It's rather nice to think the book has found a home in the Irish parliament, as many emigrants left rather than live under oppressive foreign rule and now their legacy on this side of the Atlantic is neatly tucked into their country's history.
Gerry Adams holds a copy of "The Irish Legacy" in his office in Leinster House, the National Parliament for the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
The Republican's newly released "The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts" has gotten a warm welcome on both sides of the Atlantic.
The book is the first in a series, conceived by Wayne Phaneuf, the paper's executive editor, highlighting different ethnic groups in the area.
Next up is "The Struggle for Freedom: The History of the African Americans in Western Massachusetts," due out in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation in January, with other others to follow, including books on the Hispanic and Jewish communities in 2013.
What is significant about the debut book, which has already sold hundreds of copies, is that Irish immigrants and their descendants here seem to give a thumbs up that the hardcover is a reflection of their lives and contributions.
Indeed, the series premise is that the books be shaped by community input, with two public sessions held for the Irish book to give individuals and families the opportunity to submit photos and other material.
The book shows the birth and baptismal certifcate of Catherine Kearney, born in Ireland on Oct. 8, 1907, in the Parish of Ballyferriter in the "Diocese of Kerry" and baptized there in the Church of St. Vincent by the Rev. O'Connor on Oct. 15, 1907.
a file photo from The Republican that is reprinted in "The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts," shows U.S. Rep. Richard Neal marching with Adams, then Sinn Fein president, in the 2006 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade.
There is the 1920s wedding photo of Mary Johnson O'Leary, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Michael O'Leary, from Ardfert, County Kerry. Irish-born Patrick Scanlon, who worked for the city of Springfield for 37 years, can be seen inside the heating plant on Court Street.
From the archives of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, a 1931 letter is reprinted to Armand Bonvouloir, North Adams assistant treasurer, from Henry Nicolls, district director of naturalization, saying Sister Mary Helena (Elizabeth Frances O'Connor) need not remove her religious headwear with its black veil attached to a bonnet that fit close to the neck and featured a white linen band across the forehead.
"It is known that they (Sisters) cannot remove their hats, and for this reason the requirement that the photographs be taken without a hat as been waved in so far as relates to them," reads the lettter in reference to her naturalization photo.
The paper's archives delivered photographs of the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade over the decades, parish life at Sacred Heart Church in Springfield, and "Larry O'Brien Day" in Springfield on Nov. 10, 1965, for the late U.S. Postmaster General.
Early praise for the book came in from Michael Collins, Irish ambassador to the United States.
"I particularly loved the sense of recognition and belonging that I felt in turning the pages, and certainly it evoked for me a mixture of pride and affection for the generations of Irish who came to America and have contributed in so many ways to make the U.S. what it is today, but who have always maintained their love and support for Ireland," emailed Collins, who was given a copy by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield.
Lawrence O'Brien III, son of the postmaster, also emailed a comment, calling the book "wonderfully informative and colorful, well done."
On Dec. 19, a photo arrived in my email that gave this veteran journalist who has lived in Ireland a bit of surprise. It shows a smiling Gerry Adams holding a copy of "The Irish Legacy" in Leinster House, the National Parliament for the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
A celebrated and sometimes controversial key initiator in Ireland's peace process in the North whose counties are under British control, and now a representative in the Republic's parliament, there is a photo of Adams in the book, marching with Neal in the 2006 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade.
It's rather nice to think the book has found a home in the Irish parliament, as many emigrants left rather than live under oppressive foreign rule and now their legacy on this side of the Atlantic is neatly tucked into their country's history.
Adams, who has authored a number of his own books including "A Pathway to Peace" and "Before the Dawn," was interned twice by the British, and was elected president of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, in 1983.
Born the eldest of 10 children into the sectarian world of Belfast, Adams early on became involved in the fight to bring representative government to Northern Ireland, where Catholics were long denied their civil rights and where the local police force was dominated by Protestants. He was a key leader in the 1998 Peace Accord which established a power sharing government in the North.
When Neal was in Springfield on May 24, 1998, to tell his Irish constituents that both sides of the border had voted for the accord, one of those interviewed in a story reprinted in the book was Michael J. Carney.
Carney, now 92, was asked in the 1998 article for his reaction to the vote. He told reporter Chris Hamel, "It's a total victory. It's been long overdue, in my estimation. As I said to Richard Neal, when they started the process, a good beginning is a lot better than a bad ending. I hope and pray it's the beginning of the total unification of Ireland."
Interestingly, Carney, of East Longmeadow, was interviewed by Carolee McGrath, a reporter for "Real to Reel," for a comment at the book launch of "The Irish Legacy" on Dec. 9 at Elms College. He is also featured in the book as a native Irish speaker from Great Blasket Island off Ireland's west coast.
McGrath, who reports for the television ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, asked Carney if young people today should understand the Irish heritage.
Carney, who received an honorary degree of Celtic literature from the National University of Ireland at Maynooth in 2009 for his preservation of the Irish language, responded that "regardless of whether a young person is Irish or any other heritage, if they do not retain their heritage or culture, they might as well not retain themselves."
Insightful words from an immigrant who made his home here in 1948, and who worked in government, but who "never lost his own heritage, ideals and culture," and it is hoped The Republican's series will help the next generation do the same.
"The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts" can be purchased for $42.95 from The Republican, 1860 Main St., Springfield; the Odyssey Bookshop, 9 College St., South Hadley; The Cottage, 1615 Northampton St., Holyoke; Broadside Bookshop, 247 Main St., Northampton; Booklink Booksellers, Thornes Marketplace, Northampton; the Irish Cultural Center at Elms College in Chicopee; and Barnes & Noble in Holyoke, Hadley and Enfield.
It is also online at barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com (type in "Irish Legacy Springfield Heritage") and at www.pedimentbooks.com/store/product/springfield-heritage-the-irish-legacy
For further information, call (413) 788-1279 or email aflynn
@repub.com
Anne Gerard Flynn is Lifestyle editor and co-editor, with Sister of St. Joseph of Springfield Judith Kappenman, of "The Irish Legacy: A History of the Irish in Western Massachusetts."
An interview by Real to Reel reporter Carolee McGrath on WWLP-22 on Dec. 9 at the book launch with some of the book's contributors can be viewed at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU9gmFGeOWw&feature=em-share_video_user