Jeffrey Keating, a McNicholas High School teacher, is spending two weeks in Ireland. On Sunday, he was an observer to the violence surrounding the Protestant parade in the Northern Ireland city of Portadown. He has since moved on to the village of Kiltimagh, birthplace of the late Archbishop John Timothy McNicholas. He filed this report by e-mail and plans to file more reports in the coming days.
BY JEFFREY KEATING
The first full day in Kiltimagh brought some interesting discoveries and
fascinating surprises. Where else to begin a Kiltimagh investigation but
within the local cemetery?
The graveyard here yields a wealth of familiar
names and reminds one of the tendency for Irish families to stay put in
their communities. Prominent names are Gormley, Forkan, Costello, Byrne,
and, of course, McNicholas. One site that continues to intrigue is a small
marker indicating Baby Jennifer McNicholas, who lived for only six days in
1996. Who was she and what might she have become had she lived?
In fact,
there are so many sites that suggest short lives for so many people of
Kiltimagh.
When I voiced a similar observation in the Catholic cemetery in
Portadown I was told that the young tended to be victims of sectarian
violence. But here, one can only imagine.
In the evening I stumbled upon a celebration of a local priest's 50th year
in the priesthood. I was to meet the Wymans from Mount Lookout in the
prominent pub here to swap anecdotes when suddenly dozens of locals
appeared and readied the spot for Father Frank Martin's arrival.
As the
celebration ensued, more and more people approached me with stories about
"Father McNicholas." One fellow, a history teacher at the secondary school
in town, ran to his classroom and returned with a short bio of the
archbishop. According to the source, Archbishop McNicholas "championed the
rights of labor" and was a "national figure" in the field of racial
justice.
Others in attendance recalled numerous visits by McNicholas during
times of hardship here in Kiltimagh. But a member of the local museum was
most curious about any memorabilia that Cincinnatians may contribute to the
McNicholas display. All I have with me is my revered 1998 Baseball State
Championship shirt, which I am willing to donate.
The evening at the pub closed with my turn on the vocals for a sonorous (if
not somnolent) rendering of the Jim Reeves classic, "He'll Have to Go." The
response was flattering, though I realize that classic country music is
always welcome in Ireland, and that 4 cubic tons of smoke can sway one's
tone-deafness.
Which brings up another concern: more teens smoke cigarettes here than in
the states. There are no billboards, no noticeable advertising, and no
campaigns for kids to actively oppose. It may not help that just about
every adult in Ireland smokes. And I was clueless as to why the occupants
of the local cemetery are so young!
Of course, the news in television and on paper is concerned with the
standoff at Drumcree in Portadown, where I spent the first leg of this
journey. The amount of Loyalist violence is puzzling, in light of their
allegiance, which is supposed to be to their government. Are the backers of
Broadway Commons going to storm Cinergy Field and firebomb the Reds during
the seventh-Inning stretch because the county prefers The Wedge?
Tonight I am to visit with the niece and grand-nephew of Archbishop
McNicholas before viewing his place of birth. In the meantime, I'm off to
conquer the golf course of Castlebar.
"Put your sweet lips a little closer
to the phone..."
Previous reports
'Random violence is the rule' July 8, 1998
Irish trip no mere vacation July 4, 1998
