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December, 2007

Lessons from Belfast For Mideast Talks

by Ed Forry

The historic meeting at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis at the end of November has been trumpeted as the first step to a new "road map to peace" in the Middle East.

When Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas were pictured shaking hands at the close of the Nov. 27 meeting, with President Bush standing between them, the president hailed an agreement over "a road map to a permanent two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

"Today, Palestinians and Israelis each understand that helping the other to realize their aspirations is the key to realizing their own, and both require an independent, democratic, viable Palestinian state," the President said.

"Such a state will provide Palestinians with the chance to lead lives of freedom, purpose, and dignity. And such a state will help provide Israelis with something they have been seeking for generations: to live in peace with their neighbors."

The pain-filled road to peace talks in that troubled part of the world is familiar to veterans of the negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland. Ironically, after generations of ethnic and religious conflict, the success of peacemaking efforts on the island of Ireland can provide a clear pathway to peace, according to longtime observers.

Boston's own John Cullinane, himself a key player in forging progress in the North, said of the Middle East talks. "It appears that Secretary Rice and President George W. Bush are serious about working toward a peace agreement for the Middle East at Annapolis," Cullinane wrote in an e-mail to the BIR. "My view is that the great lesson of Northern Ireland for Annapolis is that jobs made it much easier for the politicians to, ultimately, negotiate a peace agreement. The reason is that people felt that their lives were getting better, and that there was hope for their children, etc.

"This is what the American government should encourage in the Middle East, including soliciting the help of the Jewish and Palestinian diasporas to focus on creating jobs, removing the impediments to trade and so forth, and in the process make the lives of the people better. This is much easier to do, and can be done, now rather than waiting for the peace process to run its course, which will take years. 

"It's really a no-brainer," Cullinane said. "Clinton recognized this by organizing an economic conference in Washington immediately after the IRA called a cease-fire in Northern Ireland in 1994. Its purpose was to create a 'peace dividend' of jobs and it worked because it encouraged people, including Irish American CEOs, to get involved and do something to help the peace process. The government can only do so much; the private sector has to create the jobs."

In comments earlier this year, Cullinane said, "You probably wonder why I spend all this time on this. It's because I have children and grandchildren and I don't want them put at risk in the future because we couldn't solve, or weren't allowed to solve, the number one problem in the world and that is the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. NI [Northern Ireland] is the best example of how to do it that we will find in our lifetimes. That's why I keep beating the drums regarding it, particularly in Congress, because there are many who would like to deny it."

The words of the opposing party leaders in Northern Ireland when the government was restored last spring are instructive: Protestant leader Ian Paisley said there's "a time to love and a time to hate. A time of war and a time of peace. From the depths of my heart I believe Northern Ireland has come to a time of peace." Meanwhile, Sinn Fein leader Martin McGuinness said, "To Ian Paisley, I want to wish you all the best as we step forward toward the greatest yet most exciting challenge of our lives."

There are those who firmly believe that the example of Northern Ireland can and should be followed. And if there develops the depth of business community support for the process such as Cullinane proposes, well, maybe, just maybe, this time something good can happen.

October, 2007
Just Desserts For the Speaker

By Ed Forry

There was quite a remarkable event held at the Fairmount Copley Plaza Hotel last month. The main ballroom at the venerable Boston institution was filled to overflowing for a dinner to help launch a new foundation, the Thomas Finneran Charities, established by family and friends of former Massachusetts House Speaker Tommy Finneran.

It was remarkable because of the deep back story that accompanies Finneran, who battled several federal indictments over his role in redistricting the state House of Representatives. Last January, when he pled guilty to one charge of obstruction of justice, he said in court, "I apologize to the people of Massachusetts. It was a divergence from a code of conduct that I have tried to follow in my personal and professional life, for the entirety of my life."

That's the single blemish on the former speaker's 26-year political career, a history that time and again reveals Finneran's high integrity and commitment to serving his constituents and the state in the very best manner.

But that's now in the rear window, and his family and friends have joined him in moving on. Seven hundred of them turned out for the Sept. 25 dinner, in part to raise funds for the new charity in his name, but more to rally around him and his family, to tell them they continue to believe that all the good he did in his public life will not be forgotten.

I am proud to say that I was there that night, to show my support for this good man, and I was pleased to lend my support to the committee that organized the event. The Forry and Finneran families have a long friendship -- Tommy was my State Rep all those years- and our bond grew when my daughter in law, Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, was elected to succeed Finneran in the 12th Suffolk district seat.

Linda was honored to speak that night, and here's some of what she said:

"No one has forgotten the work of Speaker Tom Finneran. You have done a wonderful job. Tom Finneran's good deeds have reached well beyond the borders of the 12th Suffolk District. You have left a powerful, memorable legacy. Most of us can only wish to be remembered so fondly. Tom Finneran certainly has the respect and the admiration of the people in the district he represented for over a quarter of a century. There's no greater honor than that."

The next day, Tom's daughter, Kelley F. McNeil, expressed her thanks in an e-mail sent to committee members. She wrote:

"From the outset of the planning of last night's tribute event, I have been amazed and deeply grateful at how hard you have all worked and the enthusiasm all of you showed for the event.  I knew it would be a wonderful night, but I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams the level of success we enjoyed last night.  It exceeded any expectations I had on every level. 

"The turnout was astounding, the tribute was poignant, and the night was just generally a delight…. As president of the charity, I am very excited about the opportunities we have to do some good with the funds raised last night.  And on a personal level, as Tom's daughter, it truly moved me to look out upon that room and see all the love and support that was there for my Dad.  I and my family will always be grateful to each and every one of you for your role in pulling off this spectacular event."

Later that same week, the former Speaker was back in his neighborhood at an evening gala held under a huge tent at Dorchester Park, a vast community "urban wild" in Lower Mills that features ball fields, tennis courts, tot lots and acres of wooded walking trails. A group of neighbors has formed a foundation to preserve and protect the park, part of the city's original "emerald necklace." Tommy Finneran served as master of ceremonies that night, and he looked quite at home.

September, 2007
Our Commitment: a Hospice Home
for Our Neighborhood

By Ed Forry

"Pray for a happy death."

I remember those words from the nuns at St. Gregory's school those many years ago. I imagined then that they had something to do with a "state of grace" as the "hour of death" arrived. All this was far from anything tangible to my then-youthful sensibility and certainly something I was more than eager to put off thinking about.

The fact is that to the young, death is something to hope to avoid, or at least to keep out of the consciousness. The D word can cause anxiety and great fear. The notion of a "happy death" is the equivalent of speaking in a foreign tongue: incomprehensible, unimaginable.

And so it was, almost three years ago now, that I approached the final days of my wife, Mary, who had been living with pancreatic cancer for almost two years. As summer turned to autumn, and the disease began to overwhelm the chemotherapies, our doctors called the family together to say they had done all they could, and now it was time for hospice.

Hospice -- a word to shy away from, to avoid as if somehow by denying the term we can avoid the death. But despite the anxiety, we soon came to understand and to prize the near-miraculous effects of the hospice care for my dying best friend. It became a lifeline, the palliative, empathetic attention helping so much to prepare us, the family and her, the patient for her death.

And her last days, coming at home, in her own bed, with her family and house pets at her side, and caring visits from hospice nurses and volunteers, home health aides, and relatives and friends made those final days bearable, civilized, and, yes, peaceful.

Hospice is one of those words that you don't want to hear or think about -- until it's necessary to do so. Then comes the discovery that when a loved one is facing death, hospice care is, ironically, a lifesaver.

Our family was fortunate: We had our own home and healthy caregivers able to go the extra distance late into the night and early in the morning. And we could support each other, as well as our dying spouse and mother. When she took her last breath, just after 8 a.m. on that early winter morning, I watched the sunlight break through her bedroom window and stream onto her now-still face. It was as if her soul was flowing along that beam of solar light, right on up to a new afterlife.

"Your wife is an angel now," said the hospice nurse. It took me a few moments to comprehend what she meant, but then I knew, and I understood that our prayers had been answered. For 22 months, we had fervently sought both medical and divine intervention to extend her life, and she stayed with us. Over those last few days, we knew that she was ready to leave us, and we had prayed she would not suffer and struggle any more as her time approached.

Our prayers were answered: For Mary, her passing was what I had long ago been told to pray for, a "happy" death.

As a family, we were privileged to welcome hospice into our own home. But in-home hospice care may not always work, for many reasons: an older spouse may be unable to care for a partner, or the extended family may not live nearby, or there may be no close family or friends available to ensure a death with such dignity.

Our family has resolved to establish a residential facility that can be shared by people in need. It is called a "hospice home," and it will have a dozen or so beds, and each room will be large enough for a loved one to share, even stay overnight, while a trained staff will be on duty around the clock to provide the necessary palliative care. There are several such facilities -- in Needham, Cambridge, on Cape Cod and elsewhere -- but none in Boston. Our hope is to establish a hospice home in the Dorchester-Mattapan-Milton area, a place where persons in need can spend their final days "close to home." For our neighbors, it would be a place to die with dignity.

In our vision, it will be a home with a kitchen, dining room and parlor, and, in Mary's memory, flowers, lots of flowers, indoor plants and outdoor gardens. And maybe even a house cat. We intend to call it the "Mary Casey Forry Hospice Home," and we hope to raise the funds to build it, and then to partner with a hospice provider to sponsor and manage it.

Photographer Bill Brett and the Boston Harbor Hotel have offered to host a book-signing event on Tues., Oct. 16, with all the proceeds going to help us establish the hospice home in Mary's name. Thanks to their generosity, the event will be the first big step toward realizing our memorial

Your help is welcome, dear reader, as we begin this family project. I welcome any suggestions and comments, and I will keep you posted on our progress in the pages of the Boston Irish Reporter, Please contact me at eforry@bostonirish.com, or visit bostonirish.com/hospicehome.html for details.

August, 2007
Take Note of The Spectacle in Our Harbor

By Ed Forry

One of the treasures of life in Boston is our town's close access to a string of islands in Boston Harbor. For years, a summer boat ride to Georges Island to visit Fort Warren was a staple for our family, and the cooling, off-water breezes along with a quick ferry boat ride made a day's outing seem like a summer vacation.

Now, the state and the city have opened a new harbor attraction, this on Spectacle Island, that once smoldering spit of land that was redesigned and rebuilt using landfill from the Big Dig.

"The island's name was inspired by the shape of two glacial drumlins or hills, connected by a sand bar, which resembled a pair of spectacles to early European explorers," according to the Boston Harbor islands visitors guide (bostonislands.org) "Spectacle Island was created by massive glaciers that engulfed present-day New England during the last Ice Age. We know that people began living on Spectacle Island over a millennium ago, utilizing the abundant resources of aquatic life and shellfish nearby for their survival."

In 1857, the island was home to a horse-rendering plant , and it was used as a municipal garbage dump from the 1920s until 1959. For years after, the island gave off a foul aroma as decomposing garbage broke down and burned away.

In 1992 the Central Artery/Tunnel project began the reformation of Spectacle Island. This spot of land, visible just off Dorchester Bay to the north of Thompson Island, was transformed as more than three million cubic yards of dirt, gravel, and clay excavated to build the Ted Williams Tunnel were transported to the island, capping the historic landfill there and adding additional land space. Today, Spectacle is almost a new island -- it has grown to 105 acres, with two drumlins that afford spectacular views of the Boston waterfront.

It features a marina, a visitor center, cafe and gift shop, and a life guard-staffed swimming beach, along with five miles of walking trails. At the crest of the 157-foot high north drumlin, panoramic 360 degree views of Logan airport, the Boston cityscape, the Dorchester Bay waterfront, the South Shore, and the Blue Hills come into sight. On a sunny Sunday afternoon last month, it was a sight to behold.

Spectacle Island is easily accessible by water shuttle; boats leave Long Wharf every half hour, and the round trip costs just $12. Plus the state has planned special events all season long, including "Family Fun Days" every weekend, and a native American gathering on August 11.

Gerry Morrissey deserves our gratitude

By Ed Forry

This weekend brings a close to the distinguished public service career of Gerry Morrissey, the Dorchester-born Milton resident who, for the last ten years, has been the state's Commissioner of the Department of Mental Retardation (DMR).

A 1976 graduate of UMass-Amherst with a degree in special education, Morrissey has devoted his life since college to advocacy for persons with mental retardation and other disabilities. He has worked 31 years- all his professional life- in public service, first for four years as a unit director at the Belchertown State School, and since 1980 in increasingly responsible management posts in the state's mental health department.

As commissioner, Morrissey expressed his philosophy of public service to the disabled this way: "People with disabilities have the right to pursue meaningful lives and reach their maximum potential… (it) is about people, people with mental retardation striving to reach their full potential, state and provider staff supporting them, families working in partnership to share information, and communities achieving great understanding and acceptance of the true potential of people with disabilities."

As commissioner, Gerry Morrissey was a champion of persons with disabilities. The head of the state's Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) said of him, "He's been the best commissioner since establishment of DMR. He had the right values and the right objectives, and he's a class public servant and an excellent human being."

Gerry Morrissey, the namesake son of former Dorchester state Rep Gerry Morrissey Sr., was first appointed by a Democratic governor, Michael Dukakis, and he gained the confidence of the four Republican governors who succeeded Dukakis &endash; Weld, Cellucci, Swift and most recently Romney. But now, under the administration of Democrat Deval Patrick, Morrissey has been told he must step down and leave public service.

In early June, the North Shore Association of Retarded Citizens presented its highest honor to Morrissey. At the presentation the group said: "It is truly ironic that after being appointed by four Republican governors over the past 10 years, Gerry, with strong family ties to the Democratic Party, is being asked to leave his post by the newly elected Democratic governor. It makes no sense, but then politics are often like that. Gerry will leave DMR after a very productive and illustrious career, one that he can certainly be proud of."

It is easy to quarrel with Governor Patrick's decision to ask Gerry Morrissey to leave state service, but he's the chief executive now, and he has the right to make his own choice about the people who work for him.

And yet, we remember with sadness the governor's stirring campaign slogan - "Together, We Can," and we wonder just how the governor and his people decided this competent, dedicated man was not needed. "Together we won't" is the message.

He is the classic public employee, a guy committed to his job, an advocate for the people he was charged to serve, and most of all a top-flight manager respected by his employees and the public. His public life is a model to honor and replicate.

Gerry Morrissey brought great credit to state service. Governor Patrick is wrong to tell him he is not needed.

Meanwhile, his friends will host a July 11 reception to honor Morrissey as he leaves state government. Advance tickets are $50, and may be reserved by contacting Ralph Gibbs, 11 Pillon Rd., Milton, 02186.

We will be there, with 500 or more people who admire Gerry Morrissey. The Patrick administration may not honor this fine public servant, but many of us do- and together, we can salute him and wish him well.

Hate Boils Over On Talk Radio

By Ed Forry

The storm that erupted last month over the mean and hurtful words of radio talker Don Imus is another reminder of the lives of insularity lived by people of privilege.

Imus used some racist and sexist language on his radio show, part of an ill-conceived schtick he later passed off as an attempt at humor. The target was a group of ten young women -- eight black, two white -- who attend Rutgers, a public university in New Jersey, and who had lost a championship basketball game the night before, after a spectacular season of athletic overachieving.

Never did these young women expect to do so well on the basketball court this season, only to come up short in the final game. There was every reason for them to feel proud, for they had gone where they had never expected to go.

Imagine, then, that you're a parent of one of these ten, feeling badly for the final loss, yet still basking in the glow of your daughter's accomplishment - and that you then hear Imus, on national radio, call them whores! (Actual words: "nappy-headed hos.")

What an ignoramus, what a punk, what a jerk this man Don Imus must be to make such a hateful, hurtful remark about a group of college students!

Now, we've never been fans of "Imus in the Morning," the radio and MSNBC cable program that formerly aired coast-to-coast every weekday morning. Imus, a former drug addict whose life was saved, reportedly, by a caring NBC television executive who saw his addictions and staged an intervention, has ascended to a position of great wealth and influence. The man, it is said, could make or break presidential candidates, simply by choosing whom he allows to appear on his program.

The thing about Imus -- as with many others who make their living as "shock jocks" -- is that the man is clearly smart, well-read and quick-witted. But his humor is too often simply juvenile, immature, even childish. It is the humor of the locker room: no boundaries to what can be said and who can be ridiculed.

And just as in the guys' locker room, the targets are often society's most vulnerable: undocumented immigrants, people of color, gays and lesbians. In the broadcast version of the locker room, there are no limits -- only a well-defined, unspoken instinct for the jugular, as if the adrenalin rush on the playing field needs one more rival to vanquish.

The attitude is not limited to this man, Imus. Remember those two punks who regurgitate sportstalk-cum-hate on WEEI likening an escaped ape from the Franklin Park Zoo to a black child waiting for a Metco bus to school? They were suspended and required to offer an apology to anyone who may have been offended. Another local talkmaster was cut loose -- mercifully -- by WRKO after taking an offensive cheap shot at former gubernatorial candidate Grace Ross.

Yet, 'RKO's resident hater, Howie Carr, is given free rein to heap insults at will in between Red Sox games. How long will his tired act go on in the post-Imus era, we wonder.

Race-baiting talk is offensive, and it needs to be called out for what it is. It's not just an offense on those so targeted, but a transgression against society.

It's a free society, and free speech is protected. But when we fail to object to hateful comments, it undermines who we are.

Should Imus have been fired? That debate will continue. But that crew of sycophants who make their living in part by guesting on his show should have called him on his excesses, and curbed the hateful talk. The thing about hateful speech is, when we tolerate it, we become complicit with it.

Failing that, everyone's free to change the station.

This Man Has One Goal &endash; Beat Back Poverty Worldwide

By Ed Forry

"You're going to see over the coming days and months a slow burning genocide [in Darfur]. Three million lives could well be extinguished due to their leaders. Leaders of third world countries are endemically corrupt; every one of them is worse than the next."

Those are the ominous words of John O'Shea, the head of GOAL, the international humanitarian agency that is trying to overcome the plague of poverty throughout the world.

"If a house was burning, we would send for the fire brigade to put out the fire," O'Shea said in Boston last month. "Why doesn't the world have a fire brigade when a country goes up in smoke?"

O'Shea is a self-described "sports journalist" from Ireland, a former Dublin athlete who made a chance visit to India in 1977 and has dedicated his life ever since to easing the plight of people living in poverty - or as he puts it, "alleviating the suffering of the poorest of the poor."

He was in town in March to help host and speak at his agency's first-ever fund-raising event, a black tie dinner at the Seaport Hotel. The event drew some 400 interested persons, and generated $250,000 for the agency.

GOAL, based in Ireland, has been doing its work for three decades and it has been active in the United States for 20 years. During his visit, O'Shea said that he was seeking not just monetary contributions, but also volunteers to work as "GOAL-ies" around the world. "Our biggest need right now is we're looking for civil engineers, chartered accountants and nurse mid-wives" to work on the ground in needy places throughout the world. Currently, he says, the agency supports about 130 volunteers working alongside 200 locals worldwide.

He is highly critical of the role that governments play in helping to ease suffering: "Among world leaders, there isn't one statesman."

O'Shea said that GOAL will only work in countries where he can have its own workers on the ground; because of widespread corruption, he said, most donations channeled through governments never reach the people in need.

He is also skeptical of efforts to reduce or forgive debt in third world countries, believing that such debt is owed by countries, not people, and forgiveness simply enables corrupt leaders to instead spend funds on guns. "We should help people, not governments," he declares.

Captain's Journey Lifted Hearts
and Minds on Both Sides of the Pond  

By Ed Forry

On a Thursday morning in February, at a funeral Mass in Cohasset, the final day in the wonderful saga of Captain John Dow came to a conclusion.

Captain Dow was born and brought up in Dorchester, a member of what has come to be called "the greatest generation." As a teenager, he left Dot's streets to fight for his country, and he served in World War II as a Marine Corps private in the South Pacific. After the war, he returned home and joined the Boston Police Department, fighting his way onto the job despite having lost two fingers in the Solomon Islands. Dow's perseverance paved the way for other disabled vets and those in generations to come.

More than a decade ago, Dow was struck with a malignant lung tumor, and after intensive treatment and heavy radiation, he was told he likely would not survive. But survive he did, and after an early retirement, he devoted himself to good causes and charitable works.

With his wife Joan Buckley Dow, he reached out to his ancestral homeland in Ireland, and forged ties between Boston's police and the Irish police, known there as the Garda. He founded an annual golf tournament between Irish and American police and public safety officials, and committed the proceeds to help young children with cancer, both here and in Ireland.

He founded a public charity, "Cops for Kids with Cancer," and committed himself to help relieve the suffering of young children and their families who are living with the disease.

In his official obituary, Captain Dow made sure that it was known that he was "a friend of Bill W. for 45 years." The expression, a shorthand reference to his life as a recovering alcoholic, tells much about who he was and how he treated people. To be sure, he had hundreds of friends and admirers, and an 80th birthday party for him last November drew more than 100 friends, most of them cops, some who flew in from Ireland for the occasion, all turned out to bask in the warm glow of being close to him.

It would be his last birthday, as he had just learned that another tumor had appeared, this in his one remaining good lung. He underwent surgery that second week in December, and for eight weeks he held court as a steady stream of friends and families- his wife, his son Phil, other family members and a steady supply of cops- came to his hospital bedside, to sit, to chat, to reminisce.

Over the years, he had been their boss, their Captain, their leader- and most especially, their friend; and while he never recovered his voice, he would laugh, he would smile, and when he had something to add, he'd write it down and pass it around.

But now that's over, and John Dow is gone. Let it be noted that he was a cop's cop, a family's loving husband, a caring father and grandfather - and a friend's friend to all who were lucky enough to know him.

This month, we celebrate his life, and our great good fortune to have had Captain Dow in ours.

Let Us Focus On the ICCNE

By Ed Forry

There are mixed feelings in Boston at the news that the Irish government plans to establish an Irish Cultural Centre in New York City. Ireland's Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O'Donoghue, T.D., announced he has set up "a powerful working group" made up of representatives of the Irish/Irish American business community to develop the project.

There's a sense here in Boston that the New York plan, while a nice idea, comes almost 20 years late from the Irish government. It was indeed almost two decades ago that a group of Boston Irish folks began planning to build a cultural centre here, and we now boast of our beautiful 46-acre Irish Cultural Centre of New England in Canton. It was built with the hard work and generous donations of time, work, and money by scores of local volunteers, and only a modicum of moral support from the Irish government.

When he heard about the New York plans, one Bostonian said, "The Irish community in Boston, and what it has achieved in building our cultural centre, is making Ireland look good. It sure annoys me that the Irish Government and GAA alike cater to New York at every turn. It's boggling. I think we have to get more vocal together as a group."

Interestingly, the same day the New York plan was announced, the ICCNE received word of an Irish Government $25,000 grant for a feasibility study to expand its programs and develop new buildings on its site. A coincidence? Most likely not.

Bostonians can make a strong case for support of our cultural centre, and it's time we spoke up and got more assertive in asking for support.

And for now, let's agree that any funds raised by business leaders from our town should stay here in Boston - to support the Irish Cultural Centre in New England.

A Plan to Tweak Irish Way Of Giving

By Ed Forry
BIR Publisher

After 30 years of developing philanthropic aid for the people on the island of Ireland, the American Ireland Fund is focusing attention on the emerging indigenous wealth on the Emerald Isle itself.

The Boston-based Fund is part of a network, the Worldwide Ireland Funds, a global philanthropic organization active in 11 countries set up to support projects of peace culture, charity, and education in Ireland. Established in 1976 in New York, and based in Boston on the 10th floor of a modest office building on Congress Street at the corner of High Street, the funds have raised $300 million over three decades, including $30 million this year alone. And now, Ireland Funds President and CEO Kingsley Akins has moved with his family from their Chestnut Hill home to a rented home in Black Rock, Dublin, with a plan to develop a culture of philanthropy in his native land.

In a post-Thanksgiving interview in his Boston office, Akins explained his plans: "Our headquarters are here in Boston, but no one ever took a cab and came to 211 Congress Street and came up and gave us money. We have to ask," he said. So Akins spends large parts of his year, each year, traveling the world -- all across America, to Europe, and twice this year to Australia, overseeing fund-raising events around the globe.

"$30 million was raised, with 40,000 people worldwide at 100 events this year," Akins said. All told, he says, he logs more than 100,000 miles a year doing his work.

Akins moved in September to take up residence -- at least part time -- with his family in Dublin, for a planned two-year stay. He says he will continue to spend a week each month in Boston, but much of his work will be done from offices on Foster Place in Dublin's City Centre.

And there's good reason to be there, as the legendary economic growth on the island in the last 15 years has transformed Irish society. "There's more significant wealth in Ireland; conditions there have moved up a notch. The Irish have always been very charitable, especially to third-world counties. Their role is pretty unique.

We're trying to move from a role of great generosity to one that's strategically philanthropic.

"The Irish people tend to be generous in a crisis; they now have a surplus, and the question is what are they going to do with their wealth? Many came up the hard way -- this first generation of wealth, many were farmers and rural people -- they do not want to pass on $100 million to their 21-year-old children. They understand that money can spoil a young person."

So Akins has authored a booklet, "Promoting Philanthropy in Ireland- 101 Fundraising Tips." In the introduction, he writes, "The world is moving into a new era of philanthropy which is marked by a change of vocabulary, new ways of giving, and new types of donors. It is a much more competitive fundraising environment in which money will be attracted by strength, and the focus will be more on issues than organizations.

"Creating a vibrant philanthropic sector in Ireland is an exciting challenge, building on Ireland's tradition of generosity and volunteering. Many of the ingredients are now present, particularly the unprecedented level of wealth. The task is to encourage givers to be more strategic, more focused and intentional rather than simply responding to ad hoc requests. In other words, to move from cheque book charity to engaged philanthropy."

Charity and volunteering have long been hallmarks of the Irish national spirit, Akins says, but he draws a distinction between "cheque book charity" and what he terms "strategic philanthropy," or planning for the long term. For several years, the Ireland Funds have sponsored annual seminars in Ireland, he said. "Thousands of people have come, to learn to develop a market of philanthropy." Akins thinks the American model of philanthropy can be applied to Ireland, "with a small amount of tweaking." Now back home in Ireland, he has two full years to implement the Funds' plans.

Discussing the (de)merits
of Talk Radio

By Ed Forry

We come today to discuss the genre of supposed democratic discussion known generically as "talk radio." We come not to praise it but to damn it, to wish for its rapid and inglorious extinction.

Let us think about and discuss the denizens of talk radio. (And let us specifically exclude people like Paul Sullivan and Jordan Knight on 'BZ, and the NPR topic talkers on WBUR). For our purposes here, let's not use the respectful word "talk"; what most of these guys (and the occasional gal) actually do is spew venom, hate, and cynicism over the airwaves, thus encouraging their lemming-like listeners to engage in their vitriol.

So let's call it what it is: "Hate radio," a place where people can exercise their worst basic instincts and feel free to dislike, disparage, and hate - and evidently feel good about themselves as a result.

The radio programmers do it for one reason: ratings. Ratings are the economic engines driving advertising dollars to the corporations who own the radio stations. The more people who hear them, the more money the radio people can charge advertisers to air their commercials.

Ratings tell the advertisers and station managers how many people are listening compared to the number of people who live in a region.

Thus, for a radio "market" like Boston, a ratings number translates to a percentage of the people who live here actually tuning in. So a rating of 3 means that 3 percent are tuned in to a program; as a corollary, 97 percent of the people who live here do not hear that broadcast.

We read recently that some fool morning-hater was suspended for two days for something he said on air. His transgression: He used his hate show to add to the public discourse over the Mass Pike tunnel debacle by calling the chairman a "fag." According to a Boston Globe report, the morning moron said, ``I just mean the way when you're sophomore, juvenile in grammar school, and somebody would say you're like a sissy boy [slur] . . . I just want to be very clear about that. I don't mean gay [slur]; I mean like sissy boy. He's a sissy boy."

For that, the guy gets a two-day mid-week vacation and some invaluable (some would say priceless) publicity: a front page story in the city's biggest-circulated daily newspaper. Now everyone knows his name, even the 98 percent of us who have never (nor would we ever) listened to him. What a country!

The real shame of hate radio is not that it exists, for we know that in our free society there's room for aberrations of all sorts. But the particularly galling part is that there are those among us, neighbors, friends, maybe even family members, who have come to accept these hate -mongers as informed commentators on contemporary affairs. How sad that those listeners - certainly a small minority, indeed, just eight, 10, 12 percent of people who have time to listen - have relinquished their duty to think for themselves, and instead rely on the high-paid, hateful rabble-rousers to express their views and do their thinking for them. Public discourse should not be pre-packaged and distilled by these glib talkers, all hired to chase the almighty dollar; in this view, all of us should be able to read, write, and think for ourselves.

When my father was in his prime those many years ago, and he happened on someone who, it quickly became obvious, was a waste of his time, he simply tuned them out. But he would politely but directly tell them, "As far as I am concerned, you don't even exist."

As the years have passed, it has often occurred to me just how wise the old man was.

July 2006

Rite of summer passage: The trip back 'home'

By Ed Forry

Are you going over this summer?

That's one of the great questions we Irish Americans annually ask each other. Going over. Across the pond. To the Olde Country. To Ireland, birthplace of our ancestors.

The high tourist season is here, it's time for those of us so inclined to begin making the plans for our trip to the "ould sod," back to "home."

For us, the island of Ireland has a great, irresistible draw, and these months of July and August is the time when so many Bostonians make the trip back over.

It's a quick one, too: With good weather and a favorable jet stream, it's a little more than five hours from Logan to Shannon or Dublin-- about the same time it took for the Red Sox to complete their sweep of the Phillies in a 12 inning game at Fenway one day last month.

We Bostonians are fortunate to live in a place long known as a "gateway city" to Ireand. Aer Lingus flies two planes each day, and American Airlines last year added its own daily service from Boston to Shannon. Plus there are hundreds more seats every day out of New York's JFK.

We can be in Ireland in less time than it takes to fly to our own west coast; and while places like Los Angeles and San Francisco have their own attractions, give a Boston Irishman the choice, and we're likely to fly east to our family's homeland.

So the decision is made, the tickets are secured, the vacation dates set. Now all that's necessary is to order a rental car and plan out the itinerary.

So it's to the dining room table, with the maps or Ireland and a few tour books. Let's see: it's an overnight flight, we'll leave around 9 at night, arrive around 2:30 in the morning, Boston time. But since Ireland's five hours ahead, that's 7:30 local time in Shannon, the morning rush hour fully underway. We like to get a place after the flight close to the airport to rest, maybe catch a few hours sleep, and try to adjust to the jet lag. This year, we plan to stay for the first day and night near Bunratty, and visit the folk park there, maybe go into Limerick for some night life. Day two, we'll head to Galway, and anchor there for several nights. There can be daytrips to the Burren, the Cliffs of Moher, to Connemarra and perhaps out to the Aran islands.

From there, we'll plan to head up through Mayo, stopping at the shrine in Knock, and on to visit with a favorite aunt and some of her family in Sligo town. On the way, perhaps we can sidetrip to see cousins near Charlestown, maybe even wander through Leitrim and check in on the family "estate" near Mohill (Squire Casey would like that.)

Basing ourselves in Sligo town with Auntie, perhaps we'll take a day to explore the Forry family roots in the rural parts of that county, in and around a little village called Kesh. And of course we'll take in the wonderful vistas of Ben Bulben, the glorious hills that border Sligo and the northern counties. And maybe this year, we'll even get to explore Donegal. My friend Orla Carey at Tourism Ireland told me, "If you get the chance in Donegal, get to Glenveagh Castle. Don't know if you've been but it's fabulous."

Those are just some of the options on my mind, still a month before the vacation days arrive. There's so much more to see, so many other places to go, and alas, so little time: just ten days in August. Won't get to Dublin this time, though it's easily my second favorite city (after Boston.) But would like to get to Kerry, even spend an overnight in Dingle. Maybe on the way back from the north, before heading back to Shannon. Plus, we coulddrive into Cork- wouldn't mind seeing Macroom again, where my mother's mother came from, and that's close enough for a side trip to Kinsale…..

Wait, wait. Can't do it all. Only have ten days-- nine really, if you count the rest-up first day at Bunratty. Must spend a little more time looking over the maps this month, sorting things out.

But one thing's certain: This year, I am going over. Back "home," to Ireland.

May 2006

Saluting Bill Bulger

By Ed Forry

The incisive WBZ talk show host Paul Sullivan took to his microphone recently to make comment on the torrent of "Irish mob" books posing as non-fiction released in recent months. The commentator used his platform to stand-up for former UMass President Bill Bulger, whose reputation has been sullied by the innuendoes passed along by one of these guys trying to make money off his book sales.

Sullivan's words in support of Bulger came at a welcome time. The former Senate President has been targeted by persons of very low repute. If you are uninformed, you might be inclined to believe the criticism, as it has gone unchallenged.

For his part, Bill Bulger has been reluctant to speak in his own defense. Educated in the classics, he likely would cite the words of the ancient Greek politician and orator Demosthenes: "You have listened intently to my accuser Aeschines and now as I speak to defend myself you are all distracted and dozing. Why? Because men have always had an interest in gossip and invective."

Several years ago in this space, I wrote about the Bill Bulger I know. Now is a good time to say it again: Bill Bulger is a good and decent man. Count me among those many admirers who believe he has done a marvelous job with his life &emdash; as student, husband, father, legislator, and educator.

A brief look at what he has done in his more than four decades in public service shows the breadth of this extraordinary man's accomplishments. Consider:

&emdash; In the 1960s, he became an early champion of child protection legislation, and, as a state representative, authored the first statute mandating the reporting of suspected cases of child abuse; his landmark legislation was signed into law by Governor Endicott Peabody.

&emdash; He has been, and continues to be, a strong advocate for support and expansion of public libraries, in Boston and throughout the state. Under Bulger's Senate stewardship, state support of the Boston Public Library rose from $600,000 to $ 6 million, and it was this crucial state aid that allowed the restoration of that magnificent, historic McKim main library building in Copley Square.

&emdash;As Senate president, Bulger found a way to effect a "land swap," relocating the county lock-up from the old Charles Street Jail to a new site in the South Bay. The move has been credited with preventing construction of a modern high rise on Charles Street, preserving the historic jail structure, and enabling the adjacent Massachusetts General Hospital to complete a much-needed expansion on its West End campus.

&emdash; His other accomplishments, in the Legislature as well as at the helm of the University of Massachusetts, have been numerous and productive: On Bulger's watch, Boston survived the near catastrophe caused by a property tax case where the state's top court found that the city had improperly assessed certain properties and ordered it to refund some $100 million to the owners. The Senate president helped engineer the so-called Tregor Bill, which allowed Boston to pay the huge bill from a one-time state funding allotment, by borrowing, and by imposing temporary taxes. And under the Bulger stewardship, a sweeping and progressive public education reform became law. After he left the Senate to head up UMass, he and those working with him helped restore the high reputation of our state university, which grew steadily in stature and substance while he was its captain.

Many in the media have bought into the assault on Bill Bulger's reputation, as has the handful of misinformed listeners who make up much of the radio talk show audience. But most fair-minded people empathize with Bulger, and many wonder how he and his family have been able to bear up under the relentless attacks on his character and reputation. This is a man who put his name on the ballot ever election for decades, and in every case, his constituents in South Boston, in Chinatown, in Dorchester, in Roxbury, and in the South End re-elected him. To this public-minded man, that has been the ultimate recognition of his service on their behalf. Further, he was elected ten times to the presidency of the state Senate by its members. That those who knew him best trusted him with their votes year after year speaks volumes about the man who is Bill Bulger. Those who know only the caricature of him as portrayed in the press and in shameful books-for-money should take note of the real story about this most honorable man.

Here's a challenge to those many others who have known Bill Bulger over his decades in public life: Now is the time for you to speak out in his support, to tell the community of the good things that he accomplished, to put the lie to the abuse of the crass bashers of his life in service to the public good. Be not timid in fear of reprisal from those same bashers who may seek to sully your reputation along with his.

There's an old Irish proverb that may help explain the silence of those who know the truth about Bill Bulger's life and times, but who are reluctant to stand up in his defense: "Never get down in the mud to fight with a pig. You both get filthy &emdash; and the pig loves it."

It's time to stand up and speak out. WBZ's Paul Sullivan knows. I know. Others who know the estimable William M. Bulger are invited to join us.

April 2006

Reminders of Our Common Immigrant Roots

There was a special late-month St. Patrick's celebration here in Dorchester. It took place in Four Corners in the Mt. Bowdoin section, in the Washington Street premises that house a small community social club, the Montserrat Aspirers club.

Montserrat is a small Caribbean island that was first settled in 1632 by English and Irish from the island of St. Kitts who were brought to the island for its religious tolerance; later, Cromwell would use the island for Irish political prisoners.

The Irish connection is obvious upon arrival in Montserrat in the distinctive shamrock which is stamped in all international passports. The national flag also bears a crest of the legendary Irish figure of Erin with a harp standing alongside the Union Jack.

Montserrat is the only country in the world outside Ireland where St. Patrick's Day is a public holiday. On March 17th, celebrations are staged across the island, consisting of special events, concerts, and performances. The festivities now spread over a week, taking on a distinctly Caribbean flavor with blends of calypso, reggae, and iron band music. The result is that Montserrat is known as the "Emerald Isle of the Caribbean."

That tiny island ( it's just a little larger than half the size of Washington D.C.) has been the destination and the source of immigration for generations. In July, 1995, the island's volcano erupted, causing most of the population to flee. Today, about 10,000 residents remain.

Several hundred Montserratians have settled here in Dorchester, and together with some native-born Irish and Irish Americans, the social club on Washington Street has become the site of a "black and green" celebration, hosted by the Montserrat Aspirers and the Irish Immigration Center, a leading Bosotn-based advocacy agency.

So it was a special gathering last Sunday, 100 or so immigrants and children of immigrants, a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, diverse gathering that featured bands both Irish and Caribbean, beats both "diddly-diddly" and calypso.

And this diverse gathering featured talks by a local man native to Montserrat: a spokesperson for a New Orleans man who fled that city with his family after Katrina, and now lives on Cape Cod; and an Irish "undocumented" man who has lived and worked here in Adams Corner for eight years.

Immigrants all, their stories are varied and compelling, yet remarkably similar: One came here to escape a volcano, another seeking refuge from the horrible aftermath of the hurricane, the third fled political turmoil to find a life for him and his family in our bountiful land of opportunity.

The simple message from the days event is this: We are, all of us, immigrants in this land, whether recently arrived or the legatees of generations of early arrivals. There is so much more that makes us similar than divides us. And we all love our country, this great land of the United States of America, and our diverse backgrounds bring flavor and richness to the American experience.

This week, in our nation's capitol, members of Congress have joined the debate over overhauling and reforming the laws which govern immigration to our shores. The policy debate will be challenging, and quite likely, divisive.

It is well to remember that, except for the native Americans who were here from before the time of the Plymouth pilgrims and the Columbus explorers before them, all of us are here in America because some of our ancestors chose to make the migration. Some were welcomed here, many were not. Just like now.

But despite those early obstacles, look what we have become!

- Ed Forry

March 2006

Time to Stand Up And Be Counted

On Behalf of the 'Undocumented'

by Ed Forry

A young Irish woman spoke at a recent Dorchester rally for undocumented immigrants. Calling herself an "overstay," she said she entered this country legally with a student visa some 15 years ago, and upon graduation she chose to stay here and live in America. She hoped to win a lottery for a "green card" several times, always with no luck. Still, she has continued to live and work in New York City over these years: "I love this country, I consider it my home," she said. She has worked and paid her taxes, been a productive resident, and in all ways but one she has observed the laws of our society.

So she continues to live in the shadows&emdash; an illegal immigrant, one of some 11 million "undocumented aliens" who live with the understanding that, the way things are, they must never go back to their native land again- or if they do, they must say goodbye to America. Forever.

In Congress, several measures have been proposed to deal with the plight of the undocumented workers. In truth, our Irish brothers and sisters represent only a small percentage of them; they come from all across the globe, from Mexico, Brazil, Asia, eastern Europe and elsewhere, doing the work that we Americans choose not to do for ourselves.

Last year, the House passed a draconian measure that would punish without helping the problem. In the Senate, John McCain and Ted Kennedy proposed a more realistic immigration reform, and they are aided now by Arlen Specter, the powerful Judiciary Committee chairman who has proposed a workable compromise.

The movement in the Senate seems to be in the direction of allowing "visitor work visas" for immigrants who are in our country illegally, and offers a path to legalizing their status over time.

The debate begins this month, and the immigrant community will be watching. It is unfortunate, but the voice of the undocumented must be muted due to their status; it is up to the children and grandchildren of immigrants, ourselves now citizens of this great country, to take up their cause.

There was a time, not long ago, when the Irish in Boston welcomed all comers, documented or not. Many Irish-born who entered illegally in the 1980's are now Amercian citizens, thanks to the pioneering work of Dorchester Congressman Brian Donnelly. Now, since 9/11, the plight of the undocumented has become a third rail issue for many, politicians and voters alike.

We shall see who stands up in this potentially divisive debate. And we should keep score.

Let Us Remember

By Ed Forry

When the Massachusetts House voted, 97-57, last month to kill the "in-state tuition" plan for young undocumented immigrants, it was disappointing that some Irish American legislators joined the opposition. The immigrant community believed it had strong support; but some pols with Ireland in their heritage went south, and joined the anti-immigrant crowd.

How disheartening. These legislators should recall that, in the 1980's, there were thousand of undocumented Irish young people -"illegals," they were called- living in Dorchester, South Boston, Brighton, all facing deportation. Congressman Brian Donnelly intervened, crafting an amendment to federal laws to enable more than 10,000 Irish attain legal status. Thousands of those "Donnelly Visa" immigrants since have lived and worked here, and many are now naturalized American citizens.

That was then, but sadly, this is now, and some of Donnelly's successors in politics seem to have forgotten where they came from, and how they and their ancestors got here. A local immigration reform activist told me, "Immigrants today face a vastly more restrictive set of laws that don't give them the chances that people used to have to enter the country legally and establish themselves here.  The injustice of this situation should make Irish-Americans more dedicated to fighting for change, not less so. We must remember that the laws are the problem, not the people themselves."

Do we Irish have a sense of self-loathing? Are we so assimilated that we can't remember that rules were once bent and changed for our people? Have we become an ethnic group that cannot celebrate our immigrant roots, and hope for good things for others?

There is a growing social disease: a fear and distrust of immigrants, perhaps a byproduct of the country's revulsion to the terrorism attacks of 2001, coupled with a some mean-spirited politics that wants to close America's borders to all foreigners. In this new social order, non-natives are to be distrusted, to be suspected of all sorts of nefarious intentions. They are, in the new creed, not like us: they want what we have, and we must insure they do not ever get it.

Xenophobia - a fear and contemptuousness of people who are foreign to us - has become the new socially accepted norm. Reborn in the 9/11 attacks, and enflamed by the hateful zealots of talk radio and internet blogs, it is the new social shame of our country.

As for us Irish, let us resolve not to fear the new wave of immigrants simply because they do not look like us. If that were an acceptable norm, the credo of the last century, that "No Irish Need Apply," might now be the law of the land.

January 2006

A Poignant Award for Mayor Menino

By Ed Forry

Last month, some 400 guests gathered to raise funds for Catholic Charities. The event attracted a bit of notoriety: Mayor Menino was the honored guest, and when word of the award was made known, a small band of narrow-minded Catholics, putatively Christian people, demanded that the award be rescinded. Somehow, in their mean-spirited world view, the mayor wasn't sufficiently a Catholic, and did not merit an award from a church-affiliated agency.

Never mind that the agency serves all people, and does wonderful charitable work. This crowd was out for vengeance, and six or eight of them threw up a picket line in an attempt to discourage people from supporting Catholic Charities, and thus to harm the needy people who benefit from the agency's work.

The good news is their mean little strategy failed: $200,000 was raised, twice the previous year's total. Especially poignant was Menino's formal speech that night. He said, in part:

"… in addition to being a public official, I am a Catholic. And I love my Church as much as I love my city. Tonight, I have the special opportunity to recognize that doing the mayor's work sometimes means doing the work of mercy. Mercy, too, can be a city function. In all humility, I want to tell you I'm never far from thinking of what the nuns taught me when they made me memorize the seven Corporal Works of Mercy...

"I don't wear my piety on my sleeve. In fact, I don't often talk about my faith. I am not one of those politicians who goes around bringing God into public life, as if God needs to be mentioned in speeches or be put up on courtroom walls. And frankly, a lot of political God talk makes me a little uneasy.

"But tonight, Catholic Charities, with this honor, gives me the occasion to publicly make the link between my private faith and my public duty....What Jesus said, and what he showed with his life, was that the way to follow him was to take care of people. He told us in the Gospel of Matthew. The hungry, the naked, the homeless, the sick, and yes the imprisoned. When we feed them, clothe them, shelter them, take care of them, visit them - then we have honored the Lord the way he asked us to. 'Truly, when you did to one of these least of my brethren, you did it to me.'"

December 2005

Congress Fiddles While Needy Wait

By Ed Forry

It was four full decades ago &endash; 1965 - and the US Congress, under a full head of steam generated by President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, passed legislation to deal with the plight of poor people throughout the land.

Any number of programs were initiated, a new federal agency, the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO,) was established, and the country got down to the task of improving the lives of millions of America's poor. It was a commitment to bring an end to poverty in this land of plenty, and it targeted the needs of poor people in rural and suburban areas as well as city neighborhoods.

To address the need, the OEO agency and a program called "Model Cities" developed a process to create a network of primary health care facilities for persons in need. The first such centers opened their doors 40 years ago; one in a rural area down South, the other in a public housing project right here in Dorchester, at Columbia Point.

The legislation also spawned anti-poverty agencies throughout the country, generically known as community action programs (CAPs,) and many communities in Massachusetts continue to see these agencies thrive. And while some of those original programs did, in fact, fail, many have persevered, despite the eventual de-funding of them by successive administrations in the White House.

Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), Boston's anti-poverty program, is already into its fifth decade of service to poor communities, and many community health centers that were created via federal funding have survived and, indeed, flourished all across this land. All this in the face of an often mean-spirited resolve by mostly Republican political leaders to dismantle programs for the poor.

Currently, CAP agencies are struggling to keep their doors open and their staff employed while the federal government fiddles and diddles with the fiscal budget. Congress failed to approve a budget before its Thanksgiving recess, with the result that federal funding for the programs is now just month-to-month, under a "continuing resolution;" and worse, the monies appropriated for the anti-poverty programs are available at a reduced 50% level. The CAPs administer such programs as fuel assistance, job training, and Head Start classes, all vital to millions of poor and middle income residents across the country. But with the uncertainty of fiscal support, agency managers must soon make a decision to lay off staff or face possible shutdown later in the fiscal year.

Alas, after all those years, poverty is still with us, and people continue to suffer &emdash; yet scores of under-served people, millions of them, really, have benefited from this visionary federal program. Let us reflect on how much human suffering has been avoided because politicians from a previous generation had the resolve and the commitment to create and fund a program that would simply help people in need.

And let us hope and pray that the mindless divisive politics now current in Washington comes to an end soon, and programs to help needy people are restored.

November 2005

A Splendid Night for Immigrants

By Ed Forry
BIR Publisher

The Irish Immigration Center hosted its annual Solas Awards dinner on October 27, and what a spledid event it was! Billed as "The Immigrant Story, The American Story," more than 600 filled the main ballroom at the Westin Copley Place Hotel to honor three Bostonians long identified for their efforts to advance the lives of immigrants: Teresa Heinz, chair of the Heinz Family Philanthropies; Janice Loux, president of the Boston Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union Local 26; and John McGrail, owner and founder of the Mayo Group, a fast-growing Boston real estate company.

An all star line-up of supporters of the Immigration Center was on hand, including Boston Mayor Tom Menino, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, Lynn Mayor Chip Clancy, former US Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci, EU Ambassador to the United States John Bruton, Ireland Consul General David Barry and British Consul General John Rankin.

The chair of the Solas Dinner host commitee was Cahal Stephens, the Ireland-born president and CEO of the prestigious Bosotn architectural firm Einhorn Yaffee Prescott. Master of ceremonies was Peter Meade, executive vice president of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

A stirring video presentation about the IIC,video was prepared and donated by WLVI-TV, Boston's WB 56, was a highlight of the evening. Dinner chairman Stephens proudly told the audience that the event raised a total of $375,000 to support the programs at the Irish Immigration Center.

Congratulations to Executive Director Lena Deevy, board chair Joanna Connolly, and IIC director of development Gisel Michel, and the entire staff for a top notch event.

October 2005

Helping Hurricane Victims

By Ed Forry

A Dorchester doctor is among a group of volunteer medical professionals who deployed to the Gulf Coast to provide medical aid and humanitarian comfort to scores of hurricane Katrina victims.

Dr. Larry Ronan of Savin Hill captained a group of four teams from Mass General Hospital with an average of 30 medical professionals per team in the Delta region. Ronan told friends his team worked in the small towns and villages 60 -100 miles outside New Orleans, as well at evacuee camps in those areas, where in the weeks after the storm medical was slow to arrive.

The MGH response is part of the hospital's Humanitarian Crises Team, an effort that has been deployed recently to other emergency, including the World Trade Center, earthquakes in Iran and last year's tsunami in Indonesia.

On the ground in delta country, Dr. Ronan personally rented three vans, each holding seven primary care nurses and doctors to serve the enormous health care needs of the storm victims and provide much needed medicine.

While the hospital underwrites the personnel costs, Dr. Ronan used his personal credit card to rent the three medical vans. If you have not yet made a contribution to help the hurricane victims, here's a wonderful effort with a local angle.

Donation checks should be made out to the Durant Fellowship/MGH Katrina Relief Fund/Operation Helping Hand, and mailed to the Durant Fellowship, 55 Fruit Street, Bartlett 917, Boston, MA 02114.

*******

Tír Gan Teanga, Tír Gan Anam &emdash; "A country without a language, a country without a soul"

That's the slogan of Cumann na Gaeilge i mBoston, the local organization which promotes the "magic and beauty in the Irish language."

On Sunday, October 9, at 3 p.m, organizers of the group say they will gather in the church hall at St. Mark's parish in Dorchester for performances by three gifted musician and literary artists from County Galway, who will perform perform the poetry, songs and stories of Ireland.

According to a release to the BIR, the artists include:

"Joe John Mac An Iomaire, vocalist, who has twice won both the prestigious Ó Riada trophy and the national men's vocal competion. He conducts sean nos (traditional irish singing) workshops and master classes throughout Ireland and Europe;

"Máirín Concannon, who now makes her home in Norwood, is a singer who comes from a Galway family long honored for their promotion of Irish culture. She has recently released a new CD entitled "Bóithrín na Smaointe" (Memory Lane), which includes many much beloved Irish songs.

"Multi-award winning writer and poet, Jackie Mac Donncha, is the author of numerous short stories and poems. His book "Gaineamh Séidte" (Shifting Sand), a collection of poems in Irish, prompted one critic to refer to him as a "fully formed, fully developed, fully musical poet."

Tickets are $5.00 at the door. All proceeds benefit the Cumann na Gaeilge Fr. Sean Sweeney Scholarship Fund.

*******

Longtime Irish Cultural Centre volunteer Mary Walsh is among members of the ICC's women's guild planning a two day bazaar at the Cultural Centre in Canton. The event is planned for November 12 and 13, and everyone is welcome. Mary also reports that donations of materials for the bazaar are most welcome; contact her at 617-333-4972.

*******

The new Consul General of Ireland, David Barry, has arrived in town and already he has embarked on a whirlwind of activities to introduce himself to the Irish communities in Boston.

Just after Labor Day the new consul was guest of Joe Leary and the Irish American Partnership at a luncheon at Locke Ober's, prepared by master chef Lydia Shire. The next morning, he was featured speaker at a breakfast meeting of ICCUSA, the Irish Chamber of Commerce in the U.S.

At mid-month, he and his wife were dinner guests at South Shore Country Club for the wrap-up event of the annual "Cops for Kids with Cancer" golf tournament, spending time with the American golfers and some 20 members of the Irish garda who played in the tourney.

And on September 22, the Consul General and his staff welcomed about 75 guests to a reception at the consulate in Copley Square. Incidentally, the Irish government has relocated those offices into new expanded space on the 5th floor at 535 Boylston Street. The offices remain in the same building, but the expansion affords a large meeting room and better, brighter space for doing consular business. As an old friend, the late radio man Norm Nathan would have said, the new office space is "plush but not overly ostentatious." Again, a hearty welcome to Dave Barry here to Boston, in his first-ever assignment to our country.

August 2005

Reporters Need 'Shield' Shelter

By Ed Forry

If the results of recent public opinion polls are to be believed, people who work in the news media are not highly ranked in the estimation of the American public. Most of us are pretty well fed, rarely break a sweat at work, and seem to enjoy privileges like moving with the high and mighty and being offered special treatment at venues all over town.

As is the case in any profession, there are plenty of jerks working in the news business, and among them are more than a few who carry political or social agendas that they would choose to remain private. Sadly, it has become a strategy of political operatives to undermine the otherwise solid work of many in the news business by questioning the motives of reporters, and it seems to be working. Currently, there is an effort among journalists to push for a federal "shield law," a legal guarantee that news people have the right to keep confidential the names of sources for their news stories. Despite the potential for abuse by some of our media colleagues, we believe that such a protection is vital for this news business and for the public's right to know. In this belief, the Boston Irish Reporter has signed on to support the statement of a national organization of ethnic media organizations calling for a federal shield law. The statement follows:

"As reporters, editors and publishers affiliated with NCM, a coalition of 700 ethnic media organizations in the United States, we join all our colleagues in journalism in protesting the imprisonment of Judith Miller of the New York Times and calling for a national shield law legislation that protects journalists from being compelled to reveal their confidential sources.

The prosecution of journalists for refusing to reveal their confidential sources is a serious threat to the fourth estate's ability to report the news and investigate instances of wrongdoing such as corporate malfeasance, political abuse, organized crime, and government corruption, in which confidential sources are indispensable. Our inability to protect the identity of whistleblowers and eyewitnesses undermines the public's right to know and, ultimately, the administration of justice.

During the past year more than 70 journalists and news organizations have been entangled in federal court over access to unpublished, confidential information. Several have been subpoenaed for their records or testimony. Jim Taricani, a television reporter in Rhode Island, served a sentence for refusing to identify an anonymous source. At least nine journalists - including Miller and Matthew Cooper of Time Magazine - have been held in contempt and face the threat of imprisonment or heavy fines or both.

These prosecuted journalists work for mainstream media organizations. They were vulnerable despite their organizations' resources and high public profile. Their plight has an especially chilling effect on reporters, editors, and publishers of ethnic media, which are far more isolated even though our media reach one out of four American adults (NCM National Poll, June 2005).

Forty-nine states and the District of Columbia, through legislation or court decision, have adopted 'shield laws' that protect journalists from having to divulge sources of information given them in confidence. Some federal courts recognize such a shield, but most do not. It is time for a national shield law that recognizes journalists as unique watchdogs of the public good."

July 2005

Standing By Our Man

By Ed Forry

Let it be said, from the top, that I support my former state rep from Lower Mills Tommy Finneran. He was a solid representative for his district, a wonderful Ways and Means chairman who saw the state budget through some terrible shortages in the early 1990s, and a solid House Speaker for his years in that office.

He's also a good neighbor, a strong advocate for his Dorchester/Mattapan neighborhood, an obviously wonderful father and husband, and a bright, charming, smart, and articulate man.

What he is not, despite what you might have heard and read, is a liar. There's a strong sense here that Tom Finneran has been targeted by people who practice that age-old political game, the art of payback. Finneran was tough while in office, and he caused some hurt feelings, especially among people whose political interests were not shared by him and his constituents. He was in power; they were not. Now he's out of office, and political vengeance reigns.

I had an insight into the depths of animosity towards Finneran in a brief encounter with an apparently thoughtful academic in Harvard Square this spring. I was introduced to her as a constituent of the retired speaker, and was greeted by this academic whose eyes flashed with vitriol, as she said: "I hope they get him!" There are haters out there, many of them seemingly thinking, educated people, and Tom Finneran has become the target of all their scorn.

The Finneran-haters are triumphant now and in their glory, thanks to the handing down of a four-count indictment against him.

It should be remembered that they are simply charges, unproven and untested, and Tom Finneran was quoted as saying he expects full vindication when the indictments are considered in a trial before 12 citizens. The charges were brought by Massachusetts US Attorney Michael Sullivan, and there is reason to believe it is the first step in Sullivan's expected candidacy for governor. If that's accurate, it's not the first time a prosecutor with political ambitions has smeared the reputations of others for his own political gain. Sullivan, a Republican and a former state rep, would be following in the footsteps of former Republican Attorney General Edward Brooke, who similarly used a largely groundless campaign of indictments against Democrats to propel him to a seat in the US Senate. Most of those charges by Brooke proved to be untrue, but not before dozens of reputations were soiled and careers badly damaged.

Suffice to say that I stand solidly in support of Tom Finneran as a man of great honesty and integrity. The truth will out, but it could take a year or more for this case to come to trial. Meanwhile the Finneran-bashers will have their trophy. At the end of the day, those of us who know Tom Finneran know his character. We stand by him, just as he stood by my community for all these years.

June 2005

Coming Soon:'Tip' on Stage

By Ed Forry

Tip returns to Cambridge this summer.

Tip, the one-man stage play, that is.

Quincy's Dick Flavin, the former television political reporter and all-around good guy, has been working on a play about the life of the late Speaker of the House, Thomas P "Tip" O'Neill, since January 2001.

Now, Flavin says, he's ready to bring the show to the public. With longtime stage and TV actor Ken Howard in the role as the Speaker, the show is now set to go into rehearsal on Aug. 1, and into preview performance on Aug. 30. If all goes well, it will open to the press on Sept. 14 at the new Zero Arrow Theatre, a 294-seat venue at the corner of Mass. Ave and Arrow Street, just off Harvard Square.

"It's just one and a half miles from where Tip grew up," Flavin said in an interview. "I started working on this in January, 2001; it's had a long gestation period and gone through a number of drafts."

Flavin is particularly pleased that Ken Howard was available for the lead role. At six-feet-six, he has the physical size to channel the original Tip, and the voice timbre to bring his presence to the stage.

"He's best known for his role on TV in the White Shadow, and he's won a Tony on stage and an Emmy on television," Flavin says. A native of Long Island, Howard played basketball at Amherst College, and studied for two years at Yale's Graduate Drama School in the late 1960s before landing roles on Broadway, where he originated the role of Thomas Jefferson in the musical "1776." He is known to contemporary audiences as Max Cavanaugh, a retired Boston cop in the TV series Crossing Jordan.

Howard will appear alone on stage, recreating the persona with which the legendary O'Neill graced Massachusetts and national politics for decades. There will also be a piano player, as music was a big part of O'Neill's personality. "We'll hear the old songs that Tip sang," Flavin says. "Songs like Vote Early, Vote Often for Curley, The Irish were Egyptians Long Ago, and I'll be with you in Apple Blossom Time."

"All those old songs were so much of his character, you couldn't leave them out," Flavin says.

Michael Allosso, who, with Flavin, has formed a production company, Mrs. O'Brien Productions, will direct the stage performance. The name came to them, Flavin says, in tribute to one of the Speaker's favorite stories. "Tip would tell new politicians the 'Mrs. O'Brien rule.' She was a neighbor of his, and on election day she told him, 'I'm going to vote for you even though you never asked me to,' " Flavin said. "Tip always said, 'Always remember, people like to be asked.' "

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Tony McLean, the former head of Broadway in Boston until he stepped down last year, has returned to his first love: theatrical directing.

"I am directing a musical revue," McLean says. "It is called 'A Grand Night For Singing' and it is by Rodgers and Hammerstein. This is the first of many theater projects I am working on."

The musical is the first production of the season for the Gloucester Stage Company. McLean's show opens June 9, and runs through June 26. The Company is located at 267 East Main St. in Gloucester, and on the web at gloucesterstage.org. Tickets are available by calling 978-281-443. There will be special reduced ticket for Wednesday performances for residents of Cape Ann, Gloucester, Rockport, Essex and Manchester on June 9, 15 and 22.

May 2005

Time to Vote Jess Cain into Radio's Hall

By Ed Forry

You are a Real Bostonian if you can recall the names of Sidney Flack, Hap Smiley, or Pressgate Fenway. They were the comic creations of the great Jess Cain, the man who virtually invented the genre of local morning radio on the old WHDH, 850 on the AM dial, and a man who helped several generations of Boston radio listeners to wake up and greet each new day with a smile.

Cain lives in retirement now, with his artist wife Jean in a brownstone at the base of Beacon Hill. Still active in theater and show business activities, and a wonderful storyteller, he has been nominated for membership in the Chicago-based Radio Hall of Fame.

To those of us who remember him, and whose world view was formed in large part by his delightfully funny daily morning shows, it is an honor that's long overdue. His admirers now have an opportunity to cast a ballot to land him in the Radio Hall alongside other broadcasting giants like Jack Benny, Mel Allen, Red Barber, and Bob Hope.

Jess arrived in Boston in 1957, an Irish-Catholic guy from Philly who had spent a couple of years coaching drama at Notre Dame and working on the university TV station in South Bend. He had left college before graduation to pursue an acting career in New York, landing a role in the Broadway production of Stalag 17. He was an out-of-work actor among a coterie of starving artists &emdash; Jason Robards, Jose Ferrer and others &emdash; and he had landed the lead role in "Marge & Jeff," a short-lived national television program that ran on the old Dumont network before it folded. He then moved to South Bend to find work in what was for him a new medium.

Arriving in Boston just as the old Herald-Traveler Corporation won the license to broadcast on Channel 5, Cain's was the first voice heard on that channel, signing the station on the air; ironically, his was the last voice heard on the old WHDH-TV when that station shut down and its license was transferred to the new owners of WCVB in Needham. Over those years, Cain had performed regularly on local TV entertainment programs, but his loyal audience found him on the air five days a week, from 6 a.m, to 10 p.m. on the eponymous "Jess Cain Show." For almost two decades, this pioneering "morning man" was the dominant force in Boston radio, earning ratings share in double figures that have never been equaled in this city.

Cain developed a four-hour flow of music, news, and good humor that is unmatched today. "I pioneered in doing character things," he explained in an interview last month. "I was inspired by the Fred Allen show… he had a full cast doing what I wanted to do on morning radio."

When he arrived at WHDH radio, Cain was teamed at first with veteran broadcast Ray Dorey, a former singer with the Benny Goodman Band. After Dorey retired, Cain began flying solo, creating a wide and varied cast of comic characters, the memory of which can still bring smiles to his legion of fans.

There was Sidney Flack, the PR man who was always bursting in to push the latest faux sensation: "Every other PR guy in New York was named 'Sidney'," Cain says. The character always ended his visit with the line "Sidney Flack - I'll be back," followed by a door slam.

There were others: "Jack Crack," the beat poet based on Jack Kerouac, whose floutist was "Cheeks Hamilton"; "Dirt Cloudy," a thinly-veiled takeoff on legendary Red Sox play-by-play man Curt Gowdy; and "Hap Smiley," the overwrought mailman who was always drowning in a sea of heavy mail. Then there was the tony suburban guy, "Newton Wellesley," who on Halloween boasted of giving stock tips to the kids who dared come to his house. And who will ever forget "the Pantyhose lady."

Cain remembers one Memorial Day when, after getting off the air, he was hailing a cab with sidekick newsman Leo Egan to go to the traditional holiday morning Red Sox game. "Leo jumped in the cab and said two words, 'press gate, Fenway,' and it struck me what a great name for a sportscaster."

Cain also regularly did send-ups of popular songs: One hit tune became "Fly Me to Methuen"; a Tony Bennett standard became "Take my hand. I'm a stranger in Framingham;" and Harry Belafonte's "Matilda" became "Nan-tas-ket, an insular peninsula, down there in Hull."

Balloting for this year's Hall contenders will be by broadcasting executives who are Hall members, but the general public can cast votes online by becoming Hall members for a dues payment of $15. To cast a vote for Jess Cain, visit the Radio Hall of Fame at radiohof.org.

It is best to act quickly. Ballots will be mailed in the middle of May, and the final selection is expected on August 1.

April 2005

Shame On Congress

By Ed Forry

It is hard to understand just what this new Republican Congress has in mind. Last month, using its extraordinary subpoena powers, a Congressional sub-committee made headlines by summonsing a gaggle of baseball players to be grilled about what they know of the illegal use of steroids in their sport. Ten days later, members of Congress joined President Bush in enacting a special law seeking to prolong the life of a brain-damaged Florida woman, Terri Schiavo. The bizarre Sunday midnight House session was more than extraordinary; and if we are to believe the White House, the president actually interrupted a night's sleep at his texas ranch to rise, fly back to Washington, and sign the act into law in the wee hours of Monday morning.

 What are these D.C. dynamos going to do next? Find a cure for AIDS? Eliminate poverty? Outlaw natural disasters like tornadoes and hurricanes? Ah, no. They're going to eliminate the "security" from Social Security, and Bush assures all of us over 50 that it's not going to affect any of us.

 It was bad enough that Congress hauled the ballplayers into their kangaroo court &emdash; a place where the athletes were asked to implicate themselves and their friends in wrongdoing, without the protection of immunity from self incrimination. The Congressional panel forged its own version of a police state, making self-aggrandizing statements for the evening news and trampling on the Fifth Amendment rights of the baseball players. Did anyone really expect Mark McGwire to admit to steroid use? Do any of us know whether he used steroids? And didn't we all judge him guilty when he declined to give an answer? The era of McCarthyism has returned in our country, and it's a sad day.

Then, just after St. Patrick's Day, the Congress overstepped once more, injecting itself into a family dispute over one woman's right to die with dignity. By all reports, the poor Florida woman had lain in a vegetative state for 15 years. Her husband had cared for her until the end drew near, asking only that extraordinary measures no longer be taken to prevent her death. It is sad and tragic that her parents refused to let her go, even in the face of overwhelming medical opinion that her life was all but over, which it finally was, on March 31.

The impassioned comments by members of Congress that it is a "barbarian" act to withdraw a feeding tube, leading to death from starvation, constituted gross, heinous political grandstanding. When people approach the end of life, they stop eating. It is a natural consequence. They deserve an end to life with some peace and dignity.

Christians will remember the lesson from the Book of Ecclesiastes:

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens:

"A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

"A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

"A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

"A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

"A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

"A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

"A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

"A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace."

 Some human events deserve action by Congress: broad initiatives, for example, that protect the rights of the poor and needy, of immigrants, of the elderly are proper subjects for debate and government protection.

But for other events, like the Schiavo case, politically motivated acts by Congress and the White House should be considered way out of bounds.

March 2005

The Irish Way

By Ed Forry

Reach out to help.

That is the time-honored Irish way of life.

Whether it's the struggle for life in faraway places like Rwanda, Haiti or Indonesia, or just down the street with the neighbor family dealing with a sudden death, a loss of a job, a catastrophic illness, we Boston Irish do what we have learned to do: We give a hand of support to someone in need of help. No questions asked.

The Irish in the native country are always there in the world's great trouble places &emdash; not as soldiers, not industrialists, but to deliver humanitarian aid whereever and whenever needed. One of the leading NGOs (non-governmental agencies) in the world is Concern Worldwide, formerly called Project Concern, a Dublin-based agency headed by a Catholic priest, Rev. Aengus Finucane, that now is delivering aid to 27 countries around the world.

Somehow, it seems that when we in America first hear word of a crisis somewhere in the world, it's always from an Irish aid worker, on the ground at the crisis, calling for assistance.

That great Irish tradition continues on in our country, in our time. It was personified by Boston Irish figures like the late Dr. Tom Durant, the Dorchester physician who developed his own unique practice, traveling to the world's trouble spots and delivering medical care to refugees; and by Galway's Michael Joyce, the St. Margaret's man who made a life as a "shining star," helping new emigrants find a home or land a job. His friends plan a permanent Boston memorial to Mike Joyce, and the search is on for just the right spot.

Tom Durant's work continues on in the form of a Fellowship in Refugee Medicine, sponsored by Mass General Hospital. The new Durant Fellows devote one full year of their lives delivering health care to refugees in need. One doctor spent a year in two camps in Southeast Asia, and in January traveled to Sudan to join this year's fellows, two Boston nurses working in strife-torn Darfur.

Boston's Irish continue to step up to help wherever it's needed. Our community can boast of the wonderful philanthropy of many successful business people: Tom Flatley, whose work on behalf of current-day famine victims finds its roots in his efforts to memorialize the tragedy of Ireland's Great Hunger; Peter Lynch, the megastar of the mutual funds industry who devotes much of his semi-retired life now to supporting good works in the greater Boston community; the magnificent efforts of John Cullinane, who has brought jobs by the thousands to struggling communities in Ireland, north and south, and now turns some attention to bringing economic assistance to the Middle East; and Sister Lena Deevy, the Ireland-born nun who leads Boston's Irish Immigration Center, bringing aid to Boston immigrants of all nationalities and every skin color.

In this month's issue, we tell the story of a group of medical people &emdash; doctors, nurses, social workers &emdash; who volunteered to give a full month's effort by working with victims of the December 26 tsunami in Indonesia. Locally, the effort was headed by Dr. Larry Ronan (See Pages 12 and 13), who has pledged his best efforts to help rebuild a destroyed hospital in Banda Aceh. Those who know Larry are certain that he will succeed, that the task will be done.

As we observe the feast day of St. Patrick, Boston's patron saint, it is a time to reflect on the good that so many in our community do, not for themselves but for others.

In Boston, St. Patrick's is not a day for green beer, for loony leprechaun cartoons, for "Kiss Me I'm Irish" lapel buttons. Those are at best distorted caricatures, and they tell so very little about who we are.

For us, the month of the saint is a time to celebrate who we are, and what we can become. For most of us, we are standing on the shoulders of some very good people.

We are who we are, thanks to those who have gone before us. This month, a visit to the Famine Memorial Park downtown at School Street should be on everyone's personal agenda.

 February 2005

American Airlines Offers New Deal: Logan-Shannon Loop, Starting May 1

By Ed Forry

There soon will be a new way to fly from Boston to the Emerald Isle. American Airlines will introduce direct, nonstop service between Logan Airport and Shannon, Ireland, beginning this coming May 1. The flight will leave Boston each day at 8:25 p.m., and return from Shannon at 11:25 a.m.

"Given the natural affinity that Greater Boston has with Ireland, we are delighted to provide a convenient way for Bostonians to visit the beautiful Shannon region, enjoy the enchanting Irish countryside, or conduct business within Ireland's thriving economic sector," said Jim Carter, Regional Sales Director for New England of American Airlines.

"At the same time, we are pleased to offer Shannon-area residents a great flight to Boston and the chance to partake in the rich history, atmosphere, many great attractions, and commerce that Boston and New England have to offer."

American joins Aer Lingus in offering non-stop service. The company said it will fly the Boston-Shannon route with 188-seat Boeing 757s, with all-coach seating, operating daily during the peak summer travel season and five days a week the rest of the year. "American will also offer a fast and efficient cargo service on the Shannon flight, providing a better supply chain and faster distribution between the United States and Ireland," a company spokesperson said.

Pat Moscaritolo of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, said: "The new Shannon to Boston service will generate significant new business opportunities for the Boston region's hotels, restaurants and retailers. We are thrilled with American Airlines' decision to position Boston as a top international destination, and we look forward to partnering with American Airlines to promote their new service."

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A volunteer medical team of doctors and nurses from Mass General Hospital left Boston at month's end to deliver medical relief to victims of the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean area.

The team of about 30, headed by Dr. Larry Ronan, flew to Sri Lanka, where they will spend 30 days living and working aboard the hospital ship USNS Mercy. The Mercy, which last went overseas during the 1991 Gulf War, will remain in the region indefinitely to help the millions of survivors who face homelessness, malnutrition, a contaminated water supply and a host of infectious diseases, Navy officials said.

"We'll stay as long as we're needed," said Capt. Mark Llewellyn, the Mercy's captain. The 894-foot floating hospital departed its home port of San Diego on Jan. 5, and was slated to reach the Indian Ocean by early this month.

The massive ship, a converted oil tanker, is equipped with a pharmacy, a 50-bed emergency room, a blood bank, 12 operating rooms, and space for up to 1,000 beds. The Mercy and its sister ship, USNS Comfort, are the largest hospital ships in the world, according to Navy spokesman Petty Officer Lance Partlow.

The latest medical equipment is also on board, including a new CT scan, and digital X-ray and radiology machines. Four distilling plants onboard can turn 300,000 gallons of seawater each day into fresh water.

Under the Geneva Convention, the ship is unarmed. Gigantic red crosses emblazoned on its otherwise stark white hull signal its status as a non-combat aid vessel. Patients will be transported to the ship by helicopter, small boat or can board straight from shore, Llewellyn said.

January, 2005

By Ed Forry

It was a wonderful holiday meal, an evening out with special friends in a North End restaurant. The festive season was winding down, the new year was underway, the food was ample, the company superb.

Who here has made any resolutions this year, someone asked, and what are they? The ten friends looked awkwardly at each other, a bit embarrassed really. New Year's resolutions? Who bothers with them anymore? They never last anyway, and besides, in these frantic times, who has time to look inward, to assess their lives, their goals? Don't the everyday doings of the world pass us by, helter skelter, never giving us any chance to plan, to savor, to enjoy?

Then one of us spoke: I have a resolution, she said, and I plan to keep it: I will make just one person happy each day. With a pleasant word, maybe just a smile, or a word of greeting, a hello. Just one, maybe more. Every day, all year.

How simple, we thought, can't you do a little better than that? What about world peace? Or an end to famine? A cure for cancer? Some help for those thousands whose lives were ended or destroyed by the tsunamis? Or how about another Red Sox pennant, or a Super Bowl win, or a campaign victory in that upcoming special election?

Nope, those are wishes, not resolutions. You might want those things, you might even be able to do some little thing about them; but they are just hopes, dreams, notions not really to be expected because they're more than any of us can accomplish individually.

But a resolution -- a resolve for the new year -- is something within reach, something our simple actions can actually effect. A smile, a courteous word, a gentle touch, a handshake, a long-postponed phone call, a hug for someone who needs it, a greeting card to a person living with loneliness, a cup of tea with the friend we haven't seen, a knock on the door with the neighbor locked in for the long winter. All things we can do, every one of us, with little effort and with modest, if any, expense.

So resolve to lose weight, or curtail your bad habits. Promise yourself to quit smoking, or to start exercising, or to eat healthy. Watch your carbs, reduce the fats in the food you eat. Read the nutrition patch on the food you buy, and resolve to improve yourself in whatever way that softens the guilt built up over the years of excesses that have become part of our lifestyles. Maybe, just maybe, such resolutions will actually become part of who you are this year. Or if you're like me during these few days this far into twenty-oh-five, you've already forgotten most of those self-made pledges pronounced with such resolve just a few days ago.

But there's time still to try out my friend's simple resolution, and it can start today. It's really quite easy -- make someone happy with a simple gesture of kindness, today, tomorrow, and all the days ahead. We really do need each other, now and always. To be kind and caring is part of who we are: it is the essential part of what has been called the Irish Heart.

For love is best manifested not in the receiving, but in the giving. And in the simple gesture of making some other person's life a little happier, a little better each day, our own life is fulfilled.

December, 2004

Ireland is best in the world, according to a "quality of life" assessment by Economist magazine.

Is Ireland truly the "best country to live in?" It is if you ask the editors of the Economist, which has published a survey for its "World in 2005" report in which the magazine judges Ireland to be best, based on the Ould Sod's "combination of increasing wealth and traditional values [that] gives it the conditions most likely to make its people happy." The Economist wrapped up its assessment this way: "Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most desirable elements of the new, such as

low unemployment and political liberties, with the preservation of certain cosy elements of the old, such as stable family and community life."

Switzerland, Norway and Luxembourg placed just behind the Republic in the survey; the United States was ranked 13th. In addition to income, the rankings were based on quality of life issues, including health, freedom, unemployment, family life, climate, political stability and security, gender equality and family and community life.

Zimbabwe was ranked the worst to live in of the 111 countries, "where things have gone from bad to worse under [President] Robert Mugabe," the magazine said. Just ahead were Haiti, Nigeria, Russia and Pakistan.

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Belmont native Joe Driscoll, a Democratic nominee for Congress in Pennsylvania making his first campaign for public office, came up short. He was defeated by Republican Charles Dent, who garnered 58 percent of the vote to Driscoll's 39 percent. Still very proud of his son, Jack Driscoll told friends last month that Joe took all three cities in the district, but trailed in the suburbs and rural areas. The elder Driscoll spent election day working the polls for his son, and acknowledges that it won't be his last campaign.

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Former State Senator Joe Timilty was joined by a host of family and friends for the dedication of an adult day care program in his native Dorchester. The Kit Clark Senior Services program opened the Joseph F. Timilty Adult Day Health and Memory Loss Center on Nov. 10 on Washington Street in Codman Square, with an invocation by the Rev. Ray

Hammond and a blessing by Timilty's close friend and Canton pastor Father Bernard McLaughlin.

Timilty and his family undertook major fund raising efforts to help construct the new facility, which provides day care for seniors and their families dealing with Alzheimer's disease. In his remarks, Timilty joked that he has been told he has "Irish Alzheimer's" &emdash; a condition where you forget everything but your grudges.

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The Irish American Partnership last month hosted a team from the University of Limerick in Boston to raise support for the University's foundation. University vice president Noel Whelan and Tony Bretherton, Executive Director of the University of Limerick Foundation, outlined the school's expansion plan. The university is situated on land in both county Limerick and county Clare, and it plans to build a pedestrian footbridge across the River Shannon linking the campus sections.

"We strive to give students a global, open education and we produce students well versed for multinational corporations," Bretherton said. "The campus has grown to be, I'm sure, the most beautiful in Ireland." He said the school is patterned after Cambridge's MIT, and offers cooperative education to some 10,000 students, with on average of 2,000 working in job placements. Limerick has five main areas of research, including biotechnology, material and social sciences, ITC, business productivity, and humanities. 

November, 2004

By Ed Forry

Think for a few moments about this emerging scandal about the failure of this year's flu vaccine production.

Our country was relying on a chemical factory in Liverpool, England, to produce the major supply of flu vaccine to help Americans survive this year's strain of influenza. Each year, millions of our neighbors have received a flu shot to help insure against the most serious side effects. Annually, some 36,000 Americans die from the flu and vaccination is the only time-tested safeguard against an expected return of the epidemic again this year. Public health experts agree that vaccinations clearly save lives.

So when it was revealed this month that 46 million batches of the flu vaccine were contaminated and would not be available, a near panic ensued. Seniors accustomed to receiving free flu shots at neighborhood health centers, hospital clinics, and medical offices quickly realized that if they wanted their shot this year, they had to stand in line for hours at commercial locations like supermarkets and drug stores, and pay for it out of their own pockets. Worse, the available supply will be used up long before everyone who needs the vaccine can get it.

Bottom line is that, when the British government shut down the factory in early October, some 46 million flu vaccines were destroyed. And even with some last-minute negotiations with another manufacturer, the FDA in Washington acknowledged this week that only 60 percent of the people who need a flu shot will be able to get one. The shortage means that 4 in every 10 people will be exposed to any virulent flu strain that may emerge this winter, and the potential for a severe epidemic is only heightened. It is frightening.

What's the scandal here? It is the failure of George Bush and his administration to deal with this potential public health crisis. USA Today reported October 10 that federal FDA officials knew of problems at the Liverpool factory in June, 2003 - 16 months ago. But the agency "did not begin a full inspection of the plant again until ... five days after British authorities yanked the company's license because of tainted vaccine," the newspaper reported. By the way, the vaccine manufacturer, Chiron Corporation is an American company, based in Emeryville, CA, and out sources the work to its British factory.

On Oct. 20, the New York Times reported "Nearly 90 million Americans are at high risk to contract a potentially fatal case of influenza. In most years, just half of those at highest risk of the disease are vaccinated. Usually, public health officials work to persuade the other half to be vaccinated, in hopes of reducing the disease's annual death toll of nearly 36,000."

" I know there are some here who are worried about the flu season," Mr. Bush said. "I want to assure them that our government is doing everything possible to help older Americans and children get their shots, despite the major manufacturing defect that caused this problem," the newspaper said.

Tommy Thompson, Bush's secretary of Health and Human Services, said this week that his agency was turning to Canada to add to the vaccine supply. That's right, Canada. Say, isn't that the country where prescription drugs are available at a much lower rate than here in our country? And isn't that the same place that the president has said he is not convinced that Americans can safely buy their medicines?

The president's people have badly mismanaged this issue, and it rightfully belongs as a subject for debate in the current presidential campaign. John Kerry said this week in a radio interview, "If you can't get flu vaccines to Americans, how are you going to protect them against bioterrorism? If you can't get flu vaccines to Americans, what kind of health care program are you running?''

Those are good questions, and they deserve to be answered.

October, 2004

The Power of Forgiveness

By Ed Forry

It has been a long and torturous nine months for Boston Catholics. This year began with a directive from the Archbishop that every Catholic parish must begin a process of assessing its own role in worship, and in the context of other neighboring churches, it was promised that some would be "suppressed"- closed forever.

It was an agonizing time for many, a time of great anxiety throughout the Roman Catholic community in Greater Boston. At times, the process brought out the worst in human nature; but most times, there was a large measure of fervent goodwill in evidence among the faithful.

Last month, when St. William's church on Dorchester Ave. became the only Dorchester parish to be physically closed as a result of this process, it was a time of deep grief for the Savin Hill neighborhood, as St. William's has stood for generations as a stable, unifying force for good in that corner of our neighborhood. A final mass has been celebrated, church valuables have been stored away, and the church has been shuttered. And after a period of normal and healthy grieving, it soon will be time for the parishioners to turn the page and move on.

St. William's churchgoers have been invited to join with neighbors in the former St. Margaret's parish to form a new church community. It is called Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta parish. The first pastor of the new parish, Father Paul Soper, chose to speak to the broader community last month at a civic meeting sponsored by the Columbia-Savin Hill civic group, and his words were refreshing:

"The process that created this new parish hurt many people, and perhaps hurt some of you directly, and for that I apologize," the priest said. "On behalf of anyone from whom you will accept an apology, I apologize." For a Catholic community that has been battered by any number of hurts, from school closings to the awful siege of physical and emotional abuse by some members of the clergy, Father Soper's words are a wonderful first step towards healing the wounds.

A fundamental tenet of the Christian faith is the restorative power of forgiveness. Where there is life, there is hope, and the new life breathed into this section of our community gives promise for a brighter tomorrow.

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If you're Irish, come in to the Wilbur!

That's the message from Broadway in Boston's Tony McLean, who is bringing the Abbey Theatre's production of "Playboy of the Western World" to Boston for four weeks next month, beginning Nov. 2.

The Abbey is celebrating its 100th season as Ireland's national theatre, and the visit to Boston is a major event for McLean, who hopes that Boston's large Irish American community will come out and show its support. The company is reaching out to groups large and small- from parish groups to students, Irish clubs and fraternal organizations- with generously discounted tickets for groups as small as 12 people. The groups rates are available for most weeknight and matinee performances, except Friday nights. For information, call 617-482-8616, email groups@ broadwayinboston.com

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The American Ambassador to Ireland will visit Boston this month. Ambassador James C. Kenny will visit the city on Oct. 12 and 13 for a series of local meetings. A Chicago contractor, Kenny succeeded Richard Egan in the diplomatic post earlier this year. Both men are longtime Republican supporters of President George W. Bush.

September, 2004

By Ed Forry

Who would have thought that service in the military during the Vietnam War would ever surface as a topic of conflict in this presidential campaign?

In some convoluted way, it seems the Republican Party has sought to seize the high road in its putative support of the American military. The GOP would have it that President Bush and his people are "pro-military," and Democrat John Kerry and his crowd are "anti-military"; and somehow, that canard seems to stick.

That perception largely explains why Kerry has made such a big deal of his own war experience, serving as a swift boat commander in Vietnam. Kerry used a broad salute, and the words, "I am John Kerry, reporting for duty" as he began his acceptance speech at the FleetCenter. Kerry brought out a host of Vietnam vets who had served with him, along with a stage-full of retired generals to endorse his candidacy. The message: The American people can be comfortable with John Kerry as their commander-in-chief.

Within hours of that show, the Republicans unveiled attack ads showing their own set of Vietnam veterans, who claim they can't possibly support the Democrat, and who question the merit of the battle medals Kerry was awarded those many years ago.

The stunt led Republican Arizona Senator John McCain, himself a vocal supporter of Bush, to lash out at the attack ads and demand the White House condemn them specifically. To date, that has not happened.

The presidential campaign rightfully should include a debate about this current war in Iraq, and not one about the unsuccessful Vietnam War. But some believe that the past is prologue, that how young men acted 35 and more years ago is a good gauge of who they are and what they believe today.

Those who fought for our country in Vietnam were drawn largely from working- and middle-class families. Some of them volunteered, but most were drafted into the military.

If you were a college student in the 1960s, you were entitled to a temporary deferment from being drafted; this "2S" could last four years, so long as you remained a student attending classes. After those four years, the deferment ended, and you became classified "1A".

I was a student during that time. Being drafted was something most of us sought to avoid. Some, like me, avoided the draft by enlisting in the National Guard; others fulfilled their obligation by joining ºthe Peace Corps; still others burned their draft cards, then left the country - for a time. Canada was a haven for young people seeking to dodge the draft.

A commentary by the journalist David Halberstam in the current issue of Vanity Fair can be very instructive. He reports that young George W. Bush avoided the draft by enlisting as an officer in the Texas Air National Guard; Vice President Dick Cheney never served in the military, successfully receiving a total of five deferments; US Attorney General John Ashcroft also avoided his military obligations with an astonishing seven deferments.

Meanwhile, John Kerry graduated from Yale and enlisted as an officer in the Navy, and served with merit in Vietnam.

What do these choices about their military obligations say about these men when they were young? And what does it say now, as a new generation faces the decisions they will make about this new American war?

You can make your own judgments. But there is something deeply troubling about the mean-spiritedness that attends political discourse today in America. That John Kerry chose military service, when so many young men of privilege found ways to avoid fighting for their country, is a simple statement of fact.

Kerry was awarded medals for his service. Bush, Cheney, and Ashcroft have none; they were not in a position to fight for America in Vietnam because they were never there.

August, 2004

Belmont-born Joe Driscoll Eyes U.S. House Seat in Pennsylvania

Jobs the Issue that Drives His Bid for Open Seat

By Ed Forry

The Democratic National Convention attracted scores of politicians and media-types to Boston. During that last week in July, our town was once again the hub of the political world &emdash; especially for Democrats.

    During the week, we caught up with old friend Jack Driscoll, the Belmont attorney from the Nutter Law firm. Jack came up to the city early from a weekend on the Cape to escort his son Joe to the political gatherings, and to introduce him to his friends. The young Driscoll now lives in the Lehigh Valley section of Pennsylvania, and this year he began a first-time campaign for the open Congressional seat from that part of the state. He won the Democrat nomination in the spring, and is now running head-to-head against his Republican opponent, Charlie Dent, for the right to represent the Pennsylvania 15th Congressional District.

      The Driscolls, father and son, connected at a Park Plaza reception hosted by two groups, "Irish American Democrats" and "Italian American Democrats." Among the speakers at that event were Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal, U.S. House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, New York Senator Hilary Rodham Clinton, and the satirist Al Franken.

     In an interview, Joe Driscoll, who is married to Alexandra (Loeb) and is the father of two children, Aidan, 5, and Allegra, 3, explained his motivation in making his run for the vacant seat in the Lehigh Valley region where he has lived "for the better part of ten years." A product of Belmont, Mass., and a graduate of Harvard, he worked on Wall Street for ten years, and then moved to Pennsylvania to pursue a career redeveloping real estate. Much of his work, he says, has been in taking run-down "brown steel" buildings, largely shuttered and abandoned factory buildings, and "cleaning them up and revitalizing urban areas," mostly in the Greater Philadelphia area.

     The district is a one-hour drive north of Philadelphia, one-and-a-half hours west of New York City, and it encompasses the Pennsylvania cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton "It's the third largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh," Driscoll said. "It has a great industrial and manufacturing history. At one point, there were 30,000 steel workers at Bethlehem Steel, and 40,000 textile manufacturing workers. All those jobs have gone away, largely overseas. It's an enormous issue."

     The campaign for the open seat is one of the most hotly contested Congressional races in the country. Dent has received substantial backing from the GOP's U.S. House whip, Tom Delay, and Vice President Cheney made a recent campaign stop in the district. The area has also been targeted by the Kerry-Edwards campaign, and the seat is considered "up for grabs" as the two national tickets compete for Pennsylvania voters.

     "The exportation of jobs accelerated under the Bush administration, and it cuts across demographic and party affiliations," says Driscoll. "We need to invest in good jobs. In my district, if you lost your job, you lost $10,000 in income and you lost your health insurance. You can see the impact &emdash; people losing 30 percent of their income as a result of the Bush administration. And they certainly haven't seen tax relief because it went to the wealthiest. The middle income is getting squeezed."

July, 2004

By Ed Forry

It was not without a great deal of risk that the decision was made to move the Irish Cultural Centre's annual festival off the Stonehill College campus in North Easton and onto the ICC's burgeoning new home in Canton. The festival had been staged at Stonehill every year since 1991, and although it was organized as an ICC project, the event had taken on the identity of Stonehill, as festival-goers had grown accustomed to finding their way to the college on the second weekend of each June. No one knew for sure if the festival's fans could break the old habit to make the trek to Canton.

Yet, among board members, there was the belief that too few people had visited the sparkling ICC facilities, nestled in the woods just off Route 138. What better way to introduce the cultural centre, they said, than by hosting this major event in Canton. The naysayers said it would never work, and there were all sorts of dire predictions of failure. But, to borrow a line from a movie, "If you build it, they will come." And for Mike O'Connor and his volunteer group of board members and workers, that line proved right on target.

It was a glorious three- day weekend, with great weather, wonderful attractions, and a record-setting gate. The ICC reports that, when all was counted, more than 27,000 people passed through the doors for the events - most of them discovering the ICC for the very first time.

It was a question of "branding", to use the term that the ICC's Brian O'Donovan has affixed to the effort. The Irish Festival had become identified with Stonehill College; the new name, "Irish Connections," is the brand now used for the festival at Canton. And once people have had the opportunity to see the beauty and grandeur of the Irish Cultural Centre, it is hoped they will be back - not just for the annual weekend, but for a variety of social, athletic, and cultural activities offered there year round.

The festivities were also a personal triumph for Eddie Barron, longtime ICC board member and the guiding force behind all of the festivals held at Stonehill during the 1990's. It was Barron's first time back helping to run the festival since the disastrous rainstorms wiped out the weekend in 1999. Barron teamed up with architect Brendan Morrisroe to do much of the organizational work on this year's events, including securing corporate sponsors and publishing a handsome 24-page newspaper promoting the events. His friends were delighted to see Eddie back in action, and even more pleased the events were so well received.

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An Irish Naval vessel, the LE Niamh (pronounced: "Neve") will be in port in Boston over the July 4th weekend, and it will be open for public visits. Called one of Ireland's leading navy ships, the Niamh has recently completed a long overseas mission, with stops in Asian ports, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Inchon, Tokyo and Penang. It was the first time the Irish Navy had sailed in those waters.

The ship, built in 2001, also carried supplies to support Irish troops serving in peacekeeping missions in Eritrea. The ship's captain, Lieutenant Commander Jim Shalloo, will welcome visitors during extended public hours on July 3, 4, and 5. The ship will tie up next to the USS Cassin Young, a WWII destroyer at the Charlestown Naval Yard.

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The director of the Pat Finucane Center in Derry, Northern Ireland, will visit Boston next month and he will the guest of some local people hoping to raise funds for the program.

Paul O'Connor will speak at an August 5 event at the Stadium Sports Bar in South Boston, telling about the activities of the Pat Finucane Center, named in the memory of the Northern Ireland lawyer who was assassinated. "The PFC is a non-political, anti-sectarian human rights group advocating a non-violent resolution of the conflict in Ireland," says Boston attorney John Foley, an organizer of the Aug. 5 event.

"According to the PFC, the failure to uphold human rights so that all are equal before the law and are entitled to equal protection of the law is the single most reason for violent conflict in Ireland. Boston area residents interested in the on-going struggle in the North of Ireland can get a first hand report when Paul O'Connor speaks here next month.

"In addition to giving updates on the more familiar cases, Paul will provide shocking evidence of governmental collusion in up to 100 murders. If it happened any place in the world other than Northern Ireland, governments would be impeached. But, in Ireland, the cover-up continues."

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Broadway in Boston's President Tony McLean is working on big plans to bring the Abbey Theatre players to Boston in November. Now celebrating its 100th anniversary, Ireland's national theatre company will perfom JM Synge's "Playboy of the Western World" for four weeks, starting Nov. 2.

The play offers an ideal fund-raising vehicle for local Irish organizations, and McLean expects many groups to schedule special evenings at the WilburTheatre for the play. (The venue was incorrectly reported in the BIR print edition.)

June, 2004

Naysayers Put Damper on July Convention

By Ed Forry

As if to prove that no good idea can go unridiculed in Boston, the local flap over the big Democratic convention this summer has reached absurd heights- or more accurately, depths. With all the grousing over shut-down expressways and inconvenient rail commuting, you would think that old dame Boston is unable to cope with an important national event.

Here's a suggestion for all those pathetic political commentators and mean-spirited editorial cartoonists: get a life. Most of the inconveniences expected around the Democratic convention just two months from now are security mandates ordered by the Secret Service. The convention is expected to nominate a man who could become the 44th president, and in this post 9/11 time of potential terrorist strikes, this event deserves to be planned with what Rudy Giuliani used to call an excess of caution.

What, people don't think the same sorts of extensive security precautions are being implemented in Manhattan for George Bush's convention in August? Why people spend so much time grousing over the potential for disruptions in July is puzzling. The event really will play out over just four days in late July - a week which typically finds lighter commuter traffic due to mid-summer vacations. Indeed, a lot of people are planning to be out of town that week, simply to avoid the expected crowds. It can be predicted that, save for some heavy activity around the FleetCenter and in Boston's North Station and West End neighborhoods, downtown activity will likely be relatively light, save for a hoped-for buzz of tourists taking in our city's attractions and, it is to be hoped, opening their wallets at Filene's Basement, Faneuil Hall Marketplace and the other attractions that make our city so attractive.

What, you'd prefer the delegates spend their week's vacation in Cleveland, so as to avoid the inconvenience? How about the 35,000 baseball fans we hope to attract to Fenway for a World Series next October? You want them in Kansas City instead, just to avoid any bother?

Let us all resolve, today and for the next two months, to put aside the small-mindedness, and stop worrying about this summer's four-day Democratic party. Boston deserves to be the focus of this national spotlight - it's a chance to let the rest of the country know what they're missing!

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Trust Still Lacking in Catholic Community- The news that just one church in Dorchester's two main Catholic church "clusters" will be closing down comes as a surprise. After several pain-filled months of parish meetings and rumors of wholesale suppressions, Archbishop O'Malley's news conference on Tuesday generated large sighs of joyous relief for many Dorchester Catholics.

But then, the news was extremely painful for people who attend St. William church in Savin Hill, when they learned theirs was the only one of the 11 churches which will be suppressed.

In the Boston church, there has developed a serious problem in trust. Many faithful lost trust in the midst of the egregious scandal over ordained pedophiles; others were dismayed when the chancery ordered individual clusters to meet and discuss among themselves which among them deserved to be suppressed, which to survive. After several months of torturous meetings, recommendations were made amidst deep recriminations, one parish to another. This week's public announcements seemed to offer a reprieve for many.

But the trust issue lies beneath, and there's the nagging belief that church leaders will turn to another round of forced closings in the not-too-distant future.

There's the worry, too, that the decisions were made based on short-term financial considerations known only to the bean-counters in the chancery. Were parishes chosen for extinction because their real estate offers immediate value on the open market? If the re-use options become limited, will the leaders opt to move quickly to another round of closures? In short, as many Catholics wait for the other shoe to drop on their own parishes, it likely will be very difficult to reform a vibrant sense of community.

May, 2004

Belmont's Driscoll Wins Pennsylvania Congressional Primary

by Ed Forry

We reported last month that Belmont's Jack Driscoll was telling friends that his son, Joe Driscoll was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for US Congress from Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District in late April.

Well there was good news: Joe was nominated for the Lehigh Valley seat, and will face Republican state Sen. Charlie Dent in the election come November

Amidst election night chants of ''Go Joe, Go!'' from his supporters, Driscoll was jubilant. Published reports in the Morning Call about the campaign said, "Despite his label by some critics as a carpetbagger, Driscoll said his campaign was a reflection of the voice of the Lehigh Valley. 'And that voice is saying we are no longer going to politely ask for change...We are going to demand it,'" Driscoll said.

The Belmont native is seeking a seat that was vacated by conservative Congressman Pat Toomey, who lost his bid for the Republican nomination for the US Senate seat held by Sen. Arlen Spector.

''I know I'm the underdog, but we can win by working together,'' Driscoll told a crowd of about 100 Democratic party and union officials. In his first attempt at public office, Driscoll took 56 percent of the votes in the party primary.

Back in Boston, his proud father Jack Drscoll is planning a reception for the new Democratic nominee on Monday, May 24 at the World Trade Center. Honorary hosts include Senators Kennedy and Kerry, Congressmen Capuano, Delahunt, Lynch, Frank, Markey and McGovern and former Congressman Joe Kennedy. For info, email edna@driscoll forcongress.com

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Neighbors and friends gathered April 23 at Florian Hall to pay tribute to a beloved Dorchester priest. "A Tribute to Msgr. Bill Francis" drew a full house to the function hall on Hallet Street in Neponset, to salute the priest's decades of service in Boston's neighborhoods.

"We have 400 tickets and they're all sold," said Buddy Summers, a Boston Police Officer who helped organize the event. Among the attendees were Mayor and Mrs. Thomas Menino, Boston Police Commissioner Kathy O'Toole, Archbishop Sean Patrick O'Malley, and longtime Boston newspaper and radio commentator Mike Barnicle. Msgr. Francis has been a Boston Police Dept. chaplain since 1978, and has ministered to scores of police officers and their families over the years.

The tribute comes at a time when Msgr. Francis continues his long convalescence from an injury he sustained last summer. The priest, pastor of Holy Family parish in Uphams Corner, was hospitalized over Labor Day with injuries from a fall in his rectory. After several surgeries and a long hospital stay, he has been living and having rehab at Marian Manor in South Boston since December.

The South Boston native entered the seminary in 1950 after his graduation from BC High. He was ordained in 1958 by his uncle, then-Archbishop Richard J. Cushing, and his first assignment was to St. Rose parish in Chelsea.

In 1961, he volunteered to work in South America in the Archidocese's St. James Missionary society.

It was during that assignment that Msgr. Francis became fluent in Spanish. "We were sent to the Maryknoll school in Cochabamba, Bolivia, just before the jungle in Bolivia," he says.

"I went down to Peru in 1961 and lived in the mountains for a couple of years," the priest was saying this week. "I did some more years down on the coast. I was outside Lima. They were extremely poor people who had come from the mountain area into the big city- they lived in shacks."

After 10 years in South America, he returned home to Boston. "My mother was sick, and I wanted to be closer to her." He lived in St. Stephen's parish in the North End during that time, and traveled the country recruiting priests to serve in the St. James program in South America, and in 1974 he was assigned to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, where he was oversaw the Spanish program.

He was named pastor of Dorchester's St. Paul's parish in 1976, and has worked here ever since. The parish was merged in 1994 with St. Kevin's, and took the name Holy Family parish.

Over the years, "Father Francis" has helped scores of persons get a head start. His parish, once heavily populated with recent Irish and Italian immigrants, is now comprised of many new residents, among them Haitian, Latino, and Vietnamese, and his church on Lingard Street has been a hub of activity for thousands. Some years ago, he converted the church basement to a homeless shelter, and the parish has thrived.

"It is one of the best," he says. "It's multi-cultural - a welcoming parish. People have lived in that area for years and always welcomed newcomers."

Rev. Bill Francis himself is one of the best. He deserves the accolades that come his way. He has made a great difference in many lives, both here and in his missionary work in Peru.

Ad Multos Annos, Father. Get well, and return to your great works of charity.

April, 2004

Globe Power Trip a Stumbling Block to Fairness

By Ed Forry

When the news broke last month that a search committee had selected UMass interim President Jack Wilson for the permanent role, some lemmings at the Boston Globe leapt into action, apparently in an effort to sabotage the appointment.

It is not clear what motivates the deep thinkers across the street on Morrissey Blvd., but there's the suspicion that the newspaper wants veto power over the independent university board of trustees.

For years, Globe editors have coerced public policymakers to pay a visit to the Globe and vet their innermost thoughts and private musings. Such meetings have become a necessary rite of passage for people seeking a role in public life: Make yourself available to us, the Globe insists - and we'll pass your views through our prism.

That the newspaper was not consulted by the UMass screening committee is unpardonable, and there will be repercussions.

The Globe's political guns locked and loaded and shots were fired on March 24. Make it a public process, came the demand. The screening committee held its meetings in private, the Globe laments. In three opinion columns on one day, reputations were trashed. It was an obvious attempt to pressure trustees. The Boston Globe gives new meaning to the term "power brokering," and that is not meant as a compliment.

We are reminded to ask again what ever came of that investigation into the Globe's receipt of stolen goods last summer. Remember that, in the run-up to the Congressional hearings with UMass's then-president Bill Bulger, someone stole secret grand jury testimony and the newspaper used a small part of it to discredit him.

We observed at the time that someone had broken the law by making the testimony public and that there should be repercussions. But US Attorney Michael Sullivan has remained silent on the matter, even while the Globe continues to hold the stolen documents in its possession.

Of course, the Globe insists it has the right under the First Amendment of the Constitution to obtain and publish such documents, while protecting the identity of the source of the stolen documents. But the newspaper condemns Bulger's invocation his constitutional rights under the Fifth Amendment. It is clear the Globe wants one set of rights for themselves, and something less for the rest of us.

Lost in all the media cloud is the fact that the Congressional Committee found that the former UMass president had done no wrong. By all rights, Bulger should still be heading the university. Through a mean-spirited confluence of media mischief and intrigue, he stepped down, and the job was filled on a temporary basis, until now.

Last year, Bain & Company's Willard Mitt Romney played politics and set back the state's university bigtime in his act of vengeance against Bulger. It is time to get UMass back on track, and we look forward to a long and fruitful administration under the new president, Jack Wilson.

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Old friend Jack Driscoll of Belmont is telling his friends that his son, Joseph, has thrown his hat in the ring for a seat in the US Congress. The 39-year-old Joe Driscoll, a graduate of Harvard and Harvard Business School, now lives in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, and he seeks the Democratic nomination for the 15th Congressional District from Pennsylvania in that state's party primary election on April 27.

The grandson of Irish immigrants who settled here in Somerville, Driscoll says of them, "They worked hard to achieve their dreams. I want to honor that tradition. I believe it is the responsibility of every American to secure this dream for our children. This is the American Promise from one generation to the next, and I am committed to safeguarding it and nurturing it."

The Joe Driscoll for Congress committee has offices at 9 W. 4th Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015; phone is 610-625-4292

Former Senator Joe Timilty Lends His Support to Alzheimer's Unit

by Ed Forry

Kit Clark Senior Services (KCSS) is adding a 6,300-square-foot, $2.2 million addition to its building in Codman Square which, when completed, will house two day care programs serving 60 local seniors.

The new space, a second-floor expansion at the rear of the KCSS facility at 645 Washington Street, will be named to honor former Mattapan state Senator Joseph Timilty, whose son Greg is a board member at the agency. The facility will be named the Joseph F. Timilty Adult Day Health and Memory Loss Center.

"The problem of memory loss issues grows in leaps and bounds," Timilty said in an interview this week. "I know so many people and families affected by this disability, if we can call it that."

Timilty said he has been a supporter of the Kit Clark agency since its inception in 1974, and his efforts to build the new center in Dorchester is part of his plan to help the neighborhood where he grew up.

"This is an area of the city that has given me so much," he said. "I owe this area of the city. I can't think of a better way to repay the debt."

So far, some $750,000 has been raised towards the cost of the project, including a grant from the state's Division of Health Care Policy and Finance, according to the agency's assistant director Anita Nasra. The agency also has a $700,000 construction loan backed by Boston Community Capital and Wainwright Bank. Timilty's goal is to raise an additional half million dollars by the spring.

Nasra said the programs will serve 60 persons daily, and a total of 85 persons and their families per week. She estimated that some 400 people will be served by the programs each week.

"There will be two programs operated from the site," Nasra said. "Adult day health, serving 40 each day, persons who for a variety of reasons are 'nursing home-eligible' but want to live at home."

A second program will assist seniors with memory loss, from Alzheimer's, dementia, and stroke victims.

The programs are designed to "give the caretaker a break - they sometimes are on call 24 hours a day," she said.

The new construction is underway at the back of the KCSS facility, housed in a sprawling Washington Street building which once housed an automobile garage. The property also houses the main kitchens for Meals on Wheels, a hot meals program which delivers breakfasts, lunch and dinners to some 2000 senior citizens on the east side of the city.

On a recent tour of the building, Timilty and agency executive director Sandra Albright pointed out the new construction, including the structural steel and a roof which had been completed shortly before year's end. A Lower Mills native, Timilty recalled attending movies at the old Codman Theatre, which was located adjacent to the site.

Construction began in July, 2003, and completion is expected in April 2004, with a ribbon-cutting in May.

Kit Clark Senior Services is a member agency of Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses. In addition to the hot meals and adult day care programs, the agency also operates the Kit Clark Senior House in Fields Corner.

Who's Watching Our Imperial Governor?
by Ed Forry

A woman was leaving the parking lot at near the Teacher's Union Hall in Dorchester one afternoon just before Thanksgiving. She was in a bit of a hurry, as she was heading to pickup her children after school.

As she turned to drive along the exit road that leads to Day Blvd., next to Carson Beach, she encountered a group of state police motorcycles and several state police cruisers. The troopers motioned to her to stop, and she did.

The state police officers were not involved in any police action. Instead, they were awaiting the arrival of a state police helicopter. The exit road was blocked for several minutes, and ordinary citizens were required to stop and wait while the chopper hovered and landed on the grass next to the beach.

And who to this woman's wondering eyes should appear, climbing out of the police helicopter, but Bain and Company's Mitt Romney. The state's chief executive disembarked, and quickly moved with his entourage into an awaiting vehicle. As the police-escorted motorcade moved speedily away, the woman was finally alowed to go collect her kids.

Later, it was learned that Romney was in a rush to appear at a photo-op somewhere in a Boston neighborhood, likely at the Morgan Memorial on Melnea Cass Blvd. The chopper landed at Carson Beach, several miles away from the media event, it is believed, so the governor's handlers could avoid his being seen using the police chopper. Later that evening, he appeared in TV newsclips, serving up a Thanksgiving dinner to those less fortunate than himself.

Boston's media has largely given Romney a pass on the Dennis Kozlowski-style accouterments this governor has made a part of his Gubernatorial executive perqs. Many recall the media complaints against former Gov. Jane Swift, who once used a state chopper to travel to her home in the Berkshires. But Romney lives in Belmont - perhaps a 20-minute drive from the inner city. Yet no one in the media as yet has questioned the extravagences this man has brought to the State House. How much does this extra police protection cost the state? Why does Romney need a state police helicopter to visit the neighborhoods? And how many state salaries are being supported by the crowd - police, aides, and political advisers - who surround him?

Romney seems to have a proclivity for traveling in a style usually reserved for presidents and heads of state. A Lower Mills woman remembers that last January, state police made her pull her Volkswagen over to the side on Gallivan Blvd. to make room for a gaggle of tinted-windowed SUVs bringing the then-new governor to a Blue Hill Avenue church on his inauguration day. That day too, Romney had a heavy state police escort, and ordinary citizens were expected to stand aside while the new governor passed by.

The Romney style seems contagious, too: When Romney's Lt. Governor Kerry Murphy Healey condescended to speak to the local business group the Dorchester Board of Trade, a Healey aide imperiously told the group the politician couldn't stay for lunch. The group was forced to alter its scheduled meeting so that Murph could give her talk before the meal, and then make her exit. She had no time to break bread with the group.

Too bad.

It is now year two of the Romney administration, and the man's imperial style has grown unchecked. Mitt vacations out of state - a private mansion on Lake Winnepesaukee for the summer, back home to Utah for two weeks skiing at Christmas. His tastes in holiday destinations is certain to have Massachusetts tourism business people wondering what's wrong with them. If an in-state vacation is not good enough for his excellency and his family, what message does that send to others when they choose a vacation destination?

Romney has promised a "change of culture" in the state during his term. So far, the man has done little but repudiate the good things our state has to offer, and continued his penchant for exclusive luxury.

Hasn't anybody else grown tired of this man yet?

By Ed Forry

Growing up in the comfort of a loving Irish-Catholic family, it seemed that every family we knew had a priest in the family. If you grew up in an Irish family in Boston, you always had a priest in your life.

For us, it was Father Joseph I. Collins, my mother's first cousin and one of her very best friends.

Father Joe was a big, jovial, fun-loving man, and he was always there for each and every family event. He baptized the babies, he married the brothers and sisters. In 1969, he invited me to join him for dinner at St. Paul's rectory, and during our engagement, Mary and I received his good counsel prior to our wedding: "Marriage is not a 50-50 proposition," he advised us. "It's 100-100. Never go to sleep angry with each other." He officiated at our wedding at St. Paul's later that year.

He celebrated my father's funeral Mass in 1978, and in 1995 when mother was making ready for her voyage to paradise, one of her last requests was "Make sure that Father Joe says my Mass."

Father Joe Collins was there for every Christening, wedding, wake, and funeral in my family. I called him "the music priest" for his love of music during services, and my daughter, Maureen, called him "the magic priest" because he did a trick with his hands involving the apparent moving of the tip of his thumb. It is a sleight of hand that I could never master, but his nephews and nieces still show it off to this day.

Our family lost Father Collins this fall. He succumbed to cancer after almost a year of treatment, and passed on to certain paradise on September 30. He was "in my 90th year," he reminded me during a brief visit with him last summer. "I look forward to seeing my mother and father again."

Father Joe was a Norwood native, and proud of it. The son of Irish immigrants, his father was a railroad man who worked hard all his life to provide for his family. In his room at Regina Cleri, the retirement home for Boston priests in Boston's West End, where he lived in great happiness for his last 18 years, he displayed many of his prized mementos of his long life: a 1930 photo of him and his champion Norwood High baseball team, photos of his mother and dad, mementos from his four years at Holy Cross College (Class of '34), and his years as parish priest and later pastor at St. Paul's Church in Harvard Square, and other parishes in South Boston, Hull, Lynn and Avon.

He had vivid memories of his life as an Army chaplain in World War II. He joined the Army as a young priest in 1944, and saw action at the Battle of Bulge. His regiment had moved into Germany in 1945. In a memorable 2001 published interview with retired Boston Globe Managing Editor Tom Mulvoy, he said, ''By that time it was Holy Week, and the 354th crossed the river just ahead of us. Many of their men were killed by German machine-gunners hidden in the hills on the other side of the river. The next day, Good Friday, we had little or no opposition making our way across, and I found a church in a little village where several soldiers and I took part in the liturgy they were holding there. On Easter Sunday, in the town of Kiedrich, we had Mass in a church that was filled with American soldiers.''

''I realized when I was 12 that I wanted to study to be a priest,'' Father Joe told Mulvoy. ''But it was up to the church if it wanted to ordain me. I took nothing for granted, but 75 years later, I know I had it right. I wouldn't change a thing in what has been a very full and very happy life.''

He was a member in good standing of what NBC newsman Tom Brokaw has dubbed "The Greatest Generation" and he was delighted when Brokaw came to Cambridge to interview him and other WWII vets at their monthly lunch meetings. They called themselves "Romeos" &emdash; retired old men eating out.

'How the church conducts its services has always been very important to me,'' he said in that 2001 Globe interview. ''The switch from Latin to English in the 1960s was one of the most significant things to have happened in the life of my church, in my time as a priest.''

Father Joe was a founding member of a group of Boston priests who in the 1950's began meeting to discuss making the church liturgy more contemporary . Working with the great Boston College Jesuit Fr. Bill Leonard S.J. and several others, he began internal discussions within the church. A great friend of the late Richard Cardinal Cushing, Father Joe found a welcoming group of faithful among the Catholic students at Harvard University and Radcliffe College, where he became Catholic chaplain. Several years ago, I joined Father Joe in attending the wake for Father Leonard at St. Mary's Hall at BC. As we sat at St. Mary's, Father Joe recalled that the liturgical innovations they were discussing were not always well-received among the church hierarchy. "They used to call us 'Lit-niks'," he chuckled. But much of their work was incorporated into the liturgical changes growing out of the Second Vatican Council in 1964 and 1965.

Father Joe loved music during the liturgies, and he was delighted to serve, with director Ted Marier and St. Paul's then-pastor Msgr. Augustine F. Hickey, as cofounders of the Archdiocesan Choir School, also known as the St. Paul's School Boys Choir. He served 25 years at St. Paul's, from 1947 until 1971.

On my last visit with him, he pointed out some of the items he kept close to him in his room. In the corner was a set of golf clubs. They had sat unused for almost a full year. "I guess I won't be needing them again," he laughed.

Father Joe returned home one last time to Norwood on October 2. On the altar for his funeral was Cardinal Bernard Law, a longtime friend whom he had first met when the Cardinal was a student at Harvard. As the Archdiocesan Boys Choir filled the church with song, the Cardinal concelebrated the mass with Archbishop Sean O'Malley, and about 60 other priests. Cardinal Law accompanied his friend to his grave at Norwood cemetery, and later joined the Collins family - and all their cousins - for an after-funeral lunch at Concannon's Irish Village, an Irish music hall just off Norwood Center.

It was a wake and funeral that I simply had to attend. After all, Father Joe has been there for me all those years, at all those events.

"Preaching God's word, and helping people live the good life, those words define all I have ever wanted to do,'' he told Tom Mulvoy in 2001.

I will miss him. But I know my life was improved immeasurably by his friendship and good counsel.

(Donations may be made to the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School at St. Paul, Rev. Joseph I. Collins Endowment Fund, 29 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge.)

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