| Letters June/July issue
Top Irish Dancer
While Michael Flatley is an important person in the world of Irish dance,
your recent piece was written in such a way as to imply that he and his
ideas on Irish dance were the force behind the “new” Irish dance, and that
really isn’t accurate. Mr. Flatley has done amazing things and deserves
accolades for his success and the effect of that success on reinvigorating
Irish dance.
But there was at least one Irish dancer and troupe who were working to
move Irish dance ahead and who arguably were doing it before Mr. Flatley
did. The Trinity Irish Dance Company and their founder, Mark Howard (also
of Chicago, wonder if it’s the water that causes two such serious Irish
dancers to come forth), have indeed been forging new ground later popularized
by Mr. Flatley.
My point isn’t to take away anything from Mr. Flatley but to point out
that he hasn’t been working alone to move Irish dance forward, and in an
article celebrating artistic achievements, to not put a company such as
the Trinity Irish Dance Company, and their director, Mark Howard, into the
spotlight for their contributions to the genre is simply a terrible oversight.
John McGing
Columbia, Maryland
Editor’s Note: We have been pleased to feature Mark Howard and Trinity
in past Top 100 issues.
Readers can check out Trinity’s web-site at:
http://www.trinity-dancers.com.
Forget Hannity, Matthews & O’Reilly
I always look forward to the Top 100 Issue of Irish America. And while
I do not always agree with your selections, those included always seem to
be worthy.
I am mystified, however, by the inclusion of Sean Hannity, Chris Matthews
and Bill O’Reilly in this year’s issue. These three are devotees of the
reprehensible trend in opinion mongering that exalts invective and insult
over insight and illumination. They are of a breed admitting of no doubts,
heavily weighted with hubris, that believe that the argument is won by the
most abusive, and that the day is carried by the one who yells the loudest.
It matters little what label is attached to these three – liberal, conservative,
independent – for they share a style that is neither clever nor edifying
but merely rude. They hardly exemplify the “noblest of our race” as they
turn the gift of language into a weapon of destruction.
They are the antithesis of another honoree, Brian Lamb of C-SPAN, who
truly does represent us fittingly as people – a people who hold in high
regard the long cherished Irish notion of gracious hospitality.
John P. Murphy
North Platte
Nebraska
Ryan Is Not Tops
I can’t believe you featured George Ryan in your April/May issue. He
may be Irish but he is an alleged crook! Many Republican politicians in
Illinois have this problem.
If you want to feature a Governor – how about Governor Jim Doyle, of
Wisconsin – he is Irish and a Democrat. He is also an honest and honorable
man who is going to clean up the mess left by 16 years of Tommy Thompson
who is now in Washington D. C. with the Bush administration.
Also, I can’t believe you can praise someone like football player John
Lynch. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have played the Green Bay Packers twice
a year for many years so I know this team and John Lynch is not a nice man.
I do love your magazine and have just renewed for three more years.
Thanks for letting me vent!
Marjorie Shaughnessy
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Top 100 Angels
Your Top 100 list should have included two Irishmen who were key factors
in the Anaheim Angels winning the 2002 World Series.
Adam Kennedy (the ALCS MVP) ranked 7th in the AL last year with a .312
batting average, including .404 in August, and Brendan Kevin Donnelly was
arguably the Angels’ best pitcher during the World Series.
Patrick Barry
Laguna Woods, California
Remembering Rockaway
Your inclusion of legendary boxing trainer and commentator Gil Clancy
in the Top 100 sent me on a trip down memory lane. I’m 73 years old now
but I remember Mr. Clancy’s “Irishtown” of The Rockaways very well. I especially
remember the bars: John J. Brennan’s Innisfail, the Leitrim Ballroom, and
of course, the best bar in the world, right on the boardwalk, Healy’s.
Clancy mentions Al and Dick McGuire but he left out Maguire’s Bar with
the basketballs on display in the front window.
If my memory serves me, Irishtown ran from 102nd to 107th Streets. On
Sunday afternoons all the families gathered and the children step-danced
to the sound of Irish bands. Our favorite Sunday afternoons were spent in
the Leitrim Ballroom doing the Stack of Barley, with all of us Micks in
football jerseys and Boxer bathing suits. On the long ride home to Astoria
and Woodside, with our sunburns, we sang Irish songs. We were not fortunate
enough to know how much pride we carried on our young shoulders – we could
have licked the world, and some of us did.
George Brennan, USN Ret.
Master Chief Gunners Mate
Gretna, Louisiana
More Military
You had a scant mention of Irish American military members in your Top
100 issue. If you have been watching the Iraq campaign unfold on TV, you
surely noticed the entire Irish American general officers and officers of
all ranks as well as the grunts including two POW’s Lynch & Reilly.
Jim Byrne
Received by E-mail
Baseball’s Irish Dream Team
I admire Ron Kaplan’s research in recruiting Patsy Donovan (1890-1907)
to his Irish Dream Team (Feb./Mar. issue) which featured past and contemporary
baseball players.
Pat Donovan was my father. Starting as a young Irish immigrant in Lawrence,
Massachusetts, he avoided the usual destiny of working in a textile mill
for $.90 a day by his superb athletic ability. Step by step, he advanced
to a great major league career, where as Kaplan pointed out, he produced
over 2200 hits with a lifetime average of .301. At one time the highest
paid player (while with the St. Louis Cardinals), he served 17 years in
the major leagues of which nine were as player/manager. He played in over
1000 games while player/manager – a comment on his leadership ability.
Patsy’s name was on the original 1936 Hall of Fame ballot. Since then,
my sister, Ellenora O’Brien and I have nominated him for Hall of Fame consideration
in 2000, 2001, and 2002. In the recent February 2003 selection, his was
the first name added to the list of 200 candidates, later narrowed to 25.
He did not make that cut; nobody was selected in final balloting.
Our nomination to the Hall of Fame included his outstanding statistics
and profile of his personality, character and influence on others. It is
a remarkable story.
Charles M. Donovan
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
What About Pie & Eddie?
Ron Kaplan’s article on baseball was very good; however, it failed to
mention two other Irish American Hall of Famers. Second baseman Eddie Collins
and third baseman Pie Traynor are arguably better selections to the All-Irish
Dream Team at their positions.
Steve Bratthauer
South Elgin, Illinois
And Danny & Mickey
In reference to this very good article I would like to bring up the names
of two others for consideration.
They are Danny Murtaugh and Mickey Vernon.
Danny played from 1941 to 1951 mainly with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
In 1957 he became the head coach of Pittsburgh and managed them to win two
World Series Pennants. I don’t want to take anything away from the accomplishments
of Connie Mack, so I would make Danny an assistant coach.
Mickey Vernon played from 1939 to 1960 most of it with the Washington
Senators. He won two batting crowns with averages of .353 and .337. His
statistics match up with other people who are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
The latest person trying to get him inducted into the Hall is Harry Kalas,
who was recently inducted into the broadcasters wing of the Hall. In his
last playing year, 1960, he went from player to assistant coach with Danny,
when Pittsburgh won the World Series.
Jim Bradley
Received by E-mail
The Good Luck of Bad Luck
I only recently had an opportunity to read your editor’s column on Irish
Luck (Dec./Jan. issue). I wish I had read it two nights ago, because last
night I gave a short talk (as if an Irishman could ever give a short talk)
to a meeting of the Knights of Columbus here in Sun City Center, Florida
about the Irish in America.
I am President of the local County Division of The Ancient Order of Hibernians
and so, of course, the Knights of Columbus thought I knew all about the
Irish in America – how wrong they were. I do know and told them about the
struggles the Irish have had over the centuries, and so your column struck
a chord with me. As an Irish American, I am proud of the land of my forefathers
and even more proud of this land. I can’t think of anything better than
to identify myself as an Irish American.
Tom Bennis
Sun City Center, Florida
Ex-Prisoners Discriminated Against
A decision of the House of Lords Leave Committee on February 17, 2003
has highlighted the Good Friday Agreement’s failure to satisfactorily address
the issue of ex-prisoners. Many are prohibited from obtaining a road service
[operator’s] license in Northern Ireland, under Part 2 of the Transport
Act (N. Ireland, 1967), because they have served a prison sentence of more
than 30 months’ duration.
Their Lordships refused leave because the Northern Ireland case did not,
“raise an arguable case of general public importance, which ought to be
considered.” N. Ireland’s Lord Chief Justice had also previously refused
leave. He dismissed a Court of Appeal judicial review application in May
2002 that had sought to overturn the disproportionately harsh manner in
which the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment has interpreted
European Council Directive 89/438/EEC which specifies that in order to obtain
an operator’s license the applicant must be “of good repute,” but a sentence
of more than 30 months’ duration in N. Ireland can never become a spent
conviction within the meaning of the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Northern
Ireland) Order 1978.
It is highly unlikely that the Good Friday Agreement will be renegotiated
to take account of ex-prisoners, but the draconian manner in which the DoE
has interpreted and implemented the European Directive now needs to be satisfactorily
addressed by all the parties to the Agreement when the legislature resumes
its functions. Ex-prisoners ought not to be penalized by being prevented
from earning a living for the rest of their lives, because they were drawn
into a protracted political conflict.
Joseph McParland
Newry, Co. Down
Note: McParland is an ex-prisoner who was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment
for possession of arms and explosives on June 1, 1990. The original application
for an operator’s license was made on September 27, 1997.
The MacMahon Kings
I have launched an effort to replace the coronation stone of the MacMahon
Kings of Oriel in County Monaghan and I am attempting to reach descendents
and interested persons wherever they may be. I’ve launched this website
toward that end: www.mcmahonsofmonaghan.org
James McMahon
Received by E-mail
|
