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THE CELTIC CONNECTION • MARCH 1997
THE GREAT IRISH FAMINE EVENT
Diaspora Welcomed Home 150 Years Later: A Conversation with the Lord Mayor of Cork
CORK CITY and the Port of Cobh was the last image of Ireland for many victims of the Irish famine as they set sail for the new world.
Unfortunately, the "coffin ships," as they would become known, were disease-ridden death traps.
Thousands were dead or dying upon arrival at the quarantine stations of Ellis Island, New York and Grosse Isle, Quebec.
Now, 150 years later, descendants of Irish emigrants from around the world are invited to return to Ireland to take part in "The Great Irish Famine Event."
All proceeds are in aid of The Great Irish Famine Trust, whose aim is to alleviate poverty, homelessness and long term unemployment in Ireland, in addition to contributing to worldwide, Irish-managed, famine relief organizations.
I spoke with His Worship Jim Corr about events planned to commemorate the famine this summer.
Mayor Corr, in my travels to Ireland, I haven't bad the op-
INTERVIEW BY CATHOLINE BUTLER
portunity to visit Cork, could you tell me more about the history of your city?
Cork is a very old city, having received a City Charter in 1185.
In the Nineteenth Century, because Cork had been a very important port, much food, particularly butter, grain and beef, was exported through here. These products were imported to distant parts of the British Empire.
In the Twentieth Century, Cork was a centre for what we would call "the smokestack industries." For example, American automobile manufacturer, Henry Ford originally came from County Cork, so he established a large car assembly company here.
Unfortunately, in the early Eighties, many of these plants suddenly closed down, leaving an enormous level of unemployment in the City of Cork.
As a result of a close liaison between the University of Cork,
THE LORD MAYOR OF CORK - His Worship Jim Corr
around in the past 15 to 18 years. This has resulted in significant
The Regional Technical College and the business world, the economy of Cork has been turned
Disagreement on Theme for New York Parade
By FRANK DURKAN
NEW YORK — There has been
sponsibility and endorsed and don has much to atone for, going implemented the laissez-faire back from this day through cen-
investments in the chemical industry, located mainly in the harbour area. Today, Cork is recognized as a centre of high-tech industries such as computer manufacture.
Because of its international airport, fine harbour with a deep water berth facility, and a university and technological institute quite capable of providing some
some controvesy in Ireland, re- policy of the then-Chancellor of turies of oppression. Also, that a Qf Europe's most highly skilled
garding a decision this year for a Famine "genocide" theme by organizers of New York's annual St. Patrick's Day parade. Some County Mayo Councillors have appealed to organizers to reconsider the "British genocide" theme, but their motion was opposed.
It should be remembered that many Irish Americans are descendants of Famine refugees and in thie U.S., which is barely 500 years old, various ethnic groups iook to their roots far beyond the shores of America.
This is as it should be, and cel-
the Exchequer Charles Trevelyan. This resulted in the deaths of one million Irish and the forced emigration of almost a million more.
Trevelyan refused to open the granaries filled with food to the starving Irish. He defended his policy of exporting the food from Ireland at the time when it was most needed by interpreting the Famine to be "the design of a benign Malthusian God, who sought to relieve overpopulation by natural disaster!"
It would be nice to think that the misery visited upon our people 150 years ago would never be
fair and just peace which it has within its power to implement, is the only way to eradicate the bitterness spawned by its unjust dealings.
I feel that the government in the U.S., equipped with a clear and
personnel, Cork is one of Ireland's growth centres. These are very attractive commodities to potential investors.
At the moment, the Irish economy is one of the strongest in Europe, in fact it is sometimes referred to
concise picture of the political as "The Emerald Tiger." This has game which Britain has played come about because inflation has
ebrations of ethnic heritage are repeated again, but one only has
commonplace and popular. This does not mean that we glorify everything that ever happened, but it does give validity to the theme that those who forget history are condemned to repeat its mistakes.
There is nothing wrong with labelling the Famine as "genocide." Genocide may be a matter of degree and I, for one, think the Irish Famine does not rise to the level of genocide practiced in Europe in the 1930s and 1940s.
However, it is important to remember that the British administration of the day, which had the responsibility of providing for the welfare of the people it claimed to protect, adandoned that re-
to look at Northern Ireland today and see that in fact, nothing has changed.
We don't have to go back too far. Bloody Sunday in 1972 is the most blatant example of the attitude of a government which has continued to display total insen-sitivity to the plight of its minority and indeed sanctioned the outright massacre of 13 people by British paratroopers.
Do Irish Americans have a right to remember? Not only do we have that right — we have an obligation — not "to bolster the image of the I.R.A.." or "fill the coffers of the men of violence," but to remind those who would listen that the government in Lon-
and is playing in Northern Ireland today, can ultimately broker a peace there — just as it has done in the Middle East, South Africa and elsewhere.
The theme of our parade in New York is most appropiate, and as long as Britain continues to treat our people as second class citizens, we intend to remind it and the rest of the world that we have not forgotten the ills of the past and that we will do all in our power to see that history does not repeat itself.
•
Frank Durkan is a prominent Irish
been consistently low over the last five or six years. Inflation is about two-and-a-half percent and interest rates are low and the gross national product of last year grew by over six percent.
There are many foreign firms in Cork, including quite a number from North America. The Industrial Development Authority (IDA) deals with investments in any part of Ireland and the IDA has an office in Cork City.
The IDA provides the investor with an advanced factory located on an industrial estate, with American Lawyer with theH power, water and telecommuni
O'Dwyer, Durkan and Bernstein in New York City, which was instrumental in arranging President Clinton's recent visit to Ireland.
The Durkans and O'Dwyers are
cations. Overseas firms get special tax incentives and there is no problem with foreign investors repatriating the profits of their enterprises.
Since many of the ships sailed
originally from Bohola, County from Cork, could you elabo-Mayo, Ireland. Durkan's Law Part- rate on the commemorative ner Paul O'Dwyer has made sev- activities planned in Cork for eral trips to Northern Ireland re- the 150th anniversary of the garding the Peace Process. famine?
I will be welcoming home many of the descendants of those who left Ireland under very sad conditions. Actually, the famine commemorations have been going on here for about a year-and-a-half now, since the famine really began in 1845- The worst year was 1847, and it is referred to in Irish folklore as Black 47.
The Great Irish Famine Event is the official closing for the Irish Government's famine commemorations. It has been fully endorsed by the U.S. Government, who have appointed a White House member-of-staff as a liaison officer to event organizers.
Our aim is to gather together, from all over the world, about 100,000 descendants of emigrants from the famine era, to take part in a unique final commemoration of that great tragedy. The event will begin with symbolic re-enactments of the many walks along hunger roads from villages and towns all over Ireland.
The descendants will then make their way to Cobh Harbour, which in the days of the famine, was known as Queenstown. This was the port out of which approximately 80 percent of the famine victims departed. Each descendant who goes to Cobh for these commemorations will place a flower on-board a famine-era ship.
Then, visitors will make their way to the town of Millstreet to a specially constructed village and arena, where they will take part in a day and night-long wake-cum-celebration. On May 31 and June 1, the cream of the crop of internationally renowned Irish artists will be there to entertain the gathering in the main arena.
In the village, there will be a host of pubs and eating houses with seisiuns (dancing, storytelling and singing). The village will remain open for some time after the commemorative events for those unable to be in Millstreet in June.
Finally, the event will draw to a close on June 1, with a special simultaneous candle-lighting ceremony around the world, particularly in North America, Australia and Britain. In Cork, this will take place against the backdrop of the famine ship leaving Cobh harbour.
This ceremony will be broadcast live by television and is expected to be the biggest event of its kind ever held in Ireland.
It will not only honour those who died, but also the accomplishments of those who were forced to leave their homeland. On your continent, many Irish immigrants have been very successful, and here in Ireland, we are intensely proud of those people.
Everyone is invited to visit County Cork this summer. For more information on the famine comme-moratons, write to: The Great Irish Famine Event, Pembroke House, Main Street, Dundrum, Dublin 14, Ireland. Telephone (011) 353-21-966222 or fax (011) 353-21-318924.