West Cork Commemorates the Centennial Anniversary of Michael Collins’ Death
Over 5,000 people are anticipated to meet in the small West-Cork village of Béal na mBláth on August 22, 2022, to mark the 100th anniversary of Michael Collins’ assassination.
Collins, the Commander in Chief of the newly created Irish Army and Chairman of the Provisional Government, was shot dead by an unidentified assassin in an ambush at the start of the Irish Civil War in 1922.
In a historic move, Fianna Fáil leader and Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Fine Gael leader Tánaiste Leo Varadkar will give a speech at the centenary commemoration. This address is the first time a Fianna Fáil leader will acknowledge the anniversary of the pro-Treaty General’s death.
Garret Kelleher, Chairman of the Michael Collins Memorial Committee, said: “We look forward to welcoming our two guest speakers, who as the modern-day leaders of the parties which emerged from the Civil War have shown the maturity and leadership to set aside historic differences of opinion and work together.”
Collins’s death is considered one of the highest-profile casualties of the Irish civil war, which started as a result of the agreements in the Anglo-Irish Treaty. On August 20, shortly after assuming the role of Chairman of the Provisional Government due to the sudden death of President Arthur Griffith, Collins journeyed to his native County Cork. It was in the small, winding roads near the village of Béal na mBláth where Collins was spotted by a scout from the local anti-Treaty group.
County Cork has planned dozens of events to celebrate the life and achievements of Gen. Collins, including the release of a postage stamp in his honor on Thursday, August 18. The stamp, designed by Ger Gerland, features a sepia-toned photo of Collins in an Irish military uniform taken by C. & L. Walsh.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar spoke on the commemorative stamps and called Collins an equal with Ireland’s founders.
“He had the courage to take on an Empire, forcing it to the negotiating table. He then risked his reputation and his life by working to secure a peace settlement persuading the majority of people to support it. It is especially fitting that this stamp will be issued by An Post ahead of the centenary of the assassination of Michael Collins on Sunday 22 August,” the Tánaiste said.
In addition to the stamps and memorial, the premiere of a short film about Collins, filmed and directed by the schoolchildren and staff at Lisavaird National School, where Collins studied as a child, will open on Tuesday, August 23.
Called Tales From Home, the 11-minute film is a reenactment of stories from Collin’s childhood which focuses on the “innocent side of things,” said Lisavaird Principal Kieran O’Donovan, adding, “he was a boy from Lisavaird before he was the Big Fella,”
“The teaching of history in terms of the War of Independence can be fragile, especially when you talk about the Civil War,” O’Donovan continued.
Tickets for the Tales From Home are sold out in both premiere locations.
At the Michael Collins House Museum in the town of Clonakilty, Co. Cork, the Grandniece of Michael Collins loaned his diaries to the National Archives to be put on display for the very first time in a sealed glass case.
The five diaries covered the critical period of 1918 to 1922, when tensions in the newly freed state continued to rise. The diaries were obtained by General Collins’ older brother, Johnny. He passed them down to his son, Liam, who gave the dairies to his daughter, Helen.
“Our granduncle Michael Collins lived an extraordinary life. The diaries will give the public a much greater understanding of this exceptional and courageous man,” Helen Collins said.
RTÉ News will broadcast the commemoration live on their news channel. Additionally, RTÉ has multiple shows, documentaries, and series dedicated to the life and history of Michael Collins and his colleagues scheduled through Wednesday, August 24. Visit RTE.ie/history for scheduling and viewing information.
David Attenborough to Feature Ireland’s Wildlife in Upcoming Series
Sir David Attenborough is set to narrate a five-part natural history series featuring Ireland and Britain called Wild Isles (working title.) The new series will show off the “wild side to the British Isles,” and “do for the wildlife of Britain [and Ireland] what the Planet Earth series has done for the wildlife of the world.”
The new major series was filmed over three years and will showcase the fauna and flora of the British Isles, focusing on four ecological areas: grasslands, woodlands, freshwater, and marine wildlife.
“In my long lifetime, I have travelled to almost every corner of our planet,” Attenborough said. “I can assure you that in the British Isles, as well as astonishing scenery there are extraordinary animal dramas and wildlife spectacles to match anything I have seen on my global travels.”
Co-produced by The Open University, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the landmark series was commissioned by Jack Bootle, BBC’s head of Science and Natural History.
The series will show some of the world’s oldest and most diverse ecological systems using cutting-edge technology, like 4k aerial footage, macro and motion-controlled time-lapse photography, and night vision cameras.
The series will show the ancient oak trees in some of the world’s oldest and most diverse forests; the deer staff of Ireland; flower meadows that are home to breeding birds and butterflies; and the killer whales of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Puffins in Northern England in crisp detail.
Wild Isle’s Executive Producer, Alastair Fothergill, says: “I have always wanted to make a landmark series that really does justice to our own extraordinary wildlife. I am sure people will be amazed at what is happening right on their own doorstep.”
The series will release in the U.K. on BBC One and their streaming platform, iPlayer, in spring 2023. The U.S. premiere has yet to be announced.
The Irish American Partnership Names Decorated Golfer Leona Maguire as Ambassador
On August 14, 2022, The Irish American Partnership (IAP) announced Leona Maguire as their new ambassador.
Maguire, 27, is a decorated golfer from Co. Cavan. She is the first Irishwoman to compete in the Solheim Cup, a biennial golf tournament for professional women golfers. On February 5, 2022, Maguire made history as the first Irishwoman to win an LPGA Drive On Championship event by three strokes.
The IAP is a nonprofit organization that connects Irish and Irish American communities by providing education and community programs in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
According to their website, the Partnership invests in “the people, culture, and ideas that build a peaceful and prosperous Ireland, one that preserves the Irish way of life we cherish while also creating a more inclusive and equitable society for all,”
“We strengthen the global Irish community by linking the diaspora back to Ireland, North, and South.”
As ambassador, Maguire will tour schools across the emerald isle to confirm that students have adequate resources to “educate and inspire” students through the IAP’s financial grant, the O’Neill Direct Grants to Schools program.
To kick off the new ambassadorship, the Irish American Partnership awarded St. Patrick’s National School in Corlough and Castletara in Co. Cavan with €10,000 in grants.
At the launch event, Maguire said: “Coming from a family of teachers, I appreciate the importance and value of education, and I’m delighted to play a part in giving back to schools. By investing in Ireland’s future—its youth—the Partnership is ensuring that every child can have the resources they need to learn, and to grow.”
More than 65 schools in Ireland have been awarded funding through the $250,000 in grants the Partnership offers in 2022 alone and has committed to providing another $1 million to schools over the next four years.
Since its inception in 1986, the Partnership has donated over $50 million to support educational and cultural advancement programs and initiatives, such as nationwide university access scholarships, empathy education in secondary schools, education centers for homeless youth, STEM resources for primary schools, technology apprenticeships as a gateway to employment, and more recently, an Outdoor Play & Learning program, launched by Partnership patron and fellow professional golfer, Pádraig Harrington.
The Irish American Partnership CEO Mary Sugrue said: “We are absolutely delighted to have such an incredible Irish sportsperson and role model join the Irish American Partnership. At 27, Leona has achieved so much,”
“We are immensely proud and honored to have Leona involved in our mission to invest in and support young people across the island,” Sugrue added.
Latest Addition to D.C.’S Korean War Memorial Unveiled
On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, exactly 69 years after a gruesome war came to a halt on the Korean Peninsula, a new addition to the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C., was unveiled.
The new Wall of Remembrance lists the names of over 36,000 U.S. soldiers who died in the war and over 7,000 fallen KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the United States Army) who fought with the American military in their efforts to restore peace in South Korea.
The addition was designed by May K. Lanzillotta of the architectural firm Hartman Cox.
Louis Nelson, who designed the original mural, is happy with the new addition. “Lanzillotta and her brilliant team, and the memorial’s foundation, led by General John Tileli, have accomplished a splendid refreshed memorial and new Wall of Remembrance,” Nelson told Irish America.
“When faced with creating a new wall across from the Vietnam Memorial and given that VN was a wall of names of those who were killed, I realized the other means of celebrating or honoring an event or person was to build a singular statue, and that certainly was Lincoln who lead us through the Civil War. The other was a pylon into the sky that honors our first president and leader through the Revolutionary War: General and President Washington. The only other way was to have a portrait of a loved one placed on our mantelpiece at home. With that, I believe we must have portraits of those who served in Korea between 1950 and 1953 – the everyday soldier, the men and women of the United States of all cultures and colors serving in all the jobs in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard, in every type of job from nurses to drivers and landing ship officers and beach masters and tank drivers and bomber pilots and the like, all on this granite wall… our nation’s mantelpiece.”
“Some would be life-size portraits so that the visitor could see into their eyes and understand these young people of then and realize they are so similar to the youth of today, and twenty years from now, they will be so similar to the youth in those years, for war brings the young of an era together.”
“I arranged the groups by services and teams within the services, showing cultures and color, and asked my photo researcher in Washington D.C. to look for portraits of men and women within those categories looking straight out at the camera without expression, just “resolute” as told to me by General Ray Davis, who was awarded the Medal of Honor. “
“And with that, we designed the Mural at the Korean War Veterans Memorial showing more than 2,000 individuals on 41 granite panels representing the service of thousands more, all anonymous.”
The Korean War Veterans Memorial is located in Washington, D.C.’s West Potomac Park, southeast of the Lincoln Memorial and just south of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall. It is open to the public 24 hours a day and draws thousands of visitors every year.
Nelson explains the memorial’s popularity. “It has people in it, it has sculptures in it, it has people on the wall, so it has to do with people and the humanity,” Nelson told ABC7 News. “It’s one of the reasons I created the wall that way, and it made me happy, and it makes me happy to this day.”
Nelson collaborated with Frank Gaylord, who created the poignant steel sculptures of soldiers walking through rice paddies in the Korean Peninsula, for the 1995 installation. The sculptures reflect back on the granite wall and add a third dimension to the memorial.
Nelson, who attended the opening of the new installation with his wife, singer Judy Collins, recently published a book on the design of the monument called Mosaic: War Monument Mystery.
Collins shared the unveiling of the new addition to the memorial on Facebook.
“May the Wall of Remembrance brings family members and their descendants of those lost in the Korean War some comfort in seeing the names of their loved ones, never forgotten,” Collins wrote.
President Biden also proclaimed July 27 as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day in honor of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, a peace agreement that ended the Korean War on July 27, 1953.
Concern Worldwide Founders are Honored in Limerick
The Finucane Memorial Bench was introduced by Mayor Cllr Francis Foley along the waterfront of River Shannon at Barrington’s Pier in Limerick City on Thursday, August 18.
The Memorial Bench honors the frontline founders of Ireland’s largest aid agency, Concern Worldwide. Fathers and brothers Jack and Aengus Finucane worked with the humanitarian missionary organization that shipped and delivered food and medicine while organizing teachers and nurses to volunteer in disaster-stricken areas for over 50 years.
Two statues of the priestly Finucane brothers are made of steel and stone by a Rhode-based craftsman and environmental advocate Tom Roche in collaboration with Knut Klimmek, a Dublin-based furniture designer.
“The Finucane Brothers were granted the Freedom of Limerick in recognition of their tireless work in Africa and Asia. Their work in developing countries is unsurpassed and their legacies will live on as these countries and their peoples continue to develop, become wealthier and carve out their place on the world stage,” Mayor Francis Foley said at the unveiling.
The figures, larger than life at about 2.2m or 7.2 ft, display Aegnus pushing a sturdy stone wall around the bench to reflect his dedication to his deeply impactful volunteer work. Jack, considered the thinker of the pair, sits with a leg crossed on his knee, resting his head in his palm. The structures sit atop a wooden bench that mimics the curves of the nearby river Shannon.
“They’re only representative of a human, they’re not lookalikes, they’re not meant to be,” craftsman Roche told the Tullamore Tribune. “They’re larger than life figures to reflect the two Finucanes’ life.”
“I find it hard to put words on this and I have to pinch myself every now and again to realize I’m doing it. It’s a privilege, that’s the only thing I can say,” Roche explained. “It’s a lovely legacy to leave behind me in the public arena.”
Fr. Jack Finucane became involved with Concern in 1968 when he saw the first televised famine in Biafra, a secessionist west African state (now Nigeria). Approximately 500,000 to 3,000,000 people died from starvation and multiplex of diseases during the war following the Biafran secession.
Following the war in Biafra, Concern became a globally recognized organization because of its aid efforts following a devastating cyclone in Bangladesh (then known as East Pakistan.)
In 2005, the Finucane brothers were honored as Freemen of Limerick City for their diligence in frontline aid in international communities.
Fr. Aengus Finucane died in 2009 at 77, and Fr Jack Finucane passed away in 2017 at 80 years old.
The Red Hook Peacemakers Made it to Broadway With a Little Irish Help
Irish America Staff
The plan was to take a group of young people from a disenfranchised neighborhood in Red Hook, Brooklyn, to see Broadway’s award-winning play, Paradise Square. The date was booked, August 10, a reasonable price on tickets arranged – and then, Paradise Square closed. (Larry Kirwan has other plays in the works). With the help of some good people, Hamilton tickets were arranged for the group instead.
The Irish American Partnership, which primarily focuses on primary schools in rural Ireland, offered its support. Pat Dailey of BroadwayGPS engineered a fair group rate, and an Irish-speaking group in Brooklyn held a last-minute fundraiser – money that went towards purchasing Hamilton t-shirts for the group.
Jacqueline “Jackie” Renaud-Rivera, the Program Manager of the Peacemaking Program, explained the mission of the organization: “Our program works largely with the Red Hook community and the surrounding areas. We handle many cases that are referred to us by our Honorable Judge Alex Calabrese. Out of those cases, a large portion is working with our youth. We work very closely with them during and after the case is resolved.”
“By getting this opportunity to see a play on Broadway is not only entertaining but it’s a chance for them to see a different side of New York. Whenever possible give our young generation a chance to visualize possibilities, I welcome it. Our Peacemaking Program works diligently on our next generation,” Renaud-Rivera continued. “It was also an opportunity for some of our parents to attend with their child, because without them reaching out for the help that their child needs; a great opportunity would have been missed.”
Chris Byrne, a program specialist with Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens, spoke of the work that the Peacemakers are doing. “The Red Hook Peacemakers group works out of the Red Hook Justice Center in Brooklyn. I have worked alongside the program for the last seven years and can attest to the important work being done in a difficult environment. The Broadway show is meant to reward the young people, who are mainly residents of public housing in Red Hook, for the outstanding work they do within the community.”
Byrne (who formed the music group, Black 47, with Larry Kirwan), is also involved with the Conradh na Gaeilge Brooklyn branch, which held a fundraiser to support the outing on August 10. Prior to the pandemic, the group had helped raise funds for two Peacemaker trips to the African American Museum in Washington, D.C.
After the matinee show, the group was treated to a late lunch at The Glass House Tavern on West 47th Street. Renaud-Rivera thanked everyone who had helped put the outing together. “You have made so many individuals so happy. It was smiles and sheer joy. Hamilton was all that and more.” She added, “I will be singing songs of the musical for a while.”
Note: Special thanks to: Mary Sugrue and The Irish American Partnership; Pat Daily from Broadway GPS; Chris and Noel at The Glass House Tavern; Cumann Cháitlin agus Thomás Ui Chléirigh Conradh na Gaeilge (The Gaelic League) of Brooklyn, and Irish America magazine staff who helped coordinate the outing.
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