A Grateful Bounty

We are regular readers of the Irish Voice, which recently resulted in my mother, Lily Rodden Sheridan, receiving the centenarian’s bounty of *2,500 from the Irish government. We became aware of the bounty through an article that appeared in the Irish Voice in early 2006.

My mother was born in her family farmhouse in Mohill, Co. Leitrim on November 22, 1906. She came to the U.S. in 1926 and has resided here ever since.

She was the only one of seven siblings to come to America (a brave young woman). She and my father met here. He was born in Killashandra, Co. Cavan.

The process for getting the bounty and a nice letter from President Mary McAleese was fairly simple, though we did have to contact a registrar’s office in Roscommon which moved very quickly to verify her birth registration.

In addition to the Irish Voice, we also want to thank Charlie Powers of the Irish Consulate office in New York as he directed us to the registrar’s office, as we did not have either an original birth certificate or Irish passport to prove her birth in Ireland.

Mom is in good health overall. The secret may be the wee dram of blackberry brandy that she enjoys each day!

William R. Sheridan
Mamaroneck, New York

Illegals Go Home

The comments in last week’s “Intelligencer” column referring to Congressman Tom Tancredo are inaccurate and biased.

Like most organizations that find it unacceptable to correctly use the term illegal immigrant, the Irish Voice persists in calling anyone against the invasion of our country by as many as 20 million illegal people a racist, anti-immigrant devil.

Congressman Tancredo speaks for me and millions of blue and white collar Americans who see undocumented workers lowering the wages of all working class Americans (white, black, brown and yellow). With no insurance undocumented workers use our social systems and our hospitals with no concerns for payment of services. Their children fill our classrooms and we pay the bill.

If you’re not in this country legally, go home. That includes the 50,000 undocumented Irish. I will urge all to support and vote for Congressman Tancredo.

Tom Mannix
Staten Island, New York

All for Adams

I was quite troubled when I read Helen McClafferty’s letter “Support for McGeough” in last week’s issue. To say that a majority of Irish Americans have lost faith in Gerry Adams as a Republican leader is not only wrong but grossly irresponsible at that.

The Irish in America, myself included, and Adams know that in order for Republicans to work to achieve a united Ireland, they must first enter in the political arena. In case Ms. McClafferty didn’t realize, the Troubles are over.

The echoes of car bombs in Canary Wharf and Omagh have paved the way for a more reasonable solution — that is use the Good Friday Agreement to implement reforms that will eventually lead to a united Ireland.

Most Irish in America support the Good Friday Agreement. In case some have forgot, Adams was a crucial component in ensuring that the Unionists didn’t try to disenfranchise the Nationalists.

Adams has proved to be a powerful voice for republicans and will continue to be so in the future.

Michael Kaplan
Freeport, New York

Fighting for Principle

“Armed struggle was never a Republican principle. It was an option of last resort in the absence of any other alternative,” Gerry Adams claimed last week.

This is the old “the devil made me do it” statement. I am trying to read between the lines on this one.

The part that gets to me is Adams’ use of the word never. The way it is tied to Republicans only is another cause for concern.

Some things you just seem to know. Like the question of Republican or Nationalist, you very seldom hear the question what is the difference? We kind of know, like water, hot or cold. We don’t need to read any 101 book of instructions.

I have always taken it to mean that both were for Irish freedom. The Republicans were of the principle that an armed struggle was not only needed but necessary.

Nationalists, on the other hand, seem to say that they are Irish and want to be a part of the whole island as a nation, but without the armed struggle.

Democracy has never seen the light of day in the illegal partition of Ulster. It was set up to cease any form of democracy in that part of Ireland.

If you look back to the elections of 1917 and 1919, when the overwhelming vote was for unity, the British would have no part of that democracy.

Remember, not only did the British partition the island, but used their scalpel to cut away any section that might aid a democracy in Ulster. There was not one person who had the right to vote on the issue.

The British were not only in fear of a Nationalist vote, but feared Unionists might vote against the partition. This was a case in that Unionists wanted the nine counties of Ulster. The Unionist idea of democracy is this — for Unionists only. In doing this, partition was permanent and thus “No Surrender” was their battle cry.

We must remember the civil rights movement did not ask for freedom. Those involved asked that there be no more discrimination, no more gerrymandering, and that property owners should not have extra votes. That was met with the full force of violence.

If there was ever a case to take up arms for the right to resist, that was it. That was the principle Republicans were led to.

To now say that was never a Republican principle sure seems to be a slap in the face of those who held them that principle, and gave their lives for it.

I am saying armed struggle is not only justified, but morally justified. I am saying there is no question of why Billy Reid had to die. He died for principles that are the foundation of any progress towards our freedom.

The principles were, in the voice of Bobby Sands, the spirit of freedom,” no matter what Gerry Adams writes or speaks about. He can never cast these principles aside, and never apologize the right to resist.

He can deny any involvement in his part for the cause, but let him lay with that dog himself. If all things stay the same then the only one who comes out of this mess in a better place will be Gerry Adams.

It’s a long ways from that picture of himself in the Kesh alongside Bobby Sands to the one he looks forward to along side Ian Paisley. What will he not do to weld us to the English connection?

Bill Ashe
Corona, California

Families of All Kinds

The article entitled “Save the Family” from The Sligo Champion that was printed in the January 10-16 “Ireland’s Eye” certainly made me feel sorry for the people who live in that portion of the homeland.

The concept of opening up marriage to include same-sex couples is not something that should be condemned by a religious leader. Given the church’s recent history of sexual abuse, along with its long past history of sexual manipulation via ordinations and marriage for political and financial gains of its own benefit, should make one realize that the love of two people, despite their gender, is something that needs to be honored. On this matter the church, given its poor example, ought be silent.

Furthermore, given the longtime violence and crime generated by persons of “strong faith,” along with the eternal animosity that has existed between Ireland and the U.K. as a result of Henry VIII’s divorce and re-marriage, having two people publicly stating their mutual love is something that should be honored. Thus, the bishop involved should just mind his own business and not try to use his office to keep people from being legally united.

Long ago, while in grammar school, I was taught by the nuns that “God is love.” So I find it deeply hard to see how His name can be used to stop people from celebrating that deep and devoted emotion in the land of our ancestors.

Joseph P. Fanning
Glen Ridge, New Jersey