THE DEATH OF BABY FLORENCE: AN IRISH MOTHER’S RESPONSE

June 3, 2012 By in FAMILY HISTORY, HUMANITY, IRELAND, LIFE Tags: , , , , , 9 Comments

TODAY’S SONG: SLUMBER MY DARLING/written by STEPHEN FOSTER and performed by ALISON KRAUSS

After posting my video “The Death of Baby Florence” in April I was surprised by the number of comments I received, particularly from Ireland. If you watched the video (link below) or read an earlier story, I tell of my search for the burial site of my mother’s unbaptized sister Florence who was denied burial in a New York Catholic cemetery. What I didn’t know was how widespread this practice was in Ireland and the impact it had on so many families.  

According to Catholic theology, babies who were stillborn or who died shortly after birth and had not been baptized could be denied a cemetery burial in consecrated ground. In many Irish parishes, the babies were secretly buried in the hedgerows and ditches around the cemetery between dawn and dusk by the parents themselves so that the babies could be close to consecrated ground.  In some parishes there were infant burial places called cillíní.  Cilliní were the designated resting places for individuals considered unsuitable for burial within consecrated ground by the Roman Catholic Church, most traditionally, unbaptised infants.  There are thousands of unmarked mass graves throughout Ireland, in which are buried tens of thousands of stillborn babies and babies who died shortly after birth. The babies, like Florence are hidden and secret, as though they never existed.

For many years, parents were not allowed to grieve after the death of a baby and there was little understanding of the need to grieve. Often parents did not see their babies – they were not allowed to hold or cuddle them. They were discouraged from arranging a funeral and were told to forget their loss as quickly as possible. “Have another,” they were told. 

Late last year B.B.C. Radio Northern Ireland aired a program called “Limbo Babies.”  The documentary included an interview with Ron Smith-Murphy, the national chairperson for A Little Lifetime Foundation, an organization that helps grieving parents as well as assist parents trace the location of babies buried in communal graves.  Smith-Murphy tells of her parent’s journey to Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin to trace their daughter Carol, thirty-three years after her birth. When Carol was stillborn it was the practice for the hospitals in Dublin to bury the babies in a communal grave in Glasnevin cemetery called the Holy Angels Plot.  Over fifty-thousand infants are buried in the Plot, which is now called the Angles Memory Garden. 

Not long after I posted my video I received a note from a friend, Connie Roberts, an Offaly, Ireland native and the 2010 winner of Ireland’s prestigious Patrick Kavanagh Award for Poetry. Connie and her foster-mother, Eileen, viewed the “The Death of Baby Florence” together. I was surprised to once again read the words “Holy Angels Plot” and “Glasnevin.”

Here are their thoughts:

Hi Charles,

My foster-mother, Eileen, from County Offaly was just here for a visit.  She recently turned eighty and has a few health issues, so we had to stick close to home.  Over the course of the few weeks we often chatted and one night she happened to mention a baby girl that she lost nearly fifty years ago: Clare was born in a Dublin hospital but died two days later. (I’d never heard about this part of her life before.)  The baby was taken from her and buried in some unknown grave in Dublin. Eileen had no say in the matter. 

Needless to say, this incident caused her terrible mental anguish, both then and in subsequent years.  It wasn’t until several years ago, when she heard on the radio about an organization in Ireland that helped reunite mothers and children (I believe the same organization, A Little Lifetime Foundation, reached out to you on your blog) was she offered some hope.  To cut a long story short, she found the unmarked grave where her daughter was buried.  It was a bitter-sweet moment.

To this day, her loss haunts her.  I told her about your film, about Florence, and we sat down and watched it together.  She was very moved by it. I know she found comfort in watching it, as well as in reading all the responses to it on your blog.  For the rest of the vacation, Clare entered our daily conversations as easily as if she were still here with us.  The need to talk about her lost daughter was palpable. Thank you, Charles, for your part in all of this.  God knows, how many lives you’ve touched with your work…

Hope to see you soon.

Warm wishes,

Connie

I responded to Connie:

Hi, Connie.

Thank you for your kind words and for sharing that story. 

Yes, the response in Ireland has been incredible. I have been contacted by a person who is doing a radio documentary who would like me to contribute to that, an archeologist, Toni Maguire, who is doing research on burial sites in Belfast, Ireland and who has uncovered thousands of graves, and an on-line TV station, Anlar TV, which showed “The Death of Baby Florence” a number of times in the past week. 

I plan on writing a follow-up on the impact of Baby Florence’s story. I would love to include what you wrote if that’s okay. I think people should read Eileen’s story.

All the best and I hope I see you soon, too. 

Connie wrote back:

Hi Charles,

I asked my foster-mother if you could write about her story in your follow-up piece and she happily gave permission.  A few details you might need:  The hospital in Dublin where she gave birth to Baby Clare was Holles Street; the cemetery where she eventually found her daughter buried–with the help of that organization in Ireland–was Glasnevin.  The plot of ground was called “Holy Angels Plot.” 

Now, I hasten to add that Eileen said that she never felt that Baby Clare was in that cold ground (her coping mechanism I suppose).  A religious woman, she felt Baby Clare went straight to heaven and became an angel. And I can’t stress enough how much she believes that Baby Clare has been a guardian angel to the rest of her three children throughout their lives.  She recounted how years ago, when one son–a man now in his 40′s living with his family in Australia–was a long-distance truck driver on the Continent in Europe told her of how, many times when he felt himself falling asleep while driving, he’d feel someone tapping him on the shoulder to keep him awake.  They both felt (and still feel) it was Angel Clare.

The writer in me feels compelled to tell you of one great turn-of-phrase my foster-mother used when relaying her story:  “No more than if I’d had a tooth pulled…” (She was describing people’s (family, as well as professionals) reaction to her loss.  She recalled (with the slightest bit of anger still) how family members didn’t have the wherewithal to remove (for a short time, at least) all of Baby Clare’s things:  Eileen literally went home to an empty cradle.  She didn’t even know where her child was buried.

As my foster-mother lay in bed that night, we discussed the video and how organizations like A Little Lifetime Foundation give parents an opportunity for prayer and remembrance.  Something Ireland lacked……back then, at least.

Speaking of children, I’ve got to put my little lad down to bed now. 

All the best,

Connie

 

 

I REMEMBER: VIETNAM, MY FRIENDS AND MEMORIAL DAY

May 28, 2012 By in FATHERS AND SONS, FRIENDS, HUMANITY, LIFE, VIET NAM Tags: , , , 9 Comments

I published this story of my friends and classmates who fought in the Viet Nam War a year or two ago. I thought it appropriate that I republish it today, Memorial Day. 

TODAY’S SONG: PLEASE REMEMBER ME/TIM MCGRAW

Winston Churchill said of the Royal Air Force pilots who were fighting the Battle of Britain, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” If Churchill were alive today he might say of Viet Nam vets, “Never in the field of human conflict has so little been said about so many.”

I’m a history buff who watches a fair number of History Channel programs. During this Memorial Day weekend I’ve watched one World War II show after another.  I must admit I am always moved by the experience of those we consider the “Greatest Generation.” I think of my father, my uncles, and my friends’ fathers who sacrificed for their country.  And yet, I find myself aggravated, often agitated, by the dearth of Viet Nam programs; I haven’t seen one.

I graduated from Sanford H. Calhoun, a high school in Merrick, NY, located on the South Shore of Long Island.  We had a disproportionate number of students killed and wounded in the war; I believe the number of deaths stands at seventeen. My classmates and friends died in combat, one  died in a POW camp, another commited suicide upon his return, and I watched the physical and mental suffering of others. Many  have borne the weight of those scars throughout their lives.  And then there is the family suffering. The toll has been enormous.

I think of my father, a proud WWII veteran, and I know exactly what he’d say about this injustice.  Those of you who knew him  can probably hear him too.  It’d be simple: “Charles, it’s a cryin’ shame.  These guys haven’t received their due.”  I couldn’t agree more.  It burns my butt that “these guys” have been shuffled off to the historical waste bucket. Is our country suffering through a form of collective amnesia?

I understand very well the divisive nature of the war, but I know firsthand that a large number of our servicemen, many barely eighteen-years old, went off to Viet Nam believing that they were fighting a just cause. I also know that many felt they were protecting what they so cherished, the right to free speech, the right to dissent, and even the right to heap scorn on them upon their return. But at what price?

So on Memorial Day I’d like to say to my friends and classmates, to those who are gone and to those who are with us, I thank you for your service. To John, Joe, Fred, Mike, Don, Paul, Skip, Larry, Roger and Bob, and to those I never knew, I’m thinking of you all.  

If my  father were alive he’d be fighting this veil of silence. My twenty-three year old son, Chris, who is just learning about the war, is angry at the injustice; he’s thinking of you too.  And all I can do is tell your story. I wish I could do more.

But I remember you.  I always will.

NOTE: Pictured from top to bottom, including the year they graduated from S.H. Calhoun: Frederick Burns ’67, Joseph Simone ’65, Roger Huestis ’66, Lawrence Koch ’66,  and Robert Piazza ’66.  



THINKING OF THE VETS: MY FATHER, MY FAMILY AND MY FRIENDS

May 27, 2012 By in FAMILY HISTORY, FATHERS AND SONS, FILM, FRIENDS, MEMOIR, MUSIC, SIXTIES' SONGS, VIET NAM Tags: , , 14 Comments

THE IMAGES, STORIES and SONGS of WAR: HOW I DEFINE the PAST  

At some point during the Memorial Day weekend my mind turns to the Vets, including my father, my uncles and my friends. Photographs, music, and stories connect me to each of them in a very personal way and, to a great extent, define the way I remember each of them.

My view of WWII, and those of my father’s generation is filtered through tender songs of longing and old grainy black and white photos. They paint a picture of a nostalgic time, when patriotism and fighting for freedom seemed to transcend loss.

And then I think about my friends and Vietnam. The songs are edgy, the images are clear and intense, and my friends’ words caste a very different shadow, uninfluenced by the haze of nostalgia.  

If you’ve taken the time to visit this sight today, I thank you for that. And I thank all of the vets for their sacrifices. I have great admiration for each of them, particularly those I knew and loved. 


IRISH AMERICAN WRITERS & ARTISTS’ SALON AT THE CELL 5/15/2012

May 17, 2012 By in FILM, IRELAND, IRISH AMERICAN WRITERS & ARTISTS, MEMOIR, MUSIC, NEW YORK CITY, STORYTELLING, WRITING Tags: , 2 Comments

TODAY’S SONG: SAN PATRICIO BRIGADE 

Todd Pate began the Irish American Writers & Artists’ Salon at The Cell reading an excerpt from his “non-fiction novel” in progress, Most of America, documenting a two-month Greyhound bus trip through the United States last year, and the people he met along the way.  (More excerpts will be published June 1st at The Straddler.)

Todd spoke of his Texas upbringing near the Mexican border and it was the perfect segue to a collaborative work produced by Larry Kirwan and me. Larry’s band, Black 47, recorded the tune “San Patricio Brigade,” which Larry wrote, and I created the short film using video clips of Black 47, old photos and art work. “San Patricio Brigade” is the story of Irish American immigrants who, upon arrival in America, joined the army, were sent to fight in the Mexican-American war, deserted, fought for the Mexicans and were eventually hanged.

John Kearns presented a scene from his play In The Wilderness which opens at the Bleecker Street Theatre on May 31st.  The cast included — Octavia Chavez-Richmond, Stephen Jangro, Marilyn Mineo, Edward Raube-Wilson, Hannah Timmons, Cristina Torres, and Nirayl Wilcox* (* Appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association. Equity approved showcase.) In the scene, set in a South Bronx high school, Paul Logan sends Carmen Marquez, the student-poetess for whom he has the highest hopes, to the guidance counselor’s office for skipping school.  The tables are turned on Paul as Irish guidance counselor, Kate Farrell, warns Paul against getting too emotionally involved with Carmen.  I’m looking forward to the play’s opening on May 31 at the Bleecker Street Theatre, 45 Bleecker Street. 

Guenevere Donohoe began her presentation by sharing the good news that she’s been cast as Queen Margaret in a production of Henry VI part III, which will open in NYC this summer. Great news for this very talented actress. Guen followed her announcement with a stirring performance from her history-memoir-story and song theater piece,  Killer is My Name, a story about the mystery that was her father and growing up in the Bronx.

Kathleen Donohoe, recent winner of the Crossroads’ Irish-American writing contest, read an essay “The Wealth of the World” about her paternal grandparents, which was published in the April/May issue of Irish America magazine. Kathleen submitted the story over two years ago, thought it was passed over, and was pleased to learn  that the person in charge “Photo Album” feature of the magazine found it in a folder of old submissions, liked it and published it.

I was moved by the last paragraph in Kathleen’s article:

“When I look at this picture, so ordinary before you know, I think about how for each piece of a family story that you’ve heard, there is another and another still that will remain strong in a dry throat, a poem in a closed book. And I think as well of this Irish proverb:

A tune is more lasting than the song of birds,
And a word is more lasting than the wealth of the world.”

Jim Rodgers returned to read an excerpt from his Sunnyside novel, Long Night’s End. This time he chose an excerpt a bit lighter than the last. Reading from an early chapter in the novel, Johnny Gunn comes face to face on the elevated 7 train with the voluptuous Molly Farrell, a woman he has avoided since their steamy affair resulted in Johnny losing his faith, his soul, and a whole lot more. The mixture of fear and desire Johnny feels on the 7 train is only relieved by Molly’s departure at the Lexington Avenue stop. I suspect we have not seen the last of Molly Farrell.

Tom Mahon read a personal essay, “The Church & Its Flock,” which arose from the outrage he feels from familial betrayal and hypocrisy. Tom wrote of how he assumed that he knew his family, believing they cared for each other and would never do anything to hurt the other, but he learned he was badly mistaken.  He believes his heathen ancestors would be appalled at his family’s materialistic values and longs for the “Chieftian of their Pagan tribe” to put an end to the behavior since, as Tom writes, “The  destruction of a family is the destruction of the tribe.” Another fine story from a versatile and talented writer. 

David Coles read a passage from his unpublished book, In the Midnight Choir, following the conversation between a bartender and 3 of the bar’s regulars as they wend through the hours of an empty Sunday night, the haggard aftermath of a long hard weekend in Greenwich Village in the 1970′s. Superb writing and a book that I’m sure will land a publisher very quickly. 

Stephanie Silber closed out the evening with a wonderful reading from her novel The Dark Side of Time, a psychological thriller with elements of horror and the supernatural.  The novel’s protagonists have relocated from Brooklyn with their toddler daughter to a fixer-upper cottage in the suburbs with a dark past.  Dreams, visions and things that go bump in the night ensue immediately, and the sinister triad of recently arrived lay residents in the vacant convent next door ratchet up the dread.

The novel’s themes include an examination of our troubled times and who and what we worship, as well as what parts of ourselves we’d sell out to get what we think we need.

The IAW&A salons take place on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at the Thalia Cafe, located at 95th and Broadway and The Cell theatre located at 338 W. 23rd Street, respectively. For more information on the salons or joining the Irish American Artists and Writers contact me, Charles R. Hale at chashale1@yahoo.com

 

SAN PATRICIO BRIGADE: A MUSICAL VIDEO

May 12, 2012 By in FILM, IRELAND, IRISH AMERICAN WRITERS & ARTISTS, MUSIC, NEW YORK CITY Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

TODAY’S SONG: SAN PATRICIO BRIGADE

After a recent Irish American Writers & Artist’s salon, Larry Kirwan, one of the founders of the IAW&A, upon learning of my interest in Irish-American history asked me if I’d create a video for his song “San Patricio Brigade.”

I thought it was a great idea for a number of reasons: The song depicts an event that began in New York City in 1846, at a time many Irish, including my family, were arriving in New York; the story is one that seems to have slipped under the radar since many are unfamiliar with the events, and last, Larry’s song, “San Patricio Brigade” is a great tune.

A little history: Upon their arrival in the second half of the 1840s, thousands of Irish-Catholic immigrants joined the US army and were sent to invade Mexico. Dubious about why they were fighting a Catholic country, fed up with mistreatment from their Anglo-Protestant officers and the intense anti-Catholicism of many American soldiers, especially the volunteers, hundreds of Irish, along with smaller number of Germans and other immigrant groups, deserted and joined forces with Mexico. They were lead by John Riley of Galway, Ireland. They called themselves the St. Patrick’s Battalion…the San Patricios. 

Toward the end of the two-year conflict, of a number of the San Patricios were captured and forty-eight were hanged as traitors. Many Americans regard these men as turncoats, malcontents and traitors, but Mexicans see them as heroes, who fought for the ideals of religion against the invaders of a peaceful country. Los San Patricios are honored in Mexico every Sept. 12. In 1993 the Irish began their own ceremony to honor them in Clifden, Galway, Riley’s hometown. 

Larry Kirwan, a native of Wexford Ireland, is a writer and musician, most notably as the lead singer for the New York based Irish rock band Black 47  Larry has also written and produced eleven plays and musicals, many of which have been performed in the United States and Europe. The plays deal with many topics including Irish history and politics.  Most recently, Larry’s play, Blood, had a one month run at The Cell theatre in New York City.  Since April 2005, Larry has hosted ‘Celtic Crush’, a radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio that features artists from the Celtic nations.

A special thanks to my friends Stephanie Silber and Vic Zimet for help with a number of Black 47′s video clips. 

IRISH AMERICAN WRITERS & ARTISTS SALON, MAY 1, 2012

May 3, 2012 By in HUMOR, IRELAND, IRISH AMERICAN WRITERS & ARTISTS, MEMOIR, MUSIC, NEW YORK CITY, STORYTELLING, WRITING Tags: , Leave a comment

TODAY’S SONG: WHITE CHRISTMAS/BING CROSBY

Bing’s been gone for quite some time now and it’s May, not December, but Jim Callahan was in fine voice crooning a few lines from “White Christmas,” which Sheila Walsh incorporated into her reading from Mr. Tweety’s Neighbors during Tuesday night’s Irish American Writers & Artists’s Salon at the Thalia Cafe.  Jim also read stage directions as Sheila gave an impassioned and lyrical reading from her play. Well done, Sheila and John.

The evening began on two positive notes: Maura Mulligan announced that her book launch for Call of the Lark will be May 10 at the Irish Consulate on Park Avenue in New York City and John Kearns announced that his play, In the Wilderness, opens on May 31. There will be a luncheon following the June 9th 11:30 performance at Puck Fair located at 298 Lafayette Street in NYC.

Kevin McPartland opened the evening reading from chapter four of his novel Brownstone Dreams. The action takes place in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and involves a near mugging, and the book’s protagonist Bobby Dutton and his girlfriend Cathy’s lucky escape from danger.  What better way to start a New York evening than with Kevin, a real “Brooklyn” soul.

 Tom Mahon followed with a story called “Joy: about a couple married nearly 40 years who dont’ know how to break the news to the other that they don’t want to be married anymore.  The husband makes the plunge, and the wife readily agrees.  Tom’s writing brings civility and humor to the process and brings out the fact that people can spend half their life with a person and still not know them or what they want. 

In addition to his vocal skills, Jim Callahan read from a book in progress, “The Boys from Bohola,” about the brothers O’Dwyer- William, the city’s mayor from 1946 to 1950 and later Ambassador to Mexico and Paul, who was a noted labor and civil rights lawyer for sixty years and served as City Council President from 1974 to 1977; Jim was on his staff.  In the scene Jim read, FDR summons William O’Dwyer to the White House in 1944 to put him in charge of the War Refugee Board, its mission to house, clothe and feed the millions of people who had been displaced during and after World War II. Jim read of O’Dwyer’s self-doubts and what an honor O’Dwyer felt it was to be chosen for the job.

New member Jim Rodgers got off to a great start with an impressive reading from his novel Long Night’s End.  The story is based on the protagonist, Johnny Gunn, and takes place in Sunnyside, Queens and Manhattan.  Themes explored in the novel include Catholicism and Irish-American New Yorkers, friendship, loss, sin, addiction, and ultimately the road to redemption. I’m looking forward to hearing more from this new member.

Keeping with the theme of his soon to open play, In the Wilderness, which is about an all-girls high school in the South Bronx,  John read “It’s All Abandoned,” a short story from his book, Dreams and Dull Realities, about a teenage girl’s disappointing experience at a school dance in the 1980′s South Bronx.   

Kathleen Rockwell Lawrence read from her fourth book, a memoir-in-progress of her huge family called Becoming Irish.  In this episode, Father becomes pregnant for the 13th time and hopes “if the baby is born after my 65th birthday, Medicare will pay for the delivery.” Further, Father accuses Kathleen of causing Second Stepmother’s miscarriage, but Kathleen has an alibi!”  

Mark Donnelly followed with another compelling scene from his play Mother Jones, the Irish immigrant who played an important role as a union organizer in the American Labor Movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The scene takes place earlier in her life, during the Yellow Fever epidemic in Memphis, Tennessee in 1867.  Mary (later Mother) Jones lost her husband, George, and their four young children to yellow fever.

Robert Haydon Jones, who read a terrific crime story at the last Thalia salon, followed up with another winner, “The Good Nazi.” The story revolves around a couple who meet a survivor of the Nazi slave labor camps of WWII, on a weekend vacation at an old-line, seaside hotel in Rhode Island. Another powerful reading.

And as has become the Thalia salon custom, Malachy McCourt, wrapped things up with an hilarious poem, “The Book of my Enemy Has Been Remaindered” and closed out the entertainment portion of the evening with his wonderful rendition of “Will Ye Go, Lassie, Go?”

And finally, a big thanks to John Kearns who filled in as emcee at Tuesday’s night’s salon. On all accounts he did a great job. Thank you so much for stepping up on such short notice, John.

The next salon will be on May 15th at The Cell theatre, located at 338 W.23rd St. The events begin at 7PM. For more information about the salons please contact Charles R. Hale at chashale1@yahoo.com or if you’d like more information about the organization you can go directly to the Irish American Writers & Artists website.

IRISH AMERICAN WRITERS & ARTISTS’ SALON AT THE CELL 4/17/2012

April 19, 2012 By in FAMILY HISTORY, IRELAND, IRISH AMERICAN WRITERS & ARTISTS, MEMOIR, NEW YORK CITY, STORYTELLING, WRITING Tags: , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

TODAY’S SONG: SLUMBER MY DARLING/ALISON KRAUSE

One rousing performance followed another at Tuesday night’s Irish American Writers and Artists’ Salon at The Cell. Billy Barrett, resplendent in his Ralph Kramden, Brooklyn Water Buffalo Lodge bowling shirt, blew into the joint with a Winston Churchill Davidoff cigar hanging from his mouth and opened the evening with the back end of the first chapter of Highway Star. “I like to slice and dice catch phrases and mix my metaphors,” Billy said,  ”Kind of like listening to Cardinal Spellman recite Springsteen.”  Defined and memorable, thanks for the laughs, BB.

Stephanie Silber, (far right in photo) a first time presenter, read from her book Other People’s Houses, a coming of age story about a rebellious teenager, growing up Irish Catholic on Long Island in the late sixties and early seventies, who finds herself pregnant.  Last night’s reading was a fragment from the protagonist’s point-of-view as an adult, which then picks up with the girl, Queenie, and her good pal-who-wants-to-be-much-more on an excursion to see the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore. It took Stephanie a few months to get up in front of the audience and the one thought I was left with was, “Given your talent, Lady, what were you waiting for?” Great start.

One of the highlights, among many, was listening to another first time presenter, Connie Roberts, winner of the 2010 Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. Connie opened her poetry reading with Seamus Heaney’s bog body poem “The Tollund Man.”  Connie then followed with her own response, “Letterfrack Man.” As Heaney memorializes the saintly body of the Tollund Man, Roberts memorializes the neglected saintly body of Peter Tyrrell, an ex-inmate of an Irish industrial school who was felled by institutional abuse.  Roberts finished with a number of poems from her (almost completed) poetry collection, Not the Delft School, a memoir in verse of her experiences growing up in an industrial school in Ireland.  Listening to and watching Connie present is a delight. We hope she returns soon. 

Actor Jack O’Connell was next up. Jack read from a work in progress, which was motivated by the upcoming (2013) fiftieth anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assasination. Jack is writing the story of a young, Long Island, Kennedy campaign worker who, three years later, is a member of The Old Guard, the elite US Army unit that was responsible for his President’s burial.  Terrific story, neatly abetted by Jack’s great acting chops.  

For the past few months we’ve been trying to get member and award winning actress, Aedin Moloney, to join us for a presentation.  Once we were able to nail down a date, and learned that she would be performing “Molly Bloom’s Soliloquy,” the famous extract from James Joyce’s Ulysses,  we anxiously awaited her rendition, which is recognized as the best in New York.  Aedin didn’t disappoint, in fact, her presentation was flat out thrilling. Slowly picking up the pace, the last two minutes were stirring and spellbinding.  Aedin exceeded all expectations. And given what the expectations were, that’s high praise. 

I followed Aedin– a daunting task–but I took the easy way out. Instead of reading a story I debuted a short film The Death of Baby Florence, a story about my maternal grandmother’s third child who died shortly after she was born. For religious reasons Florence wasn’t buried with her family. The video documents my search to find where Florence was buried and my journey to honor my grandparents’ pain.  The film opens with the Stephen Foster song, “Slumber My Darling.”

TJ English, president of the Irish American Writers & Artists, read a passage from the New York Times bestseller The Savage City, just out in paperback. This was the perfect reading of a non-fiction work. Deftly set up with a powerful story, followed by a short reading, TJ reflected on a key moment in the rising racial consciousness of a young black militant in New York City.

Tom Mahon, a frequent performer, and a man of many talents, read the second half of the short story “Desperate” in which three wounded vets, all from different wars, are brought together by a man least likely to be a hero in the way he emerges.  He not only saves two young people’s lives, but creates a new life and better ones for everyone by playing Cupid.

Playwright, Patricia Goldstone, followed up her successful reading at the Thalia Cafe with another reading from her play Interlock. Two accomplished actors, both of whom have appeared at salons, Vincent Bandille and John Moss, gave wonderful readings of an artist at the make-it-or-break-it age, driven and slightly maddened by ambition, but also a prankster and an outsider, not overly burdened by respect for the art establishment and his college buddy and rival, an Enron-type corporate lawyer.  Another very fine performance. 

Closing out the evening were Honor Molloy and guest actor, Caroline Winterson, performing a savagely funny scene from Honor’s play Crackskull Row.  Caroline, appearing at a salon for the first time was outstanding as the daughter to Honor Molloy’s rendition of a mad old wan living in at the back of a kill-de-sack in Dublin 2. 

Great evening. The next salon will be on May 1, at the Thalia Cafe, which is located at Symphony Space at the corner of Broadway and 95th Street. For more information on joining the Irish American Writers & Artists or learning about the salons, contact Charles R. Hale at chashale1@yahoo.com

THE DEATH OF BABY FLORENCE: A SHORT FILM

April 18, 2012 By in ANCESTRY, FAMILY HISTORY, FILM, GENEALOGY, HUMANITY, IRELAND, MEMOIR, NEW YORK CITY Tags: , , , , , , , 43 Comments

My maternal grandmother’s third child, Florence, died shortly after she was born. For religious reasons she wasn’t buried with her family. This is my search to find where Florence was buried and my journey to honor my grandparents’ pain.

FREE ENTERTAINMENT…THIS WEEK IN NEW YORK

April 16, 2012 By in HUMOR, IRISH AMERICAN WRITERS & ARTISTS, MEMOIR, MUSIC, NEW YORK CITY, STORYTELLING, Uncategorized, WRITING Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Are you looking for some low cost entertainment in New York this week?  Here are three alternatives:

 On Tuesday night, April 17th, The Irish American Writers & Artists Salon at The Cell begins at 7PM.  The salon allows members up to ten minutes to present in the medium of their choice, reading from a published work or one in progress, staging or reading from a play, a musical performance, presenting a work of art or telling a story. While the presentations are limited to members, all are welcome. This week highlights will include Aedin Moloney, who recently appeared in the Irish Repertory Theatre’s Dancing at Lughnasa, reading Molly’s soliloquy from James Joyce’s Ulysses, TJ English, author of a number of bestsellers, including Havana Nocturne, reading from his latest book, Savage City, and Connie Roberts, (photo left) the 2010 winner of the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award will be reading her poetry. The Cell is located at 338 W23rd Street. Admission is free.

On Thursday evening, April 19th, at Fornino’s restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Billy Barrett will be hosting an evening of reading and performances. Barrett, master of the neo-beat confessional will riff on being brassy Boston Irish, while Honor Molloy (photo right) and Kevin Holohan will be providing the Irish Black Comedy. Holohan will read from The Brother’s Lot, a satirical and hilarious novel that explores religious hypocrisy in an Irish secondary school and Molloy will
 be reading from Smarty-Girl-Dublin Savage, a wild child’s struggle to hold her family together in 1960s’ Dublin.  Word is the evening will be kicked off by a jazz trio. Fornino’s is located at 254 Fifth Avenue in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. Admission is free. I’d be attending this event if it weren’t for the fact that I’ll be back at The Cell that same night, Thursday, April 19th, appearing in a full length reading of ….

Stoopdreamers and Other Brooklyn Stories, a play by Pat Fenton. Fenton intimates the dreams, trials and travails of ordinary people trying to find the American dream in post WWII Windsor Terrace, among them a cop who really wanted to be a writer, a movie projectionist at the Sanders Theatre whose life is defined by the continuance of movie reels as he waits for the changeover mark, and a beautiful dreamer named Janice Joyce who tried to go home again. Fenton’s play is an Irish-American story about an area that was once the hub of one of the greatest, Irish working-class neighborhoods in Brooklyn.  Jack O’Connell, who appears in the TV program Blue Bloods, will be performing the role of Moon Mullins, I, (photo left) who haven’t appeared in Blue Bloods, will be reading the role of Terry Smith, an Irish cop…talk about stereotyping.  Admission is free.

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