READERS FORUM
Robbers, Not Bankers
How about more stories on the Irish who didn’t make a lot of money on Wall
Street but were very interesting characters anyway? Someone like the great bank
robber Willie Sutton who grew up in the very poor section under the Brooklyn
Bridge which was called Irishtown at the beginning of the 20th century. When
asked by the police why he kept robbing banks, Willie gave the obvious answer,
“because that’s where the money is.” This neighborhood is now affluent and
carries the acronyn DUMBO.
You could also do a story on my great ancestor James Lundrigan who along with a
guy named Butler were the last two people to receive the lash in Canada. That
was around 1820 in Newfoundland. It was a very big legal case centered on the
prejudice facing Irish Catholics at that time.
Jim Lundrigan
New Haven, Connecticut
The Past but not the Present
I enjoyed reading your “Irish Eye on Hollywood,” your book reviews and “Slainte”
section, but I feel that a greater portion of your June/July issue was
uninteresting. The cover [photo. of a Sikh] would have been more appropriate had
it featured a holy well or an ancient stone circle.
We need features such as “The 100 Ancient Irish,” and the “100 Most Important
Ancient Sites,” not articles on those who are seeking amnesty. They do not give
a tinker’s damn about Ireland or the fabulous Irish culture, its language, or
its way of life. They want to change Ireland to fit the culture into which they
were born and raised.
If you must deal with the present, then I suggest an in-depth article dealing
with the travesty of what’s happening to the ancient site of Irish history – the
Hill of Tara, and how it is being destroyed, in part, to accommodate a highway!
Why don’t some of your Top 100 Irish-Americans use their influence to stop the
desecration?
Patrick J.H. Durnin
R.N., B.S., Retired CPT USA
Whitehall, Montana
Irish Sovereignty
I read Sharon Ní Chonchúir’s article on the Lisbon Treaty, and the No vote
handed down by the Irish people. She seemed to adopt an elitist tone throughout.
It started, in the third paragraph, where she inferred that because Ireland had
benefited in the past from the European Union, the Irish should feel obliged to
vote yes on the treaty. The elitist tone further manifested itself when she used
the word “motley” to describe the diverse groups that made up the Vote No
alliance. The fact that the alliance was so diverse should be an indicator of
widespread concerns about the treaty, across all socioeconomic groups. Ms.
Chonchúir seems to be dismissive about these concerns.
I visited Ireland in May of this year, a month before the vote. I found that
many people had concerns about the sovereignty issue. I think we need to
remember that the Republic of Ireland is relatively young, and as a nation that
has a long history of longing and fighting for home rule, it’s going to be
difficult to relinquish the power of self governance.
Kendall W. Smith Jr.
Rochester, Michigan
As my Falls Road parents used to say to me when I was out of line, “catch
yourself on.” The benefits Ireland receives from the EU are nice and reciprocal
given Ireland’s success. So don’t send the wrong message that Ireland should
have gone along with a stupid document for “shaping” Europe for the future. Let
Europe shape itself. The Irish economy did not get where it is because of
Europe. It got where it is through low taxes and a capitalistic approach.
Sean O’Connor
Received by e-mail
Clarification
One of the criticisms leveled at my article on the Lisbon Treaty was that it
inferred that Ireland should have accepted the treaty because the country had
benefited from membership of the EU. This is not a personal opinion of mine but
it was an opinion that was bandied about by government representatives and EU
officials in the run-up to the referendum.
Another criticism is that I dismissed the ‘no’ campaigners by referring to them
as a “motley crew.” This was not meant to be disparaging; it was merely meant to
communicate just how varied the groups opposing the treaty actually were. They
ranged across the entire political spectrum – from Catholic groups through Sinn
Féin to free-market advocates.
Nor did I intend to dismiss the Irish people’s reasons for voting against the
treaty. I didn’t analyze the reasons because they were so varied and, according
to general consensus, stem-med from the fact that the treaty was too obscure.
Few of us could understand the legal jargon of the treaty so how was anybody
supposed to know what impact it would have on Irish life – much less on such
complex issues as sovereignty and tax harmonization?
In my personal opinion, it was this obscurity that defeated the Lisbon Treaty in
Ireland. And it is my personal hope that the people who drafted the treaty go
back to the drawing board and compile a document that people can read and digest
and finally arrive at a considered conclusion.
After all, it concerns the future of Europe and the role Ireland will play in
it. Both of those are vital questions in today’s volatile world.
Sharon Ní Chonchúir
Irish America’s Correspondent in Ireland
Send letters to: Irish America,
875 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 2100, NY?NY 10001. Or E-mail
irishamag@aol.com . Please include name,
address, and phone number. Letters will be edited for length and clarity.
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