August 2008 - Irish American News

August 2008 IRISH AMERICAN NEWS 5John F. Kennedy Honored in HometownAs reported in the New Ross StandardOne of the most important milestonesin New Ross' history was createdon Sunday with the unveiling of amagnificent commemorative statue tomark the 45th anniversary of PresidentKennedy's visit to the town in 1963.Up to one thousand people gatheredon the quayside on Sunday afternoonto witness the late President'ssister, Jean Kennedy Smith, unveila life-sized statue dedicated to thememory and legacy of her brother.Master of Ceremonies, Gay Byrne,who covered President Kennedy'sNew Ross address as a young reporter,welcomed the throngs of people bysharing his fond memories of JFK'svisit to New Ross in 1963.President Kennedy told us that'this trip has taken 6,000 miles, threegenerations and 115 years. Today onbehalf of New Ross Town Council Ican say that this piece of sculpturehas taken 45 years, nine terms of NewRoss Town Council and 495 TownCouncil meetings...This Counciland my fellow Councillors can beproud that this project has come tofruition in our term of office,' said theCathaoirleach, Ray Lawlor.In one hundred years from nowwhen the citizens of New Ross, ourchildren's children gather to celebratethe centenary of the unveiling of thissculpture let them celebrate and rememberthe people of New Ross forour foresight and courage in embracingchange with the ability to moveforward together for the future,' headded, before the Minister for Finance,Brain Lenihan addressed the crowd.I cannot image how it must feelfor Ambassador Kennedy Smith tobe standing here today 45 years aftershe stood on these quays beside herbrother, the then President of theUnited States for what has happenedin the life of her family since then itmust be quite overwhelming,' saidthe Minister for Finance.Ann Meldon Hugh, who said shewas absolutely thrilled' to have wonthe statue commission, spent the pastyear working on this sculpture.I wanted to commemorate theday. The visit to New Ross for John(L-R) Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge #7 President, Mark Donahue presentsDistinguished Service Awards to Officers Daniel Conway, Patrick Mulkerrin andJeffrey Edwards. While on patrol, the officers pursued a fugitive of an armed robberywho pointed his gun at them, and wounded and captured the offender.2008 One-Page Play Contest WinnersBy Sean CallanSix one page plays were staged asthe finalists at Irish Fest 2008. Theseincluded Mr. Burgess, a play aboutthe facts of life, Irish style, by localplaywright Theresa Chotsky. “I wroteit in an authentic Carlow dialect” shesaid. Evan Armacost was excellent inthe role of Joe and he was ably supportedby Barney Farrelly. Proverbs, byDonna Latham of St. Charles, IL wasanother finalist. All of the lines in Proverbsconsist of proverbs constructed totell a tale of marital break up and makeup in an Irish village pub. The audienceenjoyed the pithy word play.The overall best play award wentto The Hannigans of Beverly by JohnWilliam Tuohy, McLean, VA. Theplay, directed by Brad Armacost,depicted five generations of a ChicagoIrish immigrant family comingfull circle. Each character spoke inan engaging monologue. JosephineCraven was excellent in the dual rolesof Biddy and Prof. Pat Hannigan.Runner-up in the contest was FiveAct Tragedy by John J. Conley, Baltimore,MD. The play, directed by RobertAyers, was a comedy of a play within aplay. A narrator described a successionof scenes and Gen Pepsnik and TimO’Sullivan displayed great vim andvigor in playing out each scene.Third place went to Knockin’ byRobin Pond, Toronto, Canada. The play,directed by Josephine Craven, was acomedic case of mistaken identity toldin rhyme. The scintillating comics wereVera Kelly and Kevin Cassidy.Other actors who performed inthe Fest were Kate McNally andChris Keaveney.Fitzgerald Kennedy was a personal anda emotional visit for him and that iswhat I wanted to convey...I just decidedI'd try and conjure the whole emotionand feeling of the visit and to expresshis enthusiasm and friendliness....butalso to put behind him memories andrepresentations of that day,' said Ann.A recorded address by an TaoiseachBrian Cowen, in which he spokeof his disappointment of not beingthere, was played to the assembledcrowd, before the Guest of Honouraddressed the delighted crowd.Thank you so much for cominghere today it brings back wonderfulmemories for me,' said the formerAmbassador to Ireland, who recalledher brother's visit to New Ross.It was a remarkable trip in so manyways...it was the first time a sittingAmerican President visited Irelandand it was the first time that I travelledwith my brother to our ancestral home.I felt I knew the people of New Rossbefore I ever arrived...It is a time Ihave cherished ever since and I knowmy brother felt the same way. Heenjoyed his trip to Ireland more thanany other of his Presidency...This wasthe best trip he ever had - there is nodoubt in any of our minds just howmuch of an impact that visit had onhim,' said Jean Kennedy Smith, whowas presented with a limited editionstatue of her late brother by CathaoirleachRay Lawlor for the KennedyPresidential Library in Boston.Katharine Sullivan (1918-2008)We are saddened to receive the news that Katharine Sullivan, the grandmotherof Terry and Kevin Moran, passed away on July 13th. She alwayshad a great personality and a nice thing to say about everyone. Terry namedhis tune, “Katharine’s Dance,” in her honor. Please pray for the Sullivan/Murphy/Moran family.Ireland 2007/2008See Athlone & DistrictTourist Guidewebsite - www.athlone.ie