Bronx Irish at the Ramparts--Channel 13 New York, NY--Press Release #2
PRESS RELEASE
CHANNEL 13 New York, NY
METROCOSMS SERIES
For the past decade television programs that have dealt with the Bronx have focused on the problems of poverty and decay, of fire and destruction in that once proud Borough of Bedrooms. On Sunday night, March 25 at 11 pm, Channel 13's Metrocosms series will broadcast a different view of the Bronx. "The Bronx Irish at the Ramparts," written by Tom Quinn and directed by Marcia Rock is a celebration of and a lament for the struggles and successes of the Irish immigrants and their children as they worked at becoming Americans.
Tom Quinn is our guide for this tour of the Bronx Irish, past and present. From St. Raymond's to St. Jerome's, from St. Augustine's to Visitation parish, the world of the Bronx Irish has moved north and away from the city. Much of the half-hour deals with St. John's parish on 231st. in Kingsbridge, a place that is more small town that part of a great metropolis. The values of small town life - openess and friendship, knowing and caring for your neighbors, concern for the neighborhood, are still alive in Kingsbridge.
The twin pillars of church and saloon still support the Bronx Irish and the people of Kingsbridge challenged the myth of the Irish bar as a place to get drunk by demonstrating that their local pubs provide neighborhood forums, communal confessions, rallying grounds and loan associations. In Tom Quinn's words, "A neighborhood discovered who and what it was and celebrated these things in its bars."
The showing on Sunday is a week late for St. Patrick's Day but this program is a welcomed change from the green beer image that prevails these days.
