February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Ray O’Hanlon
New York Cardinal John O’Connor was "doing OK" in a Manhattan hospital this week where he is undergoing a series of tests.
Concern mounted for the 79-year-old Catholic archbishop of New York in recent days when it was revealed that he had entered Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital for tests after feeling ill.
New York Archdiocese spokesman Joe Zwilling said Tuesday he hopes the cardinal will be out of the hospital by the end of this week.
The 79-year-old O’Connor is due to celebrate a Mass marking Labor Day at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Sunday, Sept. 12. Zwilling said at press time that there was "no reason at this point" to doubt that the cardinal would be present for the annual Labor Mass.
Ormeau video set for Boston
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A video of recent clashes between residents of the Lower Ormeau Road in Belfast and the RUC will be aired by two congressman in Boston next week.
Reps. Richard Neal and Peter King, both co-chairs of the congressional Ad Hoc Committee for Irish Affairs, are expected to comment on the video and a series of still photos taken by U.S. observers Aug. 14, the day that residents demonstrated against an Apprentice Boys march in their neighborhood.
A number of observers as well as residents have claimed that the RUC used excessive force in containing the protest. This has been denied by the RUC.
However, a spokesman for Neal said that the video would "graphically demonstrate the brutal treatment of nationalist residents by the RUC."
The airing of the video, set for Tuesday, Sept. 7, is open to the press. Details of the venue, still being finalized at press time, can be obtained from Rep. Neal’s office in Springfield, Mass. Call for (413) 785-0325 for details.
McAllister hearing moved to Oct. 12
The McAllister family from Belfast is now due for a New Jersey courtroom hearing in mid-October in the latest phase of their battle for political asylum in the U.S.
A hearing scheduled for last week was postponed so as to allow attorneys for the U.S. Justice Department more time to procure documents from Northern Ireland.
A rescheduled hearing is now set for Tuesday, Oct. 12, according to Diane George, attorney for the McAllisters.
The hearing is designed to determine a number of issues in the case, among them whether offenses committed by Malachy McAllister in Northern Ireland were political.
The McAllisters, Malachy and Bernadette, and their four children, Gary, Jaime, Nicola and Sean, are originally from the Lower Ormeau Road area of Belfast, the scene of recent clashes between residents and the RUC.
The family fled the North after what it says was a murder attempt by loyalists. The Oct. 12 hearing will take place at 8:30 a.m. at the Newark Federal Building, 970 Broad St. Anyone wishing to attend can check closer to that date by calling (973) 594-1253.
Waterford glass to help ring in 2000
A millennium sparkle is to be brought to the Big Apple by a huge Waterford Glass sphere, the Star of Hope, which is due to be shipped to the U.S. this week.
The 6-foot diameter ball, made up of 572 crystal panels each consisting of five diamond shapes, will play a central part in the traditional Time Square celebrations for the New Year.
The revelry will be broadcast to hundreds of millions worldwide, and at the height of the festivities the lit up sphere will be lowered to sparkle 22 stories above the crowd at the stroke of midnight.
The most expensive project ever undertaken by the famous Waterford company, the giant construction will be a gift to the city, but it hopes it will be a huge marketing success for its top-of-the-range cut-glass products.
Designers and glasscutters have been facing unusual challenges in making the 500-pound sphere.
It has been tested in a wind tunnel to make sure it will withstand winds of up to 60 mph and it has also been tested to make sure it will survive sub-zero temperatures, rain and snow.
The mayor of Waterford, Alderman Pat Hayes, will officially hand over the millennium ball to his New York counterpart, Rudy Giuliani.
— Andrew Bushe