A Giant of a Man Has Left Us
By JOHN FITZGERALD
NEW YORK - On the morning of November 16, I received the call from the office of O'Dwyer & Bernstein that Frank Durkan, the quiet giant, a true and faithful leader of the Irish in America had passed away at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut.
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| FRANK DURKAN with President Bill Clinton. |
He had been ill since the middle of October. He made his last public appearance on October 7 when he delivered the keynote speech at the annual gathering of the Mayo Society in Cleveland, Ohio.
Irish America has lost a hero, a quiet-spoken giant, a man of honour and integrity equalled only by his late uncle, another Mayo gentle giant, Paul O'Dwyer. His wake at Campbell's Funeral Home in Manhattan witnessed huge crowds for the two day viewing, his countless friends from all walks of life saying goodbye to the John Fitzgerald Kennedy of our era. At the end of the funeral Mass there was a rolling blend of song, applause and bagpipe playing.
As the coffin bearing the remains of Frank Durkan was borne shoulder high from Holy Trinity Church on West 82nd St. Manhattan Upper West side, the song that drifted down the aisle from the altar to the waiting hearse told of the moonlight in the sky over his native beloved county of Mayo. The applause from every pew of the jam-packed church told of the profound respect, not just of the congregation but of the Irish American community beyond the doors of the standing-room only church for the final farewell.
The bagpipes on the street outside told the passers-by that this was the funeral of a warrior, in this case one who fought and won his battle with words, with the letter of the law, with the United States Constitution. Frank was laid to rest among the rolling hills of Westchester in Valhalla, a cemetery named after a mystical heaven for heroes.
Paul's son and Frank's cousin, Brian O'Dwyer eulogies for Frank drew tears, applause and laughter from the gathering. Brian reminded the congregation that Frank was simply a friend to a multitude. So many in the city and country felt the magic that came from every pore in Frank's body. And Frank's devotion to the extended O'Dwyer family was legendary.
"Frank's concept of friendship was fixed and steady and never wavered no matter where the winds, personal and political were blowing," he said. He spoke of the man who was possessed of a "towering conscienceö a lawyer who had been the rock that anchored his form for decades. Frank Durkan, he said, left a void that can never be filled.
Before that, his daughter, Aisling Durkan described the life lived by Frank and his wife Monica as "one of the most remarkable stories," a relationship that reached the final defining moments with Monica reading poetry by his bedside as her husband passed away.
I got to know Frank back in late 1962 shortly after arriving in New York. Frank the chairman of the Mayo football club, active with the New York GAA both himself and his uncle Paul the New York Board's legal advisors.
How fortunate as with countless others I was to have him as a very special friend. Mentor, advisor and caring and concerned friend. Always a friendly and warm welcome when you visited his office.
Back in 1972 Frank and his uncle Paul met with three of us. Mike Glynn, Matt Forde and myself as we were planning the first live showing of a GAA match in the New World, the All-Ireland Final of 1972. After our meeting with the Central Council earlier, they said our venture was impossible. Not so with the encouragement of Frank and Paul as always their glass was half full.
After hours late into the night sitting down in their office, they gave us all kinds of advice that had little to do with the law but with the tricky shoals of the local scenes of the city and how we would navigate to make a success of our plans.
Two kind uncles so generous with their time giving advice. Asked to get us a bill for their priceless advice, both smiled and said, "No money here, we will be with you at the Paradise Theater on Fordham Road, Bronx in September."
Kerry vs. Offaly final came through and was listed as one of the top achievements of 1972. Both Frank and Paul were beaming with our success. Frank was that kind of a lawyer.
Daniel O'Connell had nothing on him when it came to proving the law was an ass when it came to Irish defendants. He was utterly passionate about the underdogs in his life. He was first on the rampart on Northern Ireland when the place exploded in the Sixties and for the next 35 years he was the fire and passion of the American Irish response.
Every suspect or arrested IRA man had a friend in Frank and he defended them all pro bono publico and without a thought for his own time and commitment. He was a true Irish Republican.
Given his high powered success all over the United States, Frank could have made millions as one of the greatest lawyers in today's America. Instead, you would find him in the office late at night immersed in details of a will for one of his countless friends or some elderly person that knew little of the law and thought he would drop in for an hour or two on the parish's only country lawyer.
Many times as I sat in his office, I found our conversation interrupted by some call from an Irish emigrant asking if his will was ready, or if there was any job going for a recent arrival. Frank would immediately drop everything and go to work to ensure that it all happened. All pro bono publico as I can well attest to with my family.
He was like an uncle to my daughter when she graduated from law school and taught her the "ropes" of the Manhattan courts systems before contacting one of his many congressional friends in Washington gaining for her a prestigious position in the environment law field in Washington, D.C.
How we all were privileged to be his friend. Monsignor Leonard, the chief celebrant of the Mass concelebrated by seven priests said "many people over the years had turned to Frank for advice, knowledge, assistance and encouragement. He had lived a life characterized by an unyielding love for the poor, the bewildered, those who lacked representation and the needy."
His passion was all things Mayo, most notably the Mayo football team. Both he and Monica traveled to Ireland time and time again for league games, Connaught games, semi-finals and the heart breaking All-Ireland appearances in recent years.
Heartbroken after this year's "no appearance" against Kerry, he was so disappointed he refused to discuss the match. A life long member of the Mayo Football Club in New York and their Honourable Chairman and also a life long member of the Mayo Association. A GAA affair or a Northern Aid dance without Frank as MC was a rare occasion.
I was humbled by the honour bestowed on me by Frank's dying bed wish that I be one of his honoured pallbearers. Hundreds accompanied the remains into Holy Trinity church of one of nature's all time gentlemen that represented all that was finest in all Christian concern and Mayo, Ireland's pride. We proceeded into a church filled with New York's best known figures in the Irish America legal community, politicians and friends from every walk of life and profession.
Frank enriched the lives of those of us who called him our friend, it was a privilege to have known him. Today, he with his many Gaelic Park and GAA friends, Paddy Ormsby, Jimmy Burke, the "Nipper" Gillen, Eddie Roberts, Paudeen Clifford, Jimmy Mahoney, Billy Hennelly and the chairman of their daily meetings John "Kerry" O'Donnell just to mention a few.
Not to forget his life long Kilkelly friend in George Harrison who he successfully defended in 1982 facing the best team of CIA lawyers against him. Frank was victorious in the most famed case of the century and saw George walk away a free man.
I had known of their daily get together, Kerry and Mayo football topics, Paudeen, John Kerry and Jimmy predicting another glory year for the Kingdom coming up. But Frank and Jimmy and George disputed that, as before he left this earth a new Mayo manager was appointed, and Sam is about to stay away from his beloved Bohola for just one more winter.
To his bereaved wife, Monica and daughters Aisling and Mary Louise, his grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews, we extend our deepest sympathy. We will never see his likes again. Irish America and Ireland has lost a true noble giant.
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