Posted by Jim on September 21, 2018
By Fr. Sean McManus.Friday, September 21, 2018
I’m lately even more proud of my native Fermanagh since it has been established that the great -grandmother of President Kennedy, Rosanna Cox-Fitzgerald (c.1835-1979) was born in Fermanagh and in the next parish to my own parish of Kinawley.
Indeed, Rosanna’s father was from the parish of Kinawley. Rosanna, who would be the grandmother of rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, apparently immigrated to America in her late teens or early twenties.
The historic parish of Kinawley has essentially been in existence since the Sixth Century. It is now divided by the damn border, its other part being in County Cavan.
The neighboring parish to Kinawley is the parish of Knockninney, and it is in that parish that Rosanna Cox was born.
On Saturday, August 4, I celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of my ordination in St. Naile’s Church, Kinawley (the actual date of my ordination was September 1, 1968).
The Curate of Knockninney, Fr. Ultan McGoohan, was one of the six priests who concelebrated Mass with me, and a few days later he took me on a “pilgrimage” to the ancestral home of Rosanna.
Fr. McGoohan, who has a degree in history, has recently done groundbreaking work in bringing to light this neglected lineage of the Kennedy family.
We have heard a lot about “The Boys of Wexford,” and now it is due time to hear about “The Girls of Fermanagh.”
I am sure the younger generations of the Kennedys will want to pay due homage to the neglected distaff side (female side) of family.
Such neglect, of course, was common in older days. But now, I am hoping the younger Kennedys will see it as a matter of historical justice, as well as due and equal respect to Rosanna Cox-Fitzgerald, to right the family record of this extraordinary Irish-American family.
Fr.McGoohan, in his key article, “The Fermanagh roots of John F. Kennedy” (February 28, 2018) explains how the Fermanagh connection had been lost for so long.
”In summary,” he wrote, “I am proposing that there has been a mistake. Rosanna Cox was not a Cavan woman, but a Fermanagh woman. We know her father was Philip Cox and there is a baptism registered to Philip Cox and Mary McGauran/McGovern in Kinawley parish.
“We know she gave her home address as Tonymore Tomregan, Co. Cavan. Tonymore is in the civil parish of Tomregan, the home address given at the Kennedy Center in the United States and in Dunganstown, as the birthplace of Rosanna.
As we now know, Tomregan was a civil parish, but Tonymore is in the Catholic ecclesiastical parish of Knockninny.
“At the time Tomregan was probably still being used as a postal address by the residents of Tonymore. We can claim her as a Fermanagh woman, with Kinawley and Knockninny roots and to be even more parochial, we might call her a Teemore woman!”
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RADIO FREE EIREANN will broadcast this Saturday September 22nd on WBAI Radio 99.5FM or WBAI.ORG at 12 noon-1pm New York time or 5pm-6pm in Ireland or anytime after the program on WBAI.ORG – Archives (scroll back to 12 noon Saturday)
JOHN TEGGART of the Ballymurphy Massacre Campaign will react to British moves to discredit the upcoming Inquest before it begins, a new television documentary “Massacre at Ballymurphy” and film “Ballyymurphy Precedent” about the murder spree and the latest Inquest Court rulings.
As we near the fiftieth anniversary of the start of the Civil Rights movement in the north of Ireland,PATSY GILDERNEW, will give his firsthand recollection of the Caledon Housing Eviction,seen as the iconic incident leading to Civil Rights protests.
RAY LEYDEN will have a full report on on the McLean Avenue Irish Street Fair in Woodlawn.
TOM ABERNATHY,will talk about places where youths can learn and join Gaelic Football in the greater New York area.
We will also have the latest announcements on Irish Festivals and events.
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FDNY EMERALD SOCIETY 62ND ANNIVERSARY DINNER DANCE
Honoring UFA Vice President LeRoy McGinnis, Engine 266, and UFOA Former Treasurer Eddie Boles, Ladder 59. The Dinner Dance will be held at The Original Antun’s in Queens Village on Friday, November 2nd at 7:30 pm. To advertise in the Souvenir Journal, checks must be returned no later than October 19th to Emerald Society, FDNY, 48 Grissom Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10314. Ad prices are $250 for a Gold Page, $ 200 for a Silver Page, $150 for Full Page, $100 for a Half Page and $50 for a Quarter Page. For further information, please call: Steve Rogers 917-584-4569.
ON THE ARM BREAKFAST AND FREE QIGONG CLASSES AT FRIENDS OF FIREFIGHTERS
Wednesday, October 10th
Friends of Firefighters
199 Van Brunt Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Breakfast: 8-11 AM
Morning Qigong Class: 11 AM-12:30 PM
Evening Qigong Class: 7-8:30 PM
In lieu of their regularly scheduled On the Arm Breakfast, Friends of Firefighters invites you to join them for a special Food Healing Breakfast prepared by Retired Firefighter and Certified Qigong Instructor Jonathan Henderson (with a little help from Pete and Tony Cat of course) on Wednesday, 10/10, anytime between 8-11AM. Jonathan will be sharing his inspirational story of healing from his 9/11-related illnesses, anger issues and use of prescription medications. At 11AM, he’ll lead a 90-minute class focused on practicing gentle movement (Qigong), self-applied massage, healing breath work and mindfulness (meditation). The class will be mostly seated, but standing practices can be done seated if necessary. No previous experience required; the class is designed for beginners and beneficial to all, whether you need healing, want more energy or are looking for a way to feel better. If you can’t make it to the morning Qigong class, Jonathan will be back at the firehouse that same evening to lead a 90-min class at 7PM. Healthy snacks will be provided. This event is FREE for FDNY members, active and retired, and their families. If interested in attending either Qigong class, please RSVP to Marlo at 718-643-0980 or info@friendsoffirefighters.org.
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There is another possible scenario that hardline unionists might go for instead of a united Ireland: a re-partitioned Ireland.
Michael Bearra @IrishCentral September 20, 2018
As the last 40 years have shown, with a greatly increasing Catholic population, the Unionist majority in Northern Ireland is fading.
Figures from 2016 showed 44 percent of working-age adults are Catholic while 40 percent are Protestant, and among the over 60s demographic 57 percent are
A new Northern Ireland border? Image: Michael Bearra.
Protestant and only 35 percent are Catholic. Among schoolchildren, Catholics are at 51 percent compared to 37 percent Protestant.By 2021, the anniversary of the founding of the Northern State, there will likely be a Catholic majority which will only increase in the years following.
The Good Friday Agreement has called for a border poll and there may be one as early as 2022, say some experts. Catholics of voting age will hold a demographic advantage.
Unionists are hoping that many Catholics, especially in the middle class, will vote to stay in the union. Others predict that a nationalist majority will vote for a united Ireland, pointing to the fact that the vote in Northern Ireland elections still splits strictly along religious lines.
The issue has come front and center again because of Brexit and the uncertain future of Northern Ireland.
There is another possible scenario that hardline unionists might go for: a re-partitioned Ireland.
Looking at how that appears on a map, it is clear the unionist numbers predominate in the eastern part of the state while nationalists are far more prominent in the western part. Unionism would desert every place west of the Bann river, bar Coleraine in Derry.
There is immediately one huge flaw; West Belfast, a Catholic enclave deep in unionist territory, would require West Berlin status at the very least. The nationalist area is known as the Glens of Antrim also would be surrounded.
Hardline unionists, including the DUP leader Arlene Foster, have said they will not live in a united Ireland. With the exception of former DUP leader Peter Robinson, no unionist political figure has indicated any sense that they are considering the prospect of a united Ireland.
Given successive British government’s continued reliance on unionist parties to stay in power, there is no guarantee that a similar demand to 1921—this time a repartition of Ireland—may not take place.
This map is what it looks like:
