On May 26 Fr. Tom Rouse and I attended an event the Irish Embassy in Wellington. Its focus was the unveiling of a sculpture to remember and honour 155 Irish men and their associates who refused to fight in WWII. They felt that they would have to deny something fundamental to their Irish identity and Irish neutrality were they to became part of an army that had caused great suffering to people in Ireland. Two of the speakers at this event shared how their fathers never talked about what had happened because they took this position. Until Peter Burke found a manuscript written by his father among his mother papers after her death in 2009, he had little idea what his dad and his companions had endured. So, Peter set out to research their stories and then wrote and published his book True to Ireland. The sculpture was another step in the process of remembering and honouring them.
Commemorative Sculpture unveiled at the Irish Embassy in Wellington
Fr. Tom and I were invited because one of the names on the sculpture is Columban Fr. Jim McGlynn, who was also Peter’s godfather. Fr. Jim was the one who bought the original Columban house in Lower Hutt in 1943 and established a Columban presence here. Many stories about Jim are told in Columban circles. One of them is about how Jim was on the Wahine when it ran aground in Wellington harbour in April 1968. 53 people died but Jim survived and somehow got back to the Columban house and went to bed. When he reappeared, it was to find his companions anxiously scanning the news to see if they could find out what had happened to him. Jim, like many men of his time, was slow to talk about his own experiences, even the amazing ones.
For us it was also an opportunity to finally catch up with the Irish Ambassador, Peter Ryan. He told us of his close association with the Columban Fathers and Sisters when he was in Korea. He also knew the Columbans in Hong Kong and Japan. Peter shared some good stories with us and showed us the marvellous view of St Mary of the Angels Church the embassy affords from its position on the 10th floor.
One of the features of our times is that we are hearing stories now that have remained untold for a long time. Some are sad and tragic stories about abuse and other forms of mistreatment. These experiences were often surrounded by so much shame and hurt that the victims could not bring themselves to tell other people about them. There was also a strong possibility that they would not be believed. Then someone broke the silence and others found a voice to say, “me too”.
Peter Burke's address at the Irish Embassy
Some are stories of struggle that people have endured because they were different in some way from the accepted norm. They often tried hard to fit in and belong until someone found a voice to say, “I am different and proud of it”. Then others too were able to find their voices and many similar stories emerged. These stories gradually began to change perceptions, attitudes, and behaviour.
Some of these stories, like those we find in True to Ireland and remembered in the sculpture, were tales of heroism and sacrifice. Usually, these terms are used about those who fought in various wars but in this case, they fit those who did not. Their stories would not have been viewed positively at the time which is another reason they were not shared. But once told and heard we start to see some of the events of the past in a whole new light and come to a fresh understanding of what really happened and why.
The title of this story comes from a Bob Marley song called “Get Up, Stand Up”.
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