Friday, March 16, 2007

Saint Patrick's Day

Our house proudly decorated for St. Patrick's Day.










This is Jerome's Celtic Cross Monument at Curraghkippane Cemetary, just outside Cork City, the tilt is so severe that it poses a threat to life should a gale come through, and also to other grave markers should it fall on them and smash.
This is a view of Jerome's Celtic Cross (center), up until recently it was the only one in the cemetary (and possibly all of Ireland) to face NORTH in his honor, the rest on a traditional east/west alignment.
Another view of Jerome J. Collins Celtic Cross monument at Curraghkippane, should the wind blow just right, it's possible it could blow down, not only destroying itself but surrounding grave markers in addition.



This is a marker honoring Jerome J. Collins of Cork, it is located on the South Gate Bridge in Cork City, next to the Beamish Brewery which now stands on the Collins' family Salt & Lime Works. Notice that "Jeannette" is spelled wrong in the photo.
A close-up look at the plaque to Jerome and the Collins family on the Celtic Cross monument at Curraghkippane cemetary, Cork, Ireland. It reads, "Sacred To The Memory Of Jerome J. Collins, His Father, Mother, And Brothers. R.I.P."



Things are renewed, I'm refreshed, and ready to tackle my mission again. It's not by choice that I am jumping back into the swing of things before this week is over with, things usually find ME before I'm ready to give up my break, and this has been a very productive week Jerome-wise.




Items are coming to the forefront about Jerome and his activities as early as 1866. I've recently reconnected with a so-called Fenian expert who has shed much light on the Fenians during this period. I'll call him Mr. Tennessee, because I haven't asked his permission to post his name yet on my blog. Well, Mr. Tennessee gave me a ring the other day, we had a nice chat on the phone and he is a wealth of information, citing many numerous resources that I was never aware of. I can't thank Mr. Tennessee enough for his offer of help. He also put me in touch with a member of the AOH, I am waiting to hear back from that member as he took an interest in my story and the work I am doing for "Uncle Jerome".




Things on the other side of the pond in Cork, however, are slow going. Guess they always are, as Ronnie and I spoke the other day about this. We talked about our letters we are writing to the Monuments Committee in Cork and the Cork County Council. We are appealing for the safety of Jerome's Celtic Cross monument, it's severely tilted over and poses a threat and hazard to people visiting the grave and other monuments should it fall over. We hope they will rightly honor Jerome by acting on this quickly to re-erect his Celtic Cross, possibly even decorating his grave every year as he was a devoted Nationalist to Ireland. I've brought this issue up well over a year ago to the County Council, they approved some funding, but the cost of the masonry outweighs the funding. What's troubling is that Jerome was Clerk of Works for the City, and his father also served on the City Council for many years, both esteemed members of the city and of society, yet the city lets the gravesite remain in such a poor state. Ronnie and I hope to change this through our letters.




Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. Ronnie's birthday. The Day that the North Gate Bridge was officially opened which Jerome engineered. I proudly displayed two flags at our house, one of the Irish Flag, the other of the Cork City Flag. Both were sent on to me from Ronnie last year which is "the job" as he says. I have shamrock lights in my windows, and a nice Irish themed wreath on front of our deck. Can't miss our house, can ya?

My discoveries with Paris last month have simmered down for a while. What I'm trying to do now is get some text translated into English. Looks like I've been thrown into Jerome's recent activities in America as well. I'll be exploring and researching this era of his life, there's many questions and answers waiting to come to light. Thanks to Mr. Tennessee and his vast resources, I'll be working on this now.


Around here where I live in Northeastern Minnesota, there are no St. Patrick's Day parades that I'm aware of. It's too cold, and too snowy. I hope that I'll have the blessing to be in Ireland during St. Patrick's Day, maybe next year. And I hope to make the trip over to Ireland even before then. Until then, I'll proudly display my pride any way that I can. After all, even though he's not a formerly recognized hero to Ireland, Jerome J. Collins is MY hero.