cúisle mo chroí

Irish Heritage and Cultural Celebration Video

The clip above is from the New York City Council’s “Irish Heritage and Cultural Celebration,” hosted by Council President and Speaker Christine Quinn and held on Tuesday, March 9th. Quinn’s support for Relatives for Justice and the struggle for truth was a fantastic way to celebrate the vote on policing and justice!

Quinn invited RFJ Chair Clara Reilly to bring the RFJ Remembering Quilt to display in New York City Hall during the St. Patrick’s Day season. Below is the text of Clara’s speech, for which she received a standing ovation from the crowd:

I want to thank the speaker, Christine Quinn, for the invitation to exhibit two panels of the Remembering Quilt here in New York City hall.

There are currently 9 quilts with 49 patches on each quilt. Over 3,000 people have worked on the quilts with several members of each family contributing to each square. I would like to reaffirm what Christine said about taking time to view the quilts and realize that each square represents a life lost and a family’s grief.

In 1994 following the ceasefire RFJ began to examine the relationship between the lack of truth and justice families had experienced, the impact of violence and the effects of trauma in their lives.

People remembered on the quilt were killed with impunity. Some families are still seeking to have inquests held even after 30 years. Many are still seeking the truth about the deaths of their loved ones. Every person killed as result of the conflict, regardless of their religion, politics or circumstances, are worthy of recognition and acknowledgement. There should be no hierarchy of victims. I want to acknowledge the presence of the Clinton, Gilbraid and Heaney families who all live in the New York metropolitan area and who have never seen the quilts or the squares dedicated to their loved ones.

The square is not really about how these people died but about who they were – did they play a musical instrument? Did they work in a specialized trade? Or did they simply enjoy a pint of Guinness or play a game of Bingo? One of the squares on one of the quilts is of a 15-year-old boy, Brian Kelly, who was in his grandmother’s house after they had just put up the Christmas tree. Killers burst in and shot Brian dead. His grandmother never put up another Christmas tree again. But, when it came time to make his square, the first thing she wanted was a Christmas tree.

Joseph Murphy had just visited his 7-month pregnant wife in hospital and was on his way home when a car drew up beside him and he was shot dead. When the news reached his family home his father, also named Joseph, collapsed and died. They were both buried together several days later. Every time I look at Joseph’s square on the quilt I am reminded how much this young man resembles the Kennedys.

The mother of the hunger striker Tom McElwee, had knitted him a sweater while he was in prison. On his square she incorporated some of the wool used on the sweater and part of his shirt.

Another mother had put a lovely picture of her son wearing a black leather tie. In his square she surrounded it with the actual leather tie.

One young girl who lost her father used part of her wedding dress to design her square.

These are the reasons why the quilts are so precious. So much thought and love have gone into the creation of these beautiful works of art.

Caroline, I know this event is to celebrate Irish heritage and culture so I would like to recall the visit of your father to Ireland in 1963. My father, who had been interned and held without trial in the forties, was watching on an old black and white TV your father delivering one of his speeches. My father started to cheer and applaud and when I asked him why, he said, “Listen to the man. The president of the United States is talking about Ireland’s endless years of oppression”. Your father then said, “We need men who can dream of things that never were and ask why not”. We still need men and women of good will who will stand shoulder to shoulder to defend human rights, social justice and reconciliation in our peace process.

The importance of remembering cannot be underestimated. “Death is the end of life as we know it. But, it is not the end of memory. Each person killed has a right to live on in what they did, who they were and the reasons for their deaths. To forget would be the worst offense to their memories”. We will not forget those on the quilts whose lives were cruelly taken from us. We will remember them with love and pride and hold them close within our hearts.

Go raibh maith agat