Remembering Haughey

THE news of Charlie Haughey’s passing made me feel how time is passing for me too. I didn’t realize that when I was my early twenties, an American girl at UCD, he was only in his thirties.

One winter during my four year stay, I joined a beagling club. As we tramped through wet fields, I often heard the young professionals, who must have been Haughey’s contemporaries, talking about him, so his name stayed in my mind.

I met Terry O’Donnell (Keane) before she ever met Charlie. We had a boyfriend in common — fortunately, not at the same time.

Because Dublin was a relatively small place I knew Nuala O’Faolain while she was a UCD student like me, frequented McDaid’s and Neary’s, and played cards with Paddy Kavanaugh in Leland McLaughlin’s basement flat.

Both Paddy and I were taking Complan, a liquid vitamin supplement at the time, and I remember when I was leaving for a trip to London, that he said O Sacred Heart of Jesus was his London party piece. At another time I met Ronan Keane, who seemed very nice, at a Hatch Lane party after he had become engaged to Terry.

Had it not been for my openhearted friend, Geraldine, with whom I shared a mews in Hatch Lane, I might not have met any of them, although I did meet other “characters” on my own.

I always felt my time in Dublin was a bit like falling into Alice’s rabbit hole, but thanks to our long time subscription to the Irish Voice, I found out it was more so than I thought.

Kathleen W. Morgan
Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Where’s the Joke?

IN Peadar O’Fiach’s letter “Sorry for the Past” in the May 31-June 6 issue, I lost something in the translation between wit (powers of thinking and reasoning, practical intelligence, making clever remarks in an amusing way), and a terror campaign that claimed the lives of 3,600 people.

No terror campaign can be justified, nor can destroying the lives of innocent people. That includes the hundreds of thousands of Irish people who died during the Famine while the English landlords in Ireland were exporting food to their motherland.

It also includes the thousands of Irish who were sent into slavery in the colonies by Cromwell in his service to the crown.

I am hard-pressed to understand the author’s position that either of these latter =events, and probably the like, would have better preserved Irish customs, culture and folklore! If Ireland is permanently dismembered it is quite simply because there have been Ian Paisleys around since the Pope asked Henry (in his Catholic days) to conquer Ireland.

J.P. Duffy
Moranga, California

Rest in Peace

REGARDING Father Sean McManus’ letter in last week’s issue, “Wonderful Father Faul,” I am from Carrickmore and he was my priest for quite some time. I now reside in the Bronx and am a parishioner at St. Barnabas.

I though that McManus’ letter was a wonderful tribute to a wonderful man who did so much for his parishioners, community and his country. A champion in so many ways will be deeply missed by so many people.

May his noble Irish soul rest in God’s eternal peace.

Lisa Cobane
Bronx, New York

Marriage Rights for All

FEW things cause more disruption in society than a disagreement over marriage. In the past, too often, violence, family disagreements and cultural rules have surrounded this ritual.

The comments expressed by John Rogers in his letter “Don’t Dishonor Marriage” (June 21-27) — he’s a man certainly not from my neighborhood —only serve to further prove that many people react rather than think when this issue is raised.

The letter, written as a response to my prior note, tries to call upon history as the determination of how all things can operate. Evolution has happened upon many aspects of existence besides just dinosaurs.

After all, some religious groups (Amish, Shakers, etc.) frown upon driving cars. Yet, most Americans would not dream of going back to using their two feet as the only means of transportation. So, too, marriage and its purpose has changed as well.

From the early days of mere “cave sharing,” marriage has changed to mean a great deal more. It definitely has a deeper purpose than, as Rogers basically puts it, merely physical.

Love, an emotion, comes from within but extends out to help, care for and cherish another. That is what it is truly about. And that is what lesbian and gay male couples are working so hard to have legally recognized within current society.

Rogers seems to be merely focused upon the carnal aspects. Yes, they do occur but those things, as many people are aware, can certainly happen without the legal phrase “I do.”

Divorce, a current rampant statistical activity, is the thing that really cheapens the bonds of commitment. Allowing same sex couples to wed, especially those who have been together for many years prior, may lead quite a few heterosexuals to a new deeper appreciation of nuptial ideals and their fulfillments.

To guide him, and others who may not have really thought opening marriage to others, I suggest that reading about its history may help. A fine book on the matter is The Marriage of Likeness: Same Sex Unions in Pre-Modern Europe by John Boswell.

A quick overview on the topic, particularly dealing with a focus upon Ireland, our dearly appreciated homeland, is When Marriage Between Gays Was Rite located via www.drizzle.com/~slmndr/salamandir/pubs/irishtimes/opt3.htm

In closing, I certainly hope reading opens up Rogers’ mind and leads him to reuse his musical quote, “Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage.” Let’s just make sure access to the horse and carriage is no longer used as a legal means to keep other couples from riding down the road to happiness.

Joseph P. Fanning
Glen Ridge, New Jersey

What’s Wrong With This?

I HAVE a niece who is living here undocumented for the past few months. She came over on a 90-day visa and overstayed.

She has a job here as a nanny for a lovely American family, is well paid and well looked after. It is a good deal for everyone concerned.

I would like all the politicians who are saying that so-called “illegal” immigrants must get out of the country to tell me what is wrong with the above scenario? My niece found it difficult enough to find a suitable job in the land of the Celtic Tiger, which isn’t as easy to crack as everyone thinks.

She is doing well here, and she would love to go on to college to study nursing, something that she is unable to do at the present time because of her status. Why would America want to turn away someone like her?

I think politicians are a bunch of hypocrites. I’m quite sure that many of them have employed undocumented residents to either do their landscaping, their housecleaning, babysitting, etc. But none of them really want to admit it.

I only wish I could do something to sponsor my niece. The family she works for would sponsor her in a minute. They found it hard to get suitable help for their children until they met her, and now she’s like part of the family.

Yet the men in suits tell us that this is wrong, that my niece is doing grave harm to the country by remaining here. I’d just like them to explain to both myself, an American citizen, and the family employing her exactly what she’s doing wrong.

I think every politician who is anti-immigration reform should be make to provide a full history of the people they have employed in the past, before they go throwing stones at the rest of us now.

If you print my letter, please use my initials and state only, as I’d be afraid that some of these bullies would come after us.

Marie K.
Connecticut