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Denise Foley

News

“We’re Not Looking for Favoritism”

Ciaran Staunton of the Irish Lobby for Immigration at Finnigan's Wake in Philadelphia this week.

If you belong to an Irish organization in the Philadelphia area, you probably got an email this week urging you to call Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) to urge him to support Senate Bill 1983. It’s a measure, proposed by New York Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) that, if passed, would pave the way for 10,500 Irish to come to the US on E-3 work visas every year.

The E-3 visa, now only available to Australians (thanks to a sweetheart deal brokered during the Bush administration), is not a green card for permanent residency but a renewable visa for qualified Irish workers to come to the US for specialty employment. Temporary work visas are available, but in 2010, only 2,700 of these H-1B visas out of a total of 85,000 ended up in Irish hands.

Schumer’s bill amends the bipartisan HR3012, Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, which paves the way for professionals from places such as China and India to come to the US and for families of legal immigrants in Mexico and the Phillipines to sidestep decades-long waits for green cards to join their loved ones in the US.

The leaders of many Irish organizations, from the Ancient Order of Hibernians to the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Committee to the Irish Immigration Center, met at Finnigan’s Wake in Philadelphia this week with Ciaran Staunton, New York-based founder of the Irish Lobby for Immigration. Staunton told them that those visas would come at a critical time for the Irish. “Ireland’s unemployment rate is 14 percent, which is the highest it’s been in 16 years. And, as they say on the weather report, it’s getting higher,” he said.

Staunton said his organization is targeting 15 Republican senators whose support is needed to pass the bill. “Schumer told us, ‘I can get you the bill, but you have to get me the Republicans,” says Staunton. Those key potential GOP supporters include both moderates, such as Maine’s Susan Collins and conservatives, like Toomey, Iowa’s Chuck Grassley, Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, Arizona’s John McCain, and Scott Brown of Massachusetts who, with Mark Kirk of Illinois, introduced his own version of Schumer’s bill.

The main difference between the Schumer and Brown bills is that Brown’s does not include a waiver for Irish immigrants who stayed in the US after their temporary visas expired. Staunton, who supports the Schumer Bill, says having two opposing bills “doesn’t help us.” Asked by Liam Hegarty, a member of the Irish Immigration Center of Philadelphia’s board of directors, whether Staunton would be satisfied if the bill passed without the waiver, Staunton replied, “I’m not going to say I’ll take less than Senator Schumer wants.”

He urged the Irish leaders to “burn up the phones” to encourage Senator Toomey to break ranks and get behind the Democrat’s bill. “We’re not looking for favoritism,” he said. “We’re looking for fairness.”

View our photos to see some of the Irish community leaders who met with Staunton.

You can contact Senator Toomey’s office by calling 202-224-4254.

January 13, 2012 by
News, People

We Need a “Little Christmas”

Having a great time: Irish Immigration Center Executive Director Siobhan Lyons and Irish Center President Vince Gallagher, who co-sponsored the event.

Roast pork, mashed potatoes, Geraldine Quiqq’s legendary salads, and Mary Crossan’s scone–if that doesn’t bring them in, nothing will.

This delicious lunch was part of the Little Christmas celebration for seniors at the Irish Center on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, which is always celebrated in Ireland. Traditionally, it’s when you take your tree and trimmings down. But the only “work” the attendees did was fill their plates at the buffet–and a few did a little dancing to tunes from the Vince Gallagher band.

We were there and took photos, which we’re sharing with you here.

January 6, 2012 by
News

Major Immigration Meeting Set


An email went out this week to Irish organizations throughout the Philadelphia area announcing a meeting Monday night with the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform to discuss Senate Bill 1983 which would allow 10,500 Irish citizens to come to the US on E3 work visas. The visas  now are available only to professionals in specialty occupations from Australia. The E-3 provision was signed into law in 2005 by President George W. Bush.

The Bill, introduced by Democratic New York Sen. Charles Shumer, came on the heels of HR 3012, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2011, which eliminates the country-specific quotas on green cards for workers, mainly techies from India and China. Demand is high in the US for those highly skilled professionals. The bill also includes a measure that will more than double the available green cards based on family ties for mainly Mexican and Filipino immigrants who are in the US legally. Many of those family members now are faced with as much as a two-decades long wait. That GOP-sponsored bill passed the House and is awaiting Senate action.

The E3 work visa is not a green card, which grants permanent US residence to the foreign-born, but a visa program that allows foreign workers to come to the US for employment. It’s renewable every two years. Currently, a college degree is a requirement for an E3 visa and would likely be the case for E3s granted to Irish citizens.

Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (Rep.) has proposed a bill similar to Shumers’, except that under Brown’s proposal, undocumented workers—those already here illegally—cannot apply.

Ciaran Staunton, a Mayo native and New York-based founder of the Irish Lobby for Immigration, will be at Finnigan’s Wake at Second and Spring Garden Street on Monday night, January 9, starting at 7 PM to discuss the various proposals.

While it’s far from comprehensive immigration reform, says Siobhan Lyons, executive director of the Irish Immigration Center of Philadelphia, the Schumer bill, “if it goes through, will be a great first step toward a sensible solution to our current immigration problems.”

The HR 3012 family provision doesn’t apply to the Irish, she says, but it’s not necessarily discriminatory, as some have claimed. “There are countries other than Ireland with huge waiting lists of people who are already qualified for green cards,” she points out. “In some places, there are people who have been waiting for green cards for 15 to 30 years before they’re able to join their families. This is not much of an issue for the Irish. The problem is that the Irish don’t qualify for green cards in the first place.”

January 6, 2012 by
Music, News, People

Post-Christmas Pick-Me-Up

Modeling the latest in Wren Hats are Alexander Weir, his mother Katherine, and Haley Richardson. Photo by Carl Weir.

Every year in Ireland, on the feast of St. Stephen (December 26), the Irish celebrate in a way that has been handed down for centuries. They go out, hunt down a wren, kill it, put it on a stick and parade it around town while they’re dressed in funny costumes.

No, that’s not what they do. That’s what they used to do.  “Wren Parties” are still held, but they’re bloodless these days. People still get together, as they did December 26 at the Wren Party in Glenside sponsored by  the Delaware Valley chapter of Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. They even wear costumes. Well, hats anyway. And they eat, drink, play music, sing, and dance.

Thanks to Carl Weir, whose son, Alexander, was one of the performers and hat-wearers, we have photos from this year’s event (the 13th  Wren Party the Comhaltas has thrown). And here they are.

 

January 6, 2012 by
News, People

Aon Sceal?

The brand new gravestone for Irish-American boxer Eddie Cool and his brother.

True to his word, local boxing maven John DeSanto has made sure that Philadelphia Irish-American boxer Eddie Cool, the “Tacony Flash,” will no longer be forgotten. Recently, DeSanto placed a marker on the previously unmarked grave shared by Eddie and his brother, Jimmy, also a boxer, in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Cool, who died in 1947 at the age of 35 of liver problems related to alcoholism, compiled an amazing ring record to 95-29-15 with 15 KOs “against the very best fighters in one of the true golden eras of the sport,” says DiSanto, who has placed stones on the graves of three other Philly boxers of different eras whose final resting places weren’t marked. DiSanto is the founder of the website, phillyboxinghistory.com and the Philly Boxing History Gravestone Fund.

John DiSanto is serious about honoring the Philadelphia boxing fraternity. Over the past two years, he guided the project that placed a statue of former middleweight champion Joey Giardello in South Philadelphia. The bronze tribute to Giardello also honors 70 other South Philly boxers as well as a list of long lost gyms and arenas. It was dedicated in May.

“My job is to remember these guys, and to remind people of their stories,” DiSanto said. “There are so many Philly boxers in unmarked graves. I still have a lot of work to do.”

Read the story of our visit to Eddie Cool’s grave with DiSanto in September.

Piping His Thanks

After a serious heart attack three years ago, Philadelphia Emerald Society piper Joe Tobin could barely breathe, let alone squeak out a recognizable version of “Minstrel Boy” on the pipes.

But the heart team at Penn Medicine’s Heart and Vascular Center helped bring him back from the brink of a transplant and Tobin is back playing he heart out of “Amazing Grace” and “Garryowen.” In fact, there’s no place Irish you can go in the month of March without seeing him in his kilt, bagpipe under his arm.

So how does a piper say thanks? Last month, Tobin went back to Penn and serenaded his former heart team with seasonal music on his bagpipes. Way to blow, Joe!

An Appropriate Honor for Commodore Barry

Today, workmen will be installing the arch over the new “Barry Gate,” a pedestrian gate at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. Funded by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, the Commodore John Barry Memorial—named for the Wexford-born Commodore John Barry, founder of the US Navy, who made his home in Philadelphia—will also include a Barry Memorial and a Barry Plaza on the Annapolis grounds.

The AOH approached the Naval Academy with the proposal in 2008, and it was approved last May.

John Barry, who is buried in the graveyard of Old St. Mary Church in Philadelphia, a few blocks from his statue behind Independence Hall, was the first commanding officer of the US Navy, serving under Presidents George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Named Captain of the ship Lexington in 1776, he captured 20 British ships, was seriously wounded, and fought in the last naval battle of the Revolutionary War in 1783.

You can donate to the project by making out a check to “Hibernian Charity Barry Project” and sending it to Hibernian Charity c/o Frank Kearney, Secretary, PO Box 391, Meriden, CT 06450.

Aon Sceal is Irish for “what’s the story?” If you have a story to share, share it with us. Email denise.foley@comcast.net.

January 5, 2012 by
How to Be Irish in Philly

How To Be Irish in Philly This Week

Dylan Priest modeling his Wren Boy hat.

If you’re Irish and in Philadelphia, what do you look forward to most of all after Christmas? No, not returning your gifts to get something you really wanted. The Wren Party!

The Delaware Valley Comhaltas is holding its 13th annual Wren Party, an Irish tradition, on Monday, December 26 at 7 PM at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Limekiln Pike in Glenside.

Bring a snack, your dancing shoes, your kids and a wren boy hat for the parade and contest. For more about Wren Parties and Wren Boy hats, see our story, photos and video from 2008.  It’s a great way for you and your kids to experience a little bit of Ireland right here.

On December 28, hear some more fabulous Irish music at the Mermaid Inn with Paraic Keane, Kitty Kelly and Mike Albrecht, the band called Tri na Cheile.

End the year on a high note. Really. Barleyjuice is ringing in the New Year at the Sellersville Theatre.

There’s also a New Year’s Eve Party at the Irish Center.

Check your local listings—that would be our calendar—for all the details.

We’re all taking a little time off—we think—but we’ll be back in the new year, telling you what to do. Until then, from Jeff, Lori, and me,  Nollaig Shona Dhaoibh—happy Christmas to you—and Athbhliain faoi mhaise dhuit (Happy New Year!). Please don’t ask us to pronounce it.

December 21, 2011 by
People

Celebrating The Irish Way

There was a roaring fire in the hearth, the tree was decorated with ribbons and balls and garland, and the tables were filled with homemade delights. It was the annual Irish Immigration Center’s Senior Christmas lunch at the Irish Center in Philadelphia on Monday, December 19.

Mary Jane Kane sings a duet with Vince Gallagher.

It was a reunion of sorts for four women who came from Ireland in the 1960s. “Rose McGuinn was the first Irish person I me when I came here,” said Attracta O’Mally, her arm around her friend. “And we’ve been friends ever since.”

The Mayo girl (Attracta) and the young woman from Tyrone (Rose) said they met at “Connolly’s at Broad and Erie.” Irish immigrants of a certain age will know that as shorthand for a dance that was popular when Philadelphia was dotted with Irish dance halls. Many of the Irish seniors who still go to the Immigration Center’s weekly lunch, participate in the county societies, or attend parties at the Irish Center met their mates at one of those dances.

“We’ve made a lot of great memories,” says O’Malley. They’re still making them, as you can see from our photos.

December 21, 2011 by
People

Angel’s Army Brings Joy to Sick Kids

Fidelma McGroary puts together one of the toys.

If you work out like the devil for 10 weeks, you expect to see results. And the ladies in Angela Mohan’s Saturday “Boot Camp” in Delaware County did. And it wasn’t just trimmer waists and thinner thighs.

Every week, each participant, most of them Irish-born, tossed in $10. The $1,000 they raised went to buy toys for the Child Life Center at Nemours/Alfred I. Dupont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE.

The Child Life Center is the one spot in the sprawling hospital where nothing medical happens. Children on chemo wearing protective masks, toddlers tethered to oxygen tanks, teens on crutches or in wheelchairs won’t have a temperature or blood pressure taken, nor will they take a pill or get a shot when they’re there.

It’s where they can play video games and air hockey, put together puzzles and make crafts. It’s the only place in the hospital where they can forget that they’re in a hospital.

On Saturday, December 17, nine Boot Camp survivors—they call themselves Angel’s Army—carried a dozen huge boxes into the hospital, most of them playthings that will become a permanent part of the Center’s own Toyland. They even put them together—a feat that took hours and some helping hands (not to mention tools) from staff members and parents.

Mohan, aka “Angel,” is a fitness instructor and coach and co-founder of the national championship Mairead Farrell Gaelic Ladies Football Club in Philadelphia. She knows firsthand the pain, fear, and isolation that children with life-threatening diseases feel when they’re in the hospital for a long time. “My nephew had leukemia when he a child and spent two years in the hospital in Ireland,” said Mohan, who came from County Tyrone. She recalled sending him Ninja Turtle Bandaids “which he put all over,” she laughs. “Fortunately, he’s 25 today and well.”

The group chose DuPont because of a personal connection. Aisling Travers, 19, of Malbern, whose mother, Marie, was in the Boot Camp, is a longtime volunteer at DuPont Hospital. As a student in Great Valley High School, she started a program called “Kid To Kid,” which has so far sent more than 150 student volunteers to work in the Child Life Program. An education major at West Chester, Aisling still volunteers herself every weekend.

She launched the Kid to Kid program because “we’ve been through this ourselves,” says Aisling. “I have a cousin in Ireland with brain cancer who has been in and out of the hospital. An experience like this really opens everyone’s eyes. You get to see that the world is different from just what you know.”

This time of year, staff members and volunteers are busier than Santa’s elves, sorting and wrapping presents for the children who will be spending Christmas in the hospital. “We had 100 kids here last year,” says Child Life’s Beth Carlough. “We get most of our donations at Christmas time and we sort them in our Secret Santa room.” She motioned to a door behind her, its windows covered in red paper.

“On Christmas eve day, every child who will be here will get six to 12 gifts. Our specialists and volunteers will ‘shop’ for each kid in the room and Santa will go from room to room with the gifts. The kids and the parents are not expecting it. One year, one little child said, ‘Santa, you found me!’ Everyone in the room was crying.”

She looked at the Angel’s Army group, all wearing matching pink t-shirts. “I hope you guys realize what a thing you did. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

View our photos from the visit.

December 21, 2011 by