Lessons from Irish firefighters
Jeff Boyles
Everyone has a story. The morning of Sept. 11, 2001, undoubtedly left
anyone who was old enough to comprehend the unfurling attacks on our
country with a personal account of that morning they will most likely
never forget.
It is now obvious that not just thousands, but millions of people
were affected by the aftermath. And with exception of the families
who lost their immediate loved ones, I would argue that the family of
firefighters, worldwide, has grieved and endured perhaps that
greatest emotional setback throughout our proud history. On that one
inauspicious day, 343 firefighters were killed in the line of duty.
Firefighters from around the world have rallied to show their support
for the Fire Department of the City of New York.
In October 2002, the FDNY held its annual memorial service to
honor more than 350 who had died in 2001. Having marched in the
service and attended private memorial services in firehouses, I
witnessed a collective attempt from the men of FDNY to move on
emotionally. This was recognized by various groups, most notably a
man named Jim O’Donnell, who runs the Industrial Emergency Council in
California.
Jim and Deirdre O’Neal, who own a travel marketing company in
Newport Beach, organized the first U.S. Firefighter’s Ball hosted by
the Dublin Fire Brigade in Dublin, Ireland. This event was the main
draw, in which more than 110 firefighters and spouses from California
and New York shared their stories and moved closer to what the Irish
call am do slanaim, or “a time for healing.” My father, Gary, a fire
chief in the Bay Area with 31 years of fire service, agreed that our
whole family should participate in this unique fire service/family
journey to Ireland. My mother, Jolene, wife, Aimee, and 7-month-old
son, Braeden, all shared in the experience.
Our California group flew into New York and met with the New York
firefighters who would be joining us on to Ireland. But we didn’t
leave New York without first marching in the ever famous St.
Patrick’s Day Parade.
We were met in Ireland by the Dublin Firefighters Pipes and Drums
band during an after-hours private tour of the world renowned
Guinness Storehouse. We call them breweries here. We were welcomed by
the mayors of Dublin, Waterford and Killarney.
From trips to the Cliffs of Mohr, the Blarney Castle, the Ring of
Kerry and many little towns, the Irish hospitality was phenomenal for
lack of better words. You will hear the saying cead mile failte in
nearly every town and pub in Ireland. Literally translated, it means
“one hundred thousand welcomes.”
One can’t, or shouldn’t, anyway, visit the country of Ireland
without frequenting some of their many pubs. These pubs are the very
fiber woven into Ireland’s social culture. We passed through a town
with a population of 10,000. It had 52 thriving pubs! By my math,
that is one pub for every 192 people.
One night, while socializing in a local pub in Killarney, the
owner closed his doors for the night. Only instead of closing us out,
he actually locked the doors, and us, in! He insisted that the United
States firefighters stay and share their stories with him until 4
a.m.
Now, in America, locking your patrons into an establishment is in
violation of many punishable laws. In this town of Killarney, it was
simply a way of expressing genuine hospitality.
The owner of the pub, nearing 80 years of age by my estimation,
pulled me into a corner of his beloved tavern and pointed to a framed
picture of the World Trade Center towers standing tall. He bowed his
head, pressed his palm against the glass and started to cry. He
looked up to me, with redness around his aged and dark eyes, and told
me that his nephew had died in the towers that day.
His gestures taught me that indeed am do slanaim is still needed
across the world. But more importantly, that everyone has a story.
* JEFF BOYLES is a firefighter/paramedic with the Newport Beach
Fire Department. He also serves as the Newport Beach Firefighters’
Assn. vice president. Jeff, Aimee and Braeden live in Newport Beach.
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