By Ed Forry
Reporter Publisher

Members of the local Irish immigrant community filled Dorchester's Florian Hall last Thursday night, as organizers sought to ramp up support for immigration reform legislation now pending in Congress.

The public meeting, convened by a New York-based group called the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR,) saw a turnout of about 500 persons, many of them evidently "undocumented" Irish who live and work in Dorchester and surrounding communities. Later, the organizers claimed the turnout numbered some 1,015.

The group was headed by Niall O'Dowd, publisher of the weekly Irish newspaper the Irish Voice, who was joined by his brother-in-law, Kieran Staunton, a onetime owner of Cucculainn's, a now-defunct Irish pub once located in Fields Corner. The two were joined by several other New York immigrant activists in making a roadtrip to Boston in an attempt to engage local Irish in supporting federal legislation sponsored by senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA.) The McCain/Kennedy proposal would legislate a way for immigrants who resided illegally in the United States prior to May, 2005 to obtain a "green card," a document which would allow them to live in this country indefinitely.

"Many of you walked in here undocumented, and you will leave here as activists," O'Dowd told his audience. Both he and Staunton pointed to the success of the Irish Immigration Reform Movement (IIRM,) a lobbying effort in the 1980s which resulted in more than 15,000 new visas being made available for emigrants from Ireland.

The new push for Irish visas was begun two months ago by the New York visitors, who said they have now held similar meetings in Yonkers, NY and Philadelphia, PA, and plan two more in San Francisco and in Queens, New York.

Also speaking at the event was Joseph Hackett, currently the first secretary at the Irish Ambassador to the U.S. in Washington DC, and a former vice consul in Ireland's Boston consulate office.

Several local Irish advocacy groups helped organize last week's meeting, including the Irish Pastoral Center, the Irish Immigration Center, and the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers

Sister Lena Deevy, head of Boston's Irish Immigration Center, said of the meeting:

"Tonight we saw the Irish community coming together in a way we haven't seen since the early days of the IIRM. The buzz and energy and optimism reminds me of the days when we pulled together and delivered reform that people said was impossible." "Tonight provided a real sense of hope that we can make something happen for the new generation of Irish immigrants. But with the buzz of the meeting over we must now keep the momentum going and start the hard work."

O'Dowd said his group plans a "lobbying day" in Washington on March 8. He asked supporters to sign-up for buses for a one day round trip to the nation's capitol to buttonhole members of Congress for their support.

Local organizers say they plan a second Boston meeting tonight (Thursday, Feb. 16) at 8 p.m. at the Stadium restaurant on Old Colony Blvd. in South Boston.