Lord Mayor of Cork Brian Bermingham and his wife, Elma, center, flanked by Karen Boyce McCollum and daughter Sarah; Barney Boyce, Mary Crossan, and Carmel Boyce.
Under a blue sky and hot spring sun, Father Edward E. Brady of St. Isidore’s Parish in Quakertown celebrated the second annual Mass of Thanksgiving at the Irish Memorial on Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia on Sunday, June 7. Karen Boyce McCollum sang, and music was provided by Jeff Meade, Dennis Gormley Kathy DeAngelo and Phil Bowdren.
It was a lovely and poignant start to the day of the Penn’s Landing Irish Festival.
AOH Division 88 lowered both the American and Irish flags they erected several months ago, and the Irish Society took its turn supplying the banners for the Memorial.
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Brian Bermingham, made a surprise visit–a surprise even to himself. In Philadelphia to meet with City Council to discuss common interests between his city and ours (William Penn lived in Cork and sailed to Philadelphia from its port, among other things), he said he was passing by on a tour bus and saw the sign for the Irish Memorial “and thought I’d have a look.” He admired the monument, created by sculptor Glenna Goodacre. “A few weeks ago we had a ceremony marking the famine,” he said. “But we have nothing like this.”
He joined members of the Irish Memorial committee in front of the statue to have his photo taken.
