SEPTEMBER 2002
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TRIBUTES TO TWIN TOWER HEROES
BELFAST - The families of hundreds of firefighters killed in the September 11 attack on New York's Twin Towers will benefit from two musical tributes by Irish songwriters.
More than 2,830 people were killed when two hijacked jetliners hit the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan on September 11 last year.
As many as 343 New York fire fighters, many of Irish ancestry, were killed while trying to rescue office workers trapped in the office blocks.
Belfast-based guitarist John Close was moved to tears by the tragedy. He said, "I just felt that I had to do something for the memory of these firefighters and their families." But the full extent of the suffering was brought home to him when he began to read about the lives of those who were killed.
"The song is called No Time To
Say Goodbye and it is about all those unsung heroes," he said. "I wanted people to know their names and that they were human beings and not just a number.
"The song tells of Franciscan priest Father Mychal Judge who was the chaplain to the New York Fire Department. He had visited Belfast in the early 1990s to support the peace process. He was loved by all the firefighters and he died at the Twin Towers administering the last rites to a dying firefighter.
"There was also James Coyle whose two grandfathers had been New York firefighters before him. His whole life he wanted to be a fireman. When he graduated his grandfather presented him with his old helmet. He also died at the Twin Towers.
"There was firefighter John Michael Collins who worked with New York's homeless in his spare time. And there were people like New York policemen Steven
Driscoll and Maurice Smyth who both died trying to save others. The list is endless, but I just wanted to do something to recognize their sacrifice."
The song is already being played by Irish radio stations on the east coast of America and all proceeds are going to the families of those who have been killed and injured. Close will officially hand over all the rights of the song to the appeal fund.
A number of Limerick musicians have also collaborated on a song dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives on September 11. Lyrics to Footsteps of a Stranger are by Philip Scanlon, and the music composed by producer Phil Rafferty.
The song has been recorded by singer Greg Ryan, who was voted the Pop Singer of the Year in a recent 2FM competition. The effort was aided by donations from Limerick churches and proceeds will go to victims' relatives.
Minute's Silence to Richard
Recall September 11
DUBLIN - Irish citizens will be asked to observe a minute's silence on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks in the United States. The gesture of respect was called for by the Government and is hoped that homes, schools, offices and factories will observe the silence.
The minute's silence will be observed at 1:46 PM Irish time, which is when the first hijacked airliner collided with the North Tower of the World Trade Centre in Manhattan. Similar silences are expected to take place around the world, in solidarity with a coast-to-coast stoppage in the U.S. Virtually all EU states are expected to hold similar vigils.
Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen is to go to New York for the anniversary. He will attend a commemorative Mass at the Irish Consulate to honour the 12 Irish victims who died in the tragedy which claimed 2,800 lives. The Taoiseac'i and ministers have been invited to a commemorative service at the U.S. Embassy in Dublin on September 11.
Meanwhile, the renowned Kilkenny Gospel Choir - the largest gospel choir in Europe - will stage a tribute concert to remember the victims. A special feature of the evening concert at St Mary's Cathedral, James Street, Kilkenny, will be a live radio link with firefighters in Manhattan at the conclusion of commemorative services at Ground Zero. Representatives from Kilkenny's emergency services will also attend the concert.
Why Memorialize a Day of Defeat?
By CYNTHIA AUSTIN
I read an editorial recently that questioned the necessity of marking the anniversary of September ll, a day one year ago that wrought such change in our lives. After all, asked this well-known writer, why should we memorialize a day of defeat? Better let it pass and be done than institutionalize a loss.
I cannot agree. That lovely, crisp day that turned so tragic, must be acknowledged. The ways in which the memories of such loss and upheaval are to be recognized are as individual as there are hearts to feel it. No universal sentiment can encapsulate an event that left each of us asking silent questions that can never be answered.
Some may find solace in the carefully crafted speeches of media personalities, others a walk in a garden, a church ceremony or a gathering of friends. But mark it we must - for it is only by looking straight at our losses with unswerving eye that we can again commit ourselves to resisting the intolerance so prevalent in our personal and political lives.
From reflection may come our renewal. From vigilance against our prejudices may come our contribution to peace. To those who passed over on that terrible morning, our grief for you remains. May you and those who love you be given grace on this sad anniversary.
Harris ^Seriously
IIP in Hospital
LONDON - Fiery film star Richard Harris is seriously ill in a London hospital after contracting pneumonia. The prolific Limerick-born actor who will be 72 in October was rushed to an intensive care unit after falling ill at his suite in the Savoy Hotel.
The Harry Potter actor, who grew up on a farm with eight brothers and sisters, has always had a hard-drinking, hard-living reputation. His two favourite drinking buddies in the 1960s were fellow Irish actor Peter O'Toole, and the Welsh thespian Richard Burton.
He achieved stardom in 1963 with the Academy Award nomination for This Sporting Life and went on to win an Oscar for Camelot in 1967.
Harris, who was knighted by Denmark in 1985, has always suffered precarious health. It has been reported that he had received the last rites twice during his life.
A bout of tuberculosis ended his ambition of becoming a professional rugby player and he almost died from another bout of pneumonia in the mid-1960s.
The actor is currently earning legions of young fans in his role as Professor Albus Dumbledor, the head of Hogwarth's school for witches and wizards in the Harry Potter trilogy.
He has already finished filming the second movie in the series, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, which is due to be released in November. Harris had been due to begin working on the final film Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when he became ill.
A warm Irish welcome awaits you at Ottawa's only Irish Village smack in the heart of Canada's
Capital City. Located in the historic Byward Market Area, The Heart and Crown, The Snug Pub, The Black Rose and Mother McCintey's, make up the Irish Village.
Each pub offers it's own ambiance with Celtic entertainment, traditional food and beverage, along with the best "craic" 3nd largest patios in the city.
Owner, Larry Bradley (Omagh), extends a warm welcome to drop into the village on your next visit to the Capital and says," we have the best corner on the market".
Located at: 67 Clarence Street, Ottawa, Ontario Tel: (613) 562-0674 Fax: (613) 562-3278
www.heartandcrown.com