Happy Oíche Shamhna!

Old Boxes of Old News

During a bit of autumn cleaning in my new home with the wife and step-lads and Fletcher the dog I unearthed a few weak cardboard boxes full of yellowing newspapers and copies of letters sent and some never mailed. It is an odd trip down memory lane.

Two bits of paper caught me eye. The first is an unfinished letter to a lost, romantic soul named Joe I used to know in a past life. The date up top of it almost makes it an anniversary of sorts. Reading it brought me back to my first cold Dublin flat and a different time. The manually typewritten page reads:

31 October 1993
Dublin

Joe,

Happy Halloween. Seven more dead in the North. The death toll is up past twenty for the week. What a fun little fucked-up island I live on. Happy to be in Dublin but the nerves are still a wee bit on edge.

The cold Rathmines night lights with flashes every few minutes, then a bang or a boom without light. Nobody told me how the Irish like fireworks on All Hallows Eve. I was sitting quietly with a bottle of red wine while picking through the Sunday Times and the Sunday Tribune when the wee blasts began outside. After three of the most tense days in Belfast this week the sounds were the last I wanted to hear. Whistles, bangs and pops were unwelcome.

I grabbed a train North on Monday after the Saturday IRA blast on the Shankill that killed ten. After four restaurant shifts and a bad head cold it was the last place I felt like going. But duty called. The famed Irish Echo needs photos.

The letter ends there but the memories of the time go on.

The second bit of paper is a little older than the letter to Joe. It is a copy of the Sarajevo newspaper Oslobodenje. It is the edition celebrating the paper’s 50th anniversary in the middle of the Bosnian war. The main headline is “Oslobodenje Carries On The Good Fight.” The date is 16 September 1993. Thinking back I focused on the date. I wasn’t in Sarajevo then, or even Bosnia. I wouldn’t be back to the war until November of that year. Thumbing through the pages, it turns out The Irish Times printed the Bosnian paper’s special issue in its own Irish editions. Twas a grand gesture of unity among journalists. It had me wondering if there is a brave little paper in Baghdad fighting the good fight. And if there was, were European newspapers publishing their pages in a beautiful gesture of support? I know I would never see it in an American newspaper.

Well, back to digging through the memory boxes…

Union County Police and Fire Pipes and Drums Hosting 7th Annual Pub Night

Band Honoring John Bradley and Kevin Dowling on November 9

The Union County Police and Fire Pipes and Drums band will celebrate its 7th anniversary with a “Pub Night” on Friday, November 9, at 7:00 p.m. in The Commons at Union County College in Cranford, NJ.

Union County’s only bagpipe band, and one of the largest in New Jersey, will honor bagpipe instructor John Bradley and Kevin Dowling of The Joseph Nugent Sr. Association of Union County.

Union Township firefighter Ed Donnelly is back at the reigns as Pipe Major and has a renewed enthusiasm and passion about Union County Police and Fire Pipes and Drums.

“We started this band seven years ago and are more excited than ever as we continue to grow stronger both musically and as a band,” said Pipe Major Donnelly.

“Pub night is a perfect opportunity to thank and honor individuals who have supported the band over the years,” he said. “The band wouldn’t be what it is today without the guidance and instruction of John Bradley and the constant support of Kevin Dowling.”

John Bradley, a former Westfield resident, has more than twenty years piping experience. He was instrumental in the band’s success when he signed on as the band’s instructor when the group first formed. Bradley recently joined the band as a full member and he continues to work as the group’s pipe instructor.

Union resident Kevin Dowling of The Nugent Association has been a longtime supporter of the band and is active in many good causes. The Nugent Association was founded in 1933 and is the oldest independent Irish-American organization in New Jersey. The association has been recognized many times for its civic involvement such as its annual Irish picnic fundraiser that benefits The Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“We invite everyone to join us in honoring John and Kevin on what is always a great night,” Donnelly added.

The band’s “Pub Night” will be a celebration of Celtic music with a powerful performance by the Union County Police and Fire Pipes and Drums and entertainment by The Saloonatics.

The Union County Police and Fire Pipes & Drums band was formed in March, 2001. The majority of the band is comprised of Union County police officers and firefighters proud to display their Irish heritage. The band is active all year long performing at scores of community and social events throughout Union County and New Jersey.

“Pub Night” tickets cost $20.00 and include food, beer, wine, soda and door prizes. The event on November 9 begins at 7:00 p.m. in The Commons at Union County College located at 1033 Springfield Avenue in Cranford, NJ 07016-1599.

For tickets and more information, please contact Dennis Connor at 908-230-7084. To learn more about the Union County Police and Fire Pipes and Drums please visit www.hosesnholsters.com.

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There were pipes and drums there too!

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Photo by Don Smith

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Photo by Jim Lowney Sr.