{"id":27289,"date":"2022-11-21T21:33:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T02:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=27289"},"modified":"2022-11-28T09:35:25","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T14:35:25","slug":"tributes-as-irish-national-treasure-historian-eamon-phoenix-laid-to-rest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/irishexaminerusa.com\/wp\/?p=27289","title":{"rendered":"Tributes As \u2018Irish National Treasure\u2019 Historian \u00c9amon Phoenix Laid To Rest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Peter Kelly at the Funeral of Dr \u00c9amon Phoenix, St Brigid\u2019s Church, Belfast<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mourners at the funeral of renowned Irish \u2018broadcaster, historian and peacemaker\u2019 Dr \u00c9amon Phoenix paid tribute to his legacy and contribution to Northern Ireland\u2019s peace process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebrant priest Fr Edward O\u2019Donnell at St Brigid\u2019s Church near Belfast\u2019s Queen\u2019s University spoke of Dr Phoenix\u2019s expertise in bringing people together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith his grasp of his subject, and with his very considerable skill as a communicator, he imparted to unionist and nationalist, orange and green, Protestant and Catholic, a greater understanding of our shared past,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Requiem Mass and Celebration of \u00c9amon Phoenix\u2019s life included representatives of the Taoiseach and President, former Ministers, local MPs, Stormont Assembly Members, broadcasters, journalists and authors in attendance. Former pupils of the popular teacher and lecturer joined a wide family circle, led by his surviving wife Alice, daughter Mary-Alice, son-in-law Stuart and granddaughter Nicole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite his \u201cextraordinary academic workload\u201d alongside multiple ongoing projects, Fr O\u2019Donnell said Dr Phoenix\u2019s priority was always with his family. \u201cAlice and \u00c9amon met at Christmas 1978, described by \u00c9amon as the best moment of his life, and Alice as \u2018the love of my life, a great companion and my best friend.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A picture of the couple on their wedding day in 1980 adorned the Order of Service booklet distributed at the Mass.
Colm Dore, a former pupil of the historian at St Malachy\u2019s College in Belfast recounted how teenage classmates paid the teacher the ultimate compliment during their time at the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He recalled an occasion where the group of boys \u201cbunked off\u201d classes on a sunny day, only to realize that they would be missing the revered \u201cDoc Phoenix\u2019s lesson in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So they took two buses across the city to \u201cbunk back into class\u201d in order to experience the teacher\u2019s warm wisdom, which could include passing around original historical documents in the classroom written by Michael Collins himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BBC Northern Ireland presenter William Crawley was a close friend of Dr Phoenix, and hosts the flagship daily current affairs show, \u2018Talkback\u2019 on Radio Ulster. He told the Irish Examiner USA: \u201cI often introduced \u00c9amon as the BBC\u2019s unofficial historian. Though he was an independent, expert commentator, he was really a member of our broadcasting family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe believed in the power of truth to confound misunderstandings of every kind. And in a divided society, his response was an evidence-based project of reconciliation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9amon Phoenix lived the biblical wisdom of truth providing freedom which in turn promoted reconciliation, confirmed Fr O\u2019Donnell. \u201cHe set us free, free from myths and misunderstandings, and free from misinformation concerning our past. He once commented \u2018we have a common history but not a common memory.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tributes to Dr Phoenix\u2019s vast contribution to education, passionate promotion of shared history and reconciliatory common-ground will ensure that memories of his legacy will long insist on the epithet of \u2018national treasure\u2019 status throughout Ireland. <\/p>\n

Share this:<\/h3>