A HIGHLY RESPECTED HISTORIAN

Posted By: November 23, 2022

 

BY FR. SEAN MC MANUS
WASHINGTON, D.C.
THE WRITER IS FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT
OF THE IRISH NATIONAL CAUCUS.
Editor,
I was deeply sorry and shocked to read about the death on Sunday, November 13, of the great Eamon Phoenix, God rest him.
Eamon was a highly respected Irish historian, whose work often appeared in the Irish News of Belfast. There has been a huge outpouring of respect upon his death—from the Dublin Government, most political parties, academics, so forth, and so on.
Eamon and I corresponded by email over the years. He also used to email me all his wonderful articles, “On This Day” in the Irish News.
On his first contact, he told me he had once taught at St. Michaels, Enniskillen. And I replied that’s how and why his great intelligence and historical consciousness had been developed and grown!
In one important email (April 27, 2015, at 3:25:23 PM ED), he wrote to tell me about his research on the Mac Bride Principles, which the Irish National Caucus launched on November 5, 1984. He wrote: “Hi Sean, Covering the State papers for the 1980s in the past couple of years I’m struck by the deep fear which your campaign for the MacBride Principles generated in the NIO and among Stormont officials. By 1985 major investors such as Ford, pension fund managers (e.g. Goldin of NY), and even the US Consul in Belfast were voicing grave concerns about discrimination. In response, the NIO dispatched a series of envoys to the US including the Supreme Knights of the Kts of Columbanus, JJ Eccles (originally from the Short Strand) who was deemed to have great sway with US cardinals. But you must know all this!!
It’s clear that your efforts played a key role in forcing the equality agenda in the North.
Le meas mor.
Éamon.”
May his noble Irish soul and great Irish mind rest in God’s eternal peace.
 END.