“With Frank McCourt as Irish American of the Year, how could you go wrong?” seemed to be the consensus at this year’s Irish America Top 100 extravaganza at Plaza Hotel in New York.
It may have been Friday, March 13th, but there were no casualties and the 100 Waterford Crystal awards remained intact at the end of a very successful night.
Malachy McCourt kicked off the speeches, welcoming his fellow honorees into the hall and humorously remarking that the “intelligence quotient of the honorees is slightly diminished by the presence of some Conservatives on the list, but that’s all right, we’ll let them in and they’ll see the error of their ways.”
Irish America publisher Niall O’Dowd reminded the audience that we present-day Irish “are but five generations from the famine ships and three generations from the no Irish need apply signs, the last of which came down in New York and Boston in 1924.”
Joe Byrne, head of the Irish Tourist Board in North America, remarked that the Top 100 is “a great celebration of Ireland, the Irish and of Irish America” and he thanked each of the honorees for being “wonderful ambassadors” for Ireland.
One of the biggest stars of the night was without doubt Aimee Mullins, the brilliant Georgetown University athlete who as a double below-the-knee amputee has managed to overcome severe disability. A short film clip showing Mullins at various stages in her life was greeted with hearty applause.
The daughter of an Irish father and an Irish American mother, Mullins described calling her parents with the news that Life magazine was doing a story on her. “They said, `Oh, honey, that’s great,'” she recalled. “And their reaction was the same when I called to tell them that Sports Illustrated was doing a big story on me. Then I called to tell them that I was going to be in the Irish America Top 100 and they cheered, `Stop the presses, she’s arrived.'” A delighted audience laughed and cheered Mullins as she left the stage.
Despite a frantic dash from JFK Airport to the Plaza Hotel, the Drumcree Children’s Choir, composed of Protestant and Catholic children from Northern Ireland, overcame exhaustion to sing “Danny Boy” beautifully, and they also performed a song of their own about peace in Northern Ireland. The choir’s whirlwind tour of the U.S. also included a St. Patrick’s Day performance at the White House.
Mutual of America chairman Bill Flynn, himself no stranger to the Irish peace process, introduced Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, who told the audience that the Northern Ireland peace process was not for him or any of the politicians, but “for the children…to give them equal opportunities, freedom and peace.” Ulster Democratic Party leader Gary McMichael spoke next and he noted that if the parties in the peace negotiations were “finding it difficult to reconcile their differences, there’s only one answer — try harder.”
Representing the Top 100’s many caregivers and educators, Sr. Teresa Fitzgerald of Hour Children said she had learned a very important lesson from her Irish father, that there were two kingdoms — the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Kerry.
A second musical interlude featured the amazing voice of soprano Lauren Flanigan, who sang an old Moore’s melody, “‘Tis the Last Rose of Summer.”
Others to speak included Fr. Dan Madigan of Sacramento Food Bank Services, Consul General Barrie Robinson, Carol Browner of the Environmental Protection Agency, actor Peter Gallagher, MSNBC’s Soledad O’Brien and Fox 5’s Jim Ryan.
Author Pete Hamill referred to this year’s bi-centennial of the 1798 Rising in Ireland and remarked: “A great way to honor the dead of 1798 will be if peace comes.”
Irish America editor-in-chief Patricia Harty introduced a clip from The McCourts of Limerick, a documentary made by Frank’s nephew Conor.
Education Secretary Richard Riley had the task of introducing Frank McCourt on stage, and he confidently stated: “I am convinced that [Frank’s] ability to write so well…is a characteristic that he developed while being a wonderful teacher.”
With his usual modesty, McCourt said his book came about because he wanted to get it out of his system. Receiving his award, a stunning Waterford Crystal replica of Angela’s Ashes, McCourt said he was accepting it on behalf of his mother and father, his brothers, their wives and “our children and our grandchildren.”
Once the speeches were over, it was time for the party to begin, and guests mingled freely with Top 100 honorees in what will be remembered as a highly entertaining night.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the May / June 1998 issue of Irish America. ⬥
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