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True to Ireland - Newsletter November 2019
Hi Folks
The purpose of this newsletter is to update you on my recent Irish trip and launch, to brief you on plans for the future, and to wish you all a happy Christmas.
Ireland calls
When I first began researching and writing True to Ireland, I had a dream of publishing and launching in both New Zealand and Ireland. The goal being to take the book home to the birthplace of my father in the village of Moycullen in Co Galway as a means of honouring him and his friends’ brave act of patriotism by refusing to fight for Irelands oppressor and aggressor. There was a sort of strategic plan to make this a reality, but it came down to hard work, generosity and determination on the part of many people in Ireland and New Zealand to see the book launched in Aotearoa in March and in Ireland in September.
The six weeks in Ireland was a ‘wow’ and never to be repeated moment – the trip and an achievement of a lifetime; a chance to explore more of this beautiful country of forty shades of green especially in the north around Donegal and then see my beloved Galway and the mountains out in Connemara. But spectacular through the scenery might be, it was spending time with my relations and old friends and making new ones and having with me a small wonderful support group of kiwi friends who timed their respective trips to Ireland to coincide with the celebration of the release of True to Ireland.
The first of the launches was held on Wednesday 11th of September at the Long Room Hub, Trinity College Dublin (TCD) where historian Rory Sweetman (Defending Trinity College Dublin, Easter 1916: Anzacs and the Rising) and I had our respective books officially launched by Seán Kyne, the Government Chief Whip and Minister of State for the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands. Also present was Peter Ryan, Ireland’s Ambassador to New Zealand (who was visiting Ireland at the time) and Natalie White, Deputy Head of the NZ Embassy in Dublin along with about 80 friends and relations from Ireland and NZ. It was a great evening and it was mind-blowing for me to have my book launched in such a prestigious university. Of course we had good sales there. What made the event at TCD more amazing was having Rory there with his affiliation to TCD and his kindness in showing us around the university and explaining the story of his book.
Within a matter of a few days True to Ireland was on the shelves in Dublin - in Eason’s booksellers in Nassau St and Hodges and Figgis in Dawson St. Just seeing the bookshops and the history that greets you on every street is pretty amazing.
While in Dublin we stayed with Fr Eamon Aylward whose generosity, kindness and help, not to mention his humour and down to earth nature, made for a wonderful time in Dublin.
On evening of Monday the 16th September I gave a seminar on the book at the University College of Dublin which was kindly hosted by Professor Regina Professor Uí Chollatáin, the Head of the UCD School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore, and Dr Aoife Whelan. This was an opportunity to explain to the students not only what the book was about, but also the effort that goes into researching a work of this nature.
The major event from my perspective was the launch at Moycullen. Bringing the book and story home was the event of a lifetime and having cousins from the village, a cousin from New Zealand (Clare Warren) and a host of friends from Ireland and NZ at the event at the Forge Pub will live in my memory forever. This was more than just a launch – it was a celebration to honour the men who were true to Ireland and to highlight their absolute patriotism. Months of work went into organising this night. My thanks to the Moycullen Historical Society – especially Tim Griffin and Hazel Morrison - who helped make this night a success. There was excitement in the village as we counted down to the night and with last minute invites the media interest grew. In the days before the event the various members of the kiwi contingent (Cathy, Emily, Geraldene, Elizabeth, Clare, Tom, Ron, Rory, Rose, Jane, Lynette and myself along with NZ’s Ambassador to Ireland, Brad Burgess and Ireland’s Ambassador to New Zealand Peter Ryan) met up in Moycullen for the big night.
We decorated the top room of the Forge Pub with NZ and Irish flags and other Irish banners to give real emphasis to the nature of the book. The evening’s proceedings began with a traditional Maori welcome given by Cathy Strong and then the kiwi party responded with the well-known waiata Te Aroha. This was followed by a welcome in Irish given by Paedar Clancy, a nephew of John Clancy who was best man at my parents wedding in NZ in 1944. Then Teresa O’Reilly responded with a song in Irish. ‘Ngati Irishness’ was beautifully achieved.
That set the tone for the evening where old friendships were rekindled and new ones made. I gave a brief speech outlining the key points in the book and then played the video of True to Ireland – the song written by singer song writer, Kevin Ikin which added further colour to the evening.
Then came speeches by Fr Eamon Aylward, Elizabeth Carr, Geraldene O’Reilly and Rory Sweetman. Then it was the turn of Irelands Minister for the Diaspora, Ciaran Cannon and New Zealand’s Ambassador to Ireland, Brad Burgess to officially launch the book. In the audience were Sean Kyne Chief Whip and Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and Irelands Ambassador to NZ, Peter Ryan.
Then a thank-you speech from me and finally a toast to the Sons of Eire proposed by Lynette Wharfe. We also had the luxury of having NZ wine to toast the book thanks to the NZ Embassy and Brad Burgess. The formal proceedings ended with yours truly singing ‘A Parting Glass’ – an emotional moment if ever there was.
People chatted, introduced themselves to folks they had never met before and in many cases suddenly realised they were somehow related or if not made new and lasting friendships. Words don’t do this story justice. Kenny’s were there selling books and both Rory and I had a busy night signing our respective books.
The next day was ‘kiwi day’. I hired a mini bus to take my NZ friends on a day long tour of Connemara, including some of the places of significance mentioned in the book. These included the memorials to Fr Michael Griffin and John Geoghegan who were both murdered by the Black and Tans near Moycullen and whose deaths were referred to in Dad’s testament to the Armed Forces Appeal Board in NZ in 1941. We also stopped at the village of Spiddal and then saw a sheep mart in action at Maam Cross, called briefly at Kylemore Abbey and had lunch at Leenane. The scenery in Connemara is nothing short of stunning and my cousin Tim Griffin gave an excellent commentary throughout.
In the evening I hosted a special dinner for my cousins and friends who had helped me with the book and, of course, the kiwi contingent. We held this at Powers Thatched Pub in Oughterard which was one of my Uncle Malachy’s favourite watering holes. Again a great finale to the trip as next day many went different ways. A few dedicated souls – Cathy, Emily, Geraldene, Lynette and myself decided to spend the day on the Aran Islands and again this proved to be a another highlight of the trip. To some extent it was like stepping back in time and seeing what life might have been like in Ireland in the early days. The scenery is spectacular and people very friendly and even the climb to Dun Aengus was not too arduous.
The final act in terms of the book was giving a talk to the people in Moycullen, many of whom had not been present at the launch. This was held at Aras Uilinn, the Moycullen Community Centre and attracted about fifty people. It was a finale to the trip and more contacts were made which has led to further insights into the story about the men who were True to Ireland. It was there that I met Delia O’Donohoe, who came to NZ in October/November this year and was interested in exploring where her Uncle John lived around Wanganui. We have discovered that her Uncle John came to Aotearoa on the Rangitane with my father in 1930. He also had a great uncle in Wanganui so that may explain why my father went there to work. It was an amazing piece of new information so her trip was invaluable to me. Delia is also a very good golfer and we managed a round at Otaki while she was in NZ
Overall the Irish trip was an outstanding success, due in a large part to the kindness and help of countless people in both Ireland and New Zealand who gave their time and support to making the launch of the book an amazing occasion.
It has been a huge and unforgettable year with some memorable moments. Seeing the Irish coast as we flew in from Wales, the buzz of Dublin and the other towns and cities we passed through. Picking up the books from the distributor Gills and meeting their staff and the lads from Digital Dynamics who printed the book. Then there was the excitement, quite by chance of selling the first copy of the book in Ireland to a woman in the Post shop at a service station in Maas in Donegal as we headed down to Galway.
The time in Dungloe and Burtonport in Donegal staying with the McGlynn family and Aine at the B&B and seeing some of the beautiful scenery in the north was special. As was meeting staying with Fr Eamon and partaking of his generous hospitality in Dublin. A chance meeting with Peter Ryan in Dublin outside the Department of Foreign Affairs was uncanny. Touring Monaghan with Cathy and Emily saw new ground covered. As always the time with the relations and friends in Galway was something to be treasured.
The trip had its sad moment with the sudden death of my cousin Geraldine O’Sullivan just before the Moycullen launch. Geraldine had been at Dublin to welcome me when I first arrived in Ireland in 1978. It was so sad that she died so young. There was also a death back in NZ about the same time, when Maurice Lenihan, my cousin Janice’s husband also passed away suddenly.
It was a busy trip and Lynette and I travelled huge distances. Like: Dublin to Dungloe, to Galway, to Sligo then to New Ross (for my cousin Geraldine’s funeral) and back to Dungloe the next day, then Dublin for the launch at Trinity. Feeling tired – well we then went to the Ploughing champs in Carlow for the day and back to Dublin, the next day met Cathy at Dublin Airport and drove to Galway then to Shannon and back to Galway the next day. After the launch we drove around Connemara, back to Dublin to get Lynette on a flight home, then four days driving around Monaghan and back to Dublin, then back to Galway. This was followed by Dublin – Galway in a day for work and also a look at Esker Hills Golf Course, then finally Dublin again and home. I think the longest we stayed in any one place was four days – but it was worth it – I think.
Book sales have been good and it was great to see True to Ireland on sale in two major shops in Dublin and three in Galway as well as Kenny’s on line. A special thanks to John Manning at Gills for getting the book into the shops. Media coverage was also excellent with features in the Connaught Tribune, the Trinity College News and a radio interview on Galway Bay FM.
Aside of the book launch I also did a number of stories for Rural News about Irish agriculture and Brexit. This included stories on the Ploughing championships and a research project at UCD which involves collaboration with Massey University in Palmerston North. I also spent a day researching a story about the Donegal Corridor – a small piece of land near the town of Ballyshannon which Eire allowed UK flying boats to cross so that they could get out into the Atlantic quickly to search for German U boats. There is also an NZ connection to this as well.
Looking back, the pace of the trip was hectic and frankly there was little time in Ireland to sit back and to savour the achievements. But coming home and looking at some of the 4000 photos I took – not to mention what others took, I feel that all those associated with ‘True to Ireland’ in whatever way helped make this the success I had dreamed. Thank you for making my dream possible.
Where to now
- What never ceases to amaze me is that just about every week since the book was launched I have been receiving emails or phone calls from people who have read the book and have found a family connection. People in NZ have been told about the book by their relations in Ireland and vice-versa. Others have come across it by accident searching the web for Irish history. It’s fair to say that I have at least thirty new stories I could publish tomorrow. I am sure more will flow in. If you have any please send them to me. I am particularly interested in anyone who has a relative in the 155 men who were to be deported or involved in refusing to fight for NZ in WWII or even WWI.
- I would also like to hear from anyone who has a written a family history. For example Ross Wall, a friend of mine from St Pat’s days has written a beautiful book about his family.
- There is also talk of making a film based on the book and discussions in Ireland on this subject are ongoing and will take time. But so far no one has said no – time will tell.
- I am off to Adelaide in December to attend the Irish Studies in Australia and New Zealand Conference (ISAANZ). This promises to be a great event. My talk will be on the world acclaimed NZ poet Eileen Duggan whose parents were from Kerry. In some ways she is NZ’s forgotten poet.
- In February I am giving a paper at the NZ Military History Conference in Wellington. The paper will discuss the unique relationship during WWII between NZ wartime Prime Minister, Peter Fraser and Eamon de Valera. This story is told in part in True to Ireland, but the plan is to incorporate some new material and also look at Irelands ‘friendly neutrality’ policy to Britain in WWII.
- In Ireland we shot a video of the launch and the plan is to have this edited by the New Year and on the web site. Also there will soon be pictures on the site.
- There is a plan to hold some sort of event to celebrate the launch of True to Ireland one year on. The details are still being worked through but it will be around St Patrick’s Day. It may be a function at the Thistle Inn or a BBQ at the farm or Lynette’s at Waikanae. I will let you know in plenty of time.
- Sales of the book have gone well and a reprint of the book is now underway. It seems that demand is steady and with various events coming up we are getting the book reprinted.
- I may go back to Ireland in 2020, but certainly in 2021 which is a special year for me.
- Finally special thanks to Ambassador Peter Ryan for his amazing support, Rory for organising Trinity College, Brad Burgess and the NZ Embassy staff, Tim and Kathleen Griffin and the Moycullen Historical Society, Fr Eamon, the McGlynns, the O’Connor/ Kelly cousins in Moycullen and the kiwi contingent who came to Ireland for the launch. And of course to Lynette whose work, understanding and kindness played a major part in the success of the year. There were dozens of others I know who helped – too many to name - and to you my deepest thanks.
That’s all from me for now.
Finally my thanks to all of you for your kind and generous support especially during the past year. Wishing you all a happy Christmas and a new year that brings you joy and happiness.
Kindest regards
Pete
FINALLY
Available now – another amazing book
Rory Sweetman, Defending Trinity College Dublin, Easter 1916: Anzacs and the Rising (Four Courts Press, Dublin, 2019)
The book challenges the historical orthodoxy (most recently displayed in Tomas Irish, Trinity in War and Revolution 1912-1925, RIA, Dublin, 2015) that Trinity College Dublin was never under serious threat of rebel capture and occupation during the Easter Rising. In it he reveals how five New Zealanders, acting as the core of a small squad of colonial troops, provided a vital shield to protect Trinity from capture by the rebels. Had the College fallen to a surprise attack on Easter Monday or Tuesday, its 324th year may well have been its last. In this case, nothing less than heavy and prolonged artillery fire or a long siege would have sufficed to dislodge and defeat the occupiers.
Little has been written on Trinity College’s role as ‘a loyal nucleus’ in Easter Week, dividing the insurgents and providing an effective counterweight to rebel headquarters in the General Post Office. The College is usually mentioned in the context of the rebels’ failure to attempt its capture, and its co-option as a barracks in the later stages of the rebellion. Even more neglected are the men who helped to save Trinity from potential disaster at a time when it was virtually defenceless.
This book offer a rich new source in the shape of letters written home by several of the New Zealanders caught up in the Rising. Their contents give fresh insight into important aspects of the insurrection and allow us to test some controversial claims made by the Anzacs against both Trinity’s own record of its Easter Week experiences and the various rebel accounts contained in Bureau of Military History witness statements and military service pension application files. More importantly, they help to answer questions left unasked in previous studies: how close did Trinity come to being a central battleground in the Rising? How and why did it escape this grisly fate? And – not least – what might have happened but for the intervention of the colonial troops.
Rory now has copies for sale – email him at rory@rorysweetman.com
Irish mapping survey
Attached is an email from Sonja Tiernan and Peter Ryan about an upcoming survey
Kia Ora, Dia Dhaoibh a Chairde, Dear Friends,
One year in from opening the Embassy of Ireland in Aotearoa New Zealand, we are asking for your help to better understand the Irish community here. We acknowledge that Ireland has a long and fascinating history in New Zealand and we are keen to capture and share stories.
The Embassy of Ireland in New Zealand has partnered with the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Otago to design two short surveys that we hope will assist in showcasing the rich Irish history we have in New Zealand, as well as the opportunities for future collaboration and connection.
This is a national project conducted by the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Otago on behalf of the Embassy of Ireland in New Zealand
This project is led by Professor Sonja Tiernan, Eamon Cleary Chair of Irish Studies, University of Otago, with Lauren Bland as research assistant.
There are two surveys. Please click the link to the survey that best applies to you or complete both surveys if relevant.
1. Individuals or families. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WNLVSWH
2. Irish groups. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WWG68MY
Thank you for your interest and your time to complete these surveys. We would be very grateful if you would distribute information and links to these surveys to any individuals or groups you may be aware of with Irish connections.
If you have any questions about these surveys please email info@friendsofireland.co.nz
Prof Sonja Tiernan, Eamon Cleary Chair of Irish Studies, Co-director, Centre for Irish & Scottish Studies
University of Otago | Te Whare Wānanga o Otāgo Tel/Waea +64 3 479 8634
PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054
New Zealand | Aotearoa
Website/Pae tukutuku www.otago.ac.nz/ciss/index.html