Seeking Peace Across the Atlantic

            The sign welcoming tourists to The Kinsale 9/11 Garden of Remembrance was concise and unremarkable. As we strolled through the forest of memorial trees, however, grief grabbed my mind and heart. Since our tour guide simply dropped our group of six Americans off at this site in the extreme southeast tip of County Cork, Ireland, we wondered why it was not on our original itinerary. The effect on the world of these 343 firemen who died while attempting to rescue people who were trying to escape collapsing buildings was not immediately felt. How could a traveler such as myself, absorb what this memorial meant to the people who created and maintained it?

            Kathleen Cait Murphy immigrated to New York City thirty years before September 11, 2001. She worked at Lennox Hill Hospital in Manhattan and came to admire the many people like herself who were descendants of Irish citizens hoping to make a good living. She never married, but always kept in touch with her dozens of nieces and nephews in Kinsale, Ireland through weekly phone calls. When disaster struck, she was on duty and discovered how few people were able to be saved. Subsequently, on her days off she volunteered at Ground Zero. She was in shock when she saw lists of the dead firemen with Irish surnames. One in particular, Fr. Michael Judge, was a close friend who had died while administering last rites to a man.

            Kathleen returned to her family in Ringfinnan, near Kinsale and designated one acre of land overlooking St. George’s Channel to a 9/11memorial.  She used her savings and the goodwill of friends and family to plant 343 sycamores and oaks. Each tree supported a bold sign with the name of a firefighter who died at the Twin Towers collapse. She was 56 years-old knowing she had the will and resources to produce a place of peace honoring the bravery of those who died saving others. However, she did not know how limited her time was. Kathleen died of ovarian cancer six months before the 10-Year ceremony remembering these heroes. She was peaceful knowing her nephew would care for her trees.

            As we wandered the mature forest which grew during the last thirty four years, my throat was tight and my eyes overflowed. One woman reached out to any person who was fortunate to survive and spend time in a stunning place remembering that every life matters.

            For further information search: https://www.nytimes.com “The 343 Reasons a Small Town in Ireland Mourns on September 11^th.”