May 2011 - Irish American News

May 2011 Irish American News “We’ve Always Been Green!” 43BIRMINGHAM risks being branded a city of party poopers afteronly a dozen applications were made to hold street parties for the RoyalWedding.The council has received only 12 applicationsasking for permission to close roadsso they could hold a street bash after thedeadline ran out last week.In contrast, neighbouring Solihull MetropolitanBorough Council are in full partymode after announcing they had received awhopping 24 applications to hold parties.How Will I Celebrate the Royal Wedding?Like the Last One. Can it be that I have notshed a scintilla of cynicism? On 29 July 1981,I ignored the wedding of Charles, Prince ofWales and Lady Dianna Spencer, like Republicansignore good candidates in Illinois. I believethat I watched Roller Derby and dined onKing Oscar Sardines, Crown Prince SmokedOysters, Ritz Crackers and Colby washeddown with 24-48 oz. of chilled Huber Beer.An epic epithalamion evening in Kankakee,Illinois, topped off with visit to St. ViatorCouncil Knights of Columbus and a rack ofeight ball with Charlie Olson, Mike DeBettaand John McKenna. That’s entertainment!Five years later, Sunday, May 25, 1986,Charlie Olson and I drank iced bottles of EauClaire All Malt beer from the third floor balconyof the Hickey apartment at 218 MohawkDrive, Bourbonnais, IL as our wives and mytwo year old daughter Nora, joined hands withAmerica on Rt. 45 to end hunger and povertyforever thanks to Michael Jackson, QuincyJones, Ed Begley,Jr., ScottBaio, SusanAnton and thecorporate sponsors—thegreatfolks at Coke.Charlie Olsonand I taughtat Bishop Mc-Namara HighSchool wheregushing religion teachers mandated a ‘getserious’ curriculum and inspired our kids toend poverty and hunger forever.Charlie taught Business and PE and Itaught English and American literature. Charliecan count and I can read. That made us twodangerously cynical grumps. “Come on, don’tyou care about starving people?’Name two.“You are always so mean! Every time wewant to have class outside out in nature youmake fun of us and Thoreau.”Guilty. Now, about your essay on transcendentalism,Caprice, it seems that you did notcite the passages you lifted from…“Mr. Hickey! Seriously!”As a heart-attack. Shrill is not an accurateindicator of sincerity, Caprice.“You really don’t care about Hands AcrossAmerica?”Even less, Caprice.“Mr. Olson, come on! All of your tennisteam is doing it!”Sorry, Caprice, and I don’t wear mascaraand all my team does.“You two are so mean!”But, consistent. Have fun on Sunday.“Your wives are so nice.”Yet, they married us!Some things just can not be taken seriously.History and experience have told us that GlenBlake-LambFuneral Homes4727 W. 103rd StreetOak Lawn IL 60453All phones: 708-636-1193Owned by SCI Illinois Services, Inc.Beck’s Restoring Honor Rally, Louis Farrakhan’sMillion Man March, Bono and Oprah’sRED Shopping Spree and weddings Royal areevents and not the Transfiguration. Charlieand I did not hold hands, nor did we pitch tentsfor Elijah, Moses and Dianna Ross.Our wives, the late Mary Cleary Hickeyand Kate McKenna Olson, had a ball weepingwith genuine tears at the beauty of everysound thinking and good hearted Americanlinked sweaty palms on that very warmSunday on Route 45, while two cynicaltestosterone charged and estrogen deficientbeer swilling swains ignored the human heart.Damn our eyes. Eau Claire All Malt was adandy beer—(Hibernia Brewing circa 1985-1990—Ubi Sunt!)When my wife Mary died, I took the kidsto visit a former teaching colleague and nowan expatriate stock broker, Pat Mulligan andhis wife in London. Nora, who was two whenshe toddled out with Mom to Hands AcrossAmerica, became a confirmed Monarchist inone week. She saw Prince Charles! The Princeexited a limo at Buckingham Palace on theday that new ministers were being sworn intogovernment, two months before the OmaghBombings in 1998.After our London idyll, we Ryan Air’dit over the Irish Sea to Shannon, KilkeeCounty Clare and then through the SlieveMish Mountains Kerry to Crinna Hill-CastleIsland. Following evening tea, Nora took mycousin Larry’s two grand kids on her lap andshowed them her recently purchased colorphotobook of the Royal Family and pointedto Sarah Duchess of York, ‘Do you know thislady, Rosin?’The three year old Cumann na mBan cherubdeclaimed, “She’s a fat poxy bitch, so!”Pearse and McDermott! Nora got an earful.Ah, to the Royals. Well, I ignored theFriends we will missKevin Moran PassesKevin Moran, beloved husband of Anne, nee O’Malley, passed awayApril 13, 2011. Resident of Skokie for 42 years. Kevin was born inTirnauer, Newport Co. Mayo, Ireland to Thomas and Anne Moran. Heimmigrated to the United States in 1956 from London, England. He waswedding of Chuck and Di. Lady Di was easyon the eyes, but Bonnie Prince Ears alwaysstruck me as a bounder, cad and blackguard.Di’s kids seem to have turned out OK—faras I know. The kid getting married in fewweeks has a keen eye for talent it seems. Hisbride-to-be is some good-looking baggage.In the sober words of the philosopher-rooferEddie Carroll of the south side, ‘I’d take ahard run at her.’I was educated at a time when Americanhistory and civics were taught by seriousstudents of both disciplines. Not only that,my lessons were peppered with Catholiccontributions to our way of life—Royal Freeby the way. John Carroll, John Barry, James J.Shields, General Rosecrans, Kit Carson, JimBowie, Roger Taney, Al Smith, Bishop Sheil,and Wild Bill Donovan, Catholics all, helpedform and preserve our American Republic.Political correctness has strangled education—K-20—inthe cradle. Celebrity news, PCicons, and Books for Dummies have replacedprimary texts and solid secondary sources inthe classroom. The Evanston School Districtmade the teaching of the classics available incomic book form—Huck Finn is redacted andbowdlerized, while Tupac is in the canon ofAmerican poets. Neighbor, Please!Worrying about the Royals replaces a studiedapplication of knowledge about our formof government, its operations and its history.Aside from my nodding interest in theyoung lady about to marry the future King, Inumber myself among the stout yeomanry ofBirmingham, England—“Whose Wedding?”Read More http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2011/04/05/only-adozen-applications-received-to-hold-royalwedding-parties-in-birmingham-97319-28458678/#ixzz1IeTKHHTWhttp://www.falstaffbrewing.com/walter’s.htman extremely devotedhusband, father, uncleand grandfather. He issurvived by Anne, hiswife of 50 years; children,Monica (Rick)Hirschhaut, Sheila(Rob) Reimer, Daniel(Lubby) Moran andthe late son, Kevin;grandchildren Cameron and Hayden Hirschhaut,Sydney and Quinlen Reimer and Ashleigh CappsMoran; siblings Geoffrey (Colette) Moran, Delia(Milo) Regettle and Lelia and many nieces andnephews. He is preceded in death by his parents;brothers, Thomas, Edward James and Patrick;sisters, Mary (Patrick) Burke, Kathleen (Jack)Fitzgerald, Theresa Kelly and Cecila. Cooney FuneralHome, Park Ridge, Funeral Mass, Our Ladyof Perpetual Help Church, Glenview. Intermentat All Saints Cemetery. Proud member of IrishAmerican Heritage Center, Shamrock AmericanClub., and Mayo Men’s Association. Devotedone year volunteering for Habitat for Humanity.Words cannot express how deep this loss is andall who knew him would say the same. In lieu offlowers, donations to the St. Patrick Fathers, 1347W. Granville Ave., Chicago, IL 60660.