At an Irish pub in Islip, everybody may not know your name, but you have a better shot if you’ve ever gone on a trip to Ireland with the bartender of 30 years. Edward “Lanny” Skehan, the manager at Mary Dowling’s pub, recently returned from his 15th trip taking dozens of patrons around his home country. He said he began leading trips in 1990 after customers at the bar — then named Lily Flanagan’s — expressed an interest in seeing the Emerald Isle. He now leads groups of up to 40. “They want to find their heritage, their ancestry, where they come from in Ireland,” Skehan said. “They don’t look at it as a destination of sunshine but where they came from.” The pub is located on Main Street in the hamlet, where nearly 30 percent of residents are of Irish heritage, according to U.S. Census estimates. Some customers go to Ireland to seek out distant family members, including one woman who went trout fishing with a … [Read more...] about Bartender at Islip pub has led trips to Ireland for decades
Ireland
Maine Observer: ‘Grand old man’ served Maine, Northern Ireland well
When I read of the passing of Philip E. Curran of Westbrook (Maine Sunday Telegram, March 25), a smile came upon me as I remembered the story he once shared about the day the Irish flag flew over Maine’s Capitol dome. In an Osher Lifelong Learning class on Irish history, Phil talked about his own Irish roots and his work for peace and justice in Northern Ireland. Through his work to establish the Maine Irish Children’s Program, Phil with his wife, Nancy, had visited Belfast, Northern Ireland, where in 1985 he witnessed firsthand the harsh effects of job discrimination against Catholics in the workforce. At that time, unemployment measured at about 20 percent and as high as 85 percent in Catholic sections of Belfast. That experience prompted Phil, a Republican state representative from 1988 to 1989, to take action. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Robert F. Lyons of Kennebunkport has taught Irish studies at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute for 21 years. Search photos available for … [Read more...] about Maine Observer: ‘Grand old man’ served Maine, Northern Ireland well
Women’s participation in peace negotiations in Northern Ireland made them less likely to fail
Twenty years ago, the landmark Good Friday Agreement ended 30 years of violence (known as the Troubles) between British Protestant unionists and the Irish Catholic nationalists. While many are marking this anniversary by heralding the contributions of leaders like chief negotiator former Sen. George Mitchell (D-Maine), a critical factor that helped secure and preserve the peace is too often overlooked: the participation of women. Before peace talks began in 1996, public elections were used to determine which political parties would be allotted seats at the negotiation table. Taking advantage of this unusual design, Catholic and Protestant women’s groups led by Monica McWilliams and May Blood joined forces to establish the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition. They won enough support in the election to gain access to the talks, and were joined by one other woman representing the Sinn Fein party. These women helped the Good Friday Agreement take shape and … [Read more...] about Women’s participation in peace negotiations in Northern Ireland made them less likely to fail
Ireland to pledge at least €5m in UN Conference on the Democratic Republic of Congo
Ireland will today pledge at least €5 million in humanitarian response to the deepening crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Democratic Republic of the Congo represents today one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises in terms of people in need. Ireland’s pledge will be delivered at a UN Pledging Conference today in Geneva and builds on support of over €16 million provided by Ireland to the DRC since 2016. Speaking ahead of the conference the Tánaiste said: ‘A shocking 4.5 million Congolese are internally displaced today, the highest number on the African continent. A further 750,000 have sought protection in neighbouring countries as a result of violence, food insecurity and widespread human rights violations and abuses. Ireland is a long-standing humanitarian donor in the Democratic Republic of Congo and will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the Congolese people as part of the international response’. The … [Read more...] about Ireland to pledge at least €5m in UN Conference on the Democratic Republic of Congo
From certain war to uncertain peace: Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement turns 20
Contributors Dan Chung | AP British Prime Minister Tony Blair (left), U.S. Sen. George Mitchell of Maine (center), and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern (right) pose together after they signed the Good Friday Agreement for peace in Northern Ireland, April 10, 1998. Many of the central architects gathered in Northern Ireland Tuesday to mark its 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement peace accord which ended three decades of sectarian violence. By John W. Mackey, The Conversation • April 13, 2018 6:24 am In 1988, one of Northern Ireland’s most divisive Protestant politicians rose to his feet and shouted at Pope John Paul II, who was addressing the European Parliament, “I denounce you as the Antichrist!” Perhaps nothing could have more vividly symbolized the bitterness and hopelessness of the Northern Ireland conflict. A few years later, as I began my academic career studying British and Irish history, possibilities for ending the violent … [Read more...] about From certain war to uncertain peace: Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Agreement turns 20