By Bill O’Donnell
Is Boston Famine Memorial Art, Or Something Else? – Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, the Boston Irish Famine Memorial has been gobsmacked as a justifiably reviled piece of sculpture by critics. Once again we learn that they (writers, journalists, et al.) don’t like it. The latest and most celebrated of the naysayers is the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning art critic, Sebastian Smee. Before Smee’s recent  harsh words there was Fintan O’Toole of the Irish Times, who spilled his spleen on the downtown Boston statuary for representing “pious cliches and dead conventions.”

The corner of Washington and School streets is home to the famine memorial and its centrality on the Freedom Trail makes it hard to miss. On a personal note ,that corner is one of my particular favorites and has been since I initially came upon it as a teenager, long before the now controversial statuary was erected. Now after 15 years, following a period of doubt and a wrestle or two with myself on what a memorial is intended to convey, I believe it’s the right statue grouping, on the right corner of Boston, and, yes, it’s a Memorial with a capital M, thank the good Lord,  and once again, thank you to the late Tom Flatley!
The root criticism, as I perceive it, is that the two groupings (one in agony, the second hopeful) are considered too obvious, too literal, too anti-abstract, and, of course, too “in your face.” One doesn’t have to devote too much work on first sighting to quickly grasp the message of the diaspora in the faces of the dispossessed and nearly dead. One doesn’t need some snappy, four-color brochure to represent the freedom that came at the end of the horrific coffin ship voyages that brought hope, and a new life after a leap into the unknown.
Yes, I like, even admire, the Boston Famine Memorial. It is what it was intended to be when the project leaders contacted the sculptor Robert Shure. They knew what to expect (his works are popular and plentiful) and together they accomplished their goal, with authority and no question marks. After too long a wait, we have a lasting memorial that recognizes history’s truth and tells its poignant story to some three million viewers each year. What’s the problem?
Shutdown Madness Over, It’s Time For Immigration Reform –Now that the silly, irrelevant, and politically deranged attempt to turn America into a facsimile of a know-nothing third-world joke, perhaps we might call on the members of Congress to get back to their desks and finish the long-overdue immigration legislation. A not unreasonable proposal is within the realm of possibility, especially when considering the long weeks of bipartisan meetings by legislators to carve out a viable compromise. Where’s the work product?
The current mishmash of laws, legislators, and agencies have collectively failed to meet their responsibilities to fashion a sane proposal to answer the core question of what to do with regard to the estimated 11 million undocumented foreigners in the US today. If the Congress tries to finesse the immigration question in the final months of 2013, it is unlikely that there will be any real progress in the new year with mid-term congressional elections on tap. That’s the history.
President Obama is strong for immigration reform. The question is can the fractured GOP get its act together, bring the House Tea Party folks on board, and do something to resolve the festering problem.
Loyalist Bands Growing, Seek Redemption – There are today at least 640 bands and 30,000 band members and marchers making music in the North and their numbers are growing. For some ,it’s the cultural ties in the Orange Order and a tradition passed from one generation to another; for others, it is religious or communal links that express their beliefs in the Protestant unionist history. There is an increasing number of young band members who believe that they and their traditions have been “demonized by negative headlines and a lack of understanding by nationalists.”
 One band leader referenced a legacy of that community’s historical ties and connections with the British military, noting that for two centuries the Protestant, unionist, and loyalist people of Ireland have expressed themselves musically. True enough, but that hardly begins to explain why Protestant marchers intentionally stop and play racist and offensive tunes in front of Catholic churches on the parade route.
Right or wrong, the message that these loyalist marching bands reflect is a triumphant militarism that antagonizes and insults Catholic nationalists.
New Irish Ambassador to US No Slouch – Ann Anderson’s career with Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Department has been a series of firsts. She was the first woman ambassador to the European Union from any member state. She became Ireland’s first female ambassador to France, to the United Nations in 2009, and now to the United States, in September after presenting her credentials to President Obama.
An interesting sidelight to the appointments of women to the Irish diplomatic Corps, which are growing in number in recent years, is that prior to joining the European Unions there was a marriage ban in the foreign service that precluded Irish women in top leadership positions. Ambassador Anderson noted in a recent interview that “there were generations of women whose talent and potential could not be fully utilized” during the earlier years of the marriage ban.
The new Irish envoy succeeds Michael Collins who has been named  ambassador to France.
Rural Ireland Can Be A Lonely Place – We all know that life on the farm and in rural Irish homes can be lonely and isolated. That reality has been underlined by a new report showing that suicides, especially among males, have been growing at an alarming rate. Last year there were nearly 500 suicides in the Republic of Ireland; that’s almost ten per week mainly in the west. An IFA official in the Galway organization, the Galway East Life Support, is leading an outreach program focusing on Irish males in rural settings in a suicide prevention campaign. A simple phone call to a helpline number, the IFA suggests, can save a life or alert community groups that a problem exists. Something along the lines of a visiting nurse program on a large scale in the west of Ireland might help in establishing networks with supporting funds provided by Irish government sources in partnership with rural church parishes.
Attleboro Teen Conquers All At All-Ireland Fleadh – Torrin Ryan, a US-trained Uilleann pipes player, went to Derry to compete with musicians from around the world and won first place. The eight-day festival, which attracted 20,000 musicians and 300,000 spectators, had Ryan competing on the Uilleann pipes against the best from Ireland and other countries.
Torrin’s parents, Matt and Cathy Ryan, were a little stunned by their son’s success. His mother said she was surprised that an American won on an instrument that very few in the US ever heard of or play. “I’m just so proud of him; he has put in a lot of time and practice to achieve this.” To travel and compete in Northern Ireland, Torrin had to first win in the preliminary rounds here in the United States.
Ireland’s Economy On Slow Road To Recovery – There is better news on the Irish economic front, led by reports that the Dublin stock market in the third week of October was at its highest level since September 2008. Around the world markets, many companies that came through the crash intact are now trading at levels not seen since the collapse of Lehman Brothers five years ago.
A further indication that Ireland is in the process of turning the corner is that low interest rates and cheap money mean that many investors have moved out of safe saving products, like bonds and deposit accounts, to buy shares. Mortgage holders also appear to be in line for an extended period of record-low interest rates. And it now appears that it could be 2015 before any Eurozone interest rates rise, which seems to be the course that incoming Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen is also following.
Ray Flynn Aids RI Nuns’ Good Work – Former Boston Mayor and Vatican Ambassador Raymond Flynn took some time off to help the Little Sisters of the Poor (Jeanne Jugan Home) in Pawtucket recently and had some supportive words for Pope Francis. Flynn, a conservative Catholic who lives his religion every day of his life, might, I thought, not be too enamored of the new pope and his surprising views and recent interviews, but he spoke encouragingly and in praise of the pontiff, noting his change in tone, “The humility he has is genuine. He is really an example of social and economic justice, helping the poor, helping the needy. He has no desire for power, or glory or worldly things. It is just amazing to me. This is him,” Flynn said, “and this why he is having such an important impact on society, even in this short period of time...He is giving people who have fallen away from the Catholic Church a reason to come back home. I think people will respond.”
JFK 50 Years Ago: A Time To Remember – The pain of departure is mostly gone but the memories endure. As November approached I have been thinking of the death of President John Kennedy, wanting to say something about the 50th anniversary and thinking, “It has all been said,” and indeed it has, at least most of it. But just today, almost on deadline, I was poking around the Irish papers and I saw it. A long and loving memoir by Helen O’Neill in the Irish Examiner that recalled through the mist of memory the group of young Irish cadets who came to Arlington National Cemetery to say goodbye to an American Irish President at the behest of the President’s Lady.
Jacqueline Kennedy recalled her late husband describing the 26-member Irish teenage cadet drill team that had accompanied him at the Dublin graveside ceremonies honoring the Easter Rising leaders, “the finest honor guard I have ever seen.” That was during JFK’s June 1963 trip to Ireland, but it prompted Mrs. Kennedy to ask if the Irish cadets could come to Washington to be the honor guard at the President’s  burial.
A hurried phone call to the cadets’ barracks in the Curragh from Ireland’s military chief of staff notified the cadets that “We are providing a guard of honor at the funeral of President Kennedy.”
The cadets on leave in and around Dublin were hastily assembled. In the words of one cadet who was ordered back to barracks, “All hell was breaking out!” Just hours later, the cadet ceremonial honor guard, with President deValera and other Irish officials onboard, headed for Washington on an Aer Lingus 707.
At the burial on the Arlington hillside in November, the 26 cadet team members lined up close to the Kennedy grave and in front of the assembled world leaders paid homage to the fallen president. Singularly moving was the ceremonial finale that saw the cadets, in silent precision, bend their heads over their rifles in a final, silent salute. It was a moment in history that those who witnessed it will never forget.
New Irish History Edition Published – October in Boston was a great month as ideal weather and Red Sox victories eased us into fall. And October also heralded the publication of Michael Quinlin’s new and exciting “Irish Boston: A Lively Look at Boston’s Colorful Irish Past.” Mike has updated his initial Irish Boston volume with a fast-moving narrative providing perspectives on Irish history and achievement and the names and lives of those who over the years have made Boston and its environs the most uniquely Irish city outside of Dublin.
“Irish Boston” is a book one can dip in and out of, or, instead, settle in for an afternoon read that covers the decades as nimbly as a veteran historian. Few who live or work here know “Irish Boston” as well as Mike Quinlin, a founder of the Boston Irish Tourism Association and prolific chronicler of all things Irish.
Save The Date – The Irish Consulate in Boston and the Irish Network are hosting a remembrance of Seamus Heaney, His Life and His Poetry, at the Boston Public Library main branch on Boylston Street from 6 p.m.to 8 p.m. on Wed., Dec.11. Admission free. No RSVP needed, but limited seating.
Severe Cuts Likely For Irish Health Service – One of the more troubled government delivery services in the Irish Republic in recent times has been in the widely criticized health area. Many of the problems have been with the “waits for service” in hospitals, people on hospital hallway gurneys awaiting a bed and formal admission. Another dangerous failure of the Irish health care industry has been the long and frustrating delays for patients in scheduling surgical procedures for anything except emergency operations. Many in need of surgery wait months, even years, for attention.
Another target of critics has been the disorganized, even casual, patient cancellations of doctor appointments. Ireland must lead the civilized world in cancelled appointment and no-shows by patients with medical staff. Thousands of booked medical visits go unfulfilled every week in hospitals from Galway to county Dublin, and little is done to fix the system.
Amidst what can kindly be called a healthcare service in desperate  need of reform with stronger leadership and life-saving budgeting, the Irish Health Minister, Dr. James Reilly, now is predicting cuts close to a billion dollars in overall health costs and eliminating 1,000 staff positions in next year’s budget.
While the Republic moves closer to fiscal stability the country is still a long way from a return to a full economy. However, in meeting the obligations to its debtors, it cannot forget the children, the elderly and the disabled.
RANDOM CLIPPINGS
 Belfast’s Waterfront Hall will pay tribute to Nobel Laureate Heaney during Belfast Music Week (Nov. 11-17) with a special appearance by the Ulster Orchestra as an “expression of civic gratitude.”… Gerry Kelly, a Sinn Fein member of the Stormont Assembly and former IRA volunteer, has written a book on the famous escape of republican prisoners from Long Kesh
in 1983. It’s not destined to be a big hit in the Orange Order halls. … Tech giant Intel has chosen the Irish Republic to design its major chip line, beating out Israel and the US. … The Catholic Church in Italy refused use of its churches and burial sites for Nazi war criminal Erich Priebke. That’s my sort of church. … Patriots coach Bill Belichick, when asked about team depth and its importance by a reporter, replied “It’s pretty important. You can’t have a team without players.” … Robo phone calls and telephone spam creeps are being targeted by new technology supported by the FCC. Can’t wait. … Is Irish Taoiseach Enda Kenny looking to emulate Bill Clinton by pledging, as Bill did, to break the cycle of social welfare by reform of the present system?
Five years ago the 36-acre Waterford Crystal factory was a popular tourist destination, but it has been razed to make way for an office park. … In need of funding for a proposed Louth-Down bridge near Carlingford, an SDLP local assembly member is urging the national Lottery to come up with the cash. … The controversial peace and reconciliation center set for the grounds of Long Kesh Prison has had its funding withdrawn by the EU. Rising costs and toxic politics are the culprits. … The heat surrounding Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams is growing more intense following his confused answers about what he knew and when he knew it regarding his brother Liam’s conviction in a Northern court of child abuse. … Baileys continues to be an enormous Irish success story, bringing in millions to Ireland and today being sold in 180 countries. … Michael O’Leary, the innovative chief of Ryanair who has the personality of a wounded coyote, has finally hired a PR Guru to soften his abrasive, insulting behavior. And not a minute too soon, I’d say.