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First Certificate of Irish Heritage given to hero Firefighter Joseph Hunter

Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore presents cert to mum Bridget

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, September 20, 2011, 7:28 AM

Updated Thursday, September 22, 2011, 4:21 PM

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Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore presents the first Certificate of Irish Heritage to Joseph Hunter's mother, Bridget

Photo by DFA

Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Eamon Gilmore has honored a World Trade Center hero with the first Certificate of Irish Heritage.

The new Certificate of Irish Heritage will be available to members of the 70 million Diaspora provided they can prove an ancestral connection with Ireland. They cost around $60 and will be available in Irish, English and Spanish.

Minister Gilmore, on a week-long trip to America, made the presentation to the family of firefighter Joseph Gerard Hunter at Maspeth Fire Station in Queens on Monday night.

Hunter was last seen heading into the rubble at the World Trade Center in an effort to rescue victims of the 9/11 attacks.

His mother Bridget and her Irish cousins maintain a shrine to Joseph near their ancestral home in Connemara.

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The certificate, the first issued by the Irish government under a new initiative, notes that Hunter is the descendant of two uncles from County Galway.

Minister Gilmore paid tribute to Hunter’s sacrifice and bravery when he presented the Certificate of Irish Heritage to Joseph’s mum Bridget at the Maspeth Fire Station.

The Minister noted that Joseph had wanted to be a firefighter from the age of four, set up a team of wannabe firemen at 11, volunteered for the fire service at 18 and graduated from the fire academy in 1996. He also paid tribute to the 19 members of Hunter’s 288 squadron from Maspeth who died on 9/11.

The concept was developed on the 2009 recommendation of Ireland’s Ambassador to Washington Michael Collins and is designed to deepen Irish-American relations.

“We should look at ways of encouraging and facilitating people, who are not entitled to citizenship, to give expression to their Irish ancestry,” said Ambassador Collins.

“One such measure could be a new certificate of Irish ancestry which, while having no legal standing as such, would constitute official recognition for many people of their familial and emotional connection with Ireland.”

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heaven1965 | Sep 21, 2011, 11:32 PM EDT

I will be ordering mine when they come out and will be getting my Irish passport, just a way to show my pride in being IRISH!

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jacersagain | Sep 21, 2011, 09:58 PM EDT

Apologies : read Joseph Hunter for James (or Jim) Hunter in my posts. :-(

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jacersagain | Sep 21, 2011, 09:48 PM EDT

(...more) The Certificate of Irishness will prove to be worth every cent, penny or rupee to all who’d want their after-bears to know of their Irish roots. It will be the proof of the Treasure of Ireland that they carry in their blood’s veins. My friends’ example of my own mistake re the ‘In Memoriam’ card is the perfect example of making a big mistake. Don’t make the same mistake... my encouragement to Irish-Americans (and all 'Other country'-Irish) would be to get the Certificate of Irishness for yourself and your descendants that you and they deserve to treasure and keep safely for future generations.

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jacersagain | Sep 21, 2011, 09:42 PM EDT

(...more) Well, it has everything to do with everything, hasn’t it? It’s about knowing who you are, where you came from, where you stand today, where your children and their after-bears will stand in the future in knowing “family stuff”. That’s precious stuff - very precious stuff - for people descended of Irish (or any country’s) stock, whether they are Irish descendants today in America, UK, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, Africa (esp Nth Africans), Canada and Australia for example... in other words, the Irish Diaspora. (more...)

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jacersagain | Sep 21, 2011, 09:39 PM EDT

(... Yes, a little bit more) Recently, I visited someone else who, over a cuppa tea announced that she too had, just weeks ago, nearly a dozen yrs after her friend, my wife, died, her own I-M cards made of and for my late wife... and gave me 4 of them... one for me and one each for my sons. She said to me that she had recently realised how important such cards are in family histories. “It’s for the younger ones, the future generations”, she said... “It’ll be nice for them and theirs to have in future years”. In hindsight, I realised my big mistake in respecting my dear wife’s “not-so-good-thought” in dismissing ‘In Memoriam’ cards. “So what’s that got to do with a deceased 9/11 NYC Fireman like James Hunter or Certificates of Irishness” you might ask... (more...)

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jacersagain | Sep 21, 2011, 09:33 PM EDT

(...more) Here’s the why... An ‘In Memoriam’ (I-M) card in Ireland is a personal, specially commissioned and printed small card or book page marker that has the Name, Last Known Address and a Photo of a deceased person, with personal Words of a Memory of that person and a Prayer printed on it. It is a personal, miniscule history of the deceased person. Before my wife died suddenly some dozen yrs ago, she had once said to me after she received an I-M card of a deceased relative of hers from another relative, that she didn’t like the idea of ‘In Memoriam’ cards. After she herself died, I respected her thoughts and didn’t have any I-M cards of or for her made to distribute to relatives and friends. Many were disappointed with that, but, soon after I made known my reasons as to why I didn’t commission I-M cards, one person went ahead and had her own cards made and distributed them to friends and family, who greatly appreciated them. “Ok, I’m listening”, I hear you say... well, yes, there’s (more...)

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jacersagain | Sep 21, 2011, 09:28 PM EDT

Breaking me heart LOL after reading sirpeter’s comment!'Twas a really good laugh! ¬ I think it was an excellent idea to officially present the 1st Certificate of Irishness to this brave NYC Fireman’s mother. Being of Irish stock must have meant something special to Fireman Jim Hunter, so it will be something she will treasure all her remaining years of life as a moment in American-Irish and NYC’s Fire Services’ history and for all others in his family to treasure forever, if they take care of it... and I’ll tell explain why if you’ll be a little patient in reading the ‘why’ (More...)

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sirpeter | Sep 21, 2011, 08:37 AM EDT

I see nothing wrong with it.People like to buy all sorts of things.I mean who would buy a certificate of Englishness.The Brits are hated everywhere in Europe.I hate been mistaken all the time as been English on holidays.I might buy one myself and frame it and place it on the table next to me every time I go on holidays.

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antoman | Sep 21, 2011, 08:36 AM EDT

@Barney- Get a job.

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BARNEYKX | Sep 21, 2011, 07:53 AM EDT

60 DOLLARS YOU WOULD NEED TO HAVE MONEY TO BURN FOR THAT NONSENCE

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BARNEYKX | Sep 21, 2011, 07:52 AM EDT

60 DOLLARS YOU WOULD NEED TO HAVE MONEY TO BURN FOR THAT NONSENCE

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antoman | Sep 21, 2011, 05:22 AM EDT

Its a lovely picture of the fireman's mother, flanked by two bagpipers receiving the certificate. R.I.P. to all the brave firemen who gallantly gave their lives to save people on that dreadful day.

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bogsidebunny | Sep 21, 2011, 04:25 AM EDT

Yup, another money spinning project by the Irish government. And useing a hero fighter fighter to promote the scam. At $75 per piece of USELESS paper the Irish governement hopes to bring in millions from naive people who beleive in Lephrechauns and pots-O-gold.

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cannotbelieve | Sep 20, 2011, 07:58 PM EDT

I understand your views on this certificate but having known him, don't insult him by using him as an example of disapproval. Of course, if you feel that you have the courage to walk into a situation where you know you have a 1% chance of surviving motivated only by saving people, your glass house will be safe... Find a different means to attack this certificate.

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Irishlassred | Sep 20, 2011, 07:44 PM EDT

I can't wait for October, and I qualify under the standard rules. It'll be nice to have and if it helps Ireland get back on it's feet, then that's great, too!

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