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9/11 Memorial unveiled in Roscommon by Ambassador Dan Rooney

Dan Rooney unveils memorial at Ballaghaderreen fire house

MOLLY MULDOON,

IrishCentral Deputy Editor

Published Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 9:16 AM

Updated Wednesday, May 2, 2012, 10:15 AM

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Dan Rooney and his wife Patricia unveil the 9/11 memorial in Roscommon

Photo by Michael McCormack

A memorial dedicated to those who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attacks has been unveiled in Roscommon by U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney.

Dan Rooney and his wife Patricia, whose family comes from Cloontia, just outside of Ballaghaderreen, traveled to the town last Friday for the special ceremony, which included a blessing by the Bishop of Achonry, Dr Brendan Kelly.

The memorial, the only one of its kind in Ireland, was conceived, designed and erected by the Ballaghaderreen Fire Brigade.

“It has been a number of years in the making and was conceived as a way to express solidarity with our brotherhood, the firemen and policemen who lost their lives in 9/11 and to mark the sacrifice that was made by them,” Mícheál Frain, Station Officer at Ballaghaderreen Fire Station said.

During a brief address the ambassador thanked all of those who attended the ceremony, on behalf of President Barack Obama.

The memorial plaque of Irish limestone is embedded in an old Irish cut stone wall with a stone flag path leading into it.

This July will mark Rooney’s three-year tenure as Ambassador. While no specific date for departure has been set, it is expected that he will step down from the position later this year.

Nster.com

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Bythebay | May 09, 2012, 11:54 AM EDT

Ireland had no solidarity with the US with the US illegal war in Iraq, the US violations of the Geneva Agreement regarding prisoner treatment, internment in Guantanamo Bay, privacy violations, etc. which the US embarked on after 9/11.

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89west | May 03, 2012, 09:28 PM EDT

Bythebay.... the lady from Kinsale planted 343 trees for the firemen kill that day, many of whom had no connection whatsoever to Ireland. Neither did the good lady have any connections to the firemen killed in NYC. I would like to believe, she did this out of the goodness flowing from her heart. The Forest Park Memorial list 400 or so names with one being a native of the locale and as stated before, most had no connection to Ireland. It is your guess, why Waterford Crystal would have a memorial tribute on display. With that said, what is your point? Can't you believe, there are still altruistic people left in the world?

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Bythebay | May 03, 2012, 07:57 PM EDT

89 West, those are related to Irish born or in the case of Michael Judge, the child of Irish born parents, with connections to the Towers. Other countries whose nationals or relatives of their nationals died in the Towers have done similarly.

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89west | May 03, 2012, 06:56 PM EDT

Bythebay.....Donadea, Forest Park, Co. Kildare, there is a stone replica of the twin towers with the names of the public officers who lost their lives on that day. One was an American born who was raised in a nearby townland and returned to the US and was killed. Another is the Waterford Crystal Memorial, Waterford, Ire. One can also be found in a memorial peace park in St Kevin's churchyard in Keshcarrigan, County Leitrim. Down in Cork, a nurse who worked in NYC and went home to retire, planted 343 trees in memory of the firemen and created a garden of rememberance on her family's land in Ringfinnan, Kinsale. There are more, but I'm not familiar with the details and therefore, I won't write of them.

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Bythebay | May 03, 2012, 12:53 PM EDT

89West, where are there other permanent 9/11 memorials in Ireland?

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IrelandNorth | May 03, 2012, 07:51 AM EDT

There's no specific instruction in the Koran/Qu-ran about flying airplanes into World Trade Centres in NYC. Probably another highly subjective interpretation of one of the world's sacred scriptures. (Though see Revealations of Saint John, 9:11 in Canonical Gospels!) We need to be mindful of the karmic consequences of our actions. P.S. Maybe Irish-American 9/11 vets could be conferred with honourary Irish citizenships.

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89west | May 02, 2012, 05:50 PM EDT

The Irish have touched those who have suffered losses on that fateful day. Their expressions of sympathy and condolences have moved people to a greater understanding of the beauty of the Irish spirit that has survived in this hate filled world. On another note; if Molly M. had done her homework she would have discovered there are several permanent 911 Memorials to be found throughout Ireland. Truly, an indelible mark of solidarity and brotherhood.

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howareya | May 02, 2012, 03:18 PM EDT

Cloontia! I went to a couple céilithe there!

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Bythebay | May 02, 2012, 11:48 AM EDT

Just what Roscommon needs.

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Searlit | May 02, 2012, 11:35 AM EDT

Nice. I want to go see it.

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KilkennyCats | May 02, 2012, 10:31 AM EDT

Many Irish and Irish-Americans lost their lives that day (including dear friends D. Meehan and K. Hannaford). This monument is a nice country-to-country gesture by the Balla Fire Station, as was the Irish Famine Memorial in NYC. Nicely done.

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