BY DONAL FALLON
ALEXANDER ECTOR ORR REMEMBERED
A new plaque has been unveiled in Strabane in honour of Alexander Ector Orr (1831–1914). Described by the chairman of the Ulster History Circle as the ‘father of the New York subway’, Orr was a successful emigrant from Ireland who went on to play a leading role in the commercial life of the Big Apple, even becoming president of the New York Chamber of Commerce. Orr’s legacy was the central role he played in financing New York’s subway system, with its initial 9.1-mile-long line running from City Hall to 145th Street and Broadway.
THE DART AT 40
At the time of its launch, an RTÉ news report described the DART as ‘the ultimate in public white elephants: a multi-million-pound project that has cost two-and-a-half times the original forecast; an investment that will never make a profit, and that will lose millions of taxpayers pounds every year’. Who could now imagine the capital without it? Marking the anniversary, Iarnród Éireann has posted an excellent documentary on the people who made it happen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot771TT3i-s.
CHOCTAW NATION AND STROKESTOWN
There was considerable media interest internationally in the recent unveiling of the artwork ‘Eternal Hearts’ at the Choctaw Capitol Grounds in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma. The work of Choctaw Nation tribal member Samuel Stitt, the work takes the form of a Celtic trinity shape intertwined with a heart and was formally launched on 1 September 2024. What readers may have missed is the August unveiling of a new work in Ireland celebrating the same historic connections between the Choctaw Nation and Ireland, as a large-scale copy of Brendan O’Neill’s sculpture ‘The Gift’ was unveiled at the Famine Museum in Strokestown. This work depicts two members of the Choctaw Nation, one of whom extends an ‘ampo’ (or eating bowl), symbolising the assistance offered by the Choctaw Nation to Ireland during the Great Hunger.
DIANA OF VERSAILLES STATUE REDISCOVERED
There was sad but unsurprising news from RMC Titanic Inc., the company that maintains exclusive salvage rights to the wreck of the Titanic, as they reported on the further decay of the iconic bow of the ship. While its railings have almost completely come away from the main body of the wreck, the company did make a very positive discovery, with a bronze statue of Diana of Versailles revealing itself. The company notes that this statue ‘served as the centrepiece of the first-class lounge, which was torn open as the Titanic sank in 1912’. While the statue was first spotted at the wreck site in 1986, it had not been seen since before this latest expedition in July.
HODGES FIGGIS EDITIONS
Congratulations to Hodges Figgis on the successful renovation works carried out to their historic premises. Now including a rare books section on the third floor, the shop has been modernised, with more space for events and books. Marking a new era, the shop has recently launched the Hodges Figgis Folio, releasing historic books in new limited editions, with a striking design that honours the distinctive colours of the Hodges Figgis branding. The charwoman’s daughter by James Stephens is an inspired choice to launch the series. The book offers a portrait of early twentieth-century Dublin, and the tenement realities of life for many in it.
A STATUE FOR MAUD GONNE MACBRIDE?
A new campaign for a statue of Maud Gonne MacBride in Dublin city centre is gaining momentum. Spearheaded by writer Orna Ross, ‘More Than a Muse’ seeks to redress the absence of statues to women in the commemorative landscape of Dublin. A founder of the nationalist women’s organisation Inghinidhe na hÉireann, Gonne would detail her involvement in the early formative years of the revolution in her memoir A servant of the queen. Ross explained to the Irish Independent that she felt that Gonne had been ‘largely overlooked during the decade of the centenaries’, and that the campaign enjoys the support of a number of relations, artists and historians.