Explore Buffalo plans annual Architectural Pursuit event

Transcription

$2.00
BUFFALOIRISH
BUFFALO
IRISHTIMES
IRISHTIMES
www.buffaloirishcenter.com
October 2015
Gaelic American Athletic Association of Buffalo, NY
Explore Buffalo plans annual
Architectural Pursuit event
Explore
Buffalo’s
second
annual
Architectural Pursuit event is here! Explore
Buffalo, in partnership with Step Out
Buffalo, is putting out a call to all pirates
and fellow treasure seekers. On Saturday,
Oct. 10 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., team up
with a crew of family, friends and other
assorted scurvy scallywags for a three-hour
scavenger hunt while exploring famous and
lesser-known architectural gems around
downtown Buffalo and Canalside.
Look high, low, straight ahead and right
under your nose to find unique architectural
details and historic trivia. The highest
scored crew wins, but all participants get
to enjoy the post-hunt party at The Archer,
268 Main St., Buffalo.
price of admission, followed by a cash bar.
Once the points have been tallied, winners
will be announced and prizes distributed!
Arrive at The Archer between 12:30 and
12:45 p.m. to check in with your crew.
Instructions will be given at 12:50 p.m.,
and at 1 p.m. crews will be released to
begin searching!
Important details
Each crew must have two to five
participants. Crews must stay together
throughout the entire event. This is a
walking scavenger hunt — no bikes, cars
or other means of transportation allowed.
You may, however, use the free-fare Metro
Rail.
Return to The Archer by 4 p.m. or penalty
points for being late will be assessed!
While the points are being tallied, enjoy
a spread of The Archer’s appetizers. Food
and one drink at the bar are included in the
Social media challenges for bonus
prizes will be included, so make sure to
Celtic Angels Update
Best wishes to our oldest Angel, Clare
Reilly, now attending Siena College near
Albany, NY. Clare sang with us for this
year’s Famine Mass just before she left for
school in early September, and we hope that
she can continue to join us for that annual
sacred event. She is looking forward to
Uniondale, NY July 8-11, 2015
by Tom Lambert
participating in Siena’s Celtic Club, along
with pursuing studies in Physics.
The Celtic Angels International Youth
Choir is always happy to welcome new
members of any age. We practice at
the Buffalo Irish Center, at times most
convenient to all the members’ busy
schedules, and will be starting to work
again soon on our Christmas music, in
both Irish-Gaelic and English. We also
welcome performance opportunities. For
more information, please contact Joyce
Burke at [email protected] or Susan
Schwartz at [email protected].
BUFFALO IRISH TIMES
GAELIC-AMERICAN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
245 ABBOTT ROAD
BUFFALO, NY 14220-1305
The day at the Festival was enjoyed by all,
and our trio especially had fun trying out
some of the old-style weapons, including
the swords. Maybe they are in the running
to become archangels?
Helpful hint
Taking an Explore Buffalo downtown or
waterfront walking tour, such as Buffalo
Classics, Masters of American Architecture
or Riverfront Renaissance, will give you
insight into potential locations included in
Architectural Pursuit!
2015 NYS AOH/
LAOH Convention
Joyce Burke
The Celtic Angels were very proud to sing
the anthems for the 15th Annual Niagara
Celtic Heritage Festival & Highland Games
at Krull County Park in Olcott, NY for
the 2nd year in a row. Pictured are Angels
Jackson Kelly, Courtney Beals, and Parker
Kelly. This year, in addition to the Irish
national anthem, we learned the song often
sung before Scottish international football
games, Flower of Scotland, which Jackson
and Parker sang for the event, preceding
God Save the Queen. Learning more from
historians at the festival, “Proud Edward’s
army” in the lyrics refers to Edward II of
England, whom the Scots “stood against”
at Bannockburn in 1314, and “sent him
home to think again.”
charge your cell phone! Reservations are
required. Online reservations can be made
for the entire crew at one time at www.
explorebuffalo.org. To pay separately,
please call (716) 245-3032. The cost is
$40 per person or $35 for Explore Buffalo
Season Pass holders.
NYS AOH Treasurer: John Manning; NYS AOH President:
Tim McSweeney; NYS AOH Vice President:
Vic Vogel; and NYS AOH Secretary: Tom Lambert
Tom Lambert, NYS AOH Treasurer and
President of AOH Division 1, Buffalo, Jim
O’Brien, Vice President of Division 1 and
Bill Powers, Past New York State AOH
District Director, represented Buffalo at the
2015 Ancient Order of Hibernians/Ladies
Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH/LAOH)
State Convention in Uniondale, New York
from July 8 – July 11, 2015. While at the
convention, Tom, Jim and Bill met many
AOH/LAOH members from across New York
State. State officers were elected for the next
two years, Western New York was chosen to
host the 2017 Convention site, and New York
State AOH/LAOH policy was formulated.
At the Convention, Tom Lambert was elected
New York State AOH Secretary. Tom
O’Donnell of Niagara Falls AOH Division
1, current NYS AOH Legal Counsel, was
elected as NYS AOH District 2 Director.
Tom will also continue to serve as NYS AOH
Legal Counsel. Teresa Kearns of the LAOH
Lockport Division was appointed to the NYS
LAOH State Board as Chair of Immigration
and Legislation. Western New York is very
well represented in both the AOH and the
Buffalo Irish Times -
1
- October Edition 2015
LAOH!
Western New York was also selected to host
the 2017 NYS AOH/LAOH Convention. The
Convention will be held at the Adams Mark
Hotel in Buffalo from July 12, 2015 to July 15,
2015. While the location of the Convention
will be in Buffalo, it will truly be a Western
New York event with the participation of
AOH and LAOH Divisions from Erie County,
Niagara County and Monroe County!
It was agreed by all attending the convention
that the event was a great success. A
tremendous amount of useful information
was exchanged and much was learned.
This information and knowledge has been
brought back to Western New York and has
been shared with the local AOH and LAOH
membership. This new found information
will help the members of all AOH and LAOH
Divisions as we live our organization’s Motto
of Friendship, Unity and Christian Charity.
For information on joining the Ancient Order
of Hibernians in Buffalo, please contact
Kevin Lafferty at 913-6080.
Buffalo Niagara Heritage
Village to host Masters
World Championship
Highland Games 2016
A Letter From
The Editor...
Greetings!
Wow, what a summer. It must be the luck of the Irish.
Thursdays Under the Tent at the Buffalo Irish Center Series for the summer
of 2015 was a big success and a lot of fun for the Buffalo Irish Center and the
South Buffalo Neighborhood. Thanks to all the volunteers and everyone that
contributed to this year’s success, especially Ken Hansen and Mary Clare Dolata
who were the brains behind this event! We hope to see you all again next summer.
The Buffalo Irish Festival at Riverworks on Ganson Street this year was the best
festival I’ve attended in my 30 years. Again, the weather was perfect and the
venue was unique. My favorite entertainer was Finbar Furey with his inspirational
music on his flute and uilleann pipes. It just doesn’t get any better than to sit
down with a Guinness along the Buffalo River listening to world renowned Irish
musicians.
The Mass held on Sunday morning of the Buffalo Irish Festival at the Famine
Memorial on Buffalo’s waterfront was said by our Bishop Richard Joseph Malone.
What a great way to start your day with an outdoor Mass. Congratulations to
Margaret McGrath and all her friends that worked so hard to coordinate this event
including the musicians, Irish dancers, Irish fraternal organizations, Priests, altar
servers and everyone that celebrated Mass on this wonderful morning.
Remember to support our advertisers, renew your subscriptions
to the Buffalo
p
Irish Times and stop down at the Buffalo Irish Center and
nd say
say hello.
hee
Slán go fóill
Kevin J. O’Brien, Editor
Kevin
THE IRISHMAN
The Buffalo-Niagara region will be seeing
more men and women in kilts next summer
than ever before. Representatives from
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village were
spotted this past Friday at the St. Louis
Highland Games in Missouri. They were
there to announce that Buffalo Niagara
Heritage Village will host the Masters
World Championship Highland Games
2016 on Aug. 19, 20 and 21.
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village, the
former Amherst Museum, has hosted the
Buffalo Niagara Scottish Festival, Highland
Games and Gathering of the Clans for over
30 years. The event will move from a oneday, Saturday-only festival to a three-day
event starting off with a traditional Scottish
Ceilidh on the evening of Aug. 19, kicking
off the festival weekend. Next year’s
festival and competition will include mass
bagpipe bands, Scottish dancing, music,
food, drinks, kilts, clans, Celtic vendors and
much more!
PUB & EATERY
Our New Gathering Rooms
x
Birthday Parties
Engagements
Weddings
Retirements
Seminars/Business
Meetings
x
x
x
x
x
x
The Masters World Championship
Highland Games 2016 will be collaboration
between Buffalo Niagara Heritage
Village, the Buffalo Heavies, Visit Buffalo
Niagara, the Town of Amherst and Scottish
Masters Athletics International. For more
information about next year’s Masters
World Championship Highland Games,
please follow Buffalo Niagara Heritage
Village’s Scottish Festival website at www.
bnhv.org/Scottish.
Ratsy
NOW OPEN……
x
x
x
x
Economic Impact
Next year, the festival will highlight the
Masters World Championship, and the
event will be bigger than ever before.
The championship will bring hundreds
of competitors from around the world to
Western New York. This past August, the
2015 Buffalo Niagara Scottish Festival
saw 3,000 visitors. The 2016 Scottish
Festival and Masters World Championship
is expected to double the event’s attendance
to over 6,000.
By Corky Roberts
Baby Showers
Bridal Showers
Baptisms/Dedications
Graduations
Bereavement Receptions
Communions/Confirmations
Add the Traditions of Ireland to your
next Milestone Occasion!
5601 Main Street Williamsville, NY 14221
PH: (716) 626-2670
www.irishmanpub.com
BUFFALOIRISHTIMES
Buffalo Irish Times | 245 Abbott Road | Buffalo, NY 14220
A bi-monthly publication of the Gaelic American Association, Inc.
EDITOR:
Kevin O’Brien
FOUNDERS:
Mary Heneghan • Michael McCafferty • Charlie McMahon
CALENDAR:
Tim Hartnett
ADVERTISING:
The fate of homeless newborns – orphaned
by wedlock or dead parents – during the
Great Hunger is an enormous enigma of
Irish history. Like illicit Jameson, many
were smuggled to Scotland.
Unlike
Jameson, their stories soured and were lost.
“Ratsy” imagines such an exiled “babby.”
Born in seduction, possessing a blackthorn
magical twig, yet cursed by the Irish seagod, Manannan Mac Lir. While Ratsy
extorts hungry migrant Irish who work
Scottish farms (my wife’s family did!)
because the potato failed, the child grows
up in a Scottish community of striving
religious. She runs away, eventually raising
her baby, Maggie-Bawn (Celtic for fairhaired child), the crippled hero(ine) of our
story. Ratsy marries her sister.
John Oakley • Dan McCue
STAFF:
Donna Shine • James R. Shine • Ed Patton • Diane Blaser • W. Daniel Fitzpatrick • Steve Banko
Neil Farrell • James Keane • Joe Marren • Joseph Xavier Martin • Catherine O’Brian
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G.A.A.A. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mary C. Heneghan • Randy McPhee • Catherine Carey • Margaret McGrath
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The Buffalo Irish Times welcomes letters or articles from readers. Submissions must be typed in a Macintosh or PC compatible format,
and be no more than 500 words. Include your name, address and phone number with your submission. Material may be subject to condensation. Opinion letters are welcomed, however all submissions must include the authors name and contact information. We reserve
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Please email submissions to [email protected].
Opinions expressed in this paper reflect those of the authors and or subjects interviewed and do not necessarily reflect those of the
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[email protected]
2
“Ratsy” is neither bodice-ripper, potboiler,
gumshoe, nor drama lite. It’s illustrated.
Much of its talks in a muddled mixed
brogue of Irish and Scottish. There’s a
monstrous deed and a horrific after-effect
hidden under your nose – but you won’t
know it until the last chapters; instead,
you’ll encounter a deceitful vengeance first.
There’s borning and dying, hooleys and
wakes and weddings, gales at sea, tragedy
and comedy, turn-of-1900 Buffalo, a ladies
“snug” murder and mayhem, a bit of youknow-what, a trial by jury, and, in the end,
Irish legend triumphant. It’s no easy read,
but a great story, all told by a little old
crippled shut-in lady in the Ould First Ward.
Who somehow parties in a Louisiana Street
pub. Love it or hate it. But read “Ratsy.”
IRELAND LAMPOONED US 40
Music & Craic in Doolin, Co. Clare
By: Donna M. Shine
England and the husband was from Australia,
the others, I believe, were locals. We had
such a good time laughing and trying to talk
above the traditional music of Eogin O’Neill
& Friends. It just doesn’t happen! So, it was
like “conversations on steroids” with British,
Australian, Irish and American accents in
between songs. Lord help anyone who asked
you to repeat what you had said! As our
voices faded from talking, so did the evening.
At the door of the Mac Diarmada Dubhlinn
Pub, we were greeted by a blast of laughter,
music and good old fashioned craic, as the
Irish well know how to party! It was like
throwing a pebble into a still pool of water:
the sound road the soft air of the evening’s
calm.
The pub was absolutely jumping and a chair
was a fine treasure, if you could confiscate
one! The closest resting place we could
sit was a small bench along the wall, a
distance from the entertainers that everyone
for miles came to enjoy. The bench already
had an occupant who appeared to be in his
own world and under the spell of few too
many pints already! Of course, James was
not going to sit next to him, so I sat, in the
middle, flanked by two bookends!
As the music continued, this character, as
James and I refer to him, started making small
talk to me! I would rather he did not, because
it was like a blast in the face from an alcoholic
Puff the Magic Dragon, his breath would
plaster my face as I first tried to be polite and
acknowledge his conversations. But, then it
became unbearable!! Drinking, undoubtedly,
gives cause to release the building pressure
of one’s bladder. And so it was with my
‘friend’! The moment he excused himself,
James and I jumped to our feet, wormed our
The music ended at midnight and the pub
was practically cleared within minutes!
Unbelievable! Our new friends had left so
James and I sat at the corner table finishing
our drinks and just enjoying the transition
into the quiet and storing, what we could, for
our memories to look back on.
“The music is over at Mac Diarmada Dubhlinn”
way through the sardine-packed crowd to the
furthest part of the pub…away from him!
James thought it was funny that some dude
was trying to pick me up with him sitting
right at my other shoulder!! Needless to say,
we had to stand at the back wall, but the view
of the musicians was now only half blocked.
So there we stayed.
The noise level continued to increase as
the music became livelier and the drinks
disappeared so quickly. A couple people left
the corner table, making room for at least two
poor souls with very tired feet from standing.
We were invited to sit by a young newly
married couple and we did not hesitation to
accept their kind offer! The wife was from
By 12:15 am, the pub was nearly empty and
all cleaned up. We hated to leave, but decided
to head back to our B&B. What a perfect
way to end the evening by walking back
under the clear sky with only half a brilliant
moon smiling down on us. We could have
been anywhere on Earth when we gazed up
at the stars and picked out the Big Dipper…
but, it was in the WRONG place! There is
nothing like being grounded back to reality
with a cool breeze off the nearby ocean that
welcomes the evening sleep.
Marianne Lopez Memorial Bishop
Quigley High School Reunion
by Joan Scahill
On September 12, 2015 the Second Annual
Marianne “O’Keefe” Lopez Memorial
Bishop Quigley Reunion was held at Ilio
DiPaolo’s Restaurant on South Park Avenue
in Blasdell.
Marianne had run her high school reunion
almost single handed for a lot of years. She
got sick a few years ago, but still ran the
reunion. It meant the world to her and her
dying wish was that this would go on. Father
Lee started his homily at her memorial mass
with the words, “The Reunion will go on!”
How could we not honor her wishes? A
small committee met at Mercy Center and
pulled this wonderful event together. The
Sisters of Mercy were so generous having
us meet there and served us lunch. New
friendships were formed.
Bishop Quigley High School started the
same time as Bishop Timon High School in
September, 1946. Quigley was housed at
St. Brigid’s Elementary School on Fulton
Street in the Old First Ward. It was in the
right place at the right time for girls from
many parishes around Buffalo.
The School closed in 1962. They didn’t close
for lack of students. A school fire happened
in Chicago and after checking the amount
of wood in our beautiful old building it was
decided to move the grammar school kids
into our attached building and send the high
school girls to Bishop Turner High School.
They stopped taking freshmen. After a
few years, the Senior Class went to Mount
Mercy Academy to finish. For a school that
has been closed for so many years, the spirit
is still there.
We honored the first graduating class of
1950. They graduated 65 years ago. There
were eight from that class attending. We
also honored the class of 1955 and the
class of 1960. We had pictures on the wall
from the play “Follow Your Heart”. This
wonderful musical was written by Father
Claude Keane, OFM, who was the principal
of Timon when they were still in the Ward.
It was put on at Timon High in Our Lady of
Perpetual Help School and the Quigley girls
were asked to be in the cast.
The play was set in Ireland. Of course, the
First Ward Irish loved that. Nancy Keane had
the female lead and Rosemary Broom and
Agnes Cavanaugh were some of the leads.
Red Carroll, who was very tall and even
made it into the Guinness Book of Records,
was one of the main characters. Red was
from the Ward and was well known. The
opening scene had the entire cast on stage.
When we exited, the main characters were
ready to start the play. Red was standing
there in shorts. The people in the audience
were howling with laughter. Red was a
good sport about this. The music and story
was so good, they could have gone on to
Broadway. In fact, we did perform “Follow
Your Heart” at Mount Mercy Academy. I
still sing some of the songs.
We had about 100 people attend the reunion
this year even though we had a conflict with
the Old First Ward Reunion being held the
same day. Sister Shirley Sweney from the
(*Change of Venue)
HDC LIBRARY
Heritage Discovery Center
100 Lee Street, Buffalo, NY 14210
Next year, the reunion will be held on
September 17, 2016 and won’t conflict with
the First Ward reunion.
In May we planted a lilac bush with a plaque
at Marianne’s daughters house in Holland,
N.Y. She has a lovely home with a pond
and the bush is near the pond. Marianne
loved lilacs so we hope it blooms for years
to come. Sister Mariella Enright put a
program together and we dedicated the bush
on a lovely day.
We hope Marianne was smiling down on
us and approved of our effort. See you
Quigley Girls again next year.
ANDY’S
BUFFALO IRISH
GENEALOGICAL
SOCIETY
G
G
Y
REGULAR
MEETINGS
Class of 1955 lives in Tampa, Florida and
plans her vacation around the reunion every
year.
DRIVING
SCHOOL
5 HOUR PRE-LICENSING COURSE
*Saturday, April 18, 2015 ........................10:30am
*Tuesday, July 21, 2015 .............................6:00pm
*Tuesday, October 3, 2015 .....................10:30am
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
IN THE GAAA IRISH LIBRARY
JANUARY 16, 2016 AT 10:30AM
PRIVATE DRIVING LESSONS • DRIVER EDUCATION PROGRAM
Cardinal O’Hara H.S.
Buffalo Irish Center
245 Abbott Road, Buffalo, NY 14220
Andy Moynihan
874-1653
VISIT OUR WEB SITE! http://bigs.limewebs.com
or link thru
39 O’Hara Rd., Tonawanda, NY 14150
St. Pat’s Irish American Club
SOUTH END FLORAL
MEETINGS:
Dress Up Your Occassion With One
Of Our Specialty Arrangements!
1st Friday of the
p
Month at 8:00pm
New Members Welcome!
DAILY CITY-WIDE AND SUBURBAN DELIVERIES
822-7562
CALL KATHY MASTERSON
716-826-0828
716
16 826 0828
218 Abbott Road (accross from the Irish Center)
3
Buffalo Fenians Gaelic Football Club
Although summer has just come to an end,
Buffalo Fenians Gaelic Football Club are
already preparing for the 2016 season. This
year, the club is seeking to strengthen the
club with increased membership. Whether
you want to play or promote and celebrate
Irish culture here in Buffalo, come join our
Club!
Who are Buffalo Fenians GFC?
We currently have approximately 150
members ranging in ages from 8 to 90 years.
Our primary purpose is the preservation of
Gaelic Games and expansion through the
inclusion and participation of our entire
community.
Since 1884, the Gaelic Athletic Association
(GAA) has been promoting Gaelic Games
(Gaelic Football, Hurling, Camogie, and
Rounders) around the world. From Munich,
Germany, to Bangkok, Thailand, popularity
of Gaelic Games has spread to many diverse
cultures since the GAA’s inception.
The Fenians are the local GAA club here in
Buffalo. Gaelic Football has been a staple
of the Queen City’s Irish culture ever since
the club’s inception in the 1920s.
Additionally, the Fenians would like to
thank coach Conor Hawkins for the past
few years of service as the coach of the
Fenians. As Conor has decided to step
down this year, Buffalo Fenians GFC have
begun the search for a new coach. If you
or someone you know would be interested,
please let us know.
The modern version of the team participates
in the North American County Board’s
(NACB) Midwest Division, along with
other teams such as Cincinnati, Cleveland,
and Pittsburgh. Buffalo Fenians have also
formed strong relationships over the years
with the teams from Syracuse, Rochester,
and even the New York Police Department.
In addition to our Senior Football Team this
year, Buffalo Fenians GAA are delighted to
announce the first ever 7-A-Side Intra-Club
League coming in 2016. In an effort to grow
our club and promote Gaelic Games here in
Buffalo, this league is for anyone interested
in Gaelic Football, and anyone who wants
to play and learn the game.
What’s New This Year?
This 7-A-Side league will feature a
competitive 4-team league that will a
six game season, and a championship
weekend. This league will be exactly that
- a league. Although the goal of the league
is to promote and teach the game to many,
the Fenians also want to have a strong intraclub competition.
As always, we are recruiting for our Senior
Football Team. The Fenians have had some
very strong years in the past, and we look to
continue our success moving forward. We
encourage you to reach out to us if you are
interested in playing for the Senior Team.
The season starts in earnest with practices
in April, and runs through the end of the
summer with this year’s NACB National
Championship in Seattle, Washington.
These competitions can be very competitive,
and the Fenians have come very close twice
in recent years: coming up two points short
in the National Championship Game for the
D-Division in 2013, and making it as far as
the semi-finals in the C-Division in 2014.
Buffalo Fenians GFC look for all present,
past, and future Fenians to come out and
play the game we all love. Again, for
more information, contact Mike Reiser at
[email protected].
If you’d like to join the team or have any
questions, email Mike Reiser at mreiser12@
gmail.com.
We hosted Pittsburgh GAA’s Youth Program
in July, and our boys and girls showed
just how far our program has developed
in beating a strong youth program like
Pittsburgh’s.
Additionally, the CYC (Continental Youth
Championship) was held in San Francisco
on the last weekend of July. Buffalo sent
five players to participate for the Midwest:
Steven and Tim Higgins for the U12 team;
Luke McMahon for the U14 team; and Tim
Nichols and Jack Mulcaire U16s. It was a
great experience for all our players.
We would like to congratulate Jack Mulcaire
and Tim Nichols, as both were picked for
the North American County U-16 Football
team. North America Beat NYC County in
the final - meaning Jack and Tim are the first
boys from Buffalo to ever win a County
Medal. Congrats!
2016 will be a very exciting year for our
youth program. Starting in October, the
Club will begin a recruitment drive that will
continue on until April. We are looking for
boys and girls from ages 5 to 18. Our plan
is to have local and away games for all age
groups.
If you need more information, please
contact Youth Officer Paul Mulcaire at 716491-5435.
How do I get involved?
The Fenians welcome everyone to their
club. If you would like to get involved
with the Senior Team or 7-A-Side League,
email Mike Reiser at mreiser12@gmail.
com. If you’d like to be involved with
the youth team, contact Paul Mulcaire at
[email protected] or at 716-4915435.
If you have a general question about
anything in regards to our club, do not
hesitate to contact either Mike or Paul.
You can also find our club on Facebook by
searching “Buffalo Fenians GAA.”
Upcoming Events
Lastly, we have a few upcoming events we
would like to let you know about. We have
upcoming Pub Quizzes at the Irish Center
on Abbot Road in South Buffalo – October
16 and December 18. Both are scheduled
for 7:30 pm. Team entry is $5, and there is
a maximum of 4 people per team.
Can I play if I’ve never played Gaelic
Football before?
We have a Youth Team, Too!
Buffalo Fenians GFC’ss Youth Program
continued to grow in 2015.
The purpose of Buffalo Fenians GFC is to
promote the sport, and your participation,
even if you have never played before, is
certainly welcomed.
Of course! There will be practices before
the Senior Team, Youth Team, and 7-a-Side
seasons start that will go over the basics,
and help you begin to hone your skills. We
are always open to teaching newcomers the
sport we love.
We hope to see you on the field!
Fenians Abu!
Bill Coyle
Chairman
Buffalo Fenians GFC
WNY’S ORIGINAL IRISH IMPORT SHOP
EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR FOR
TARA’S DIARY
CHARMS
(FITS MOST BRACELETS)
10AM-4 PM Mon.-Sat.; 10AM-7 PM Thursday
For Membership Information Call
Skip Sommer 716-812-0538 • [email protected]
250 Abbott Road • Buffalo, NY • (716) 825-6700
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www.taragiftshoppe.com
Irish Dance Classes
IRISH PROFESSIONAL FIREFIGHTERS OF W.N.Y
Fir Doitean is am Irish Catholic
Professional Firefighters’ Group
encompassing all of WNY.
MEETINGS:
Locations is S. Buffalo, Orchard Park,
Amherst, Lancaster & Kenmore
7:00PM ON THE SECOND
WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH
716-861-7074
(EXCEPT JULY & AUGUST)
[email protected] • www.clannnacara.com
THE IRISH CENTER: 245 ABBOTT ROAD, BUFFALO, NY 14220
4
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IRISH CULTURE
& FOLK ART
ASSOCIATION OF BUFFALO, NY INC.
SPONSOR OF
THE ANNUAL
BUFFALO FEIS
All interested in our
Irish Heritage are welcome.
MEETINGS:
2nd Wednesday at 7:00pm
at the Buffalo Irish Center
For Information, Call
Charlie McSwain at 716-677-4497
www.buffalofeis.org
MPB TRAVEL
480 Abbott Road, Buffalo, NY 14220
716.826.1009 • 800.234.0672
www.mpbtravel.com
Specializing in Ireland since 1973
Escorted Tours
Self Drive Tours
B&B Packages
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Call Today!
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village invites
you to celebrate Halloween and the fall
season with their festive events scheduled
for the month of October.
Ethan Cox, co-author of “Buffalo Beer:
A History of Brewing in the Nickel City”
and one of the founders of Community
Beer Works, will present a lecture based
on the book, with a book signing to
follow, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday,
Oct. 8. In “Buffalo Beer,” co-authored by
Mike Rizzo, the rich history of brewing
in Buffalo is explored. By the middle
of the 1800s, beer brewing in Buffalo
was thriving. Though many of these
original breweries struggled through
the Prohibition Era, a new wave of
craft brewing has erupted in America,
especially our very own Buffalo. Books
will be available for sale in the museum
store. The museum’s exhibits will also
be open for perusal before and after the
lecture. The event costs $6 per person.
Join Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village
for a night of frights as they celebrate
Halloween with their Victorian Séance
Series. These programs are being designed
especially for BNHV by Joel Dombrowski
of www.BuffaloHistoryTours.com. For
four nights in October, learn about how
Spiritualism impacted our community
in the 19th century. Each evening will
include a guest medium and you will
have an opportunity to be included in
a 19th century-style séance. Space is
very limited (seven seats per séance),
so call (716) 689-1440 or visit www.
bnhv.org/event/seance to make your
reservation today.
5
The Victorian Séance Series will take
place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct.
16, 3 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, 10
to 11:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and 10 p.m.
to midnight Saturday, Oct. 24. Tickets are
$30 for each of the first three dates and
$40 for the final date.
The annual Trick-or-Treat event will take
place from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23and 4
to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. This outdoor
event invites children and their parents
to Trick-or-Treat through the historic
village while meeting some interesting
characters. Everyone is encouraged to
come in costume for the gently-spooky
night, and while the evening is geared
toward children 3 to 12, all ages are
welcome.
With paid admission ($5 adults, $8
children), children will receive a Trickor-Treat bag, treats at historic buildings,
and free refreshments and snacks.
Reservations are strongly recommended
as this event does sell out each year. For
more information or to purchase tickets
and reserve your space, please visit www.
bnhv.org or call (716) 689-1440.
Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village is
located at 3755 Tonawanda Creek Road
in Amherst. For more information, please
Súgán Chairs
By Kevin J O’Brien
Every year, I learn something new on
my trips to Ireland. I have been visiting
Ireland since 1979 and staying in the West
of Ireland around Miltown Malbay, County
Clare.
The times were different then
and when calling on relatives you were
not sure if you would find a toilet, stove,
phone or even water in a relative’s house.
I remember my mother being offered the
“chamber pot” on our first trip. The B&B’s
had a bathroom with a shower and toilet
and a modern kitchen with a gas or electric
range for cooking but the relative’s did not
necessarily have these amenities. It wasn’t’
important but what you did find; was always
a big warm welcome and an offer to sit for
tea. We would usually sit in the main room
of the house that had the range fueled with
turf, coal or timber. This provided heat for
the home and the stove for heating the tea
and cooking the meal. Every house also had
a table surrounded by chairs and this is what
my story is about.
Súgán Chairs
I never paid much attention to these chairs
because everyone had them and we just
sat around what we would call the kitchen
table and relish the tea and conversation.
In 1981 on my third trip to Ireland on my
honeymoon with my wife Joyce we visited
cousins where I had visited before where we
were offered the chamber pot and now they
had water piped into the house that year and
were just finishing off a new bathroom with
a bath tub. Another Irish bachelor cousin
that lived high on a hill in Tooreen, Miltown
Malbay still did not have any water or a
refrigerator in his house invited my Joyce
and I for tea one afternoon and we sat in
his main room with a table four chairs and
a wooden box about 3 feet high and 2 foot
wide and deep where he kept his flour and
essentials for making bread. The bacon was
hanging from the ceiling and his cabbage
and vegetables were on the cold stone floor
in the room off the main room. You won’t
find this standard of living in Ireland very
much anymore. We were sitting on his chairs
when my cousin, John King mentioned that
he had just finished his chairs and that he
had just hand woven the seats. I got up from
the chair and admired the work and told him
so and sat back down. It just looked like
rope to me. I didn’t realize that 35 years
later I would appreciate the craftsmanship
and the tradition of his work.
This year I visited a cousin, Michael
O’Brien of Knockbrack, Miltown Malbay.
Michael lives in his ancestral home with
the 3 foot thick walls where O’Brien’s have
been living for over two hundred years.
Michael’s home has been upgraded with all
the modern features you would expect to
find in a house of today. During a visit,
Michael took his guests for a walk over his
fields and called on one of his neighbors,
Michael Mahoney.
Michael Mahoney
is a bachelor and lives by himself in his
ancestral home. His home is charming and
is still as when his parents and grandparents
were living in the house. The flag stone
floors, 3 foot walls, a range burning turf
were the open fire once let the smoke go
up the large chimney with the hob seats in
the corners of the fireplace. He does have a
sink, refrigerator and television in the main
room now but what I noticed there were the
table and chairs that I have not found in a
number of years.
These are the súgán chairs that were all
around his main room. These chairs are
crafted without nails and their mortise
and tenon wood joins that hold it together.
Unlike most modern furniture these
traditional furniture will last for generation
and in the past this furniture was considered
an heirloom to be handed down to the next
generation.
The súgán chair used to be
a popular kitchen chair in country districts,
particularly in the west and southwest of
Ireland. Michael Mahoney is a craftsman
that makes the final part in the construction
of a súgán chair known as the “Weave”
which you sit upon. Long ago, the material
used in the process was hemp, today it
has been replaced by twine. Súgán is the
Gaelic word for straw/rope and used for
chair seating. Michael Mahoney still uses
straw and demonstrated to my cousins and
me how he spins this straw into a rope or
cord using a long branch from a tree that
is bent at the tip to look like a shepherd’s
Scoil Cultúir agus Teanga na hÉireann
(School of Irish Culture and Language)
Buffalo Irish Center: Weds. 6:30 pm & Sun. 2 pm
UB Newman Center: Tues. 1 pm
Margaret McGrath: 716-674-8569 /716-310-0840
THE DAUGHTERS
OF ERIN
If you would like to participate in:
Pot Luck Suppers, Charity Work, Adopt a Family Projects, Book Sales, Raffles,
St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Conventions, Going to the Theater, Helping Local
Food Pantries, Special Mass Observances, Calendar Luncheon and you are of
Irish and Catholic descent
THE DAUGHTERS OF ERIN
ARE LOOKING FOR YOU!
Meetings are held the 3rd Wednesday of every month.
FOR INFORMATION, CALL ROBIN MESSENGER AT 821-9762
crook. He spins the straw until he has a
rope perhaps twenty feet long and then
uses this to weave the seats and back of the
súgán chair.
These are beautiful chairs and I was so
impressed with them that I am going to find
a few súgán chair frames and have Michael
weave the seats for me. I was amazed how
beautiful these chairs are and how I sat in
them so many times over the years and
did not even know the name until this past
summer.
There is plenty of information on line about
súgán chairs and you can purchase them on
line from artisans in Ireland. This in one
souvenir from Ireland you can pass on down
to the next generation and enjoy every day
of your life.
Irish Black Oak Bog Wood
BY KEVIN J O’BRIEN
After every vacation in Ireland, I return
home with a few souvenirs. I have the usual
Aran sweater, tweed cap, Claddagh ring and
even a few items that should not have make
it through customs. Items like bones, not
human bones but animal bones, that were
left in ruins of old homes and were once
kept to protect the home from evil or bad
luck. These are called pishoques and I will
write about them at a later time.
IRISH BLACK OAK BOG WOOD
This year’s souvenir is very special to me
because of its age, where it came from and
who gave it to me. I estimate this year’s
souvenir to be around 5000 years old.
My cousin, Rory O’Brien, is a small farmer
in the west of Ireland in County Clare where
he maintains a small herd of cows and raises
calves. One morning, I walked over to his
out buildings where he keeps his cows and
noticed about a half dozen tree stumps next
to the cow shed. I asked him about these
tree stumps figuring that he had cleared off
some land and would be using the wood for
fuel for his range to heat his house. Rory
told me he had cleared out a field that he
and his Dad owned because he had given
the field to St. Mary’s RCC to extend the
graveyard. What I did not know was how
valuable this wood was and sought after by
wood carvers and artists from around the
world.
Bog wood is ancient timber. About ten
thousand years ago, the ice age started
retreating from Ireland. It left behind a
land in which birch, lichen and willow
grew. After another few thousand years, a
forest of oak and pine covered the whole of
6
Ireland. These great blankets of forest lasted
five thousand years, before eventually
succumbing to the growth of peat forming
plants. They were eventually covered
completely within the peat swamps. Bog
oak is an incredible wood and a rare form of
timber that is unique to the bogs of Ireland.
The timber has been preserved from
decay because of the anaerobic and acidic
conditions within the bog. Bog oak forms
over 4000 to 7000 years. As the bogs have
been reclaimed for agriculture or fuel by
generations of the Irish population, huge
roots and trees have been unveiled. This
is exactly why Rory O’Brien had these bog
oak stumps from his field at his farm.
Not all the stumps are of equal value. The
darker the wood means the older and the
most sought after by the artist. Rory said
that he could get a few hundred euros for
some of the stumps and he picked up a small
piece and ask me if I would like to take a
piece home. I was thrilled at the offer and
tucked it under my arm and walked back
to the house where I was staying. I had to
clean off the bog wood with a hose and let it
dry before it would go in my suitcase.
I found a lot of information on Irish Oak
Bog Wood on the internet and read that I
will have to wait at least four years to let it
dry before I could do any work on the wood.
If you try and speed up the drying process it
may cause cracking of the wood. I am not
in a hurry and can wait a few more years for
this ancient piece of Ireland to be ready.
I find great satisfaction in knowing in
which field in the townland of Finnor More,
County Clare this ancient tree was growing
5000 years ago.
A Gathering of the Clan
Joseph Xavier Martin
It was a balmy Saturday in late
August as we were gathered at the
sparkling new venue of the Buffalo
RiverWorks on Ganson Street, along
the banks of the Buffalo River. You
could not really miss the exterior
signpost for the place. Six towering
cylindrical cylinders, that had once
held grain, were now painted a deep
royal blue with the insignia of Labatt
Blue Beers along their crest.
Having never before visited the
place, we were apprehensive at what
we would find. It was the annual
gathering of Buffalo’s Clan Na
Gael. Dance, music, Irish themed
memorabilia, genealogy and the
friendship of people we had known
for sixty years lay inside.
The building, composed of
outsized iron structural beams,
hardwood floors and lacelike
ironwork had created a three story
open venue that looked like the
French Quarter of New Orleans on
steroids. Only the famous “Gilley’s
Saloon,” of Texas fame, could
compare with the airy and spacious
interior.
Two inside stages, one atop a winter
ice rink, and the other atop an indoor
roller rink, provided continuous
music, dance and cultural stimulation
to an appreciative audience.
From the interior Guinness
stage, fifes, fiddles and guitars played
a lilting and haunting rhythm of a
land and a people from long ago and
now far away. The outer Harp stage
was an exposition of more modern
Irish music, redolent of the pulsating,
foot-stomping rhythm of Appalachia.
It was an Irish Hootenanny that drew
cheers from an appreciative throng.
There were upwards of 5,000
sons and daughters of Eire present
on this balmy August afternoon.
The same number had been here
last night. An equal number was
expected on Sunday. The festival had
exceeded anyone expectations and
was a raging success.
In the Mall area of the venue,
Kevin O’Brien and Donna Shine
manned the Irish Genealogy Booth.
Mary Heneghan managed her chorus
of dancers, The Tara Shop site and a
dozen other activities in a maestro’s
organizational
performance.
Hundreds of gracious volunteers
made the festival run as smoothly as
a Swiss watch.
There was abundant seating
in the music venues and along the
three levels of the riverside bars.
Many hundreds lolled in the shade
and watched the flotillas of boats,
kayakers, and other river craft drift
by on the Buffalo River. A last
contingent watched the Buffalo Bills
stomp all over the Pittsburgh Steelers
in a small bar on the second level of
the facility.
We sampled and enjoyed the
Irish coffee and potato soup. Others
ate heartily, from an eclectic menu,
as they washed their fare down with
Guinness, Jameson’s and a host of
other potables.
Five generations of my own
family had lived out their lives along
this river. The area was especially
poignant to me. I could picture in my
mind’s eye, great uncles as ferrymen,
scoopers, saloon owners and a dozen
other occupations that the Irish had
claimed as their own along the shores
of the Buffalo River in this new land.
We sat and talked with Trish and
John Gloss, friends since childhood,
and caught up with the news of
family and friends. The Farrell’s, The
Rileys, The Shanahans, the Fays,
The Smiths and a dozen other friends
I had known since childhood stopped
by and shared their greetings. With
most of the old friends we have
what we like to call a “bookmark”
relationship. Like a favored old
book, you read it until you put the
book down. You mark your place
and then, even after many years, you
pick up the book and start again from
the bookmark, like your interaction
had never been interrupted. It was
a comfortable feeling to be among
those many whose families you had
known for several generations. We
were an interrelated gathering of
Buffalo’s Clan Na Gael. And though
there were many here from all of
Claunreasc, Cooraclare and O’Keefe’s
By Jim Keane
My lifelong friend and neighbor Mike
Shanahan and family are on their way to
Ireland this fall for the first time. Dozens
of Shanahan’s are taking a guided tour,
booked through Dan Crawford of Travel
Outlet in West Seneca. Mike and his wife
Maureen Fahey are understandably excited
about their first ever adventure to the land
of their forebears. Mike had me over to his
house for a few moments the other day to
obtain my advice on what to do and see
while in the Emerald Isle. I assured him
that a guided tour was the perfect way to
see Ireland for the first time.
The Shanahans will see the Book of Kells
in Dublin’s Trinity College. They’ll tour
the Liffey, the GPO, St Stevens Green and
the Guiness Brewery and if they adhere
to my advice, they’ll visit Kilmainham
Jail. They’ll mount the Cliffs of Moher,
walk through the narrow paths of Galway
and drive the breathtaking Ring of Kerry.
They’ll see castles, cathedrals, and ancient
cemeteries. Most of all they’ll have a
grand time getting to know the Irish
people. That’s where the Irish pub comes
into play. While the Shanahans most likely
won’t get to the tiny town of Cooraclare
there will be plenty of pubs along the way
for them to sing along with the locals.
Cooraclare may be my favorite place to
visit in Ireland. It’s a wide spot in the road
of west Clare, ancestral home of many
Western New Yorkers including my and
my wife’s families. There are three pubs
in Cooraclare to serve the needs of its 650
inhabitants. My favorite is O’Keefe’s,
owned and operated by Arthur and Ann
O’Keefe-two beautiful souls. If you’re
over five feet tall, you’ll be required to
duck under the front doorway in order
to safely enter the establishment. Art
is an entertainer of the first caliber. He
plays guitar and sings as well as any of
us. How’s that for a disclaimer? Ann is a
sweetie pie. The O’Keefe’s hold regularly
scheduled sessions and impromptu sing-alongs. O’Keefe’s is quintessential Eire.
Cooraclare’s most famous place to stay is
Claunreasc, a six bedroom house, located
about a mile from the town on Drumhilly
Road. Locals kiddingly label it the
“Holiday House”. It has all the essentials
of home. Military style night goggles are
recommended for traversing Drumhilly
Road after midnight, but Claunreasc is
the perfect place to stay, especially for
large groups. It can be booked through Pat
Byrne of MPB Travel on Abbott Road.
Claunreasc is the ancestral property of
the Jim Browne family of South Buffalo.
Eileen Browne Robinson and husband
Dan live on Whitfield Avenue, inarguably
South Buffalo’s finest street and I’m not
talking about the end near Abbott Road.
There’s a lovely song that perfectly
captures the simplicity and lure of
Cooraclare. It’s called, “The Chapel
Gates of Cooraclare”. You can listen to
it on U Tube. My favorite rendition is
by Annmarie O’Riordan. Believe me, its
haunting, simply haunting. Still, if you’re
into authenticity, you’ll need to pay a visit
to O’Keefe’s where it just doesn’t get any
better.
Eire’s 32 counties, most of us, in the
Buffalo area, had come here from
Cork, Clare and Kerry. We had been
near relations for many hundreds
of years and knew that we were
amongst our own.
Small children gamboled
about as their parents talked with
friends, listened to the music and
sang songs they had sung since
childhood. The young, Irish step
dancers were animated and colorful
as they performed before family and
friends. It was truly a village setting,
similar to those in rural Eire that we
had seen and visited. We were all
amongst our own in this grand new
open facility on the Buffalo River
and the ghost of many thousands of
our own was all around us enjoying
the lilting rhythm of the music that
they had brought with them from the
misty Isle of Eire.
After many hours of this
pleasant companionship, we made
our way back to our car and home.
It had been a day spent with old
friends, the music of our own and
the memory of who we are and
from whence we had come. This
lilting Irish Brigadoon would soon
disappear and not reemerge until
the following year. God willing, we
will meet everyone here again next
year. May the roads rise up to meet
you all.
“…the magical journey to find
my Irish ancestral grounds
became the inspiration for
IRELAND SPEAKS: Poems
From My Soul.” Written,
illustrated and published
by Donna M. Shine
$13.00
($10 plus $3 postage)
CONTACT:
Donna M. Shine
(716) 662-1164
Email: [email protected]
BUSINESS
PROFILES
7
“Growing Up Irish”
Knockelly
Castle
Published August 2015
Paperback
ISBN-13:9781492271741
Pages 96
6 x 0.2 x 9 inches
Photographs 74
Ages 13 to Adult
By: Donna M Shine
CONTACT :
Eileen Canning-DiPasquale
82 Wabash Avenue
Kenmore, NY 14217
716-875-3997
“Growing Up Irish” is great for anyone
who enjoys stories about Irish families,
traditions, history and folklore.
From Eileen Canning, author and lecturer of
Irish and Celtic folklore, here is a book filled
with stories and humor from her memories
of growing up in an Irish household.
This book is written with old school flair.
Situations and circumstances come to life in
this simply written narrative.
Read about Eileen’s trips to Ireland and her
parent’s influence on her life as they made
a way for themselves in the United States.
My mother was the original multi-tasker.
She could sit at the kitchen table, shake her
leg and sip her tea while staring you down
pointing a finger of accusation all at the
same time. (pg. 39)
I felt as if it was still a time of innocence
Dedicated to: Christine HEFFERNAN MORRIS of Crohane Upper, Tipperary
Upon a hill of limestone, deep,
Envisioned there: a castle keep;
When kings and queens ruled all alive,
In fourteen hundred, sixty-five.
then. I was allowed to visit the cockpit
at a simple request. Our pilot gave me
permission to photograph him. I told him
that one day his picture would be in a book
all about Ireland. (pg. 21)
Eileen Canning-DiPasquale resides in
Kenmore, NY with her husband Mark and
three dogs. She presents her Irish and Celtic
workshops around Western New York and
Canada. If you are interested in having her
present a workshop you may contact her at
[email protected].
My story’s old, I linger, still,
As I look out, from ‘top my hill;
I represent, all life, steadfast,
Explaining moments from my past.
My stonework climbs majestic skies,
Enclosed farmyard, my bailey rise;
Where in the Golden Vale, I see,
The luscious fields of Tipperary.
I’ve two tower houses in my bawn,
Security from dawn to dawn;
Knockelly Castle, I am known,
The list of tenants sure has grown.
HARTNETT
From “Black Tom” Butler to David Lowe,
Wine merchants, even John Kickham, so;
John’s son, names James, married Ellen Purcell,
Of their four daughters, I will tell.
- Dorothy M. “Tootie” (nee Fox) Age 93,
August 7, 2015 of West Seneca, NY, wife
of the late Timothy W. Hartnett; dearest
and loving mother of William (Elaine)
Hartnett, James (Leslie) Hartnett, Gerald
(JoAnn) Hartnett, Timothy Hartnett (Arlene
Vogt), Daniel (Diane) Hartnett, Kathleen
(late Elmer) Willard and Terri Szpila (Reed
Malley); loving daughter of the late Charles
J. Fuchs/Fox and Mary K. Aichinger Fox;
daughter-in-law of the late Timothy C.
Hartnett and Margaret O’Connor Hartnett;
sister of the late Ruth (late Midge) Wilson
and Lorraine (late Stanley) Pawlak;
cherished grandmother of 25 grandchildren,
41 great-grandchildren and six great-greatgrandchildren. Funeral services conducted
from the SIECK, MAST & LESLIE
FUNERAL HOME, and at St. John XXIII
Parish, West Seneca, NY. Tootie was a
member of Seneca Hose Ladies Auxiliary
for over 60 years, a long-time member of
the former St. Bonaventure Church and
retired from West Seneca Developmental
Center. Interment In Holy Cross Cemetery.
A Kickham girl espoused a Heffernan,
The name remained ‘til now, since then;
You see, I am, again, for sale,
As I look down on the Golden Vale.
A fire destroyed my roof, back when,
Now jutting stones mark where it’s been;
My windows witness all around,
Where prey evade the old foxhound.
My spiral stairs of stone, so worn,
Once busy with life, but now forlorn;
The ivies are my bloodlines; crawl,
To different heights upon my wall.
Now, Coolemore Stud, below me lies,
Top quality hay: timothy and ryes;
The broodmares eat the very best,
While tractor rows harvest the rest.
So, tall I rise, above the land,
I’m proud, through time, that I still stand;
The winds of change, surround me now,
I will survive, I don’t know how.
When you next pass the likes of me,
Just stand in pause, and try to see;
The lives involved, no longer there,
At one time, past, I had great care.
8
Coore Church, Kilmurry-Ibrickane,
County Clare, Ireland 1865-2015
Kevin J O’Brien
Congratulations to the clergy and
parishioners of Coore Church celebrating
150 years. Having just returned from a two
week holiday in Clare I have fond memories
of attending Mass there on July 26th and
viewing the pictures of former and present
parishioners along with meeting cousins
and friends. I should have planned my
holiday better to coincide with the 150 Year
Celebration events.
Attending Mass at Coore is always a special
time on my holidays in Mullagh. Entering
into Coore Church and dipping my fingers
in the Holy Water just as my ancestors did
over one hundred years ago, gave me chills
up my spine. My grandfather, John O’Brien
left Ireland in May 1900 like so many Irish
did in search of a new and better life in the
world. John O’Brien formerly of Killernan
Townland, the son of Stephen O’Brien of
Killernan and Peggy O’Halloran of Ahy
Bridge, went to Buffalo, New York where
his neighbors and cousins there helped
him get his start. The O’Neill, O’Brien,
O’Gorman, Talty, and Moroney, just to
name a few Kilmurry-Ibrickane families,
were all living in Western New York.
My grandfather, John O’Brien lived with us
until he died in 1959 and I remember the
stories with the strange names of Killernan,
Coore School, Coore Church, Crosses of
Annagh, Mutton Island and so many more.
John O’Brien never returned to Ireland and
my father planned to make the trip in 1974 to
see where his father and mother were born.
My Dad’s mother was Molly Moroney of
Miltown Malbay. He never made the trip
because he died in October 1974 the month
my parents were going to make the trip. I
was in the US Army at the time, but when I
was discharged, my mother and I made the
trip in June 1979.
We did not know much about traveling to
a foreign country and it would be the first
time for my mother and me to visit Ireland.
All we knew about the O’Brien farm in
Killernan was that the man living in my
grandfather’s home was Jamsie O’Connor
who had purchased the house from my
grandfather’s sister, Maria O’Brien in 1949.
After renting a car in Ireland and heading
out for the small town on the map called
Dog Ears Bookstore to offer
adult literacy classes to improve
employment opportunities
INNISFREE ADULT DANCERS
TRADITIONAL IRISH SET & CEILI
DANCE LESSONS
BUFFALO IRISH CENTER
TUESDAY 7:45 PM
CONTACT SHANE & JEAN DEVLIN
627-5966
Free pre-training literacy classes for the
unemployed and underemployed are now
being offered at the nonprofit Dog Ears
Bookstore, located at 688 Abbott Road,
Buffalo. One-on-one sessions are available
to individuals 18 and older who have a high
school diploma or GED.
“I have recently teamed with Literacy
New York Buffalo-Niagara Inc. and the
Buffalo Center for Arts and Technology
(BCAT) and will begin running a program
call Pre-training Literacy designed to help
adults improve their reading and workforce
development skills,” said Dog Ears Director
Thomas McDonnell. “The goal is to get
participants ready for a job placement
program offered by organizations such as
SOUTH BUFFALO
Celtic Fall Fest
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13 AT 6:00PM
Miltown Malbay, I headed west out of Ennis.
When I passed through “The Hand” and
read the sign “Miltown Malbay 5 Miles”, I
began to get very excited. I turned off the
main road to head to Killernan in hopes of
going straight to the O’Brien farm when I
came upon Coore Church. I pulled off the
road and my mother asked me “why are you
stopping?” I was so excited because Coore
Church was the first place I recognized in
Ireland. I knew I was home. The church
was under renovation at the time and I met
the parish priest, Father Murphy. He gave
us a warm welcome and informed us that
it was very expensive work being done and
that American dollars were welcome. I
gave him twenty US dollars and ask him
to say a Mass for the O’Brien family of
Killernan.
This was the best way to start our adventure
in Ireland because Coore Church is where it
all started with my grandfather’s baptism on
23 Oct 1875 in Coore Church. That was the
first of three trips for my mother and at least
twelve trips and many more to come for me.
Each time I return I have brought additional
family members with me. Two more
generations of American O’Brien’s from
the lineage of Stephen O’Brien of Killernan
Townland, Ireland that have come to see
where it all began for us and to feel a part
of the ancestry that I have traced through
Coore Church over the last 36 years.
BCAT. I am also hoping to collaborate with
several other job placement programs in the
very near future.”
Classes will be offered at Dog Ears
Bookstore by appointment only. Participants
who complete the program may be eligible
to receive a scholarship through BCAT’s
Adult Workshop Development Program.
For more information on this unique
literacy program, please call 823-2665
or email [email protected]. You
can also follow Dog Ears Bookstore
on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
DogEarsBookstore?fref=ts for frequent
updates.
Proud ofBeing
IRISH &
CATHOLIC
Join The
ANCIENT
ORDER of
HIBERNIANS
Located In The Buffalo Irish Center
BUFFALOIRISHTIMES
CALL THE BUFFALO IRISH CENTER AT 825-9535
OR EMAIL: [email protected]
Buffalo
B
al IIrishh T
Times -
9
Library
By James Boyle
Readers of the Buffalo Irish Times know what a wonderful asset the Buffalo Irish Center
is. They participate in many of the functions that are held there. Many are members of one
or more of the Irish organizations that meet at the Center. Some have a son or daughter in
Irish dance. The pub has food and wonderful Irish and non-Irish beers on tap to be enjoyed
while listening to the many bands that are regularly scheduled. The Buffalo Irish Center
also has a hidden gem-a very good library! This library of books and media about all things
Irish is now reopening for the Fall. You are welcome to come in and take a look around.
Some of the holdings are very unique and not to be found anywhere else. Initially the hours
will be the third Wednesday of each month from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. Hopefully these
hours will be expanded as we add volunteers to staff the library. Plans for the year include
forming an Irish book club, celebrating Irish holidays (in addition to Saint Patrick’s Day)
and promoting the Center and its special library. For more information and/or to volunteer
please contact Jim Boyle at 873-1078 or [email protected].
Library Research
The GAAA IRISH LIBRARY is OPEN for Irish research to the general public by
APPOINTMENT ONLY by calling Jim Boyle at (716) 873-1078. The library is located
inside the BUFFALO IRISH CENTER, 245 Abbott Rd, Buffalo, NY 14220. (Stay tuned
to WBEN 930 AM for snow or emergency closings. If the Buffalo Irish Center closes, the
library would be closed also.)
The Buffalo Irish Genealogical Society has moved their 3,500+ genealogical book
collection to a single satellite location within the Heritage Discovery Center (HDC, 2nd
floor), Research Library, 100 Lee St, 1.5 miles away towards downtown Buffalo. It is at
this location that genealogical research will be conducted by volunteer genealogists. For
more information, please call: Donna M. Shine (716) 662-1164 or email Diane Blaser at
[email protected].
Advertiser Rates
Single Issue Rates:
Buffalo Irish Festival 2015
- A Vendor’s View
Sinéad Tyrone
Under the silos, under the grain elevators
that stand prominent along the Buffalo
River, silent witnesses to decades of history
that have unfolded beneath them, this year’s
Irish Festival was held at a new venue, the
RiverWorks facility.
I was curious how the large festival we’ve
enjoyed at Canalside the past few years
would fit into RiverWorks. When I arrived
Friday afternoon to set up my table in the
vendor area, I was more than satisfied. I was
elated! The Irish Festival and RiverWorks
were a perfect fit! From the stage setups, to
the food and other facilities, to the shopping
area, everything was first class and easily
accessible.
Buffalo’s resurgence over the past several
years has been astounding. Not only are
new businesses springing up left and right,
and old ones reinventing themselves, but
the creativity surrounding each new venture
is simply amazing. RiverWorks is a prime
example. Whoever had the idea of turning
this industrial warehouse into an eating
and entertainment establishment in the first
place, kudos to them. Whoever designed
this particular venue, you have created a top
notch landmark destination spot.
Buffalo has risen from its rust-belt deathknoll status to become a destination city
that vibrates with excitement, renewal and
hope. What better place to experience that
than along the Buffalo River, where so many
Irish emigrants settled, built our canals,
worked our grain elevators and dockyards,
and contributed to so many of our industries.
Like the venue, and the host city, old Irish
stronghold communities are poised to make
a stunning comeback, reminiscent of the
Irish heritage that time and again has had to
overcome hardship.
1/8 H 1.9”x4.9” ....................................... $70.00
1/8 V 3.9”x2.4”......................................... $70.00
1/4 V 4.9”x3.9”......................................... $90.00
1/2 H 10”x3.9” .......................................$240.00
1/2 V 4.9”x8”..........................................$240.00
Full Page .................................................$470.00 From my vantage point at an author’s vendor
Five Issue Rate - One Year:
Business Card .........................................$175.00
table for the duration of the festival, I got to
see many things. I was able to meet new
vendors, and view their exceptional wares.
I reconnected with other vendors I’ve gotten
to know in the past. From this year’s venue,
I could hear the bands at the Harp Stage and
enjoy some of the greatest Irish music going.
I felt more connected this year with the
festivities, and many of the patrons I spoke
with loved being able to browse the vendor
area in a more open setting.
As I worked at my author table this year, I
reflected on what makes our Irish Festival
such a popular, well attended event. One
could argue that it’s the Guinness or the
music, and they would be right, in part.
I believe it goes much deeper, though. I
watched people coming together, meeting
family, reuniting with school mates and old
neighborhood friends they may only see
once or twice a year, on St. Patrick’s Day
and at our Irish Festival. I see the dancers,
dressed in the costumes they wear with great
pride, selling cookies to support the activity
that is such a cultural stronghold to them and
their families. I see people connecting with
their Irish roots in as many ways as they can,
celebrating and honoring their heritage, and
passing this on to future generations.
I believe it is the honoring and passing on
of this heritage that, more than anything
else, draws people to our Irish Festival every
year. Gone are the days when “No Irish Need
Apply” signs hung from so many business
windows. No longer do people cross from
Ireland in droves on over-crowded ships,
risking their lives to flee the horrible
conditions that gripped Ireland for decades.
Still, the music and food, dances and wares
strike a chord in Irish hearts, stir Irish
hearts, and connects people of Irish descent
with their homeland once again. Our Irish
Festival provides that heritage connection
on every level, and this year did so in a
bigger, better, and more amazing way than
ever! I am grateful to the festival organizers,
sponsors, and the many hard working people
who made this year’s festival the great
success that it was. I’m sure they, like me,
are already planning for next year’s event!
(only available with 5 time commitment)
1/8 H 1.9”x4.9” .....................................$275.00
1/8 V 3.9”x2.4”.......................................$275.00
1/4 V 4.9”x3.9”.......................................$330.00
1/2 H 10”x3.9” .......................................$900.00
1/2 V 4.9”x8”..........................................$900.00
Full Page 10”x16” ................................$1760.00
THE WORKER
by Marissa Lahner and Sara Heidinger
BUFFALO IRISH TIMES
245 ABBOTT RD., BUFFALO, NY 14220
Ad copy or questions should be emailed to:
[email protected]
and a check for the size chosen made payable to:
GAAA and sent to: 245 Abbott Rd., Buffalo, NY 14220
(All payments must be received by the publication date in order for the ad to run)
Claddagh Room: Seats 110 People
Emerald Ballroom: Seats 270 People
BOOK A ROOM
FOR YOUR EVENT
Features:
music on the
weekend and
the “craic”
everyday!
THE PUB
EMERALD BALLROOM
Affordable Rates • Bar Service Available • Free Wi-Fi
Air-conditioned • Catering available
Book online: www.buffaloirishcenter.com
Over the past 3 months “The Worker”,
a new mural created with the hard work
and dedication of artists, Tom O’Brien,
Christopher Kameck, Nicole Cherry, Nick
Miller, Amanda Gala, Suzie Molnar Goad,
and Vinny Alejandro pays a stunning tribute
to Buffalo’s historic work force, many of
worked as well as resided in the Old First
Ward. The artists filled in different parts
of the letters with iconic imagery of these
workers, paying homage to their crucial
role in making Buffalo such a powerhouse
city in the 20th century.
A special thanks goes out to not just
the artists, but to Michael May for his
generous effort to prime the wall prior to
the artists starting, Andrew Bannister for
BUFFALO IRISH
TIMES SUBSCRIPTION
Name: ____________________________
Street: ____________________________
Town: ____________________________
State:__________ Zip: ______________
$10/YEAR • 5 ISSUES
Mail to:
245 Abbott Rd., Buffalo, NY 14220
BUFFALO IRISH TIMES, 245 ABBOTT RD., BUFFALO, NY 14220
Ad copy or questions should be emailed to: [email protected]
and a check for the size chosen made payable to: GAAA and sent to: 245 Abbott Rd., Buffalo, NY 14220
(All payments must be received by the publication date in order for the ad to run)
10
help in projecting the image, and through
the collaboration with the Old First Ward
Community Center, as well as many others
who lent a hand over the past 3 months. The
mural not only has beautified a spot that
has long been an eye sore, but has sparked
excitement within the community. ELAB
(Emerging Leaders in the Arts Buffalo) is
excited for the completion of the mural that
was started this July at their annual City of
Night Festival. In conjunction with public
art initiative already in motion through the
Old First Ward Community, this piece of
permanent public art is the first of hopefully
many public art projects that will take place
in the OFW through the City of Night
festival and ELAB’s growing appreciation
of the community.
Intro to the origin of Irish Gaelic surnames and
Gaeltacht naming practices
-Kevin Conroy/Caoimhín Mac Con Raoi
Did you ever wonder why most Irish surnames
begin with the prefixes O’ or M(a)c? The
answer goes back to the very origin of surnames
in Ireland.
Some of the oldest surnames in the world are
found in Ireland. Indeed, in Western Europe,
the Irish are the first people attested to have
employed surnames. Gaelic Ireland possesses
the most copious genealogical tradition in
Europe, so we are fortunate to have an enormous
corpus of names to trace the development of
surnames (as well as an extremely rich corpus
of native personal names). The native Gaelic
forms of Irish surnames do all have meaning,
some of which are obvious to a speaker of the
Modern Irish, but many require knowledge of
Old Irish to understand.
In this article I’ll be giving a basic account
of the origin of surnames in Gaelic Ireland
based primarily on notes and memories from
an ainmeolaíocht (onomastics) class that I
took with Professor Nollaig Ó Muraíle at
NUI Galway in 2009 (other sources include
Patrick Woulfe’s Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall:
Irish Names and Surnames and ‘A Note on the
Emergence of Irish Surnames’ in the preface to
Francis Byrne’s Irish Kings and High-Kings).
My purpose here is not to give the meanings of
Irish surnames (there are hundreds of common
ones and thousands total), but to explain their
origin and formation. I will conclude with
modern naming practices in the Gaeltacht.
Many of the Anglicized versions of Irish
surnames include O’ or M(a)c, and the vast
majority of the original Gaelic versions of
Irish surnames include Ó (Ua in some older
forms) or Mac. Mac means ‘son’ in Irish
and ó means ‘grandson, /descendant’. These
prefixes are often omitted in current English
versions of Irish surnames. Note, the difference
between Mc and Mac in the English versions
of surnames does not necessarily differentiate
Irish and Scottish surnames. It is true that the
vowel in Mac is often dropped in the English
spelling of Irish surnames, but this sometimes
happens in the case of Scottish surnames as
well. On the other hand, the “m” in mac is often
dropped in colloquial Irish. So Mac Suibhne
(=McSweeny) is typically pronounced ‘ac
Suibhne (“ack SIV-nuh”) in colloquial Irish.
One ought to note that there are also sept (or
tribal) names in O’ (Uí). These are not the same
as surnames and are often centuries older. For
example, not everyone in the O’Neill sept, Uí
Néill in Irish (uí is the plural of ó), would have
the surname Ó Néill. Most, in fact, would not.
Thus, since mac means ‘son’ and ó means
‘grandson’, it is clear that the majority of
Irish surnames were originally patronymic (or
“papponymic”, a term coined by Francis Byrne
for people called after their grandfather rather
than their father), like “surnames” still are
in Iceland. For example, if an Icelandic man
whose name is Jón (=John) has son, his surname
will be Jónsson “John’s son”. Jón’s daughter’s
last name will be Jónsdóttir “John’s daughter”.
This is basically how naming worked in Ireland
before true surnames developed. People would
be referred to as the son/daughter of their
father. So a man named Cormac might have
had a son called Aodh mac Cormaic “Aodh,
son of Cormac” and a daughter referred to as
Eithne inghean Chormaic “Eithne, daughter of
Cormac”.
Of course, the Irish couldn’t just name the
father. They had to go back much further than
that, especially in the case of Gaelic nobility.
Taking a random example from Seathrún
Céitinn’s Forus Feasa ar Éirinn (a history
of Ireland from prehistoric times up until the
Anglo-Norman invasion), there once was a
king of Ireland named Lughaidh Iardhonn mac
Éanna Deirg mic Duach Fhinn mic Séadna
Ionnarraidh mic Breisrígh mic Airt Imligh
do shíol Éibhir “Lughaidh Iardhonn (Darkbrown Lughaidh), son of Éanna Dearg (Red
Éanna), [who was] son of Duach Fionn (Blond
Duach), [who was] son of Séadna Ionnaraidh,
[who was] son of Breisrígh, [who was] son
of Art Imleach of the race of Éibhear (one of
mythological ancestors/leaders of the Gaels)”.
This king’s paternal ancestors are mentioned
back to his great-great-great grandfather. In the
case of women, we find in the annals names
such as Aileach inghean Udhaire rí Alban
“Aileach, daughter of Udhaire, the king of
Alba (=Scotland)” and Moingfhionn inghean
Fhiodhaigh “Moingfhionn (“blond-mane”)
daughter of Fiodhach”. Since royalty passed
through the male line only, we don’t find many
female names with a long list of ancestors,
but in Fenian story Tóraidheacht Dhiarmada
agus Ghráinne
(The Pursuit of Diarmuid
and Gráinne; found in late 17th and early 18th
century manuscripts), the beautiful Gráinne is
introduced as Gráinne inghean Chormaic mic
Airt mic Cuinn Chéadchathaigh “Gráinne,
daughter of Cormac, [who was] son of Art,
[who was] son of Conn Céadchathach (“of the
hundred battles”).
So how do we know what is a patronym
(or papponym) and what is a surname? The
boundary between patronym and surname is not
easily ascertained. Scholars combed through
genealogical texts and sought out individuals
called the son (mac) or grandson (ó/ua) of
someone they were not actually the son or
grandson of. The oldest example of a surname
is Ó Cléirigh (O’Cleary), Ua Cléirig in older
Irish orthography. Based on genealogical tracts
we can trace one of the earliest examples of
this surname: There was a man whose (nick)
name was Cléirech. Cléirech had a son whose
name was Máel Fábaill, so he was called
Máel Fábaill mac Cléirig “Máel Fábaill son
of Cléirech”. Máel Fábaill’s son was called
Máel Curarda ua Cléirig “Máel Curarda
grandson of Cléirech”. Máel Curarda had a
son named Comaltán. We would expect him to
be called either Comaltán mac Maíl Churarda
“Comaltán son of Máel Curarda” or Comaltán
ua Maíl Fhábaill “Comhaltán grandson of Maél
Fábaill”, but he wasn’t. Instead, he was referred
to as the “grandson” of his great-grandfather—
Comaltán Ua Cléirig. Thus, he had a surname,
and not a patronymic or papponymic name.
This Comaltán Ua Cléirig was king of the Uí
Fhiachrach Aidhne (a tribal group/region in
South Galway) and lived in the latter half of the
10th century.
Therefore, contrary to later legend, Brian
Bóruma (Angl. Brian Boru) was not the one
who introduced the practice of surnames
to Ireland. But it is true that Brian’s great
grandsons Conchobar and Cennétig (both of
whom died in the late 11th century) did use the
surname Ua Briain.
As you can see, it must have taken scholars
countless hours of sifting through the hundreds
of pages of Irish genealogies (in manuscript
form) to figure out when surnames became
established for different families. Because
of the genealogical tracts, we often know
who the eponymous ancestor is (that is, the
person whose name is used in the surname).
Of course, a surname may have been created
many different times. Not every McCormick
is related. Cormac was a very common male
name and Mac Cormaic (“son of Cormac”) was
likely turned into a surname numerous times
in various parts of Ireland. Genetic research
also confirms that many surnames arose in
unrelated groups. Furthermore, families often
looked back numerous generations to a famous
ancestor when adopting a surname.
Current scholarly practice is to capitalize Mac
and Ó when they are used as surnames, but
not if they are actually giving the person’s
genealogy. Thus, Fionn mac Cumhaill “Fionn
son of Cumhall” (Anglicized as Finn McCool)
and Cormac mac Airt “Cormac son of Art” (who
was also known as Cormac ua Cuinn “Cormac
grandson of Conn”); but Toirdhealbhach Ó
Conchobhair (Angl. Turlough O’Con(n)or,
King of Connacht and High King of Ireland),
Cormac Mac Duinnshléibhe (Angl. Cormac
(Mac)Donlevy, a fifteenth-century physician
and scribe) and Aodh Mór Ó Néill (Angl.
(Great) Hugh O’Neill, Earl of Tyrone) for
historical personages with surnames.
The Ó surnames are older than the Mac
surnames. Since there are almost no Ó
surnames in Scotland (but lots of Mac ones), we
know that the usage of surnames started later
in Scotland than in Ireland. Apart from that,
the formation of Gaelic surnames in Scotland
exactly parallels that of Gaelic surnames in
Ireland. The general period for the formation
of Ó surnames was between 900-1100, while
surnames in Mac start to appear around 1050
and continue to be formed up to around 1500
(in the case of the Gaelicized Anglo-Normans).
Surnames in Mac, rather than simply deriving
from patronyms, may be a contraction of mac
meic (mac mic in Modern Irish) “son of a son”,
which was an alternative to ua/ó “grandson”
in the 11th century. Francis Byrne gives the
example of the surname Mac Lochlainn (Angl.
MacLaughlin). Mac Lochlainn is the form
used in Irish from the 13th century until the
present day, but in records from the 11th and 12th
centuries this surname was written either Ua
Lochlainn or Mac meic Lochlainn.
Now that we have briefly examined the origin
of Irish (and Scottish) surnames, we will look
at their formation. In the Gaelic tradition, there
are distinct feminine versions of Mac and Ó
surnames. These are contractions of iníon
“daughter” with the genitive case of either ó
(gen. uí) or mac (gen. m(h)ic): iníon uí
ní
& iníon mhic
nic. Both of these feminine
prefixes may trigger a sound change known as
LENITION on the following word (represented
orthographically with “h” after the initial
consonant). To further complicate matters,
these feminine forms are generally used only
as maiden names, which are retained even
after marriage. In the Gaelic world, women
traditionally wouldn’t take their husbands’
surnames and would be known by the surname
they got from their father. Thus, a woman who
marries a man whose surname is Ó Cléirigh
would not be called Ní Chléirigh (but any of her
female children would). If a woman is referred
to by her husband’s surname, the genitive case
of the surname is used: Uí in place of Ó and
Mhic in place of Mac. Both of these cause
lenition on the part of the surnames that follows
them.
Not every native Irish surname contains Ó
or Mac. Some are based on adjectives. For
example, Breathnach (usually Anglicized as
Walsh or Welsh) means “Briton/Welshman”.
The feminine forms are simply lenited, ex.
Bhreathnach. Some of the Anglo-Normans
adapted Gaelic naming practices. Surnames
that have Fitz in Engish (fitz “son” c.f. French
fils) have Mac in Irish, ex. FitzGerald is Mac
Gearailt in Irish. One native Gaelic surname,
Mac Giolla Phádriag (“son of the servant of
Patrick”), was given a Normanized English
version, FitzPatrick, likely to raise the status
of the family. Other Anglo-Norman surnames
have de: for example de Búrca is the Gaelicized
form of Burke.
I created a small list of surnames to exemplify
some of the various forms Irish surnames may
take:
Male
Female
(maiden) Female (married)
Anglicized
version(s)
Mac an Ultaigh
Nic an Ultaigh
Mhic an Ultaigh
McNulty
Ó Súilleabháin
Ní Shúilleabháin
Uí Shúilleabháin
(O’)
Sullivan
Mac Mathúna
Nic Mhathúna
Mhic Mhathúna
(Mac)
Mahon
Ó Mathúna
Ní Mhathúna
Uí Mhathúna
O’Mahony
Ó Baoill
Ní Bhaoill
Uí Bhaoill
(O’)Boyle
Mac Suibhne
Nic Shuibhne
Mhic Shuibhne
(Mac)
Sween(e)y
Mac Con Raoi
Nic Con Raoi
Mhic Con Raoi
Conroy,
King
Ó Conraoi
Ní Chonraoi
Uí Chonraoi
Conroy
Ó Maolchonaire
Ní
Mhaolchonaire
Uí Mhaolchonaire (Mul)
Conry, Conroy
Ó Móráin
Ní Mhóráin
Uí Mhóráin
Moran
Ó Maolalaigh
Ní Mhaolalaigh
Uí Mhaolalaigh
Mullally, Lally
Ó Briain
Ní Bhriain
Uí Bhriain
O’Brien
Mac Gearailt
Nic Gearailt
Mhic Gearailt
FitzGerald
Ó hEochaidh
Ní Eochaidh
Uí Eochaidh
Haughey
Mac Eochaidh
Nic Eochaidh
Mhic Eochaidh
(Mac)
Keogh
Ó Dónaill
Ní Dhónaill
Uí Dhónaill
O’Donnell
Mac Domhnaill
Nic Dhomhnaill
Mhic Dhomhnaill
MacDonnell
Breathnach
Bhreathnach
Bhreathnach
Walsh,
Welsh, Welch, Brannagh
de Búrca
de Búrca
de
Búrca
Burke
We now know what ó and mac mean, what
about the part of the surnames that follows
them? Not surprisingly, in the vast majority of
surnames, a personal name (usually male) in the
genitive case follows. These personal names are
of either native Gaelic or Viking origin (since
the Vikings were more or less Gaelicized by this
point). Thus, Ó Néill literally means “grandson
of Niall” and Mac Cormaic “son of Cormac”.
Often nicknames rather than normal personal
names are used – Mac Mathúna (older spelling
Mac Mathghamhna) means “son of the bear(calf)” and Ó Súilleabháin means “grandson of
the little dark-eyed one”. Less common, Mac
(rarely Ó) is used with the name of a profession,
ex. Mac an tSagairt “son of the priest” and Mac
an Bhaird “son of the bard/poet”. Perhaps I’ll
write another time on the vast corpus of Irish
personal names, most of which are no longer in
use today. Irish personal names all have meaning
as well, for example, Áed (Modern Irish Aodh),
one of the most common male personal names
in early Ireland, which means “fire, flame”.
Another common male name Domhnall (Mod.
Irish Dónall) means “world-mighty, worldruler”. To give a few female examples: Lasar
Fhíona (Mod. Irish Lasairíona) means “flame
of wine” and the extremely popular (for eight
centuries) Gormfhlaith translates as “splendid
sovereignty, illustrious ruler”.
The Anglicization of surnames didn’t really start
until 1550-1600 in the government documents
of English officials in Ireland. It would be
even later that these were actually used by
Irish people. We must keep in mind that the
language shift from Irish to English didn’t start
in earnest until around the mid 1700s, and even
later than that for the West of Ireland. There is
not a one-to-one correspondence between the
original Gaelic forms of Irish surnames and
the Anglicized versions. An Irish surname may
have multiple Anglicizations (i.e. pronunciation
and spelling variants) and some Anglicized
11
Irish surnames may derive from a handful of
surnames. My own surname, Conroy, may
come from multiple Gaelic surnames: Mac
Con Raoi, Ó Conraoi, or Ó Maolchonaire. To
further complicate matters, it has been wrongly
equated with the unrelated surname Ó Conaire.
Since Mac Con Raoi sounds almost identical
with Mac an Rí (“son of the king”), some
adopted the (incorrect) “translation” King.
Colloquially, Mac Con Raoi becomes Chanraí
in the Conamara Gaeltacht. So many forms for
just one surname!
The Irish language was (and still is) pronounced
very differently in different parts of Ireland, so
it is no wonder that many of the Anglicizations
reflect different dialect pronunciations. For
example, the Irish surname Ó Dubhthaigh
may appear as Duffy, Dooey, Duhig or Dowie
in English. Mac Aonghusa was Anglicized as
McGuinness, McGinnis, Guinness, Maginnis,
McInnes, McNeece, Neeson, or McCreesh.
Murphy, the most common surname in Ireland,
is the Anglicized version of both Ó Murchadha
(mod. spelling Ó Murchú) and Mac Murchaidh.
So now that we have seen how Gaelic surnames
were formed, how are they used in Irishspeaking Ireland? The truth is, they aren’t
used all that much informally in the Gaeltacht
(Irish-speaking areas). In many areas only a
few surnames would be common. Instead,
patronyms and nicknames are usually used. A
friend of mine from the Donegal Gaeltacht told
me she didn’t know any of the locals’ surnames
until she was well into secondary school. In
place of her name and surname (Hannah Ní
Bhaoill), she is typically known as Hannah
Rua “Red-haired Hannah” on account of her
distinctive red hair. Seán Caomhánach (Seán/
John Kavanaugh) (1885-1947) was known as
Seán an Chóta “Seán of the coat” in West Kerry
because he used to wear a kilt (NB, kilts are
not traditional garb in Ireland!). More typically,
double patronyms are used without any mac, ó,
iníon, etc. Rather, one’s first name is typically
followed by one’s father’s and grandfather’s
names (in the genitive case). Take, for example,
the radio and TV presenter Máirtín Tom
Sheáinín. His father’s name was Tom and his
grandfather’s name was Seáinín. So he is called
“Máirtín of Tom of Seáinín” or “Seáinín’s
Tom’s Máirtín”. He is rarely referred to with
his surname Mac Donnacha. Sometimes even
more names are used, such as the Conamara
sean-nós dancer Labhras Sonny Choilm Larry.
Most often, it is the names of one’s father
and paternal grandfather that are used in
these names, but the names of mothers and
grandmothers may also be used. The choice of
name seems to depend on who is best known
in the community. Of course, one can be
known by more than one name! For example,
Seán Ó Duibheannaigh (1920-2013), a wellknown seanchaí (story-teller) from Rann na
Feirste in the Donegal Gaeltacht, was locally
called either John Ghráinne (after his mother,
Gráinne) or John Phadaí Hiúdaí (after his
father, Pádraig (nickname Padaí)), and his
grandfather, Aodh (nickname Hiúdaí)). Notice
how an English name John (rather than Seán),
is used in informal contexts. Seán, by the way,
is simply a borrowing of French Jean “John”.
As is common in the area, John Ghráinne could
name his relatives a long way back – all the way
to one of two brothers (Seán Mac Grianna) who
were the first modern inhabitants in Rann na
Feirste in 1736, who was his great-great-greatgreat-great grandfather: John Phadaí Hiúdaí
Phadaí Eibhlín Aoidh Róise Sheáin Mhic
Grianna. My friend Hannah Rua can name her
relatives back to her 8x great-grandfather (who
was Seán Mac Grianna’s brother Pádraig):
Hannah Ruadh Dhonnchaidh Shorchaidh
Ruaidhe Dhonnchaidh Sheáin Dhonnchaidh
Sheáin Mháire Phroinsiasa Dhomhnaill
Phádraig ‘ic Grianna. I’ve also heard a fiveyear-old boy from the same townland recite his
name that far back on the Raidió na Gaeltachta.
I have the impression that anyone with roots in
that townland can do the same. The patronymic
tradition did survive the language shift to
English in some rural areas (such as in the
Sperrin Mountains of Co. Tyrone), so a man,
John, whose father’s name is Patrick might be
called John Patrick or Patrick’s John locally. So,
in Gaelic Ireland, we have gone from patronyms
to surnames, and back to patronyms again.
A word of warning: If you are interested in
learning about Irish Gaelic names and surnames,
watch out for the internet! There is a lot of false
and inaccurate information out there. Many
books also contain inaccurate information about
Irish personal and surnames, since the authors
don’t know enough or any Irish (both Modern
and Old Irish are needed). Woulfe’s Sloinnte
Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames
and MacLysaght’s The Surnames of Ireland
and More Irish Families are probably the best
sources to start with if you are interested in
learning more about this subject.
And if you’re curious as to how to pronounce
these Irish names and surnames, come learn
Irish!
Keepers of the Flame
By Joseph Xavier Martin
It was a sunny day, temperature in the
seventies, in Western New York. In Buffalo,
when the sun shines, all hands are outside
enjoying the warmth and feel of the sun
on your face. I had been meaning to visit
the family graves in Holy Cross Cemetery,
Lackawanna since our return from Florida.
It was only a short thirty-mile drive. Now
was as good a time as any.
The 290 expressway crosses the northern
side of metropolitan Buffalo and empties
into the Niagara Thruway southbound. This
admirable stretch of roadway follows the
Niagara River southwards to the beginning
of the river’s mouth at Lake Erie. On a day
like this, it is beyond picturesque. Rowing
crews stroke the black rock canal and all
manner of small watercraft speckle the
rapidly rushing Niagara River. The thruway
enters the great arch of the Skyway, in
downtown Buffalo. You ascend 100 feet
into the air as the roadway takes you
past Buffalo’s Outer Harbor and towards
Lackawanna. The sparkling blue of the
great expanse of Lake Erie catches your
eye as it drifts some 150 miles westward to
Toledo, Ohio. The stories to be told in this
area are without number.
I follow the local roads, across Tift
Street and through the area of our childhood
homes, past Amber and Lockwood Streets.
The Martin family had migrated here from
its first-ward, immigrant, and roots in the
1920’s. The aging two-story wooden homes
are a bit the worse for wear, but still house
families these one hundred years later. The
quiet expanse of South Park Lake drifted
by. Some few golfers were playing the nine-
hole course. Another line of joggers and
walkers were circling the ring road enjoying
the best of Buffalo’s summer weather.
At South Park Avenue, I turn right
and look up at the architectural brilliance
of the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory.
Father Baker had built this edifice with the
pennies of the poor, sainted man that he
was. Attached to it, lay the rolling expanse
of marble, slate and grass that is the Holy
Cross Cemetery. Five generations of my
family lay at peace within.
As always, when I drive through the
quiet wrought-iron portals, I smile broadly.
The names on the tombstones sing out to
me. O’Reilly, O’Malley, O’Toole, Deegan,
Dugan and Dunne. It is a litany of the Gaels
who had crossed the broad ocean to settle on
the often storm-tossed shores of the eastern
end of Lake Erie. They are my friends and
neighbors all, quietly at rest here.
When I see them, I do not think sadly
of their passing. But rather, I smile in
remembrance of the life that they lived.
These were rowdy, bawdy people who
didn’t have much in the way of possessions,
but seized life with the desperation of one
who cherished being alive. I remember well
their parents and grandparents for the many
kindnesses they had extended to our family.
When any of us lost someone, the heaping
platters of food would swamp the house
as thoughtful neighbors brought food and
drink to make the immediate sorrow easier
for all of us. For sure, the odd bottle or two
of the creature and a keg of beer made their
appearance as well. We thought all of these
folks well worthy of a final toast as a rite of
passage.
At the St. Jude section, I park the car
and take my gardening tools along with
me. First, brother Edward’s resting place. I
hacked away the intruding grass and plant
matter until the surface of the in ground
stone was free and clear. I then said a
prayer and told Eddie of the progress of
his extended family, which now included
grandchildren and great grandchildren. He
would have enjoyed them much.
A few rows up and over, I apply
the same energy to stones that belonged
to my Father, Francis Harold Martin and
Mother, Eileen May Carney Martin. Then,
I used some effort at the stone for my
younger sister Maureen Anne and brother
Daniel Eugene. I spent some time asking
for their collective blessings and for their
help with those who still struggled in the
family. If they don’t have a pipeline with
the Almighty, who does?
A wedge shot to the southeast, I
visited brother John Francis’s black marble
monument. It had the etchings of the
Claddagh stone on its face and the words
to the most memorable Irish toast “May
the roads rise up to meet you. “ Jack was a
social bon vivant of the highest caliber. And
he was, as they say, “more Irish than the
Irish.” He may have been a character, but he
always made you laugh.
My youngest brother, Kevin Patrick,
lies somewhere safe in the arms of my Dad’s
parents Emmanuel and Mary Martin. Search
as I may, I have yet to find them again. And
brother Patrick Michael lies quietly in a
military cemetery in New Hampshire.
I did find a Martin family grave
dating back to 1857. It is a weathered, white
marble monument in the older section of
the cemetery. It lists several of the family
names, Mary, Edward and John among
them. Who knows what took them so early?
Perhaps the cholera epidemic of 1850’s gave
reason for the plot and was then added to as
each in turn met their time of departure.
My tasks completed, I said a last and
silent prayer for the repose of all those
around me. The names as I scanned them
could well have been from a community
picnic or gathering of our extended clan
and neighbors. Five generations of my own
lie here within. Another three generations,
below them, walk the streets of Buffalo,
waiting for their own time here to come to its
end. I wonder who will come here then and
remember everyone as I have done? There
is always one in a generation of a family
who remembers and keeps alive the flame
of memory, so that all can remember who
we are and from whence we came. That is
enough reassurance for me as I leave these
quiet granite and marble boulevards, whose
names sing out a Rota of all who peopled the
area since its founding in the early 1800’s.
May the heavenly roads rise up to meet
you all, And the celestial winds be always at
your backs. May the warmth of family shine
on your faces and until we meet again, May
God hold you in the Palm of his hand.
Interview With Author, Richard Sullivan
So, The First Ward III: Murderers, Scoundrels and Ragamuffins is the third volume out of
how many intended books? And where did you come up with that title?
department and much of city hall. He expected
payoffs and got them, publicly. He was
totally an in-your-face personality. A clinical
narcissist. He established a charity for the
families of firemen killed in the Seneca Street
fire, asking his Courier newspaper readers to
contribute, and then kept all the money while
the widows and orphans scrambled to survive.
It took a looming court order to pry his wallet
open.
I’m planning on five volumes minimum. Book
3 spans the years 1902 - 1909. I’m working
on book 4 now and I’m thinking book 4 will
end in 1915. But I keep discovering amazing
Buffalo history stuff that’s new to me that I
can’t resist researching and including. As for
the title, it just came to me in an instant. People
seem to really be interested in the murders,
as many garnered national headlines. And
they’re fascinated how so many of these went
unsolved, and those that were solved had more
to do with dumb luck rather than competent
police work. Really, you cringe reading the
quotes in the newspapers from those days from
detectives working these cases. The police
got raked over the coals in the press both
locally and nationally. Scoundrels? Well, the
characters were all scoundrels, more or less.
And the ragamuffins were the kids, as older
people will recall. Young people today can’t
imagine the veritable armies of kids that once
roamed this city.
And Fingy Conners is family to you as well?
Yes, via marriage. My great grandmother
Hanna Sullivan’s brother, David Nugent, was
Fingy’s top lieutenant and chief “enforcer.” He
married Fingy’s niece Minnie Hayes. Nugent
along with 17 members of Fingy’s gang led
an attack on a ship unloading on the docks
and fired 200 rounds down into the holds
where working men were toiling, unaware and
unarmed. It was an astonishingly cowardly
ambush. And many first warders today will tell
you their ancestors were crippled or killed by
Fingy’s imported thugs when the dockworkers
tried to unionize. Conners was a major piece
of dirty work.
That’s a lot of Buffalo History! Who knew?
How did all this start?
Exactly, it is a lot! I went from Kindergarten
at St. Tommy’s thru UB and the only Buffalo
history ever included in any curriculum in
all those years was the fact that Buffalo was
burned by the Brits, and even then there was
little back story given to that event. So as I
researched my ancestors in the newspapers
from that time period, this avalanche of
previously unknown history crashed down
on me. It started with my doing genealogical
research. I was amazed at how much I found in
the Buffalo newspapers about these forbearers
of mine, and I got to wondering how they
would react to or handle the situations and
conditions they found themselves in. Those
imaginings turned into my first novel and from
there a series of novels.
So your The First Ward book series is not
just about the 1st ward?
It is, in that my three generations of 1st ward
ancestors were involved in Buffalo doings
The women in your The First Ward books
sure are an interesting lot.
in general, such as the Alderman, and the
Detective Sergeant investigating all the high
profile Buffalo murders. But there was plenty
going on the ward itself of course. That’s
where they lived, went to school, socialized.
The Mutual Rowing Club was built right
behind the Sullivan brothers’ houses. It was
the epicenter of the Southside social scene for
many years. The two lived next door to each
other on Hamburg Street, so their family lives
were much intertwined.
Fingy Conners is a character so extreme
that if you invented him yourself people
might say he was not a believable character
at all.
That’s so true, and so little is documented about
the real Fingy because people were terrified of
him for multiple reasons. The little that I heard
about him growing up was that he was a serial
murderer. I keep hoping I will find someone’s
dusty secret diary or bundle of old letters on
eBay or some yard sale containing all the dirt
on the guy. Fingy was a mean, mean bastard,
no two ways about it. Although he never held
local office he controlled this entire city for 50
years, and yet he’s basically been forgotten. It
was said he had the largest payroll in the world
with 6,000 employees. He dominated the police
I can’t imagine the bullshit that women had
to endure in those days. Certainly some might
have been meek and passive, but what my
female ancestors had to endure, there’s no
way those women didn’t fight their husbands
and fathers tooth and nail for their dignity and
their rights. My great-great grandmother Mary
Sullivan acquired the two houses at No.12 and
No.16 Hamburg St. right after the Civil War,
for God’s sake, so that pretty much tells me
there’s plenty of spine in the women in my
family. I have photos of her in two of my FW
books, and that old bird looks like she didn’t
take crap from anybody. I think to be a woman
in the 1st ward that you had to be plenty tough.
The newspapers in the 1880s are loaded with
stories of backyard brawls between housewives
down in the ward. Them ladies was scrappers!
Sing me an Irish song!
GENEALOGY
Family Research
Celtic Angels Gaelic Youth Choir
Ages 6-18
Guidelines to untangling your roots
Sue Schwartz, Music Director
Further Information:
Sue 674-6868 • Joyce 648-1676
Donna M. Shine
6350 Scherff Road, Orchard Park NY 14127
(716) 662-1164
[email protected]
12
Magic Johnson, LeBron James .... & Johnny McCarthy?
By Steve Silva, Boston.com Staff
If you’re looking to stump your friends on You had to go back to the 1960 playoffs,
Trivia Night, throw this one out there.
when McCarthy — playing guard for
the St. Louis Hawks — put up 13 points,
What NBA feat has only been accomplished 11 rebounds, and 11 assists against the
by three players: Magic Johnson, LeBron Minneapolis Lakers in 1960.
James, and Johnny McCarthy?
“I don’t think it came up until LeBron,”
Unless you Googled the answer, you’d McCarthy said from his home in upstate
probably never guess what these three New York. “The first time I heard about it,
players — and only these three players — I was in Florida and I was reading the St.
Petersburg Times and if you recall there
have pulled off.
were some quotes and clips in there about
Charles Barkley wagering $40,000 on
OK, give up yet?
casino gambling, then they had that little
clip in there about the triple-double.”
Magic, LeBron, and McCarthy are the only
three players in the history of the NBA to
record a triple-double in their postseason A ‘triple-double’ is recorded when a player
records 10 or more in three of the following
debut.
categories: points, assists, rebounds, steals,
or blocked shots. Typically players break
And McCarthy didn’t even know this fact
into double digits in points, assists, and
until 2006, when 21-year-old LeBron James
rebounds to achieve the feat. Prior to the
— playing in his first career playoff game
1973-74 season, the NBA did not record
— finished with a triple-double of 32 points,
steals and blocked shots.
11 rebounds, and 11 assists against the
Washington Wizards.
“It wasn’t an issue I don’t think,” McCarthy
said. “The statistics we looked at back then
The performance sent the statisticians
involved single things like rebounds and
running for the record books which led them
points but there was no such thing as a
to discover that no one had accomplished
triple-double.”
the feat since Magic put up 13 points, 11
rebounds, and 11 assists against the Phoenix
Now McCarthy’s children refer to him as
Suns in his first playoff debut in 1980.
“Triple-Double.”
Digging back further, there was one other
time that a postseason rookie put up a triple- The 1956 Canisius product made his NBA
debut with the Rochester Royals and was
double in his first playoff game.
later traded to the Hawks where he played
alongside Providence College alum Lenny
Wilkins.
At the end of his career, McCarthy played
with Tommy Heinsohn, John Havlicek,
K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, and Frank Ramsey
on the 1964 Celtics team that won the NBA
championship.
“I hurt my knee in 1962 and I was limping
around and I tried out with Red [Auerbach]
and he put me on the team,” McCarthy
said. “I didn’t play a lot of minutes. It was
my last year playing and was pretty much
disabled all year. Of course I played with
Heinsohn, [Bill] Russell, Satch Sanders,
[John] Havlicek. [Bob] Cousy retired the
year before, but I used to play against him
more than anything else.”
As far as the players McCarthy shares this
triple-double distinction with, he could not
be more in awe.
“The talent today is amazing,” McCarthy
said. “The depth of some of these teams,
they’ve got seven, eight, ten all-stars. Of
course the teams that win are the teams that
play together. It’s the same issue back when
we were playing. The teams that played
together were the teams that won. But the
talent today is absolutely amazing. But it’s
still a team game and you’re finding out why
LeBron is so versatile. He plays offense, he
plays defense, he rebounds, he drives, he
does everything.
13
“I watched Magic a little bit when he came
in and he was a great team player, too.
There’s a guy 6-foot-9 that played terrific
back court, he could play any position and
when they won the championship he was
even playing the post.”
For his career, McCarthy averaged 7.8
points, 3.7 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per
game, all below triple-double numbers in
the three big categories. Meanwhile the
superstars he’s in company with put up
monster numbers on a nightly basis, with
Magic scoring 19.5 points per game, 11.2
assists, and 7.2 rebounds over his career
while LeBron has averaged 27.3 points per
game, 6.9 assists, and 7.1 rebounds over the
course of his 12-year NBA career.
Johnson remains the all-time leader with 30
career playoff triple-doubles.
With his 12th triple-double against the
Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals
last month, James broke a three-way tie
with Larry Bird and Jason Kidd and is now
second on the all-time list behind Magic.
McCarthy retired having accomplished the
feat only once.
But that one time landed him in some pretty
special company.
INTERVIEW WITH BUFFALO’S LEGENDARY
JOHNNY McCARTHY
Neil Farrell
(For this interview we met at Potter’s Field Restaurant in South Buffalo.)
Mr. McCarthy, it’s a pleasure to catch up
with you. You know I went to the renowned
St. Teresa’s School with your nephew Joe
Bauer.
You mean Dr. Joe Bauer! You know he’s
working down in Atlanta now.
Can you tell me about your early family
life?
Yes. You know that both of my parents
came from Ireland, my mother from Kerry
and my father from Cork. My mother never
lost her thick Irish brogue. When she’d talk
to my friends they’d nod and then ask me
afterwards, “What did she say?”
My parents met here in Buffalo. My mother
worked as a maid on Delaware Avenue for
the Wilcox family before she got married
and then for Bell Aircraft during World War
II. They were both hard workers so that was
a good influence on me. My father was a
foreman at Bethlehem Steel for nearly 40
years.
How many in your family?
I had three brothers: Timothy, Joseph and
Michael and a sister, Margaret. We had a lot
of fun growing up.
What was special about growing up in
South Buffalo?
I just think the sense of camaraderie of
growing up with so many people with similar
backgrounds. No one that we knew was rich
so everyone was in the same boat. We also
developed a great pride in the neighborhood.
We were also lucky enough to be positively
influenced and kept in line by the Sisters of
Mercy at Holy Family School.
What was your first job?
I delivered papers with my brothers: both
the Buffalo Evening News and the Courier
Express.
We delivered the News on
Richfield Street and the Courier on Richfield
and Bloomfield.
When did you first realize you had some
athletic talent?
Well I was a baseball nut and spent almost all
my time when I wasn’t in school at Mulroy
Playground. In those days your parents
didn’t drive you around to games. You went
to the playground in the morning and were
usually there all day playing pick-up games.
One day I learned that a kid named Tommy
Maloney was getting an age 10-12 baseball
team together and was only asking the best
kids. My brothers and I tried out anyway
but got cut. I thought, “I’ll just start my own
team.” I got two of my brothers and some
friends and, believe it or not, we ended up
in the Caz championship game against Tom
Maloney’s “all-star” team and won. My
friend Joe Conley calls it the biggest upset in
the history of little league!
We then advanced to the city championship
game at North Fillmore Stadium but the
funny thing was, my brothers got mad
at me for something the night before the
championship game and refused to play in
the game. They just said, “Nah, we’re not
going.” So we went anyway with only nine
players.
Did you have boyhood heroes?
The big game in those days was South Park
High School football so when I was nine or
ten my friend Peter Kearns and I used to go
to their practices and got to know the players.
My favorites were Tommy Supples and Jack
and Jimmy Ludtka, but I got to know all of
the players and looked up to them. Tommy
eventually got a football scholarship to St.
Bonaventure and ended up playing on a team
with Ted Marchibroda who went on to a
Hall of Fame career playing and coaching in
professional football.
Tommy Supples was a big strong guy but
could play basketball a little bit. I can still
remember those basketball games at the Y on
Abbott Road. There was me, Eugene Conley,
Tommy Supples, John “Noey” Nostrant,
Babe Shaw, Billy Roberts, Joe Feeley,
Charlie and Jack Flynn, Frank Ventura and
Joe Osborne.
How about your early coaches?
When I finally played organized ball my
coaches included George Daly, Al Stanton
and Ollie Webber. By the way, did you hear
that Al Stanton just turned 100 years old?
They were great teachers and really
dedicated. When I got to Timon my first
coach was a great coach from the Old First
Ward named George Ellis. His brother,
Father Juvenal Ellis also taught at Timon.
You enjoyed Timon?
Yes, my lifelong friends are from Timon.
The Franciscan Friars were tough but fair
and made us take our studies seriously. We
still had some time for pranks though.
In high school there used to be a restaurant
where Lucarelli’s is now, which had an old
covered wagon out front as an advertisement.
One night some of the guys from the Old
First Ward hitched the wagon up to a car and
rode it down Abbott Road with our seven
foot center, Red Carroll standing in the back
yelling, “Go west young man!” I think they
only made it to Coolidge Road before the
cops caught up with them! Whenever I drive
by Lucarelli’s today I laugh when I think of
this.
My Timon friends still get together
occasionally although we’ve recently lost
a number of the regulars including Joe
Crowley, Bob Barrows, Jim Hearn and Sam
Paxon.
What sports did you play at Timon?
Well my first love was baseball but I also
played basketball and football. We had a
very good basketball team which included
among others, Gerry Schlee, Whipper
Whalen, Gene Brun and Dick Schumacher.
You became well known at Timon for your
basketball play-making skills and passing…
Thank you. I ended up getting recruited
by Joe Niland at Canisius College and was
fortunate to play there during the heyday of
Little Three basketball. The games against
Niagara and St. Bonaventure were sell outs
at the old Memorial Auditorium and were
always competitive.
Did you stick with baseball too?
Yes, I played baseball at Canisius and during
the summers with the AAU. I remember we
went to the championship game in Johnstown,
PA. I remember Tom “Irish” O’Leary from
those days. What a great player and good
guy. We had similar backgrounds as both
of our parents had come from Ireland. Irish
joined the Air Force, became a test pilot and
saved enough money to take his parents back
to Ireland for a visit. He was killed the year
after that during a training mission. We also
lost Mudd Madigan that way. I think of
those guys often.
You had some success at Canisius in
basketball, being named All-American and
even made it to the NCAA tourney…
Yes we had a good team which included
Henry Nowak, who later became a U.S.
Congressman, Bob Kelly, Fran Corcoran,
Dave Markey, Joe Leone and Jack Flynn.
In those days freshman weren’t allowed to
play on the varsity team but when I was a
junior our team made it to the second round
of the NCAA tournament playing La Salle
University and the next year we made it to
the fourth round, beating the number two
team in the country, North Carolina State
after four overtimes in Madison Square
Garden.
You were drafted in the 3rd round of the NBA
draft. How did that work in those days?
I got a call from the Canisius College
athletics office letting me know that I had
been selected by the Rochester Royals. I
believe I was the 22nd over-all pick.
Of course you had to first call your agent….
(Laughing) I was my own agent. They
brought me in and said, “We’ll pay you
$6,000 per year.” I was happy as anything
– I didn’t want to tell them that I would have
played for free!
So from South Buffalo to the NBA – that’s
pretty good.
Those were fun days but I only got a year in
before being drafted by the Army. In those
days after World War II everyone was still
drafted. I was sent to Fort Gordon, Georgia to
be trained as a cryptographer but somebody
heard I had some athletic skills so I became
the player coach of the basketball team. That
became my first coaching experience.
How long was your army career?
I was in about two years before going back
to the Royals who by that time had moved to
Cincinnati.
You had a good career in the NBA…
Well I ended up playing for seven years and
was lucky enough to be on some pretty good
teams. Probably the best was St. Louis where
we went to the championship twice. We took
the first championship series to seven games
before losing to the Boston Celtics and the
next season we lost in five games, again to
the Celtics. I got to play with among other
talented guys, future Hall of Famer Bob
Pettit.
How did you stack up against Bob Cousy?
You know Bob was one of the best guards
ever.
I always considered myself a
fundamentally solid player; more of an assist
guy.
How did you end up on the Boston Celtics
championship team in 1964?
Well when I was still with St. Louis I hurt
my knee and ended up taking some time off.
I then tried to come back from the injury
too soon and ended up getting cut. I then
spent a year playing with the original ABL, a
rival of the NBA, with the Pittsburgh Wrens.
The legendary Connie Hawkins was on our
team. The next year the league folded and
I was contacted by the Celtics. We had a
great team which included John Havlicek,
Tom Heinsohn, K.C. Jones and the great Bill
Russell.
One South Buffalo Fresh Air Club member
claims that during those glory years he was
practicing at the YMCA and you brought
Bob Pettit in to shoot around…
I almost forgot about that! That’s true.
They used to have a Buffalo Sports night
sponsored by the Buffalo News and they
brought me, my teammate Bob Pettit and the
NY Giants football star Frank Gifford in to
speak. I remember my old friend Bill Mazur
was the MC.
Our flight home wasn’t until the next
afternoon so I brought Bob over to the Y
where I had spent so much time playing
while growing up. The funny thing was we
actually had a double-header game the next
night at Madison Square Garden against the
Knicks. By the way who remembered that?
That would be South Buffalo basketball
aficionado Pat Stanton.
You are also remembered as one of the
originators of the now-popular basketball
camps for kids.
Now that I think of it I think you’re right.
My camp was one of the first around. We ran
it out of the South Buffalo Y. One of my first
campers was Tony Masiello who eventually
played for Canisius College and later became
Mayor of Buffalo.
You retired after the 1964 season.
Yes, my knee was still bothering me a little
and I decided to move on. I got a job with
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance where
14
I ended up working for over 25 years, and
also continued coaching which I had started
doing at Fort Gordon.
Where did you begin your coaching?
I started at Bishop Neumann High School
and my first hire was my old friend from the
neighborhood, Joe Conley as my JV coach.
I think they paid him $60 per year and he
told me recently that I once told him he was
overpaid!
You were the second coach of the NBA’s
Buffalo Braves. How did that come about?
When the Braves started out I got a call
from their general manager Eddie Donovan
asking me if I wanted to do some scouting.
Eddie had coached at St. Bonaventure before
becoming a coach and General Manager with
the NY Knicks before he joined the Braves.
I scouted for a year before being named
coach. My first hire for assistant coach
was Joe Niland who had recruited me for
Canisius College. Boy, Joe knew basketball
inside and out.
How did you like those days?
I was young and ambitious and enjoyed those
times. It’s a challenging job as it takes a lot
of team play but it also helps to have some
stars. It was fun but I didn’t get enough
wins. The next year Jack Ramsey came in,
they got Bob McAdoo and ended up having
some exciting seasons.
By the way, we were sad to lose one of the
original Buffalo Braves, Bob Kauffman, last
week. You know we matched him up with
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar once and Bob ended
up scoring over 40 points. I think he made
like 15 out of 18 shots! A good solid guy
that I’ll miss.
Then you moved on to coaching your alma
mater, Canisius College…
I coached at Canisius for three years and I
think I must be best remembered for benching
the nation’s leading scorer for disciplinary
reasons. The guy was averaging 44 points a
game but suspending him was the right thing
to do. But on the bright side at the same time
I got to coach one of South Buffalo’s best
and a Timon lad, Mike Walton.
What was your favorite place to play?
Although the Aud was great, my greatest
thrill was playing at Madison Square Garden.
Walking in that building, even in the midst of
an exhausting NBA season, you just couldn’t
help but get fired up.
Any favorite moments in sports?
For some reason I always liked being the
underdog team. If you came back and won
against the favorite that was always a special
feeling.
We recently thought of you when we saw
the “Triple Double” article on the website
Boston.com. (article can be found at
Boston.com, search Johnny McCarthy)
That was funny. During the NBA finals
a few years ago, Lebron James achieved a
triple double (double digits in scoring, assists
and rebounds) in his first post-season game.
They looked back at stats and found this
had only been done twice before, by Magic
Johnson and me.
You know I’m a sports nut so I was reading
the back pages of the St. Petersburg Times
when I saw this mentioned. During one
of the subsequent playoff games, the TV
and radio announcers retold the story and
I started getting phone calls. Some of my
grandkids were calling me “Triple Double”
for a while!
What do you do for relaxation now?
I always enjoyed golf and am now playing,
mostly at South Park and a lot of times with
Billy Lynch.
Are you any good?
I used to think I was.
(The South Buffalo Fresh Air Club’s golf
source reports that Mr. McCarthy is a
seven handicapper which means he beats
almost everybody.)
You know I learned right across the street
here at Cazenovia Park. Do you know who
owns the record at Caz? I think it’s Jim
Quinn. He had a 29 once; seven under par
and seven birdies. Do you think you can get
Dan Mattimore to confirm this for us?
We’ll try! Now what are you most proud
of?
My kids of course and my four grandkids.
John’s son Johnny is playing basketball at
Amherst College and was recently named to
the New England Small College all-rookie
team. He’s six foot seven!
Can I give you one more? I’m proud of the
fact that despite having the weakest, tiniest
quarterback ever (me), our Timon team was
able to beat Canisius 12-0 my senior year.
Bucky Ewing caught a touchdown pass
which he still reminds me about.
Any advice for our younger South Buffalo
Fresh Air Club members?
I’ve just found that if you want to be good
at something you have to work at it, do it all
the time. Whether you want to be a doctor,
carpenter, anything. There are no shortcuts
to hard work. And it’s also important to
enjoy what you do.
Thanks very much for your time, Mr.
McCarthy.
My pleasure - I enjoyed it. I haven’t had a
memory test like this in a long time!
On the Road- Waterford to Killarney
By Joseph Xavier Martin
We were up early and took a1 1/2 mile walk
nearby, to get some air. We had breakfast
and met more people and chatted with
Marion O’Keefe. A word about the breakfast
at a B & B. It begins with orange juice and
coffee or tea. Then, bran cereal or porridge
and eggs with bacon and sausages. In
addition, delicious brown bread and toast
are available in endless quantities. If you
ate this every morning, as apparently many
do, you would gain 5-10 pounds per trip. We
had coffee and brown bread most days. This
feast was included with the room and bath
each night. Staying at B & B’s in Ireland is
very affordable.
We were fortunate enough to get a tour of
the Waterford glass factory. The factory is
closed for holidays during the first three weeks
in August, but they maintain a skeleton crew
for demonstrations. Each craftsman serves
at least a five-year apprenticeship. Each
individual glass piece is a work of art. It
gave us a new appreciation for Waterford
crystal, no two of which are alike. The
showroom is magnificent, with displays of
stemware, vases, lamps, bowls, chandeliers
and trophies. We didn’t purchase any crystal
here because it is cheaper at Shannon airport
or Blarney Woolen Mills. After the tour, we
drove 2 1/2 hours to the seacoast village
of Kinsale, south of Cork. Here, remnants
of the Liner Lusitania washed up after it was
torpedoed and sank by German U-Boats
before W.W.I. The driftage included several
survivors.
A village fair was in progress. We strolled
about and enjoyed the afternoon. We had
lunch at the “White House” tavern, which
was very crowded. Everybody in Ireland
appears to be on vacation the first three weeks
of August. We walked about the fair. We had
a pint later, at the White House tavern and
left late in the afternoon, just as the heavy
rain started. The streets were jammed with
traffic, but we found a back route out of town.
We drove 45 miles to Ballincollig (suburb
of Cork), where we stayed with Mick and
Elmarie Long of Woodview House B &
B. They have three children, Edward, Mike
and Jean. Following our nightly M.O., we
drove to “Tatter Jacks” for a few pints. The
1/2 and 1/2 (Black & Tan) is a real art when
poured by an experienced barman). We
then had a great dinner, at the “Powdermill
Inn.” We had lots of potatoes and fresh
salmon. We had a late conversation with
Elmarie and Mick, who was a golfer and
hurler. He was a feed grain salesman, as
well as gentleman farmer. He and Elmarie
were university educated and interesting.
The day had proved long. The scenery
was panoramic, with wide rivers and green
fields. The roads are narrow. We were tired
and crashed gratefully. The weather was
damp and cold in the 50’s.
Tuesday August 2 (Cork, Ireland)
We arose fairly early, showered and were
at breakfast by 8:45 A.M. This time, we
shared the table with a father and son from
Paris. The son spoke halting English and
the father, none. Our French at the time
wasn’t very good, so the conversation was
sketchy. We managed to speak well of Paris
and the wine country. They were amiable
as well. A second breakfaster, Liam, was a
native on his way to a funeral in Cork. He
spoke with a heavy brogue. His intent was
to get to America (New York City) and work
as a plumber. We took pictures of the family
as we left. They were leaving for the day to
ride around the ring of Kerry, on a picnic.
About 15 miles away, we found Blarney
Castle. Enroute, we visited a Bank of Ireland
and cashed U.S. dollars for Irish pounds. We
then bought Irish lottery tickets. It was 60,
sunny and nice. At Blarney, we toured the
castle and manor house. Mary and Brandon
went up to kiss the blarney stone. An
attendant holds you near upside down, while
you lean in and kiss the blarney stone. It is
supposed to endow you with great powers
of speech. Not needing any prompting
in the fluidity of speech department, I
wandered about the grounds. The castle
is in ruins, but interesting. One could see
the medieval struggles and plots that must
have emanated from the moats, tunnels
and passageways. On the way into the
grounds, we stood on a bridge spanning
the Martin River and tossed in coppers
for luck. The grounds were all beautifully
landscaped. The manor house, near the
castle, look vintage Edwardian, England.
We bought tickets for a guided tour. The
place was then still occupied in the winter
by Lord Colthurst, the managing director
of Lloyds Bank in London. Waterford
chandeliers, antique furniture and mirrors
were all period pieces. It was spacious,
elegant and right out of a movie set. The
guide mentioned a relation, one of the
family’s ancestors who reputedly fell out of
a cherry tree when climbing it at 140 years
of age. That sounded interesting, until we
heard the same yarn at Muckross House in
Killarney. What would possess a 140-yearold lady to climb a cherry tree?
Next, came the real shopping frenzy
at Blarney Woolen Mills. This large
department store has everything designed
to shop your little heart out. We bought 10
Waterford goblets. Our friends just ordered
the left half of the store. We spent nearly
two grand between us. The mill is a must
stop. Prices are reasonable and they ship
everything for you wherever you call home.
It was sunny and in the high 60’s, the
nicest day yet. We drove two hours
to Killarney and got bumped from our
scheduled B & B. We had visions of ending
up in the “hellhole of Killarney.” Instead,
we found a very pleasant berth with Betty
O’Sullivan on Countess Road. We unpacked
and rode over to Killarney National
Park, right outside town. It was a good
choice. The Park is beautiful. We hired
a “jaunting cart,” with horse and driver
for a two-hour ride and tour. The scenery
is breathtaking. The Park has a large lake,
huge manor house that we toured along with
a formal flower garden and green, green
grass, with mountains in the distance. It is
20,000 acres of a private estate, donated by
an American named Vincent, to Ireland, for
a park. A beautiful falls and the ride through
the woods make a storybook finish to the
town. I recommend it highly for a leisurely
afternoon on a warm, sunny day. It is Ireland
at its verdant best.
For dinner, we went to “Foley’s” in
Killarney. We had excellent crab moray and
many potatoes, rounded off with a few pints
of Smithwick’s. Just as we were leaving,
the piano player, an elderly local woman,
came on and played sing-a-long music. It
was a nice touch. We went on to the “Crock
of Gold” pub in town, for Irish music. It
was a bit sad and not much sing-a-long. I
guess that is more Irish-American. In any
case, after three pints more of Smithwick’s,
who cared? As we walked back, we stopped
at the “Laurel Bar”, a giant beer hall, singa-long place, which was fun. It looked as
if it belonged in Munich, with military
banners hung on the walls. Indeed, much of
the clientele were German tourists. We quit
about midnight, walked back to the B & B
and crashed. It had been a long day and we
had seen a lot. The streets in the Irish towns
are always crowded with traffic in summer.
MY FAVORITE NUN
By Jim Keane
Neil Farrell came up with another unique
idea. Great ideas seem to be one of Neil’s
gifts. Neil is the founder of the South
Buffalo Fresh Air Club. The group takes
occasional bike rides around the First Ward
and South Buffalo stopping at interesting
places where folks are treated to a brief
history lesson. Some tours have included
stops at the birthplaces of such local sports
luminaries as Warren Spahn or Jimmy
Slattery, Indian Park where the great Native
American Chief Redjacket was once buried,
or Father Baker’s grave in Lackawanna’s
Holy Cross Cemetery have been among the
stops on Neil’s tours.
Surely the Sisters of Mercy hold a special
place in the history of the Irish Community
in the Buffalo Niagara region. The good
nuns assisted in our births, taught us in our
schools and cared for us when we were
ill. We owe a great debt of gratitude to the
Sisters of Mercy and that is the genesis of
Neil Farrel’s latest idea. Neil challenges
us to remember the good nuns through a
series of articles we shall fondly call, “My
Favorite Nun”. So here is the first of what I
hope is a long series of articles from readers
of the Buffalo Irish Times. Tell us your
stories. Who is your favorite nun? Email
your articles to the buffaloirishtimes@
gmail.com.
There must be thousands of stories about
the Sisters of Mercy. I alone have quite
a few tales of these ladies of the cloth.
Don’t worry sisters, they’re all good. First
off however, I must apologize to Sister
Sheila Marie Walsh, the former CEO of
South Buffalo Mercy Hospital and my late
brother Dick’s sister-in-law. But, I’m told
that nepotism is verboten and the category
is limited to those nuns we grew up with.
Sorry Sister Sheila but rules are rules.
Sister Mary Edith, aka, Mildred Twomey,
taught me in sixth grade at St Teresa’s. I
came to know Sister Mary Edith’s maiden
name quite by chance as I snuck a quick
glance at her ID card when she inadvertently
left her purse on her classroom desk. The ID
card was lying outside and adjacent to the
still-opened purse when I chanced by one
day after school. Sister Edith was writing
something on the black board and had her
back to me at the time of discovery. When
she realized the error as we exchanged
pleasantries, she quickly scooped up the ID
card and snapped the purse shut. Alas, for
Sister Edith, the cat was already out of the
bag.
Back in those days, nuns were not known
by their birth names. They took the names
of saints at the time of their entry into the
convent and I guess we lay folks weren’t
supposed to really know their true identity.
So, it was quite a coup for an eleven year
old to be privy to such closely guarded
information.
In any event, during the next day’s class
session, when Sister Edith asked if anyone
knew the answer to a particular question, I
raised my hand and loudly exclaimed, “I do
Mildred.” Since I had earlier tipped off my
classmates to my caper, everyone laughed
hilariously. Sister was shocked but I could
tell from her expression that she instantly
knew how the discovery was made and
she found it humorous as well. Still she
suppressed laughter, acted indignant and
kept me after school, whereupon, she had
me write, in red colored ink, the words
“Mild Red” a thousand times. As you can
plainly see “Mild Red” is really Mildred,
Sister Mary Edith’s birth name. Quite a
sense of humor had she.
Sister Edith taught us to write in the style
of Olde English. Many of her students,
including me, use it even today to address
cards to family and friends on special
occasions. One time while Sister Edith
was showing the kid in front of me how to
swirl Olde English letters, I took hold of her
veil, placed it over my open ink well and
screwed the top back on over the fabric.
Sister was unaware of the pending disaster.
So as she moved on to the next student
the ink well went with her and smashed to
pieces spilling dark blue ink all over the
floor. While everyone’s attention was on
the incident, I took Teresa Burke’s ink well
from her desk and placed it in my desk. So
when Sister Edith turned to find the culprit,
Teresa Burke’s ink well was the only one
missing.
This time, Sister Mary Edith was not so
happy. In fact, she had tears in her eyes
when she exclaimed, “Mr. Keane, I have
a habit for each and every day of the year
and this one is it.” She instantly knew that
I was the perpetrator of this crime, not poor
Teresa Burke. Truth be told, I was mortified
and immediately sorry for my hooliganism.
I confessed right away and paid the price
after school for what seemed like eons.
Sister Mary Edith and I became friends for
life as a result of these myriad after school
sessions. There was an innate goodness in
this woman, who did as much to shape the
person I eventually became, as my own
dear mother. Later on in life, Sister Mary
Edith would circulate my political petitions
among her colleagues at the main convent
on Abbott and Choate. Mildred Twomey
remains my favorite nun.
VCA TO HOLD “CHINESE AUCTION”
ON OCTOBER 28th
The Valley Community Association will
hold their annual “Chinese Auction” Basket
Raffle on Wednesday, October 28th, 2015 at
the Valley Community Center, located at
93 Leddy Street, near the junction of South
Park Avenue and Elk Street in downtown
Buffalo.
Doors will open at 2pm for viewing
and entering chances.
The drawings
will start promptly at 7pm. There is no
admission charge and one sheet of twentyfive chances is just $5 and five sheets (125
chances) are $20. You do not need to be
present to win.
There will be over 150 prizes up
for raffle including gift certificates to many
local restaurants and stores, theme baskets,
arts and crafts, sports memorabilia, holiday
decorations, and much more!! In addition
the kitchen will open at 5pm and will be
serving refreshments and food.
For more information on the
VCA’s “Chinese Auction” or to donate a
prize call 716-823-4707 ext. 4.
VCA TO HOST HALLOWEEN
ZUMBATHON ON NOVEMBER 1ST
The
Valley
Community
Association will host a Halloween
Zumbathon on Sunday, November 1st at the
Valley Community Center, located at 93
Leddy Street, Buffalo, NY 14210. Doors
will open at 1pm, with the event running
from 2pm-4pm.
Zumba will be led by instructors
Julie Francis, Janis Graham, Susan Natali,
Amanda Vincek, Mary Gibbons, and Dawn
Hammer. All are welcome to attend and
no previous experience is necessary. In
addition to Zumba there will be a basket
raffle, 50/50 split raffle, and healthy
refreshments. Participants are encouraged
to get in the Halloween spirit and wear a
costume!
Tickets are $15 per person and can
be purchased ahead of time by contacting
Julie Francis at 716-829-9314 or at jaw.jaf@
verizon.net. They can also be purchased at
the Valley Community Center on weekdays
between the hours of 9am-5pm. Tickets
will also be for sale at the door the day of
the event.
All proceeds from the Zumbathon
will support the Valley Community
Association’s multitude of programs –
affordable child care that is nurturing,
educational, and stimulating for children
ages 6 weeks and up; academic, social, and
recreational programming for school age
youth; programs and services for senior
citizens that promote socialization and
wellness; family support services including
a food and clothing pantry, resume
preparation, job search assistance, and
help navigating the human service system;
community events such as the Buffalo
River Fest and the “Old Neighborhood” St.
Patrick’s Day Parade; and neighborhood
beautification projects such as the Buffalo
River Fest Park, Mutual Riverfront Park,
and Valley Nature Park & Habitat Trail.
For more information on the event,
contact Carolyn at 716-430-2415 or Lori at
823-4707 ext. 4.
TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT EDITION OF THE:
BUFFALOIRISHTIMES
CALL THE BUFFALO IRISH CENTER AT 825-9535
OR EMAIL: [email protected]
15
-O
October
b Ed
Edition 2015
Sending Thanks to Everyone
from Niagara Celtic
The 15th Anniversary of the Niagara Celtic
Heritage Festival & Highland Games was a
great success! Held on September 19th and
20th in Northern Niagara County, the festival broke attendance records and was great
fun for the many guests who spent two full
days celebrating Celtic heritage. The entire
festival team of staff and volunteers send
many thanks to everyone who joined us.
Niagara Celtic is held inside Krull Park,
Olcott Beach, NY. All weekend there were
great views of Toronto, Canada- and some
breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Those
up early enough on Saturday morning were
greeted with a full, double rainbow; many
viewed this as a sign of a great weekend to
come, which would prove true.
On Saturday visitors arrived from all over
New York and Ontario, Canada, as well as
many other states and Europe. At lunchtime
everyone at The Pavilion Stage was surprised with a beautiful wedding proposal
by a loving couple. Not long after came
the Calling of the Clans Ceremony near the
bonfires, an impressive experience for all
spectators. By the afternoon every place you
looked was bustling with activity. Everyone
was enjoying shopping, dining, attending
classes, pony rides, crafts, hand-on activities, viewing British cars and so much more.
The three concert stages had performances
all day, and great crowds were at each. Same
goes for the popular Highland Games, a favorite for so many who attend the festival
each year.
As the evening wore on, the first Haggis Eating Competition was a popular attraction,
as a dozen people vied for bragging rights.
Now the festival’s annual Ceilidh Celebration kicked-off, which saw great performances by Penny Whiskey, The Glengarry
in the day The Screaming Orphans took to
the stage, a band of Irish sisters who were
making their second appearance at Niagara
Celtic. They are a huge fan-favorite, and
their performance was thrilling and great fun
for everyone in the audience! The evening
concluded with the Closing Ceremonies and
Memorial Service, which honored the passing of nine wonderful festival supporters, a
quiet and lovely tribute in their honor.
One article can never really include everything that happened at Niagara Celtic, so if
you attended this year feel free to share your
memories on our Facebook page. If you’ve
never attended before, consider saving next
year’s dates: September 17 & 18, 2016. You
can save money on admission if you join
our online mailing list or checking our website (niagaraceltic.com) and Facebook next
spring. We look forward to seeing everyone
in September- we’re already counting the
days until show time!
Bhoys and McMahon School of Irish Dance,
along with an amazing fire and light show
by Pyromancy. There was another surprise
wedding proposal, which was completely
sweet and a perfect addition to the evening.
In all, the 15th Ceilidh was magical, filled
with new friendships and wonderful memories made by all!
Sunday was a beautiful day, and brought
waves of guests to Niagara Celtic, many attending for the first time. Sunday goes by
almost too fast- but there’s still enough time
to see and do everything you couldn’t get to
the day before.
The 3rd Annual 5K was held in the morning, and we’d like to congratulate everyone
who participated in the race, which supports
the Newfane Women’s Lacrosse Club. Later
16

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