Easter Rising Commemorated
Ireland will commemorate the 1916 Easter Rising with an event at the GPO in Dublin on Sunday, April 17. The ceremony will be led by President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, and Irish Minister for Defence Simon Coveney.
At noon (Irish time), as the Irish flag on top of the GPO is lowered, the 1916 Proclamation will be read by an officer from the Irish Defence Forces.
Representatives of the Army, the Air Corps, and the Naval Service. A pipe band and a brass band will also participate in the ceremony.
President Higgins will lay a wreath to commemorate those who died in the conflict and a minute’s silence will be observed.
Members of the public are invited to attend the ceremony. For more information click here.
In New York, NYU is hosting an Easter Rising-inspired gallery exhibition through June 17. The exhibition showcases the work of Maureen O’Leary through the “Portraits of Ireland’s Easter Rising Leaders” in collaboration with Glucksman Ireland House, NYU’S center for Irish Studies.
O’Leary, a first-generation Irish American, used historic photographs as her source material and created portraits of revolutionaries who played a role in the rising. For information on the exhibition click here.
Glucksman Ireland House NYU Holds 10th Annual Dinner Gala
Glucksman Ireland House, NYU’s home for the study of Ireland and the Irish diaspora, held its 10th annual Dinner Gala at the Rainbow Room in Rockefeller Plaza, New York, on April 11, 2022.
The evening raised awareness and funds to support the study of Irish history, culture, and literature, the publication of leading research, convening of public lectures, and the documentation of Irish American experiences through the Archives of Irish America, and the Black, Brown, and Green Voices project.
Each year, Glucksman Ireland House makes three awards: the Seamus Heaney Award for Arts & Letters, the Lewis L. Glucksman Award for Leadership, and the Pete Hamill Award for Journalistic Excellence. This year’s Honorees were:
Eugene M. McQuade, Chairman, The Ireland Funds America; CEO, Citibank (Retired), Lewis L. Glucksman Award for Leadership
Ruth Negga, Oscar-Nominated Actor, Seamus Heaney Award for Arts & Letters
Mike Barnicle, Award-Winning Print and Broadcast Journalist, Pete Hamill Award for Journalistic Excellence
Philanthropist Loretta Brennan Glucksman and New York Times reporter Dan Barry presented awards to Eugene McQuade and Mike Barnicle, respectively.
Ruth Negga was unable to attend in person, as she is currently making her Broadway debut as Lady Macbeth in Macbeth. Writer Colum McCann presented her award which she accepted through a pre-recorded video.
Micheál Martin, the Irish Taoiseach, praised the work of Glucksman Ireland House and paid tribute to the Honorees via video from Dublin.
Ted Smyth, President of the Glucksman House Advisory Board, Kevin Kenny, Director of Glucksman House, Dean Antonio Merlo, and Glucksman House alumna, Samantha Haddad also delivered remarks.
Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, MSNBC’s Willie Geist, and Nicolle Wallace were in attendance along with leading scholars, faculty, and administration from Glucksman Ireland House.
Global Ireland Summit Highlights Reconnecting
Dublin Castle hosted the Global Ireland Summit this week. Speaking at the event, Taoiseach Micheal Martin said, “the Global Ireland ambition is to make our voice count
on the international stage; for enterprise, trade, culture, diplomacy, peacebuilding, and development.”
The theme of the summit was “Ireland Reconnecting” which sought to explore how the country reconnects with the world against the backdrop of current global challenges.
The summit was held as part of the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) Heads of Mission Conference attended by DFA Ambassadors and Consul Generals including Helena Nolan who chaired a panel on diversity and inclusion.
Also in attendance was Colm Brophy, Minister for Overseas Aid and Diaspora who addressed the crowd on a variety of topics from the conflict in Ukraine to reconnecting with the Irish diaspora in the United States.
World War II Destroyer “USS The Sullivans” is Taking on Water
The USS Sullivans, a decommissioned World War II-era destroyer named for the five Sullivan brothers who all served together on the USS Juneau and were killed in action in 1942 has started taking on water while docked in Buffalo, NY at the Erie County Naval & Military Park.
On Thursday, April 14, 2022, the USS Sullivans was listing perilously while crews worked to save the destroyer from sustaining additional damage.
“We’ve got a committed group down here. We’re not going to give up the ship and failure is not an option,” said park president Paul Marzello. Onl Wednesday night, crews trying to stabilize the 79-year-old vessel were pumping out up to 13,000 gallons a minute.
“I think we’ve seen the worst, but I don’t know,” Marzello said.
The USS The Sullivans, a National Historic Landmark, was named in honor of the five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa. The brothers were killed in action when the USS Juneau was sunk by the Japanese in the South Pacific during World War II.
“It’s a tough day for the park. It’s a tough day for the veterans. It’s a tough day for anybody who has put their time, effort, and sweat into making sure that this park can sustain operations and keep and preserve these ships for another generation,” Marzello said.
More than $1 million was raised last year to repair the ship’s breached hull. Crews paused work over the winter and were to resume repairs Monday, Marzello said.
Officials say it is unlikely the ship will fully sink.
The USS The Sullivans is one of four decommissioned Naval vessels at the park. To learn more about the Sullivan brothers read Irish America’s Brothers In Arms.
100th Anniversary of the Central Park Ambush
This week was the anniversary of the only known IRA attack to ever take place on American soil. Patrick Joseph “Cruxy” O’Connor, an IRA man turned British spy,
was cornered on Central Park West where he was shot and killed. The attack became known as the Central Park Ambush.
On the evening of April 13, 1922, O’Connor exited his apartment building on the Upper Westside of Manhattan, unaware that several IRA men were lying in wait.
O’Connor’s latest information provided to the British forces resulted in the killing of six IRA men at their safe house just outside Cork.
With this in mind, Danny Healy, Martin Donovan, and IRA commander Patrick “Pa” Murray formed a plan to ambush the informer. Having recently quit his job as an accountant at B.Altman after spotting the gunmen stalking the department store, O’Connor was aware there was a price on his head in New York. But he needed a smoke.
Danny Healy told an Irish government historian, “when I saw him take his turn I told Martin to tell Pa.” The plan was for them to cut off their quarry and surround O’Connor on Central Park West.
As he approached the intersection, O’Connor spotted the gunmen and made a dash for the park. He then switched directions, coming face to face with Danny Healy who was pointing a gun straight at him.
Against all odds, O’Connor survived the attack and refused to speak to New York City detectives, and became the informer who refused to inform.
To read more on the story click here.
The U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Irish Crime Gang
The United States is offering $5m for information leading to the arrests or convictions of members of a notorious Irish criminal organization.
The Kinahan family is a well-known “organized crime group” that “smuggles deadly narcotics, including cocaine, to Europe,” U.S. officials said. The group is also involved in money laundering and drug-related violence, including murder.
The U.S. government unveiled sanctions against the gang at a briefing in Dublin this week. U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Clare Cronin said the award would be provided for “information leading to the financial distribution of the Kinahan’s, or the arrest or conviction” of leaders Christopher Kinahan Snr and his sons Daniel and Christopher Jnr.
Tackling the Kinahan gang “is an urgent priority for President Biden and the U.S. government,” said Ambassador Cronin.
The intervention of the United States is regarded as a major blow to the criminal gang, whose drug and firearms trafficking began on the streets of Dublin and has now spanned around the world.
A representative from the U.S. Department of the Treasury said, “today, the Kinahan’s join the ranks of the Camorra [Italian mafia organization] and Japan’s yakuza.”
The sanctions will see any Kinahan-owned money or assets in the U.S. or in U.S. banks frozen. Any U.S.-controlled properties tied to the gang will also be affected by the sanctions which have been compared to those imposed on Russian oligarchs following the invasion of Ukraine.
Members of the Kinahan gang may also see their credit cards blocked and will not be permitted to fly on U.S. airlines.
Two Men Murdered in County Sligo
Two men were murdered in County Sligo this week in what is suspected to be related to homophobic attacks.
A 22-year-old man has been arrested in relation to the murders.
The bodies of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee were found dead in their homes 24 hours apart and a third unnamed man was assaulted.
Irish police described both deceased victims as having suffered “significant physical injuries” while the attack on the third victim resulted in the loss of his eye.
It is believed both Mr. Moffitt and Mr. Snee met their attacker online.
Following the incidents, Irish police have issued advice to the general public in regards to contacting persons they have met online. The advice includes requesting a picture of the person’s face before meeting them or participating in a live video call.
The police also suggest requesting to connect via social media with the person you intend to meet. “Do you have friends in common on Instagram or Facebook? Be wary of new accounts with low follower count and few posts.”
It is also advised to let friends know where you are going and arrange to meet in a public place at first.
Speaking in relation to the murders and other recent attacks on the LGBT community, CEO of LGBT Ireland Paula Fagan said, “this has been a dark week for the LGBTI+ community in Ireland.”
Irish Ports to Deny Entry to Russian Vessels
The Irish Department of Transport has issued a directive to Irish ports and harbormasters to deny entry to Russian-registered vessels beginning April 16.
The announcement came after the recent EU decision to sanction Russian vessels and to restrict access to ports in European member states for those vessels.
Included in the sanctions are all ships, yachts, and recreational crafts registered under the flag of Russia and any such vessel that has changed its registration of the vessel from the flag of Russia to another state since 24 February, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
The directive allows for a number of exceptions including vessels transporting coal, natural gas, oil and refined petroleum products, pharmaceutical, medical and agricultural products, humanitarian purposes, and emergency safety situations.
Sligo vs New York in the Big Apple
New York will host Sligo in the opening round of the 2022 Connacht GAA Football Senior Championship on April 17.
The home side will hope to defeat the Yeats Men to face Roscommon in the semi-final on May 1st.
Leitrim is also traveling overseas on Easter Sunday for their quart final bout against London.
Throw in for New York v Sligo is 2.30 pm (local time) at Gaelic Park in Riverdale.
For information on how to watch the game live click here. ♦
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