New York - The US-Ireland Alliance announced yesterday a drive to provide a holiday in Ireland for the families of New York City's firefighters and police officers - many of them Irish Americans - who gave their lives in the rescue efforts at the World Trade Centre on September 11th, writes Conor O'Clery.
The Alliance aims to raise €1.75 million ($1.6 million) from people north and south of the border to cover the cost of vacations for more than 300 families, said Ms Trina Vargo, president of the organisation which was set up to strengthen ties between the US and the island of Ireland through scholarships.
Ms Vargo said: "We hope that the kindness of the people and the beauty of the island will provide them with a brief respite from their grief."
A statement from the alliance quoted the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, as saying he believed the initiative was a way the people of the island "could show their support for the heroes' families in a meaningful way." Meanwhile the American Ireland Fund will announce in New York today a gift commitment of $1 million to victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks. Some $250,000 of the sum has been donated by people in Ireland and the rest is in the form of contributions from the American Ireland Fund and Ireland Funds of Australia, Canada, France, Great Britain and Monaco.