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Permalink Reply by Gerry Regan on November 23, 2013 at 3:27pm

Brian, you present this masterlully. I'm stunned by the vividness and palpability of what you share here. Go raibh maith agat! A masterpiece! G

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Permalink Reply by Susan McWilliams Lev-Yadun on November 27, 2013 at 11:38am

I looked for this last week and didn't see it. I was in third grade at St. Bernard's School in Mt. Lebanon, PA. I think it must have been the principal who came over the PA system to tell us the sad news. I remember we all started crying, and were sent home. In those days most of us had mothers at home and it was safe enough even for young children to walk home alone. Afterwards there were many hours and days of television coverage of everything connected with the assassination. We had a cheap framed portrait of President Kennedy from the supermarket, along with a photo of the Pope, on our dining room wall. It was a shocking event for an eight year old to try to understand.

  

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Permalink Reply by Gerry Regan on December 2, 2013 at 11:39am

Susan, go raibh maith agat for sharing this memory! Where are the portraits now?

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Permalink Reply by Susan McWilliams Lev-Yadun on December 2, 2013 at 1:11pm

Gerry, I have no idea what became of them, but I have found myself thrown into the role of family historian, since I have "inherited" all the papers from both my parents' funerals, as well as, more recently, from both my McWilliams grandparents. I also have a papal blessing that someone gave my parents as an anniversary present some years later. More recently I have become involved in working out the tree on my mother's side. Her family comes from Calabria and I visited there for the first time in May and met some of my relatives. I also photographed Irish and Scottish pubs while in Italy.  . . . Can you tell me how to add photos? I can't seem to figure it out.

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GaeilgeoirPermalink Reply by Bernie Joyce on November 27, 2013 at 3:02pm

Because of JFK's anniversary I thought I would post this poem about the funeral of Ireland's first president Dr. Douglas Hyde.

Burial of an Irish President 

The tolling from St Patrick's
Cathedral was brangled, repeating
Itself in top-back room
And alley of the Coombe, 
Crowding the dirty streets,
Upbraiding all our pat tricks.
Tricoloured and beflowered, 
Coffin of our President,
Where fifty mourners bowed,
Was trestled in the gloom
Of arch and monument,
Beyond the desperate tomb
Of Swift, Imperial flags,
Corunna, Quatre Bras,
Inkermann, Pretoria,
Their pride turning to rags.
Drooped, smoke-thin as the booming
Of cannon.The simple word
From heaven was vaulted, stirred
By candles. At the last bench
Two Catholics, the French 
Ambassador and I , kenelt down.
The vergers waited. Outside.
The hush of Dublin town,
Professors of cap and gown,
Costello, his Cabinet,
In Government cars, hiding
Around the corner, ready
Tall hat in hand, dreading
Our Father in English. Better 
Not hear that 'which' for 'who'
And risk eternal doom.

By Austin Clarke

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Permalink Reply by Gerry Regan on December 2, 2013 at 11:41am

Bernie, thanks for sharing the evocative poem. I remember visiting St. Patrick's Cathedral agog, sending it represented so much of Ireland's modern -- and medieval -- history! Those tattered battle flags still fill my mind's eye!

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GaeilgeoirPermalink Reply by Bernie Joyce on December 3, 2013 at 1:56pm

I have not been in the cathedral myself but I like the poem a lot. Clarke was focusing on the heads of state that did not enter the church because of Vatican 2. It was decreed that Roman Catholics could not attend different religious ceremonies back then, even Dev. stayed away."Costello, his Cabinet,In Government cars,hiding Around the corner" 

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Permalink Reply by Susan McWilliams Lev-Yadun on December 3, 2013 at 3:21pm

Thanks for this information you are all sharing. I have been learning so much. I first came upon this site because I wanted to learn more about Robert Emmet, and I stumbled on an article posted here. One of the things I had never known before, but have learned especially in the last year and a half is how many Protestants were involved in the struggle for independence over the years. I was also surprised to see that how many major churches in Dublin were not RC. Not surprising when you consider the history. And I did not go into one of them!

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Permalink Reply by DJ Kelly on February 3, 2014 at 1:21am

Susan, did you ever visit Belfast? One of my favourite cities with very friendly people, it too has many Protestant churches. Unlike Dublin though, it lost many of its churches to the Luftwaffe during WW2. A number of Jewish people were killed in the Blitz there too, as Belfast had received many children under the Kindertransport scheme.

Here in England, the news about President Kennedy was received as just another news item, albeit sad and shocking, except within the Irish community of course. Interestingly, the Irish Protestants in my neighbourhood were as saddened at the news as were the Catholics. He was mourned as an Irishman, not as a Catholic. It strikes me that, in issues that really matter, being Irish seems to be more important than church.

By the way, the only 'Black & Tan' hanged for murder during the War of Independence was an Irishman - a Dubliner and a Protestant. You'll find a review of my book 'Running with Crows' [my author name is DJ Kelly] here at The Wild Geese and also details of it here in the Green Pages.  My research for the book centred around the Dublin community in which the executed William Mitchell had grown up. My research taught me that, back then, Dubliners cleaved to their local communities rather than to their churches. The United Irishmen (arguably the first serious movement towards unity and independence) were men of all faiths. It's fascinating to read about them. 

When next you visit Dublin, do go into St Michan's church, where you can 'shake hands' with a long-dead crusader down in the vaults.  Churches are great repositories of our history.

   

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Permalink Reply by John W. Martin on February 2, 2014 at 2:02pm

I was in the 2nd grade at a school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Our teacher was called out of the class for a bit then returned crying, telling us that we were dismissed from school.  The President had been shot.  I watched the funeral on TV.

I don't believe in a lone shooter.  I don't believe in the magic bullet theory.  I believe in the cover-up still.

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