Lowell-Lawrence Fáilte

I hitchhiked a lift with the Mayor of Donegal and her party today to the city of Lawrence, where she was received by (pictured) Mayor Willie Lantigua (he joked with Micheál O hEanaigh, "you think I didn't get that pronounciation right, I'd like to see you try Lantigua!")

Mayor Lantigua is the first Latino mayor of Lawrence (and the first Latino Mayor in Massachusetts), once a powerhouse of Irish America, and is very proud of the city's links with the Dominican Republic. He has a great welcoming line: "Welcome to the great city of Lawrence."

After our visit to Lawrence, we dashed across to the University of Massachusetts Lowell where they have a nuclear reactor on campus of the usual sci-fi movie size and shape — I thought that was a joke but apparently not, nuclear physics is a speciality at UMass Lowell.

My iphone is out of power but I took a picture of a sculpture downtown of Hugh Commiskey who led the Irish navvies on a 30-mile trek to Lowell to build the canals which powered the mills (which led in turn to the Bread and Roses strike of 1912 in Lawrence). We also visited "The Acre", an acre of land donated to the Bishop by millowners to build St Patrick's Church. In its shadow arose an Irish shantytown which students from the archaeology departments at Queen's and UMass have been excavating. They recovered hundreds of items including rosary beads and children's marbles. The area of Fermanagh from whence they came has also been subject of a dig in a great example of inter-university collaboration which has caught the imagination of the public.

Behind the series of activities by the Irish Parnterships Center at UMass Lowell is Professor Frank Talty and his team and behind them is Chancellor Marty Meehan who gave a warm welcome to Mayor Harvey today. An exceptional and dynamic leader, former Congressman Meehan has shown what one focused, driven individual can do to boost a city's fortunes. In fact the building in which our reception was hosted had been abandoned by the previous heads of the university and left to wreck and ruin — until Chancellor Meehan insisted it be lovingly restored to its former glory with unbelievable views over the powerful Merrimack River.

Mayor Harvey addresses the Donegal Association tomorrow but for me it's the train to New York and my date with destiny! (Pictures and video from Lowell to follow.)