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On April 5th, 2002,
Patricia Cahill demonstrated at the Wild Geese Ball in Paris why she is referred
to as the Irish Nightingale. This fundraising gala of the Ireland Fund de France goes to
help so many worthy causes in Ireland. Peggy Ni Faolain reports from Paris:
April
in Paris was the perfect setting for singer Patricia Cahill to wow the celebrity
audience at the prestigious annual "Wild Geese Ball" at the swanky pavillion
d'Armenonville in Paris' Bois de Boulogne. Hosted by the Ireland Fund of
France, the distinguished guest list featured 1995 Nobel Prize Literature Winner
Seamus Heaney, this year awarded the "Wild Geese Trophy" for his writings.
(The "Wild Geese" were those emigrant Irish soldiers who placed their
swords at the service of France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, to
continue the fight under the white rose of the Stuarts or the Bourbon fleur de
lys. In the army of the King of France they formed the celebrated Irish Brigade.) Patricia
flew up specially from her home in Marbella to perform an after-dinner mini-recital,
blending lyrical Irish ballads with her stunning, emotionally-charged interpretation
of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma." Her voice soared over the rooftops, the
surrounding woods, rising to send the glittering Eiffel Tower into shivers of
exquisite Hibernian delight. Audience reaction was ecstatic and Patricia,
mingling with guests at the President's table, was showered with compliments on
a magnificent musical interlude. One young American girl - who now lives in Dublin,
enthusiastically raced up to ask for her autograph and where she could get her
CDs. She had never heard Patricia sing before, and in her words it was an "awsome"
experience. Patricia, recalling her last performance for the New York Ireland
Fund Gala at the Waldorf Astoria, was delighted to contribute again to such a
deserving cultural charity. During her time in Paris, Patricia savoured
many Parisian culinary delights - one of her favourites "maigret de canard"
(wild duck breast) and even broke into song at a well-known Parisian bistro "Chez
André" just off the Champs Elysées - to the delight of surprised
French diners. Patricia's performance and sightseeing were caught on camera
by long-time Paris resident, writer/documentary film-maker Norman Mongan for an
upcoming "Patricia Paris" TV spectacular - the first of a projected
series of six one- hour programmes for international TV channels. Patricia summed
it up succinctly, "Paris, c'est magique." The Ireland Funds Founded
in 1976 by Sir Anthony O'Reilly, former rugby international and business leader
and some key American business leaders, The Ireland Funds are the largest worldwide
network of people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland dedicated to raising
funds to support programmes conducive to positive change in Ireland. The
goals of the international Ireland Funds are to support programs for peace and
reconciliation between the communities in Northern Ireland, culture and the arts,
education and community development. The need in Ireland is great and there are
virtually no private foundations that people and organizations can turn to for
support. From the irlfunds.org website:
The Ireland Funds
are a confederation of concern, connecting people around the world with Ireland,
North and South. Through the generosity of those linked to Ireland in interest,
ancestry and compassion, the organisation assists groups in Ireland whose initiatives
serve the people of the island directly. The Ireland Funds are non-political
and non-sectarian. Each year, The Ireland Funds support hundreds of projects,
North and South, which promote peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, community
development and education. Grants range from a few hundred pounds to several thousand.
For many projects, a seed grant from The Funds provides the leverage necessary
to qualify for additional monies from government agencies and other organisations.
...The Ireland Funds now operates in twelve countries, i.e. Australia,
Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand,
South Africa and the United States. All of the Funds' monies are secured from
private sources, either by donors making contributions directly to The Funds or
by attending its many events. In 2000, for instance, the Funds held approximately
70 events in 35 cities in ten countries involving 25,000 people. The Funds are
growing rapidly as they translate the real affection and concern for Ireland worldwide
into practical help and support.
The Ireland Fund de France Founded
in Paris in 1990, the Ireland Fund de France is the French branch of this worldwide
network that does so much good. The role of the Ireland Fund of France essentially
is to provide information and raise the awareness of the French public often puzzled
by the complexity of the conflict resolution process in Northern Ireland. To achieve
this goal, The Ireland Fund de France has organized and supported conferences
and seminars on Ulster and the building of peace in divided societies. The Chairman
of the Ireland Fund de France, Dr. Pierre Joannon, historian and specialist of
Ireland, has delivered numerous lectures, published books and articles, and participated
in many radio and TV programmes all over the country and conferences and seminars
have been organized to this end.
Ireland's President, Mary McAleese,
in a statement to the Ireland Fund de France, applauds and thanks them for the
very worthwhile work they undertake each year in encouraging and contributing
to peace, culture, education and community development in Ireland. In 1997, Dr.
Pierre Joannon was granted Irish citizenship by the Irish government for services
rendered to Ireland, and in 2002 he was awarded the Legion d'Honneur by the French
government for his contribution towards the strengthening of Franco-Irish relations. Seamus
Heaney In October, 1995, Seamus Heaney was awarded the Nobel Prize for
Literature "for an authorship filled with lyrical beauty and ethical depth
which brings out the miracles of the ordinary day and the living past."
Recognized
as the greatest Irish poet since W. B. Yeats, Seamus Heaney was born in 1939 in
Co. Derry where he grew up on a farm. In 1956 he went on a scholarship to Queen's
University, Belfast. In 1972 he gave up teaching to devote more time to writing,
and moved with his family to Glanmore in Co. Wicklow and later to Dublin. He was
appointed to the Arts Council in 1974 and served until 1979. He is a member of
Aosdana. His numerous collections of poems have received many prizes, including
the Somerset Maugham Award (1968), the Denis Devlin Award (1973), the Duff Cooper
Memorial Prize (1975) and the W.H. Smith Annual Award (1976). In 1987 he was awarded
the Whitbread Award for "The Haw Lantern." In 1989 he was elected to
the Chair of Poetry at Oxford University and thereafter divided his time between
Oxford, Harvard and Dublin. He has twice won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award
for "The Spirit Level" in 1996 and his translation of "Beowulf"
in 1999. His latest collection "Electric Light" was published by Faher
in 2001. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the arts in Ireland
and abroad, Seamus Heaney received the Wild Geese Trophy of the Ireland Fund of
France on April 5, 2002, at the Wild Geese Ball in Paris. Click on the link
below to go to his official website, where you can actually hear him reading some
of his poems. Feature: Bernadette Price
Photographs:
Norman Mongan
Original Web Design: Alexander Servas
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