Montreal's memorial to Irish Famine victims. ℘℘℘ In 1997, Irish people around the world will remember the 150th anniversary of the Famine that resulted in one million deaths and forced one million and a half to emigrate to Canada and the United States. The deplorable conditions these immigrants endured aboard ship resulted in a typhus epidemic that decimated many en route to a … [Read more...] about The Black Stone on Bridge Street
Memorial
9/11 Memorial
The idea for the memorial, an imposing 20-by-12 foot granite wall, was conceived by businessman Sol Molgen who told Bill Farrell of the Daily News, "I spent 50 years of my life in Brooklyn, and I wanted to do something for those firefighters who went over the bridge on September 11 and never returned." With the help of Peter Kasten, whose best friend firefighter, Chris … [Read more...] about 9/11 Memorial
The Irish Hunger Memorial
On Tuesday, July 16, New York Governor Pataki led a dedication ceremony for The Irish Hunger Memorial at Battery Park City. The memorial was designed by Brian Tolle, who visited the deserted Achill Island Village of Slievemore before submitting his plan, which includes a ruined cottage, deserted potato furrows, uncultivated land and a high wall of alternating layers of stone … [Read more...] about The Irish Hunger Memorial
New York Remembers Bobby Sands
Plans to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of hunger striker Bobby Sands on May 5 in New York, have Unionists hot under the collar. The Irish papers reported that Gerald Kelly, the Belfast painter who together with other artists will create a mural to Sands, had been given a $75,000 grant from the City of New York. Sammy Wilson, the Democratic Unionist Lord … [Read more...] about New York Remembers Bobby Sands
John Jr., Remembered
I can't say I knew him well. Who can except for his immediate family and close friends? Still, we all felt as if we knew John Kennedy, Jr. He touched our hearts. He carded the flame of Camelot, conscious (modestly) of what he embodied for many Americans, particularly Irish Americans. He might have chosen a different role had it been left up to him. He wanted to be an actor and … [Read more...] about John Jr., Remembered