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| Those who truly hold in their heart
the American spirit can relate to this valuable work. While a cowardly and
underhanded attack was falling on our nation, our nation was surely under
girding the culture of many other people groups in many parts of the world.
It is ironic that when the terrorists hit NY with no regard for its citizens,
NY was creating a memorial to the tragedy of widespread world hunger upon
the entire world's citizens. Two blocks from the towers a memorial was being
installed to remember the vast Irish population which migrated to the United
States during the 1846-1851 Irish "potato famine". |
deGruchy Masonry supplied all of
the St. Astier lime used in the mortar at the memorial. The scientists who
studied the original mortar material in Ireland, from the buildings that
were being transported to America, determined that St. Astier NHL would
most closely represent the properties of the lime and sand bedding mortar
that the stones where originally laid in. Shipments to NY from deGruchy's
Lehigh Valley warehouse began prior to September 11, 2001. After the attack,
the workers on the memorial erected an American flag on the site and went
back to work as soon as they could. They completed the first construction
in Battery Park after the 9/11 attack and its purpose was not for self but
for the world and the tragedy of world hunger. Budget was tight and deGruchy
Masonry is proud to have come to the aid of the memorial's completion, along
with so many others. A celebration dinner was held on July 15th, the night
before the public opening of the memorial. Andy and Audrey deGruchy were
invited to attend the very nice event in New York with about 150 other people.
Here are some photos:
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Gov. George Pataki when visiting
family in Ireland realized that a memorial might be appropriate in Manhattan
to commemorate the migration of many Irish people to America. A contest
was held and Artist Brian Tolle won the project and reproduced rolling hills
of Ireland with stone walling, a famine cottage and native plants and grasses
from Ireland all on a permanent 1/4 acre lot in Battery Park, NY. All counties
in Ireland donated stone to be used in the memorial.
The memorial is not just |
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Andy deGruchy meeting Govenor George Pataki of New York
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| about Irish people or the potato
famine of 1846-51. The memorial is to remember world hunger as it still
goes on today. Will you make www.thehungersite.com
your home page and help with this cause each day? Each time you visit the
above site, A sponsor donates to the cause. Thank you. |
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Former
Mayor of New York Ed Koch
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Andy and Audrey deGruchy were
invited to an exclusive dinner celebration in Manhattan on July 15,
2002, the night before the public opening of the Irish Hunger Memorial
on July 16th. They were invited to the dinner with all who contributed
to the Memorial's completion. deGruchy Masonry reduced the cost of
the St. Astier lime as a donation to the memorial's completion when
they were made aware that the memorial was in jeopardy because of
overruns from what was the original budget. |
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Andy
and Audrey deGruchy
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Tom Slack is the man who lived in the famine
cottage in Ireland until 1965 and donated it, and the stone ruins, to be
used in the memorial. The memorial is located at West and Vessey Sts. in
Battery Park, N.Y.
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From
the left, Mary McAleese, Irelands President, Mary Collins Slack, wife
of Tom Slack, and Tom Slack.
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Photo is the rebuilt wall of the stones shipped
from Ireland
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Photo was the wall as it stood in Ireland
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Rolling hills with stone walling in Ireland
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Job sign for Battery Park, located at the memorial
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The completed memorial with its rolling hills
of grasses and plants all shipped from Ireland along with every
stone
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