| Letters
 Holy
Communion
Michael Scanlon’s article on Communion in the Feb/Mar issue brought
back a flood of memories. I attended St. Margaret Mary at Morris and Tremont
Avenues, also ruled over by The Sisters of Mercy, a name not always accurately
describing their methods of squeezing knowledge into our thick, impenetrable
skulls.
I was and am a lefty, so as the Palmer Method was beaten into me I would
be covered in ink since my hand had to go over this still wet substance.
My handwriting is still indecipherable, which at the time prompted the
poor nun to declaim, “Stephen, you are either a genius or a very
sloppy little boy.”
The second part has proven true. Certainly not the former!
I had a speaking role in the second-grade Christmas play. I was Dr. Foster
and had one sentence to say to my patient, Santa Claus. I practiced for
weeks on end and of course when my big moment came I got all the words
mixed up and nearly fainted in full view of the audience. Monsignor Walsh
was the kindly old pastor ably assisted by Father Cronin, a compassionate
man.
My grandfather drove a trolley on Burnside Avenue and was chastised for
dropping ladies off in front of their houses when he was supposed to make
them go to the corner.
My father was born on Tiebout Avenue, attended St. Simon Stock, won a
scholarship to Regis and graduated from Fordham, a first, of course, for
my immigrant grandparents (Monaghan and Cork).
We too struggled mightily to be sure the host did not touch our teeth.
Eternal damnation might result!
If the caption on the photo of the Communion boys did not say it was of
The Sacred Heart School I would swear it was of Saint Margaret Mary’s
boys. Are you sure that there’s not a mistake? I’m sure I
can pick out Peter Geraghity and Connie Dooley (who broke his arm when
he fell off the rock in Echo Park) and Jimmy Scanlon and I’m sure
Alice Malarkey must be just outside the photo (she’s the girl who
gave me my first kiss in her closet during a party at her house, errr
apartment—nobody had houses).
I thank you for a wonderful glimpse back and hope you can give us more.
Stephen M. McCabe
Received by e-mail.
Christian Irish
I just read the March 2006 issue of Irish America. In your interview of
John Paul Shanley he states he went to Cardinal Spellman High School where
he encountered the Irish Christian Brothers who were “violent and
bigots.” The Irish Christian Brothers do not teach at that school
nor ever have. He certainly doesn’t come across as too bright, if
he doesn’t know who his teachers are.
Steve Kelly
Medford, New Jersey
Editor’s Note: The Christian Brothers in question were De La Salle
Christian Brothers who happened to be Irish-American.
Eugene McCarthy
May I add to your “Eugene McCarthy Remembered” as a fitting
epithet the lines of Irish poet John Montague: “History creaks on
its bloody hinge, and the unspeakable is done again.”
Robert Lyons
Kennebunkport, Maine
Crossword
I absolutely love Irish America and really look forward to each issue.
I just received the Feb/Mar issue and was very disappointed to find that
the crossword is incorrect — the clues don’t match the puzzle.
Where is the clue for 34 down when the puzzle has no 34 down? Why is there
a clue for 37 across when it doesn’t exist in the puzzle?
I know that in the grand scheme of things this isn’t a huge problem.
But I really look forward to reading the magazine and then “testing”
my retention by doing the crossword! Please, please fix the crossword!
Nadine Daugherty
Columbus, Ohio
Editor’s Note: Apologies to all our crossword puzzlers who wrote
in. It won’t happen again.
Forty Shades
I enjoyed the February/March issue of Irish America.
On going through the Hibernia section,
I noticed a wee slip-up! In Debbie McGoldrick’s section on Johnny
Cash, she quotes from Cash’s song “Forty Shades of Green.”
The phrase says, “from the fishing boats at Dingle to the shores
of Dundee.” If I am not mistaken “Dundee” should read
Donaghdee. This town is in County Down, on the A2 and A48 due east of
Bangor on the shore of the North Channel. This is several hundred miles
from Dundee on the Firth of Tay in Scotland!
Love the magazine,
Marion Berryhill
Received by e-mail
Editor’s Note: You are correct.
News from Ireland
Your section entitled “News from Ireland” is regrettably brief
and shallow. The article headed “Spy Revelations Rock Sinn Féin”
is so brief and lacking in background that it fails to point out that
the latest British excuse for illegally collapsing (for the fourth time)
the elected Northern Ireland Assembly was a totally bogus, but well-hyped
raid upon the Sinn Féin offices. The British, through the press,
trumpeted an alleged spy scandal in which Sinn Féin was allegedly
spying on the British government under the guise of participating in the
Assembly.
It now turns out that the only Sinn Féin member who was charged
with a crime in the alleged “spy ring” was actually a British
spy who was a mole within Sinn Féin for 20 years.
One would certainly expect at least a bit of outrage by your editorial
board at this totally illegal and disgraceful interference in Irish affairs
by the Britain. Their plan all along seems to have been, give the Paddies
any kind of treaty to get the rebellion stopped, then renege on it. Same
old, same old.
Patrick J. Donlin, Sr.
Warren, Ohio
Editor’s Note: Regrettably, it is hard to stay current with a bi-monthly
magazine format. We suggest that you subscribe to our sister publication
The Irish Voice, which is a weekly.
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