Showing posts with label Helen McClafferty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Helen McClafferty. Show all posts
Helen McClafferty remembers an old friend who made the journey from Swainlinbar, County Cavan to New York and who died in recent days. 


Aristotle figured there were three kinds of friendships. Friendship of utility. Friendship of pleasure. Friendship of good. Aristotle thought friendship of good was invaluable and he was right.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said "Many people will walk in and out of your life but only true friends leave a footprint in your heart". Hugh Lunney was one of those people.

I met Hugh in the late 70's at various Irish-American functions, protests and activities related to furthering the cause of Irish freedom and reunification. We worked on many campaigns together and through our shared beliefs and commitment to Ireland's right to self determination and our shared Catholic religious views and involvement in the pro-life movement, we eventually developed a close bond and a lasting trusted friendship of over 41 some years.

Hugh was a pleasure to know in general. He was a witty man with a good sense of humor, a great smile and always a warm welcome for everyone he met along the way. He was a man who brought people together and looked for the positive in everyone. He was a creative businessman, a great family man, a proud Irish Republican, American, and a practicing Catholic. However, some of these traits only scratched the surface of who the man Hugh Lunney really was.

To those of us who were fortunate enough to have Hugh as a friend, he was a rare man. He possessed all of the great qualities anyone could possibly want in a friendship. Hugh was kind, thoughtful, generous, honest, trustworthy, dependable, authentic and loyal. He was a good listener and man of unquestionable integrity.

To quote Albert Schweitzer:

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.

That was Hugh Lunney. 

Thank you my friend. He will be truly missed by so many. 

Rest In Peace Hugh.

Helen McClafferty has long campaigned in the US in support of Irish republican matters.  

Hugh Lunney

Helen McClafferty calls to Save the 8th Amendment. 

Save The 8th