Caint | Comments on Irish America’s Weekly Digital Issue

Irish Pub and Music Scene Legend Steve Duggan has Passed Away

I was saddened by Steve’s passing, and like I always told him he was responsible for curing more people than any eminent NYC doctor.
– Paul Hill

What a big void Steve leaves but it’s one filled with cherished memories. He was a generous and sweet man, and he always looked after me and my family. RIP dear Steve, and thank you for all the good times.
– Roberta Moore, London

Steve will be missed by many. We traded music videos. Music was a big part of his fun-filled life. May he be remembered as he would like to be. And may he forever rest in eternal peace.
– Gerry Clarke, Killenkere, Co. Cavan

Thanks for all the laughs and amazing memories. I will never forget. You were one of a kind. Steve, RIP.
– Freddie

Steve Duggan was a real gentleman. One of the best in the GAA world, Steve always loved Ireland, always loved Cavan and Ballyhaise.
– youririshdriver.ie

“St. Kevin and the Blackbird”

Thank you for sharing the beautiful reading by Seamus Heaney of his poem “St. Kevin and the Blackbird.”  As I listened in reverenced silence to the reading,  I was transported to Glendalough and a visit that I made to St. Kevin’s sacred grounds.
– Meg

St. Malachy, the Miracle Worker and Prophet

Normal for Northern Ireland Should not Dull Us to Northern Ireland’s Trouble Abuses

Kevin Meagher says it well: “Thirty years after they ended, the capacity of Northern Ireland’s Troubles to shock us should probably have reached its limits by now.”

It’s both sad, but unsurprising, that there is no prospect of reading about these [unresolved] cases in the British media.

Ulster poet John Hewitt best captured the heart and soul of the people who experienced that torturous period of Irish history. His poem ‘An Irishman in Coventry’ (1958) looks at the people from the outside but speaks in the first person, as he paints a portrait of:

A people endlessly betrayed
by our own weakness, by the wrongs we suffered
in that long twilight over bog and glen,
by force, by famine and by glittering fables
which gave us martyrs when we needed men.

While today’s scholars parse the documents and catalogue political debates in the North of Ireland and British parliament, it may be the poet who speaks best for Ulster:

This is our fate: eight hundred years’ disaster,
crazily tangled as the Book of Kells;
the dream’s distortion and the land’s division,
the midnight raiders and the prison cells.
Yet like Lir’s children, banished to the waters,
our hearts still listen for the landward bells.

– Robert Lyons

Finucane Inquiry Granted

The courage of the Finucane Family has been an inspiration to campaigners for truth and justice in many lands. [Brian Dooley’s article] is a fitting tribute to the courage of Pat. May his spirit live on in the good works of his family, friends and campaigners.  
– Eamon Lynch

Tom Donnelly: A Coach, Friend And Mentor

Great article with a very appropriate title. It brought back very fond memories of the running group that congregated regularly at Haverford College before embarking on some long runs. Tom was usually around and always willing to offer subtle tips while out on runs and host post
run meetings at Gillane’s Tavern.
One of his best lines was offered on a long run from Haverford College to Manayunk and back [about 32 miles] We were halfway up the toughest hill about to take a curve when Tom said, “Boys you are about to experience pain like you’ve never experienced before.” He was right. We were all too gassed-out to laugh at the time but later, at our favorite watering hole, we did.
Congratulations on a great career Tom. You inspired many people in ways that were well beyond running. Thanks for writing this article Joe Quinlan.
– Brendan McCormick

Tom Donnelly coached with passion and intensity every Haverford College student athlete he was responsible for – from Olympians to five-minute milers. He inspired the janitor, the bartender at the Greeks, and all human beings in his path.
Tom came from a family of roofers. His father, who he loved and admired – was the greatest man he ever met. His mom was the quintessential stoic, selfless, tough-loving Irish mom. She was probably the only person except for his sister, Eileen, who could call Tom “Tommy.”
Tom is very proud of his two sons. Patrick ran at Haverford before getting a PhD at Berkeley. Edward went to Penn and studied environmental science and excelled.
Tom is a GOAT (greatest of all times) in College Athletics with the humility of the Sisters of Divine. He coached Hall of Fame athlete Marcus O’Sullivan and encouraged him to take the coaching reins at Villanova. And he recruited another Hall of Famer, Fran Rizzo (Marine in Vietnam), to coach the Haverford women teams.
– Paul Keogh. 50 year friend

I had the opportunity to race against Tom in the inaugural running of the Penn Relays Boys invitational mile. Then a couple of years later I was fortunate to not only be his teammate but also his roommate. I can say, unequivocally, that Tom is the most unselfish, genuine, fun loving, fierce competitor I have ever met. He epitomizes the phrase “one of a kind!”
– Dave Patrick – VU 68

I’m one of those Villanova guys who benefitted from Tom’s coaching and friendship over the years. I’ve also talked with numerous Haverford track alumni and they tell me that, yes, they got a great education at Haverford, but Tom changed their lives. He not only helped them reach their athletic potential, he taught them life lessons; the value of team, hard work and doing the right thing.
Philip Noel-Baker [Olympian and Noble Prize-winner] couldn’t have had a better tour guide for his Haverford campus visit.
– Gerry O’Reilly

What a man. What a story! It’s all “Champion to the core ­– fire within.”
Fabulous story. Joe Quinlan, you truly are a forensic historian of the best there is.
– Stephanie Dougherty

So interesting! Philip Noel-Baker sounds like a character from an Ian Fleming novel. I appreciate the historical details about Hemingway. What a poseur! At that time, native Americans were not U.S. citizens! What a tragedy that they took the gold medal from Jim Thorpe! I once ran at Stockholm stadium many years ago, a beautiful venue. And of course Vanny [Van Cortland Park] in the Bronx.
On Tom’s teams, everyone had their role. Everyone knew their role. Even as track is an individual sport, the emphasis was always on the team.
Thanks for the article!
– Liam O’Neill

I played baseball and soccer at Haverford, but ran winter track my sophomore year just to get some exposure to Tom. He was the best coach and teacher I ever had. Two years ago, the son of my cousin won the Philadelphia HS City cross country title. My cousin called me to report that Tom had sent his son a handwritten congratulations card, not recruiting him per se – just warm congratulations.
– Mark A Naples

A fascinating and poignant article. Particularly interesting to read about Noel-Baker’s political commitments. Good to see he kept the 18th century radical tradition alive in the Labour Party. Sounds like his Wexford ancestors would have been proud.
– Matthew Maw

Happy to learn about Philip Noel-Baker and coach Tom Donnelly. It’s great that they had a wonderful afternoon at Haverford College in 1975. Thanks for the article.
– Mark Donnelly

Larry O’Brien, for whom the NBA Championship Trophy is named

Wonderful article by Mike Quinlin about an admirable and decent man.
Congrats on the Celtics big win.
– Kathleen McIntire

Sir Roger Casement: Irish Nationalist & Humanitarian

Let us never forget those who fight for justice and freedom; to right the wrongs and to acknowledge the equality of all peoples. We must recognize those who would have us bow to tyranny and self-interest and resist with every fiber of our being.

Beir bua.

– Sarah McAuliffe-Bellin

Impunity and The Northern Ireland Conflict

Comprehensive current and historical information is needed to combat the chokehold that the English government has on the international media. All of these pieces of information contribute to the campaign to rescind partition in Ireland, and are absolutely necessary in aiding the campaign to unify Ireland.
– James J. Gallagher

Mayor Lilian Seenoi-Barr

Thank you Mary Pat Kelly for the great story on Kenyan-born politician Lilian Seenoi-Barr becoming mayor of Derry City. Her election makes me proud to be Irish.
– PGMKY

Walking Into The Marvelous With Declan Kiberd

Thank you for Kelly Candaele’s wonderful and insightful article on Irish writer and scholar, Declan Kiberd.
– Rosemary Rogers

Johnny Cash’s “Forty Shades of Green“

Johnny Cash was not “a man of his times” but a man of the people, and “Forty Shades of Green” is everlasting proof of that. Ireland has many adopted sons and daughters, and Johnny Cash is one of them.
– Tim McGrath