Nuachtlitir Ard Chonsalacht na hÉireann

 

 

Newsletter of the Consulate General of Ireland Samhain – November 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Connect with us:


 

 

@IrelandinNY                                               ‘Ireland in New York Group’

 

 

 

 

Consul General’s Memo

Teachtaireacht an Árd Chonsul

 

 

 

 

 

  • Fáilte – Welcome to the November edition of the Consulate’s newsletter.

 

 

  • At the outset, I would like to extend my sincere sympathy to all those who suffered loss in Hurricane Sandy, whether in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut. Sometimes, it is in adversity that we see the very best in people. The response of the Irish organizations in the city, in particular the Irish Day of Action, with which the Consulate was honored to be associated on Saturday 24th November in the Rockaways  was all that is best about the Irish and Irish American communities in New York – Irish people of all ages and backgrounds coming together to do practical work for the benefit of those who suffered most, irrespective of their ethnicity.  Seeing nearly 1,000 Irish going about restoring the homes, neighbourhoods and livelihoods destroyed by Sandy would make you so proud.  It was certainly the proudest moment I have experienced as Consul General of Ireland in New York.

 

 

  • In the last month we have welcomed Minister of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan to New York as well as the GAA/GPA All Stars & their travelling companions Sam Maguire & Liam McCarthy.  The visits provided us with an opportunity to thank the players for all of the enjoyment they give to the Irish Community. Comhgairdeachas to everyone involved in what was a very successful visit.

 

 

  • We have continued our strong programme of economic promotion and in recent weeks Deputy Consul General Peter Ryan visited Pittsburgh on a programme arranged by our Honorary Consul, Jim Lamb. We look forward to developing closer business & cultural links with the city over the coming period.

 

 

  • Noel Kilkenny, Consul General

 

 

Ard Chonsalacht na hÉireann, Nua Eabhrac

 

 

CoderDojo Founder & IIBN

 

 

 

 

•          On 15 November, Minister Jimmy Deenihan addressed a meeting of the Irish International Business Network hosted by the Consulate, in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland, with James Whelton, founder of CoderDojo. The Irish International Business Network has chapters in Dublin, London and New York and works closely with the Consulate and Enterprise Ireland, the other most recent collaboration being a showcase of Irish fashion design which was hosted at Ireland House.

 

 

 

  • CoderDojo is a not-for-profit organization which is focused on teaching school kids how to computer code for free. In June, 2011, the first CoderDojo was launched in the National Software Centre, Cork, Ireland and there are now over one hundred dojos happening every Saturday afternoon in cities such as Dublin, Florence, Tokyo, LA, New York, San Francisco, London & Chicago. Whelton was honoured at the recent Dublin Web Summit becoming the youngest-ever recipient of the prestigious Ashoka Fellowship award. This was followed by being named the winner of the 2012 Social Entrepreneurs Ireland award and as an ‘Internet Hero’ at the Golden Spider Awards. See www.coderdojo.com for more details.


 

James Whelton of CoderDojo

 

  Ard Chonsalacht na hÉireann, Nua Eabhrac

 

 

 

JOIN US THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2012

 

 

IRISH DAY OF ACTION IN THE ROCKAWAYS

AND OTHER AFFECTED AREAS

 

 

 

This Holiday Season we invite you to become an Irish Meithea l Volun teer

a nd join us once aga in in The Rocka ways and other areas deva stated

by Superstorm Sandy. Thanks to a ll w ho made our first Irish Day of Ac tion

at Than ksgiving such a resound ing success- as many as 1.000 volunteer s helped

w ith the clean up. We are proud to suppo rt a ll the great work being done

by so ma ny organizatio ns a long the wat erfront in all the Boroughs.

 

To reg ister go to:

-w.surveymonkey.com/s/lrlshDayofAction

 

For updates visit Facebook: Irish Day of Action : www.facebook.com/lrishDayOfActionRockaway irishdayofac:tion    @yahoo.com

or cal l for more informat ion call

Michelle Doyle at 212 684 3:566 ext 127

 

Cultural News – An tÚll Glas

 

 

  • The New York Irish Centre in Long Island City will present John Huston’s film The Dead on Friday, 21 December at 7.30pm. The Dead is the final short story in James Joyce’s Dubliners.
  • The all-Irish cast includes Donal McCann and Angelica Huston.

 

 

  • Irish Repertory Theatre From 29 November to 30 December will feature “The Songs I Love So Well” which celebrates acclaimed Irish musician, songwriter and music producer Phil Coulter’s storied career. Coulter presents some of his best loved, and most personal compositions and folk songs, including “My Boy,” “Home from the Sea,” “The Man from God Knows Where,” “Keep a Candle in the Window,” and “The Town I Loved So Well,” about his childhood in Derry.

 

 

  • Also at the Irish Repertory Theatre, in the smaller W. Scott Mc Lucas Studio Theatre, Charlotte Moore directs “It’s a Wonderful Life a Live Radio Play.”  Set in a radio station in the 1940’s with a live sound FX artist this poignant drama comes to life with six actors portraying 25 characters.  This production runs from the 5th  to 30th December.

 

 

  • Irish Arts Center An Irish Christmas – A Musical Solstice Celebration

with Mick Moloney and Athena Tergis  December 7 – 22 Thursday – Friday

| 8 pm Saturday – Sunday | 3 pm and 8 pm

 

 

  • “This critically-acclaimed holiday concert has become a uniquely New York Christmas show for the entire family.  Mick Moloney leads a cast of America’s top Irish and world musicians through a warm and celebratory journey of music, dance and storytelling accompanied by the strains of the banjo, fiddle, accordion and piano.” Every night is a different experience as surprise guests drop in to each performance! Past visitors have included Gabriel Byrne, Dan Barry, Colum McCann, Ellen McCourt, Isaiah Sheffer, Sebastian Junger and Speaker Christine C. Quinn.

 

Christy McNamara exhibition in Ireland House

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christy McNamara’s exhibition of photographs – entitled ‘From Clare to here’ is currently being displayed at the Consulate General of Ireland until the end of December.

 

A professional artist from Crusheen, Christy McNamara is a keeper of the tradition that he learned through family and community at home in County Clare. He plays button accordion & concertina, & sings & composes. Equally, he is a photographic artist & a teller of stories. His photography captures an intimate portrayal of Irish rural life, beginning in County Clare. It is significant on both aesthetic and documentary levels: a specific focus on a locale, made with the insight of an insider, a local eye & understanding. His photography is influenced by the work of the great master documentary and portrait photographers of the 20th century. The images are all authentic photographic images; they are uncropped & are made from the original negatives .

 

His work has been exhibited extensively & it can be found in public collections, including that of Clare County Council & The Irish Traditional Music Archive. It has been sought after by private art collectors, including Hollywood Oscar-nominated screen writer Jeff Maguire & the actors Brad Pitt and Whoopi Goldberg.


 

 

 

 

 

 

Minister Deenihan with Christy McNamara at the official opening of the photo exhibition in Ireland House

 

 

 

 

  See   http://www.christymcnamara.com

 

 

 

 

 

107th Annual Mayo Ball: The Mayo Association in Philadelphia hosted its 107th annual ball with the Miss Mayo Pageant on November 3 at the Commodore Barry Club. Over 400 people in their glad rags turned out and danced the night away to music by the Theresa Flanagan Band.

 

124th Annual Donegal Ball: The Donegal Association hosted its 124th Annual Ball at the Commodore Barry Club on November 24. The Willie Lynch showband travelled in from New York, and the reigning International Mary of Dungloe, Meghan Davis from Philadelphia, handed her crown to the new Mary who will represent Philadelphia in Dungloe in 2013.

 

 

 

The Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame: The 12th annual awards ceremony took place on November 11 at the Commodore Barry Club. Kathy McGee Burns, the outgoing president of the Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame, Tom Keenan, Irish Edition photographer and and Siobhan Lyons, director of the Irish Immigration Center, were all inducted into the Hall of Fame for their significant contributions to the Irish community. The Irish American Business Chamber and Network also received a special award.

 

Monthly Luncheon at the Irish Center: The Irish and Immigration Centers hosted a joint monthly luncheon at the Commodore Barry Club on November 12th. Over 75 seniors from the greater Philadelphia area attended the event and enjoyed a delicious lunch while meeting up with some new and old friends.

 

 

 

 

 

Sam Maguire comes to Philly!: Donegal GAA fans from the greater Philadelphia area had an opportunity to get their hands on the Sam Maguire Cup when Jim McGuinness and a few Donegal All-Stars came to the Commodore Barry Irish Centre on November 13th. Hundreds of fans of all ages attended the event in their Donegal colors to get a photo with Sam!

 

Tay-Sachs Screening: The Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia conducted a Tay-Sachs disease carrier screening at the Irish Immigration Center on November 17th following an information and awareness presentation in the Irish Center last month. Tay-Sachs Disease is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that can be passed on to children when both parents are carriers of an altered gene. In the past, Tay-Sachs was often thought of as a Jewish genetic disorder due to its large presence among Ashkenazi Jews. But, cases of Tay-Sachs have been identified in the Irish population right here in Philadelphia over the last few years. That’s why Dr. Adele Schneider, director of clinical genetics at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia and her team at Einstein are conducting a study to find out just how high the carrier rate is among people of Irish descent. The study, the only one done in the Irish population since DNA testing for the gene mutation has been available, aims to screen 1,000 people, and is funded by the Albert Einstein Society and the National Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases Association of Delaware Valley. For more information contact Amybeth Weaver, MS , CGC at 484-636-4197 or Irish@tay- sachs.org.  More:  http://www.tay-sachs.org/irish_taysachs_study.php

 

Thanksgiving Luncheon: Over 50 seniors attended the Irish Immigration Center’s Thanksgiving celebration in Cawley’s Irish Pub on November 21st. Homemade scones is always the best way  to kick off the holiday season in Philadelphia.

 

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Oireachtas : The Mid-Atlantic Regional Oireachtas took place in Philadelphia over the Thanksgiving weekend also. Over 3,000 dancers attended the event.

 

Launch of Atlas of the Great Irish Famine

–      An Gorta Mór

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Monday, 13 November the Consulate hosted, in conjunction with University College Cork and New York University Press, the US launch of the ‘Atlas of the Great Irish Famine’, winner of the Best Irish Published Book of the Year for 2012.

 

The President of UCC, Michael Murphy and one of the Editors of the book, John Crowley, addressed the 100 or so attendees, together with Professor Joe Lee of Glucksman Ireland House at New York University.

 

In his welcoming remarks, the Consul General referred to the important role of the Famine in the formation of Irish-America. He noted that in many ways the Famine & its consequences are more openly discussed & better understood in America than in Ireland. He hoped that the Atlas & the recently opened Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut would deepen our understanding of this great tragedy.

 

Dr John Crowley, on behalf of the team involved in bringing the book to fruition, stressed the significance of the New York Consulate hosting the launch, quoting from the opening sentence of the chapter on the city – ‘between 1845 and 1855, over 900,000 Irish emigrants entered the port of New York, and by the end of the nineteenth century New York was the largest urban Irish settlement in the world’.

For more information see http://corkuniversitypress.com/Atlas_of_the_Great_Irish_Famine_/357/


 

 

 

 

 

The editors of The Atlas of the Irish Famine, Dr John Crowley, Michael Murphy, Professor William Smyth

 

Oideachas – Education

 

Conference of Irish Studies, Sacred Heart University,   19 –  20 October: Deputy Consul General Peter Ryan attended the New England Regional Conference for Irish Studies at Sacred Heart University.  The theme of this year’s conference was The West, how Ireland develops with EU commonality, the demise of the Celtic Tiger and a discussion on what place does The West have for Irish identity? http://www.sacredheart.edu/academics/collegeofartssciences/academicdepartment s/irishstudies/newenglandacisconference2012/

 

Empire Mock Trial Event – Marriott Hotel Brooklyn; Three schools from Ireland attended the Empire Mock Trial Association’s international trial advocacy event in New York City on Friday, 26 October: Holy Family, Newbridge, County Kildare; Eureka Secondary School, Kells, County Meath and St. Aloysuis, Carrigtwohill, County Cork.

 

Schools from five countries (Canada, Ireland, Korea, Britain & the United States) travelled to NY to take part in this unique experience.  The tournament is hosted by the Empire Mock Trial Association (“EMTA”), a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to legal education.  Mock Trial teaches students about the American legal system. Students portray the roles of witnesses and attorneys while arguing a fictional civil or criminal case before legal professionals in an actual courtroom.

 

 

American Irish Teachers Association held its 37th Annual Conference on Saturday, 10 November. The conference theme was ‘Memoir’ and was addressed by Maura Mulligan, Larry Kirwan & Alphie McCourt.  Deputy Consul General Peter Ryan attended the event & made some opening remarks, thanking the group for their work in promoting the study of Irish history & culture in the public schools system. He also spoke about the focus in Ireland over the coming years on a range of anniversaries, commemorating events such as the Great Lockout & Easter Rising.

 

Ard Chonsalacht na hÉireann, Nua Eabhrac


 

Larry Kirwan

 

Mark Pollock i Nua Eabharc

 

 

 

On Wednesday 7 November the Consulate hosted, in conjunction with the Irish Network New York City (IN-NYC), noted County Down-born adventurer Mark Pollock, for a talk and Q&A session. Nuala Mellett of the IN-NYC led the organisation of the successful New York ‘Run in the Dark’, which took place on 14 November.

 

 

Mark is a Trinity College Alumnus where he captained the University’s rowing team before losing his sight at the age of 22. Notwithstanding this, he competed in the Commonwealth games winning bronze and silver medals, rowed across the Irish Sea, completed six marathons in seven days across the Gobi Desert, the Everest Marathon, the North Pole Marathon and in 2009 he became the first blind man to trek to the South Pole whilst competing in a trans-Antarctic race.

 

 

In 2010 Mark was paralysed in a fall that rendered him wheelchair bound. The focus of Mark’s work is now on enhanced rehabilitation and up-scaling of therapies for people who have suffered spinal cord injuries. He is an inspirational figure & appears regularly on Irish and British television programmes, speaking about his experiences. His visit to New York was prompted by an invitation from a global company to address their worldwide innovation conference. See  http://www.runinthedark.org/

 

GAA / GPA Allstars in New York

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday 14 November the Consulate hosted the visiting GAA/GPA All Stars, led by Liam O’ Neill, Úachtarán Cumann Luthchleas Gael. The presence of the Sam Maguire and Liam McCarthy cups was the highlight of the evening.

 

 

The Gaelic Players Association honored Don Keough with the  first Gaelic Heritage Award on Thursday evening at a gala dinner. Don entertained everyone during his remarks, before paying tribute to the GAA players who he said are wonderful role models for so many young Irish people.

 

 

On Saturday evening, the game at Gaelic Park was a goal-fest with 16 goals being scored before an appreciative audience. Earlier in the day, the All Stars had taken the time to visit a number of clubs, including Rockland & Shannon Gaels, where they met with young boys & girls learning the trade. Overall the visit was a great boost to everyone promoting Gaelic games in New York. Go raibh maith agaibh uile.


 

 

 

 

 

 

Donal Óg Cusack with Liam O’ Neill & CG Kilkenny

 

Consular Update

 

 

  •     Travelling soon?

Please note that it’s currently taking a minimum of eight weeks for passport applications to be processed. If you’re travelling during the coming months, please check your passport’s validity and make sure to submit any applications for new passports to us in plenty of time. For more information on applying for passports, please visit http://www.consulateofirelandnewyork.org/home/i ndex.aspx?id=40076

 

 

 

 

 

 

Certified copies of Irish documents

If you need a Consulate-certified copy of your Irish passport, birth certificate or other Irish official document, please give us a call at (212) 319-2555 to make an appointment. Do remember that you can order original Irish birth, marriage or death certificates online from www.certificates.ie


  • Applying online for Irish citizenship through descent

If you are entitled to Irish citizenship through descent (for example, through a grandparent born on the island of Ireland) you can now apply for citizenship online! Visit http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=88045 for further information.

 

 

 

 

Ard Chonsalacht na hÉireann, Nua Eabhrac

 

Seanfhocal i nGaeilge

 

 

 

 

  • Seanfhocail i nGaeilge – Irish sayings are a great way to use your Irish everyday

and below are four new ones for your collection;

 

 

 

  • Fanann fear sona séan – the lucky man waits for the right moment;

 

 

 

  • Is fearr an tádh maith ná éirí go moch – its better to be lucky than to get up early;

 

 

 

  • Is í an chuideachta blas an bhéile – company gives the meal its taste;

 

 

 

  • Ní bhíonn grian can scáil – there is no sun without shadow.

 

 

 

  • Club Leabhar Nua Eabharc a bheidh ag plé ‘Béal Bocht’ le Myles na gCapalín ar an Sathairn, 15ú Nollaig ag Ionad na hÉireann – the Irish Book Club of New York will be discussing ‘Béal Bocht’ in the NY Irish Center on Satuirday, 15 December.

 

 

It’s just one stop from Manhattan on the 7 train. See www.newyorkirishcenter.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ard Chonsulacht na hEireann, Nua Eabhrac

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ireland House, New York – Áras na hÉireann, Nua Eabhrac

 

 

 

www.consulateofirelandnewyork.org

 

 

Ireland House New York was the first in the world to bring together all of Ireland’s key agencies and is home to the Consulate General of Ireland & the investment, trade & tourism promotion agencies – Bord Bia (The Irish Food Board) – IDA Ireland – Enterprise Ireland – Tourism Ireland & CIE Tours.

 

Connect with us:

 

@IrelandinNY                  ‘Ireland in New York Group’

 

 

 

Ard Chonsalacht na hÉireann, Nua Eabhrac

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