Little Al"s Big Apple battle

In December of 1968 I walked around Woodside and Queens in New York, in the immediate aftermath of the worst snowstorm in sixteen years. I had detoured to New York on my way home from Canada after having been away for a few years. My mission to 'The Big Apple' was principally to visit my aunt Ann who resided in Woodside and whom I had last seen when I was four. Along with her sister Mollie they both came to New York in their teens: Ann returned home once in 1948, Mollie never made it back. Along with hundreds of thousands of fellow Irishmen and women, my aunts settled in New York, lived their lives there, died and were buried there - from where I write this week"s piece.'Mollie fainted twice the night before she went to America', I heard my father retell that over and over whenever the talk came up. Can we imagine it now? That scene, 'the American wake', took place daily in houses across the length and breadth of Ireland. Undoubtedly Aunt Mollie"s distress was caused by fear of the unknown and leaving the sheltered comfort of her large family and good neighbours, whilst suspecting - accurately as it turned out, that she might never again see her widowed mother. 'They went from Queenstown (Cobh) on the "White Star Liner"', my father would add. Those three words, 'White Star Liner' became engraved on my brain and even now conjure up a feeling of romanticism and excitement within me - as do also those two words, 'New York'.New York just has to be the most exciting, invigorating, vibrant city in the entire world. Washington D.C may be the official American capital; Vegas may have more glitz, Nashville or New Orleans the music, California the sun; but New York, with the Statue of Liberty holding forth her beacon of hope is the heart and soul of America. Within her state boundaries are so many wonderfully romantic names which flow easily from the tongue of countless Irish people: Queens, The Bronx, Broadway, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Times Square, Greenwich Village, Harlem, Central Park, Carnegie Hall, Central Park, Gaelic Park, Madison Square Garden"s - the list goes on; The Empire State Building, I climbed along with Joe Bardon during the 1994 World Cup. This week I walked through Macey"s again, where my aunt worked all of her life; I walked Woodside again, but not remembering one step of the way from forty years ago - mostly on account of the snow and the drink of the time. This time too, I did a crawl of the numerous Irish pubs along the way but for a different reason: Pamela and I were searching for a young 24 years old County Cork barman who worked for us for years in Paddy"s Point. 'Little Alan', one of the great characters of our continuous conveyor-belt of wonderful staff, took a year out this time last year to do 'the American thing'. Friends in New York; crazy money to be made on tips; loads of women; lots of craic and indeed that"s how Alan found it until the cancer struck.Yes, the girl behind the bar we wandered into knew where we might find him. She pulled a newspaper from beside the till and there was Al"s smiling face in living colour and highlighting a benefit night for him in 'Bar 43' this Sunday night. We made contact from there with two of Al"s friends who are also former Paddy"s Point colleagues, Stephen Bernie from Tullamore and Dubliner Barry Quinn (Bartender of the month for January!). And then Alan arrived into the pub; temporarily hairless but permanently haywire!! It was a fantastic reunion; a night of laughter and tears; stories and slagging.'Little Al' is currently undergoing difficult treatment and both he and his doctors are optimistic about his recovery. The greatest thing Alan Condron has going for him is his indomitable spirit and the friendship and support of guys like Stephen and Barry. I have been to New York many times since that first visit in 1968 and I have always been struck by the closeness, networking and mutual support of the Irish community there. In an ever changing and supposedly more selfish world of today it is so uplifting to observe this spirit of sharing alive and well in 21st century New York. There is a range of fundraising on a weekly basis for 'illegal' Alan and he will not fail because of something only money can buy. There are also benefit nights in La Zenia, as well as Alan"s native Cork.Yes, New Yorkers are sometimes rude and raw. It is cold there now and the melting snow gives back a lot of litter and dirt. There is poverty and there is crime - where else would you see police cars emblazoned with the sign; '$10,000 Reward offered for information leading to the conviction of anyone shooting a police officer'? But New York is truly weird and wonderful and there is warmth, friendship, caring and sharing in abundance. The Big Apple never sleeps and that throb of excitement beats right around the clock. So many young Irish men and women, including more than a quota from Westmeath, who come over 'just for a stint' become almost addicted to the way of life and find it hard to break away, even though so many only have the status of 'an illegal'. Stephen expressed it well when he remarked to me; 'The thing about living here is that you never have to wait for the weekend to enjoy yourself!'As has been the case now for hundreds of years, New York"s gain is Ireland"s loss. I met a super bunch of people here this week. 'Little Al' will be OK!Don"t forgetCourage is not the absence of fear, but the conquest of it.