The family of the late Sean Tallon, a firefighter killed on September 11, have a little something to celebrate this Christmas — the arrival of a new baby to carry on the name. SEAN O’DRISCOLL reports.

EILEEN Tallon’s voice trembles as she speaks. The previous day, a fire burned out three buildings on nearby McLean Avenue in Yonkers.

It brought fire trucks barreling down the road, sirens blaring. It was the first major fire call out in the area in a long time and it set off immediate shock waves.

She remembers the nightmare of September 11, 2001, the sirens, the panic, the confusion, the agonizing wait and the eventual news that her son, Sean, would never be coming home.

A corporal with the Marine reserves and a fireman with the 10th Ladder across the road from the World Trade Center, Sean Tallon was one of the first on the scene of the disaster. He was leading the ascent up tower one when it collapsed.

“I say a silent prayer, Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in thee,” says Eileen slowly. “I hope he was saying that at the time.”

Still struggling with the loss, the Tallon family has reason to celebrate this Christmas. Sean’s sister, Rosaleen, recently gave birth to a son, also named Sean.

Until the last few months, the family wasn’t ready to have another Sean Tallon in the house. Just saying the name was too painful.

“That was the biggest event of the year by far,” says Eileen, originally from Co. Kildare.

“When Rosaleen was expecting her daughter two years ago I asked myself if I was ready for another Sean in the house if it was a boy, but it was just too close to September 11,” she adds.

“Even this year it was tough. I talked myself into accepting it and getting used to it. Then I realized that it was a blessing. I am so delighted to be able to say the name. I think it was inspired.”

Rosaleen holds up baby Sean. He has fair hair and blue eyes. He looks like a Tallon. His two-year-old sister, Judy, is playing beside him.

It’s a very calming scene, a long way from the battle in Iraq, where Sean’s Marine colleagues are fighting for their lives.

The family is

in frequent correspondence

with returning Marines. As

core Republicans and conservative Catholics, the Tallons see America on the frontline of a global fight for democracy.

They see the fight as not just about weapons of mass destruction, but about overthrowing oppressive governments that breed the kind of anger unleashed on September 11.

“We have to get rid of dictators,” Eileen says. “The best thing for the world, the best choice, is elected leaders. You cannot have fairness or safety in the world when you have dictatorships.

“Power over there was being passed from Saddam Hussein to his two sons, that’s what was happening. Someone had to put a stop to it.”

She is as contemptuous of the late Yassar Arafat, whose politics she describes as “really ugly and really bad.” U.S. involvement in the Middle East, she hopes, will bring on a domino effect in which the will for democracy will spread to other countries.

Sean Tallon would almost certainly have served in Iraq. His fellow reservists have come back from Iraq with tales of a battle zone that gets worse by the month.

“They have been a great support to me and I am so grateful to them. Since losing Sean I have become more sensitive to the suffering of war,” says Eileen.

Sean’s memory is never far away. Marine photos, fire department shirts and personal mementos line the walls of the house. By the front door there is a large portrait donated by an Indiana artist the family has never met.

“She just wanted to do something for us and for other families. We are hoping to visit her and say thanks. You wouldn’t believe the response,” says Rosaleen, getting young Sean ready for breakfast.

Christmas is a difficult time for the Tallons. Sean loved Woodlawn, often driving up and down McLean Avenue before coming home from work, just to see who was around and what they were doing. He also loved Christmas and seeing the family around.

There are constant reminders of his presence. The Tallon’s next-door neighbor was one of Sean’s best friends and recently married a woman from Clare.

“He and Sean had gone on a cycling trip through Clare and stayed in Doolin. So when it came time for Pat to chat her up, he knew something to talk about.” Eileen smiles broadly.

She walks to the garden with her family to have a photo taken by a large nativity crib.

The family is keeping busy with preparations for Christmas and keeping Sean’s memory alive. They ordered the crib from the same suppliers that gave them the decorations for a nearby grotto at St. Barnabas church.

“They put up a Christmas tree and there are three pictures of Sean at the grotto. Being involved helps keep you active,” says Eileen.

It has been a remarkable year for the Tallons. Irish national broadcaster RTE covered a visit by politicians from Kildare to Ladder 10. Like Sean, Rosaleen is a traditional Irish musician, and she played both the Irish and American national anthems on the accordion during the visit.

Work colleagues of Eileen’s husband, Pat, also paid for seeds to be planted outside the house and across the road. The street where they live is now Fireman Sean Tallon Way.

Sean’s Marine colleagues also honor his memory and call the family frequently to check how they are doing.

“I cry for the families,” says Eileen. “Their pain is only starting. I was always sympathetic, but now I have more understanding of what they are going through.”

She is adamant that President Bush is doing the right job and that the Marines had the moral right to attack Fallujah.

“When you see 80 people killed by a bomb in the Philippines, isn’t that enough to tell you that these people are bad? The Marines are building hospitals, houses, homes and a new life for children in Iraq. I’m sure there’s a lot of happy people over in Iraq because of that.

“I am still in favor of the war,” she adds. “The Marines went into Fallujah. They saw people imprisoned. I know Bush is doing the right thing and in the end I know it will be good.”

The reelection of President Bush was also a major boost for the family this year.

“All of our prayers have been answered. I’m delighted. I give money to right to life groups and I am very, very happy for them. They are still so thrilled but the fight goes on,” Eileen says.

Sean, too, would have delighted in the victory, she says.

“We are sad, but we also have happy times,” she adds. “I know Sean is up there somewhere too. That is what is keeping us going.”