Abortion Ban Headed for Ballot Box in Ireland
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February 2018 Boston’s hometown VOL. 29 #2 journal of Irish culture. $2.00 Worldwide at All contents copyright © 2018 bostonirish.com Boston Neighborhood News, Inc. Abortion ban headed for ballot box in Ireland Health minister defends referendum By GreGory Katz associated Press LONDON — Irish women are having abortions re- gardless of a near-total constitutional ban on terminat- ing pregnancies, the country’s health minister said on Jan. 30 in defense of a planned referendum that will ask voters whether the amendment should be repealed. Health Minister Simon Harris said on Ireland’s RTE television that he is beginning work on a proposed abortion law that would be submitted to parliament if the May referendum removes the constitutional ban. The legislation would allow abortions during the first trimester, he said. “Whether the Eighth Amendment is in our Constitu- tion, or indeed not in our Constitution, abortion is a reality for Irish women,” Harris said. “I cannot close my eyes and block my ears to the fact that 3,265 of our citizens travelled to the U.K. in 2016” for abortions they The wheel of the Jamestown, Captain Forbes’s adapted warship. Forbes Museum photos could not obtain legally in Ireland. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced Mon- Forbes Museum exhibit recalls a special mission (Continued on page 15) By daniel sheehan historical context. humanitarian aid mission rePorter staff In February 1847, Ire- emerged, with Captain The newest exhibit at land was experiencing a Forbes at the helm. Born ‘Seeking Sanctuary’ the Forbes House Mu- particularly harsh winter in Jamaica Plain in 1804 seum in Milton tells the in the throes of the potato and raised in Milton, An artistic collaboration of story of Captain Robert famine. Stories began to Forbes was an experi- Bennet Forbes’s humani- emerge of entire towns enced seafarer who made music, words, installations being wiped out by star- several trade voyages to tarian aid mission to Ire- By sean smith land during the height of vation, freezing tempera- China in his lifetime. tures, and famine-related Seeing the urgency sPecial to the Bir the Great Potato Famine An immigration-themed of the 1840s. diseases like typhus. As of the food shortage in news of the tragedy con- Ireland, he took the ini- performance event that The exhibit, which of- premieres February 9-11 ficially opened on Jan. 27 tinued to filter across the tiative and petitioned Atlantic, Boston residents Congress to lend him the at the Boston Center for at an open house event the Arts will feature a at the museum, features rallied to come up with a Jamestown, a warship plan to help. docked in Charlestown specially commissioned Captain Forbes wit- a collection of artifacts piece by Charlie Lennon nessed devastation first and documents that detail After a meeting at Fa- harbor, to ferry supplies neuil Hall, the seed of a – one of Ireland’s most hand. the voyage and place it in (Continued on page 6) distinguished tradition- influenced musicians/com- posers – and a narrative He did his duty ‘to the last’ based on family stories of two prominent Boston In January 1908, Boston bid farewell to citizens: Mayor Martin Joey Abarta will play uil- Walsh, the son of Irish leann pipes for the new immigrants, and Irish Charlie Lennon work. Mary Mangan photo a hero in blue; his killer soon faced justice musician Tommy McCar- Lynch asked, “Am I all thy, owner of the popular By Peter f. stevens the “Seeking Sanctuary” Bir staff in, doctor?” Davis Square music venue One of the surgeons re- The Burren. concert include Zhantao Second of Two Parts Lin, a virtuoso on the It was Jan. 16, 1908, plied, “No, officer, I guess Through a combination you will be all right in a of music, spoken word, and Chinese bowed instrument and the ambulance had the erhu who will perform clattered to a stop at the little while.” art installation, “Seeking One of the team told Sanctuary” will evoke the a selection of Chinese Relief Station Hospital A streeet sign remembers patrolman JohnT. Lynch folk songs, and vocalist (part of the old Boston reporters: “This answer journeys and experiences at the corner of Summer and Kingston Streets. seemed to cheer him, and of three of Boston’s larg- Benvindo Cruz, who will City Hospital) on Harrison lead a set of Cape Verdean Avenue. Inside, Boston the operating table. The for the bullet and gingerly he smiled. Then with a est immigrant communi- pitiful and mournful voice ties, Chinese and Cape traditional music. Police Patrolman John T. doctors held a consulta- extricating it. By the pro- Complementing the per- Lynch hovered between tion and decided to remove cedure’s end, they knew he [Lynch] said: ‘Oh, my Verdean as well as Irish, poor mother, what will according to organizers. formances will be a visual life and death. Shot by the bullet from his body. that the damage was fatal. art installation based on a man named “Foley” a The bullet had entered the As the doomed officer she say?’ Joey Abarta, a Boston “These were the last resident widely considered immigrants’ stories; au- half-hour or so before, the right side just above the came out of anesthesia, dience members will be young man lapsed in and liver and opened up a very he strained to sit up. His words which the officer among the best uilleann spoke, for he then lapsed pipers of his generation, invited to write about out of consciousness. ugly wound. The flow of doctors and nurses gently and contribute their own The Boston Post report- blood from the wound was held him down as a priest into unconsciousness, will be the guest performer from which he never on the piece by Lennon, personal or family immi- ed: “He was then carried very small.” arrived to administer the gration experiences. upstairs to the operating The surgeons went to Last Rites. awoke.” who will play fiddle. (Continued on page 5) The “Seeking Sanctu- room, where he was laid on work, probing the wound His eyes widening, Other participants in (Continued on page 8) I work in Hollywood but I keep my money in my hometown-Kevin Chapman Check out City of Boston Credit Union - visit CityofBostonCU.com Page 2 February 2018 BOSTON IRISH RePORTeR bostonirish.com IrIsh InternatIonal ImmIgrant Center Immigration Q&A An agency accredited by US Department of Justice Keep all addresses One State Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02109 current, accurate with Telephone (617) 542-7654 Fax (617) 542-7655 Website:iiicenter.org Email: [email protected] immigration officials Q. I recently filed an application to adjust my im- migration status to legal permanent residence, based Queen’s student builds on her future in Boston on my marriage to a US citizen. We have not yet heard When Eve Russell, a from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (US- master’s candidate in CIS) about an interview with them to decide my case. architecture at Queen’s Meanwhile my wife and I are planning to move soon to University Belfast, was a new apartment. We will be filing a change of address considering her future notice with the US Postal Service so our mail will be following the completion forwarded to the new address. Will mail from USCIS of her degree, she knew reach us at our new address? that an internship in A. No. It is very likely that the Postal Service will not the US would give her a forward mail from USCIS, because of security concerns. real advantage. All she Unfortunately, at IIIC we hear from immigrants who needed was the right op- moved to a new residence and have been waiting a portunity. long time for some communication from USCIS, only It was only fitting to learn later on that a piece of important mail was that when Eve received returned to USCIS as undeliverable. For this reason, an email detailing a immigrants often miss USCIS deadlines because they 12-month internship fail to respond to an important mailing from USCIS with Boston-based Choo that they in fact never received. They learn later that & Company Architects, USCIS deemed their application to be abandoned, and in partnership with the therefore denied. Irish International Im- You certainly don’t want that to happen to you. So migrant Center, she what should you do? First, practically all non-US citi- took a leap and seized zens residing in this country for 30 days or more, not the opportunity. Weeks just those with pending applications, are required to passed after she sent in file a notification with USCIS within ten days of an ad- her portfolio and, without dress change. This includes legal permanent residents hearing back from the (green card holders) but not people with A or G visas. firm, Eve begrudgingly There are two ways to do this. First, you can file accepted that the oppor- online by going to uscis.gov/AR-11 and following the instructions. Second, you can choose instead to use the tunity had passed. She From left: Paul Pelan, IIIC; Arthur Choo, Choo & Company Architects; was completely taken by simple, one-page AR-11 form that you can download at Chris Rooney, Architecture Intern, Queen’s University Belfast; eve Russell, uscis.gov, the government’s website, and mail to the surprise one quiet Friday Architecture intern, Queen’s University Belfast; Martine Morrison, Choo & evening, when an offer Company Architects. address shown on the form. There is no fee for filing letter appeared in her an address change. inbox. and guidance that Eve niscent of that featured providing me with hands- It is very important to understand that if you have All that Eve knew about needed to arrive safely in her favorite show, on experience within an application pending, there is an additional step that US social and workplace and assuredly in the US.