The many Irish helping One World Trade Center reach new heights in New York City

Meeting the Irish -- and my family -- on the sacred site of the World Trade Center and Tower 4

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KERRY O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

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The Irish working at the One World Trade Center site

Photo by Kerry O'Shea

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I asked my brother and father later if they found a certain camaraderie. “Everyone knows what happens here on 9/11, and that in itself creates a camaraderie amongst the workers,” my Dad said.

Indeed, walking around the Church and Liberty street intersections right at Zuccotti Park at lunchtime, all of the construction workers - who were easy to spot in neon safety vests and hard hats - milling about were in good spirits, almost like high schoolers during recess.

My dad did note with a bit of a chuckle, however, that “without a doubt ”the Irish do seem to“ be able to get along very well together”.

Right now, Tower Four is just short of its finishing height. My father explained how next month on June 15th will be the ‘Topping Out’ party for the building. Tower Four is far from complete, but the “Topping Out” recognizes when the final steel beam will be lifted into place on the building, probably bearing the signatures and decorations from some of the workers on hand.

On June 15th, just under ten and a half years since 9/11, Tower Four is expected to hit 1,270 feet, consisting of 65 floors above ground and 4 below. Tower Four is substantially complete, but still has a long way to go, with the interior construction having yet to begin. It will be at least another year and a half to two years before the building is ready for occupation.

With the new Trade Center swiftly growing, and Zuccotti Park of ‘Occupy Wall Street’ fame sharing practically the same space, the area around Church and Liberty streets has become a must-see for tourists. Winding through the pedestrians, it isn’t uncommon to accidentally walk right into a photo shot, or into a street vendor selling 9/11 ‘Never Forget’ memorabilia.

It was no surprise to see that the group my father had gathered for the photo were all good friends. Many of them hailed from Kerry, though there were about four from Derry and a few who, though born in the States, had parents from different counties.

I asked Patrick, my younger brother at only 22 years old, if he had found a lot of younger Irish or Irish Americans working on the site. In times like these where it seems an entire generation of Irish is flocking to the States and elsewhere for work, I thought maybe a few would have found their way to the WTC construction site where it’s apparent that there’s work to be had.

However, Patrick said not really, that more of the Irish who were involved have been in the business for a long time. Having J1 visa students working at the site is really unheard of, as getting into the union in the first place is a task in of itself.

“The problem with that,” explained my father, “is that they have to be members of a Union to work here [at the site]. This is a 100 percent Union site.”

“Most of the guys are older, considering I’m so young in the business,” said Patrick about the age of the Irish population of construction workers.

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