Bronx Native Ivers at Heritage Celebration

Violin virtuoso and Bronx native Eileen Ivers was honored by Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr. as part of an annual event celebrating Irish Heritage on March 31, 2004, at the Gaelic Park Sports Center. 

Ivers is a proud Bronxite and Woodlawn native. Growing up as the daughter of Irish immigrants, her unique understanding of Irish traditional music was solidified by age ten when she first represented the U.S. in the All-Ireland fiddle championships. Ivers proceeded to win that title nine times. 

s an Irish-American who was raised in an ethnically diverse Bronx neighborhood, Ivers was forever intrigued by the multicultural sounds of her childhood environs. The ongoing development of Ivers’ globally-infused, traditional Irish sound has received international critical acclaim since the late ‘80s. 

"I was so fortunate to have grown up in a loving, strong Irish American household in the Bronx, one that instilled in me the love and pride in our heritage while respecting and embracing the diversity of the Bronx," said Ivers. "Growing up and learning music in such a rich, multi-cultural environment has greatly influenced my music and has had a profound effect on the development of my career." 

In 1999, Eileen Ivers formed Eileen Ivers & Immigrant Soul which encompasses Irish instrumentalists, soulful American vocals and a mix of African and Latin percussion and bass has been privileged to perform at major arts centers, as guests of numerous symphonies, at major festivals worldwide and on national and international television programs numerous times. A sampling of the overwhelming critical response can be read at www.eileenivers.com. 

Carrion honored Ivers as part of the annual event celebrating Irish Heritage, which took place at Gaelic Park. Ivers said, "I am deeply honored and extremely proud of this wonderful recognition." Also being honored are Elaine Brennan, vice president of Montefiore Medical Center, Judge Thomas B. Galligan, retired justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, and Donald MacDonnell, the former president, Ancient Hibernians, Division 4. 

Gaelic Park was established in 1928 by the Gaelic Athletic Association of New York, to promote hurling and Irish football. After being taken over by the City of New York, the park was leased in 1941 to John Kerry O’Donnell, who ran the park, dance hall and tavern. Leased in 1991, by Manhattan College, The Gaelic Park Sports Center continues to host sporting events, concerts, dances, and serves as a meeting place for local community groups. 

Commission Thanked on Voting

Irish Citizens for Trustworthy Evoting (ICTE) would like to thank the
Commission on Electronic Voting for its efforts under undoubtedly difficult circumstances and for the opportunity it gave for concerned citizens, such as ourselves, to draw attention to the fundamental and undeniable flaws in the Electronic Voting system chosen for use in June.

In particular ICTE welcome the Commission's conclusion that it is impossible to certify the accuracy of the software as it is as yet unknown and that "the absence of a VVAT significantly raises the standards and quality of other system testing that is required". ICTE also fully supports the Commission's recommendation that there should be an independent end-to-end test of the system and that there should be independent parallel testing of the system, including where possible in a live electoral context.

The Government should now accept that Electronic Voting must be accompanied by a voter-verified audit trail (VVAT). "A voter-verified audit trail remains the only way the accuracy of any evoting system can be established" said Colm MacCarthaigh, a representative of Irish Citizens for Trustworthy Evoting. 

"Over 150 of the 162 submissions to the commission were not in support of the proposed system and over half called for a voter-verified audit trail to be mandatory in any system, including the submission of the Irish Computer Society - the professional body for the IT industry" he continued.

"It is impossible to determine the accuracy of any system without an independent and verified record against which to compare" said Mr. MacCarthaigh, "We can't continue to use real elections as "trial runs", especially when there is neither an integrated voter verified audit trail nor a traditional paper ballot run in parallel" added ICTE member David O'Callaghan. 

"The Commission's report fully endorses the concerns expressed by IT experts and the Department of the Environment should now take time to reflect upon the report and finally meet with groups such as ICTE who have been requesting a meeting for many months now" said MacCarthaigh.

"Evoting has the potential to bring many benefits to our electoral system, not least greater accessibility and fewer mistakenly spoiled ballots. The Department of the Environment should now engage with the IT community to ensure that a trustworthy Evoting system with a voter-verified audit-trail can be implemented." continued MacCarthaigh. 

April 29, 2004

Paramilitaries Behind Catholic Reluctance To Join Police Force

Two thirds of Catholics feel that they can’t join the PSNI due to fear of intimidation or attack by paramilitaries, according to the Ulster Unionist Party.

UUP MLA for North Belfast and Police Board Member Fred Cobain today responded to a Community Attitude Survey that found that just over 67% of Catholics, when asked their reasons for not joining the PSNI (Police Service Northern Ireland), cited ‘fear of intimidation or attack on them or their relatives."

In a statement Mr. Cobain said, "It is clear from this latest survey that we are not going to get an inclusive police service until we get rid of paramilitaries. "After so much progress, it is particularly disappointing that Catholics feel unable to participate because of fear of reprisals from the paramilitaries."

Further information–Anne Smith, UUPNA 202-828-9866 (Washington DC)