By NiallO’Dowd

The 1,500-plus who packed into Jurys ballroom in Ballsbridge came from every part of Ireland, but their stories were the same. Whether they were from Dublin, Belfast, Cork or Donegal, they had come to support an undocumented loved one in America.

From about midday on the buses started arriving from all over Ireland. Puzzled bystanders watched as parents, families and friends crowded off the buses, soon donning the Legalize the Irish t-shirts which have become the uniform of the movement.

Here in one corner were all the Mayo men and women, mingling with the buses from Donegal. Over there Cork and Tipperary mixed like long lost brothers and sisters.

The sense of a shared mission was obvious. The media was a crush.

A little boy wearing his Legalize the Irish t-shirt was the center of attention as he held up a placard about his uncle in America unable to come home and meet him for the first time.

The Sunday Tribune newspaper caught the mood wonderfully the next day with a huge photograph of an empty chair with a small American flag on it representing all those undocumented who could not be present.

Some carried banners, proclaiming their love of their undocumented sons and daughters, while others just kept it in their hearts. But they were all part of the same sad reality.

They desperately want their loved ones to be free of the burden of being undocumented, free to travel to see them at home, free to come back with the springtime to Ireland, especially on the glorious weekend just passed when summer burst forth and temperatures soared.

Something profound happened at the ILIR gathering. It was a pent-up emotion suddenly released.

The stories of the immigrants we are all familiar with. The families left behind were suddenly getting their turn to talk. And talk they did. The meeting ran long over time. It could have gone on another hour or two.

The Irish politicians at the meeting Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, SDLP spokesman on immigration P.J Bradley and dozens of other TDs (Parliament members) and senators all stayed and listened intently.

Usually politicians, especially in an election season, take the first opportunity to slip out the nearest exit after they have spoken. Not on this occasion.

Also at the rally was U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Thomas Foley, whose presence was greatly appreciated. He too listened intently to the stories being told.

It must have been a different experience for the ambassador. So often the sense is that Irish people are critical of America, especially with the Iraq war.

But here were families universally taking about how their children loved the country he represents. They loved the country so much they wanted to stay there, even illegally.

An older couple was among the first to arrive in the auditorium before the event began. They shared their story with me about a son they had not seen for nine years.

Because of various and serious medical problems neither could travel to America. Their son was happily married “to a great Irish girl,” and they had two children. They have never seen their grandparents.

The son has his own construction company, employing 10 people. He loves America. “It’s home for him like here is home for us,” they said.

Their sons’ kids know no other home than America, yet they ask repeatedly about the land their parents came from. Why could they not go visit Grandpa and Grandma when many other kids in their school did?

They were happy for their son, yet they missed him and their only grandchildren profoundly.

Could I give them hope?

I could only give them the truth that I was optimistic we would have immigration reform, that the stars were aligned in a positive fashion, that the upcoming three months would be critical, that they could be assured that their sons and daughters in America had taken the fight into their own hands, and there were no better fighters anywhere on earth.

“You don’t know what it means for us to have a meeting like this, to meet the other parents and to share our experience,” said the father. “We have carried this alone for a long time.”

I watched them as the afternoon unfolded. They were both often in tears, the burden of a missing son clearly a grave one for them. Yet I hope they took enormous strength from the meeting and the fact that more than 1,500 others were prepared to come to Dublin to share their stories too.

There was a major debate within ILIR about going to Dublin. Some argued that if the meeting was not a success that the Irish politicians would feel the organization did not have real clout in Ireland among the families of immigrants.

It was a tough decision to try and rally parents, families and friends from the four corners of Ireland. But we should never have doubted the bonds and love that Irish families retain for missing sons and daughters overseas.

By turning up in such great numbers they provided a huge boost for the organization at a critical time. I left Dublin convinced more than ever that our drive for immigration reform would be successful.

The families’ commitment ensured that. Their kids in America should be very proud of them.