Examiner USA, it’d be worth taking a look in our archives as it was brilliant coverage that was not seen anywhere else.
After meeting with everyone I left with Dermot as we were going to the annual Martin McGuinness Peace Foundation Foundation Dinner; thanks to Marty Glennon for the invite. We stopped on the way to the event at Rosie O’Grady’s at the Playwright Tavern on 49th Street at Seventh Avenue hoping to catch up with Frank Dwyer, the owner, who we’d just missed. So, we stayed for a pint of Guinness and a cocktail or two as we were a little bit early for the event.
We then headed up to Rosie O’Grady’s for the dinner that was again a full house with special guest Gerry Adams who was there to give the keynote address and speak about his friend Martin McGuinness.
The night opened with a video commemorating the life of Rita O’Hare. Many recognized the work of Rita at the dinner and Gerry Adams dedicated his remarks to Rita’s memory, as he did the night before at Cooper Union. Congressman Richie Neal introduced his friend Gerry Adams. Congressman Neal reflected upon when he first met Gerry Adams and the Congressman’s first trip to the North of Ireland during Troubles. During this trip when he was leading a congressional delegation, they were stopped and removed from their bus as British soldiers searched the bus and the Congressmen. He mentioned that the life’s work of Martin and Gerry over the decades during the Troubles culminated in the Good Friday Agreement. While not perfect, the Good Friday Agreement has changed the political landscape and brought peace to the region. Today when you travel to the North, the only indication is a ding on your phone. That is because of people like Martin and Gerry who not only fought for peace, but fought to maintain it. NYS Senator Tim Kennedy and former Congressman Tom Suozzi also attended the dinner.
Gerry Adams shared very personal stories of his friend Martin to a packed audience. He spoke of when he first met Martin in his early twenties. He talked about the great sense Martin had and his ability to befriend Ian Paisley. Martin loved sports, all sports, it didn’t matter the culture or country, he just loved competition. He spoke to Martin’s character and gave the example of how Martin, when he was very sick and weak and had to step down as Deputy First Minister, insisted that he make the trip to visit Arlene Foster and convey to her personally that he was stepping down. Gerry advised Martin that that wouldn’t be necessary and he could call or send a note, but Martin insisted. That was the person that Martin was.
He told the audience how deeply Martin loved his family. Martin’s wife Bernie and son Emmett were at the inaugural MMPF dinner. Gerry spoke yearningly of how he missed both Martin and Rita. There were many that attended the dinner that had never seen Gerry before and were moved by his heartfelt stories of his friendship with Martin.
Gerry reminisced about his friend for more than 30 minutes and there wasn’t so much as a whisper to be heard in the packed room. He closed by reading a poem Martin had written for his friend For Jamesie. It reads like this:
“Have you ever seen a Manhattan sunset
from the window of an Aer Lingus jet?
Gloriously crimson
It was, blackening awesome Skyscrapers
Slipping towards Montana far away
From Bloody Foreland.”
That is the beautiful poem by Martin McGuinness’s friend Jamesie read by Gerry Adams. It was a very well presented evening and I have to congratulate Marty Glennon as he works very hard to make the annual dinner a total success.
See you all again next week when I am Out&About again.