Once upon a time, a letter from America was a vital life-line to the economy of Ireland and to that of rural Ireland in particular. And so were the parcels.
The images of the famine years in Ireland that the emigrants took with them, and handed down, were so ingrained and lingering that they were still sending tins of cured and packed meat in those parcels of nice hand-me-down clothes up to the late 1960s and later in many cases.
Spam Overtaken by Fish Fingers
I remember tins of ‘Spam’ coming in parcels from my mother’s Scartaglin cousins in America, the O’Connell’s. It was a great treat for a while until we became aware of fish fingers arriving on the market.
Now, Spam has an entirely different connotation and fish fingers have become a pale shadow of the two by one chunky appearance they once had.
A letter from America this morning, on the eve of a vital engagement for Kerry and Galway football followers arrived free of second hand clothes or Spam.
It’s from the Governor of New York Kathy Hochul and she’s wishing both teams well in tomorrow’s All-Ireland Senior Football Final – but her Kerry breeding forced her hand to sign off with Ciarrai Abu!
The following is Governor Hochul’s Letter from America
Dear Friends,
It is my pleasure to send greetings to everyone gathered in Dublin for the 2022 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
This much-anticipated event will bring fans of Gaelic football from around the globe and the Irish diaspora to historic Croke Park for the 135th final of the Gaelic Athletic Association’s premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament.
Galway’s road to the final included the Connacht Championship and the defeat of Armagh and Derry.
The Kingdom’s road included the Munster Championship and the besting of Mayo and a show-stopping win over Dublin.
Although I know that the best team will prevail, my deep roots in County Kerry compel me to root for my home team.
My Grandfather John, from the village of Cutteen on the Maharees Peninsula, was the founder and president of the North American GAA and a star player for our local Buffalo team, as was his son, my father, Jack, after him.
The fighting Kerry spirit is ingrained in who I am today and I know well the commitment, skill, and team work required to play this fierce and exciting game. I can’t wait to see who takes Sam home.
Best wishes for a wonderful and exciting tournament. Ciarrai Abu!
Sincerely, Kathy Hochul, Governor.
For more on the former Kathleen Mary Courtney / Kathy Hochul you can read the Irish Central online edition profile from March 2022 with a click on the link here: https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/kathy-hochul-irish-american
You can contact The Maine Valley Post on… Anyone in The Maine Valley Post catchment area who would like to send us news and captioned photographs for inclusion can send them to: jreidy@mainevalleypost.com Queries about advertising and any other matters regarding The Maine Valley Post can also be sent to that address or just ring: 087 23 59 467.
