100 Days of Hell: 100 Days of Hell: The Fermanagh Blackbird

 100Days of Hell: 

Israel’sgenocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and the west Bank passed the100 day mark last week. 

By the time this column is published the number of dead at the hands of Israel’s war machine is likely to have passed 25,000, mostly women and children. That’s almost equivalent to the entire population of Newry wiped out.

Atthe same time almost two million Palestinians have been forcibly displaced.That is comparable to the population of the North forced from their homes whileevery hospital, school, university and most homes is destroyed. Oxfam hasconcluded that the daily death toll of civilians in Gaza is greater than anyother major conflict in the last quarter of a century.

Atthe weekend and across the world, in more than 120 cities – including Belfast,Cork and Dublin - millions gathered in a global day of action to demand aceasefire and an end to the Israeli genocide. The protests also criticised themilitary strikes by the British and US governments on Yemen.

Last weekthe South African government led the international demand for peace by takingthe Israeli state to the International Court of Justice at the Hague. More than50 countries are supporting the South African initiative. To its shame theIrish government, which supported a similar case being taken against Russia forits invasion of Ukraine, has refused to join with South Africa.

 SouthAfrica lawyers presented an irresistible case against Israeli genocide. One ofits team of lawyers, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC, gave the closing statement.She told how Israel’s actions had coined a new and horrifying label WCNSFs– Wounded Child No Surviving Family.

NíGhrálaigh’s concluding remarks summarised the savagery of Israeli actions. She said: “On average 247 Palestinians are being killed and are at risk ofbeing killed each day … They include 48 mothers each day, two every hour andover 117 children each day, leaving UNICEF to call Israel’s actions a war onchildren… The risk of famine will increase each day… Each day over 10Palestinian children will have one or both legs amputated, many withoutanaesthetic… Each day ambulances, hospitals and medics will continue to beattacked and killed… Entire multigenerational families will be obliterated.”

TheInternational Court of Justice could take years to reach a final judgementhowever it can make an emergency order against Israel’s continuing killing anddestruction in the Gaza Strip. That could take just weeks.Consequently, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh concluded by calling onthe Court to “indicate the provisional measures that are so urgentlyrequired to prevent further irreparable harm to the Palestinian people in Gaza,whose hopes — including for their very survival — are now vested in the Court.”

UachtaránMary Lou McDonald was in London last Saturday where she addressed severalhundred thousand protestors. She praised the South African initiative andcalled for an end to the slaughter. She said: “We won’t stay quiet aboutIsrael’s apartheid. We won’t be silenced in the face of genocide – a genocidethat is broadcast every day for nearly one hundred days now…”  For 100days she said the mothers and fathers of Gaza have “wept an ocean of tears overthe still bodies of their dead children.”  

Mary Lousaid: “The world stands at a crossroads and there is a choice to be made. Wenow demand human rights, justice, and the rule of law for Palestine, for Gaza,for the West Bank.”

 

IrishUnity Summit for New York

Thisweek the tickets became available for a major public event on Irish Unity to beheld in New York on 1st March. Billed as an ‘Irish UnitySummit’ the event is jointly sponsored by the Ancient Order of Hibernians, theBrehon Law Society, Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Friends of Sinn Féin USA,Irish American Unity Conference, James Connolly Labor Coalition, Ladies AncientOrder of Hibernians.

The‘Summit’ will be held in The Great Hall at Cooper Union. It will start at1:00 pm on Friday 1st March and conclude at 6:00 pm. There willbe keynote speakers, panel discussions, and cultural performances.

Sofar the programme will include Professor Brendan O’Leary (University ofPennsylvania) in conversation with Meghan Stack (New York Times). Also speakingwill be Uachtarán Mary Lou McDonald TD; Niall Murphy (Human Rights Lawyer andIreland’s Future Board Member); Glenn Bradley (Former British Soldier, formerUlster Unionist Party Officer, and member of Veterans for Peace); OlaMajekodunmi (born in Lagos, Nigeria, Radio Presenter, Irish Language Activistand member of Foras na Gaeilge);  Sophie Colgan (Director of NavigatingNew York, dedicated to connecting individuals and businesses in the Irishdiaspora in NYC) and Professor Christine Kinealy (Irish historian, author, andfounding director of Ireland's Great Hunger Institute at QuinnipiacUniversity).

Theprogram will also include contributions from the Presidents of the sponsoringbodies and bipartisan US political leaders. There will be live music andspoken word contributions and performancesbetween speakers and paneldiscussions.  

Ifyou are interested in Irish Unity and live in the New York area I would urgeyou to save the date and join the discussion on Irish Unity. I have no doubt itwill be a great event.

 

TheFermanagh Blackbird

Dónal O Connor and his family have made a long standingand continuing contribution to Irish traditional music and song. Dónal is awell known and respected musican, broadcaster and producer. We are all indebtedto and enriched by the work of the O Connor and Ní Uallacháin clanns. Becauseof them and others like them the traditional music scene is alive and well.Many songs and tunes which might have been lost have been retained orrecovered.

This is especially the case in Ulster. The song traditionis particularly strong here. Renowned singers and collectors like Len Graham,Paddy Tunney, Sarah Makem, Eddie Keenan, Pádraigín Ní Uallachaín, Grainne Holland, Davy Hammond, Albert Fry,Prionsais MacAirt, Seán McCorry and musicans like Davy Maguire, Neal Martin, SeanMaguire,  John Sherry, Cathal Hayden, the Diamonds, theVallelys, the Sands andMcPeake families and many many more have ensured that our indigenous music  is a part of every day life for many people. A livingtradition.

Every part of Ulster  has lively circles of singers,musicians, dancers and story tellers. Theseare  the custodians  of our music. But they arealso  teachers, whether formally through Comhaltas or Singing and MusicClubs or informally in sessions across all parts of the North. Many of themlearned their songs from parents or grandparents and from the generationsbefore them. And they are passing it on to the next generation. 

Number Gabriel McArdle among them. Gabriel, fromKinawley in  Fermanagh, is a singer and a concertina andaccordion player. Dónal O Connor has produced an album - GabrielMcArdle The Fermanagh Blackbird -  which showcases Gabrielstalents. It is a fine uplifting record of traditional songs and tunes whichcapture Gabriels great traditional singing style and music playing. It is alsohis first solo album, though hopefully not his last. 

Gabriel’s singing is exquisite.Clear, melodic and true to his dialect.  Sweet and easy on the ear.Érin Grá Mo Chroi is a gem of a song. So is Johnny and Molly. In fact there isnot a bad song in this collection. 

The instrumentals are equally good. Many perhaps suitedto, and drawn from, the dance music of Ulster.  I was particularlytaken by I Buried My Wife And Danced On Her Grave and The March Of The ClannMaguire. So well done to all involved with this fine album. ParticularlyGabriel McArdle. It has been on the go for a year now so  thank you AntAthair Seos for my copy. It has given me hours of pleasure.  

http://www.redbox recording.com

http://www.facebook.com/gabriel.mcardle.1