Bridie (107) joins the “lost tribe” of Galway!

Boston resident Bridie left Co Galway in 1929 and still returns every second year.

The Galway Tribal Diaspora Project aims to connect exiles scattered across the world with their home place by letting them tell their stories in their own words.

Last week I spoke to Michael Quinn, who runs the project, for Irish Central and I wrote profiles of five of the participants.

You can find the story here

Within days, an amazing lady who lives in Boston had added her story to the online exhibition.

On Tuesday, Bridie Daly (nee Duggan) agreed to share her story of fun, heartbreak, and joy after being cajoled into it by her daughter in the United States and her niece back home in Co Galway.

Such is her popularity in her home village of Woodford, Co Galway, that her name popped up immediately when second level students were asked to nominate prominent emigrants from the area for the online exhibition.

“I believe myself to be a happy and contented person. I am still very active and independent – I regularly attend Mass, I go to Irish events and I get my hair done every week. I also enjoy a small drop of whiskey now and again!” she says with a hearty laugh.

“People often ask me what the key to my longevity is and I tell them to live and enjoy every day. I pray every day for good health – so God must be listening! My advice is to never despair and to live in hope.”

I have written a feature on Bridie for IrishCentral.com, the US-based website, which went online this morning..

Michael told me that Bridie is hoping to fly home for her 108th birthday next February and that she maintains strong connections with Co Galway, even though she left for the US in 1929.

She has outlived three sons, including one who served with the US military in Vietnam.

“All stories of emigration are interesting. We didn’t want to focus on people who are particularly old or successful, but about the breadth of experience which people have had across the globe. Of course some stories are going to jump out at you more than others,” said Michael.

You can read the full feature here

Michael, meanwhile, is still looking for Galway exiles across the globe to get in touch to tell their stories. Contact details are at the end of the Irish Central article or you can find him at http://www.galwaytribe.com/

 

  • Looking for a blogger, content writer, or social media manager? Ciaran Tierney has been writing professionally for 25 years. He blogs and writes website content for businesses. You can find him on Facebook here

Galway meeting to discuss Israeli ‘settlement’ goods ban

Senator Frances Black with the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland, Ahmad Abdelrazek, during a public meeting in Kinvara in July. Photo: Ciaran Tierney Digital Storyteller.

In July of this year, a packed town hall in Kinvara, Co Galway, heard Independent Senator Frances Black talk about her plans to ban goods from illegal Israeli ‘settlements’ in the West Bank from Ireland.

A few days later, against the odds, the Irish Senate voted in favour of her Occupied Territories Bill 2018 after opposition party Fianna Fail agreed to support the bill.

The vote made headlines all across the globe as, when passed, this bill is set to inspire similar legislation in other European countries.

I wrote about it for Electronic Intifada, the biggest English language Palestinian news site in the world, and the reaction was overwhelming at the time.

Later this month, the bill enters the crucial second stage. And on Tuesday night people in Galway city have a chance to hear an update from Senator Black, a passionate campaigner for human rights, and local activists who have been to Palestine.

Senator Black’s resolve to do something for the people of Palestine was strengthened by a visit to the West Bank and Gaza in May of this year.

“What I saw over there was a hundred times worse than what I expected,” she told me at the time.

“I knew it was bad before I went out there, but what I saw was so much worse. They are living in horrendous conditions. One woman in Gaza asked me why the international community had abandoned them. That really struck a chord with me.”

Senator Black with a family in the West Bank, May 2018.

 

Now she is coming to Galway next Tuesday night (7.15pm) to give people in the West of Ireland an update about her Occupied Territories Bill.

The first vote was historic, after Niall Collins of Fianna Fail pledged his support. He, too, was shocked by what he saw in Palestine during a trip just before that Seanad vote in July.

Senator Black will outline why she has tabled the bill, the next steps it will have to go through, and the reaction she has received across the globe.

The Irish Government, led by Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, refused to back her bill but the support of Fianna Fail got it over the first hurdle.

The evening will also feature personal accounts from local members of the Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign and political representatives. It takes place at the Harbour Hotel on Tuesday, November 6, at 7.15pm.

All of Israel’s settlements in the West Bank are illegal according to international law and the occupation has gone on for 51 years, with no sign of justice for the people of Palestine.

There is a growing belief among international law experts that trade with Israeli settlements is illegal, and human rights groups such as Amnesty International have called on governments to impose such a ban.

The meeting on Tuesday starts at 7.15pm. All are welcome. Ciaran Tierney is the winner of the Irish Current Affairs / Politics Blog of the Year award 2018. You can find Ciaran on Facebook at http://facebook.com/ciarantierneymedia

Find Ciaran on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ciarantierney

Ciaran Tierney, winner of the 2018 Irish Current Affairs Blogger of the Year award in Dublin, October 2018.