Irish welcome for USS MASON in Derry celebrated virtually today and all are invited

Playhouse founder Pauline Ross was scheduled to be the guest of honour at Siamsa Na nGael, an annual celebration of its heritage held by Old St Pat’s Parish, the mother church of the Chicago Irish Community (founded on Easter Sunday, 1846 by refuges from the Great Starvation).

The theme of the programme was the radical hospitality of the Irish, as shown by the warm welcome given to the crew of the USS MASON, the only African American Sailors to take a US Navy warship into combat during WWII.

NI was their first foreign port, and as the Northern Virginia Journal and Guide headlined ‘Irish First to Treat USS Mason Crew Like Real Americans’. The ships’ service became the subject of the feature film ‘Proud’.

Pauline assisted Tommy Hilfiger on his hunt for costumes when the designer came to Derry to work on the film, which starred Stephen Rea and Ossie Davis with Playhouse patron Mary Pat Kelly writing and directing and his daughter Ally as producer. Hilfiger financed the movie as a testament of hope after September 11 saying, “We need our heroes, and the men of the MASON, and the connection they made with the Irish will lift our spirits”.

The city extended the same hospitality to the cast and crew that it had given to the tens of thousands of World War II servicemen who came to Derry, home to the largest US Navy base in the European theatre. The movie was evidence of the success of efforts to revive interest in that history, which began in 1991 when a group was assembled to mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the base.

The Beech Hill US Navy Marine Corp Friendship Association was led by Patsy O’Kane of Beech Hill House (where the US Marines had been billeted), John Hume, Maebeth Fenton of the NI Tourist Board and Mary Pat Kelly, American representative.

Hundreds accepted the invitation to what became an annual celebration, with Beech Hill as the focal point. Highlights over the year included the Marine Corp band performing in the Guildhall Square, and the Leatherneck Pipe and Drums (who trace their origins to the pipe bands formed in Derry) giving a concert on the grounds of the Beech Hill. One year the MASON veterans themselves joined the celebrations.

In 2007, ‘Proud’ had its European Premier at the Mid Ulster Film Festival, held hear Carrickmore. The Playhouse sponsored a special screening at the cinema at St Columb’s Hall, attended by Lorenzo Dufau, the USS MASON Veteran, upon whose life the story was based.

In 2012 a group of Marine Corp Generals opened the museum at Beech Hill House, created by Conor Donnelly and Mark Lusby, documenting the little known chapter in military history.

Then in December 2016 the 300 plus crew of the new USS MASON (DDG87) named for the WWII ship, arrived in the city to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the opening of the navy base. Patsy O’Kane served them Christmas dinner, with entertainment provided by Phil Coulter, members of The Playhouse Players and the Colmcille Ladies Choir. A service was held at Saint Mary’s Ardmore, conducted by Father Neil Farren and Derry’s bishops, Rev. Donal McKeown and Rev. Ken Good, Church of Ireland, participated.

Now the USS MASON —Derry connection was to be celebrated in Chicago and Pauline Ross was invited to attend. She was already scheduled to join 40 women from NI at the United Nations Women’s Conference beginning March 18 which would feature the work The Playhouse had done through its Theatre of Witness program and spotlight a presentation by Anne Walker.

The concert would be produced and directed by musical maestro Bill Fraher with Mary Pat Kelly writing the script for narrator Mark Shriver, son of Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

The team had worked on the 2018 Siamsa concert that had commemorated the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, honouring John and Pat Hume with Sen. George Mitchell as narrator and an introduction from Aidan Hume.

“This year‘s concert would feature 150 voice choir, 60 piece orchestra, and wonderful soloists, including Derry’s own Gavin Coyle,” Mary Pat Kelly said. “Pauline agreed to come .Then the first rumblings of the virus began. The US seemed safe enough but international gatherings were cancelled including the United Nations conference. Pauline would not be travelling. And though the Siamsa audience responded with great enthusiasm, March 11 seemed to be the date when the world changed. St. Patrick’s Day was cancelled the world over”.

Mary Pat Kelly had been scheduled to bring a group to Derry to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. “The tour had been arranged by Rosemary Stipe, whose acclaimed Irish Treasure Tours had brought tens of thousands of people to Ireland. Rosemary had been honoured for her contribution to tourism in 2012 by Irish Government Ministers Michael Ring and Shane McEntee. But the virus presented a challenge she had never faced,” she said. “Then Julian Dwyer, who was to travel with the group, reported from the front lines of the pandemic. She was a nurse at Bellevue hospital. COVID-19 was a killer. Julian had very much wanted to go to Ireland. Born and raised in Jamaica she was eager to connect with the Dwyer family’s Irish roots. Perhaps her ancestors were among those Cromwell had sent to the Caribbean as slaves. But now was not the time to fulfil this dream.”

“We must wait,” Julian said. “Tell the people of Derry we are with them in spirit. Everyone must stay home now. These are desperate times but as I take care of my patients I think of our trip next year to Ireland as my own light at the end of the tunnel”.

“As you enjoy the concert please listen as Gavin Coyle sings the song composed by Phil Coulter ‘Home Away From Home’ about a US sailor leaving Derry, and Catherine O’Connell singing ‘We’ll Meet Again’. That’s the promise The Playhouse and I make to all here and to our friends in America.”

To watch the video go to: www.derryplayhouse.co.uk/news/article/siamsa-na-ngael-free-concert-to-stream-online/446