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Famous Irish sons pay tribute to their amazing dads

It’s being put in a book in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation.

sons+fathers_IHF_Cover_visual

BONO, CILLIAN MURPHY, Bill Clinton and Colin Farrell are among the men who have paid tribute to their fathers for the Irish Hospice Foundation.

They have all contributed a photo of themselves with their dads, and a piece of writing about their relationship, for the Irish Hospice Foundation book, Sons and Fathers.

They join Gabriel Byrne, Neil Jordan, Paul McCartney, Robert Fisk and a host of other men in exploring the relationships between boys and their dads.

Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy with his dad Brendan on his first trip to the Blasket Islands in 1979.

John Banville writes about how on the death of his father he realised he was now ‘an orphan’:

I felt impossibly young, as young as I was when I lived with my parents, yet also immensely older. It was unsettling to realise that from now on, when reference was made to ‘Mr Banville’, it would be me that was meant. The older generation had departed, leaving me in charge.

Bill Clinton writes about his own fatherhood, and how his dad died before he was born:

When I became a father myself, I tried to remember that it was my most important job, one I wanted to do well for the daughter I adore and a lost father who was denied life’s greatest gift.

The book is supported by the Park Hyatt hotel, and Irish Hospice Foundation CEO Sharon Foley said that it was Bono himself who planted the seed for the book after donating the drawing he made of his dad when he was dying.

Colin Farrell (and father) Colin Farrell with his dad, Eamon

Bono wanted his drawing to raise money for the foundation, but a book was decided on, and more famous names were drafted in.

Here’s some of Bono’s writings on his father:

BONO_2 Irish Hospice Foundation Irish Hospice Foundation

I doubt if Heaven will be as tidy as he battled for 10 Cedarwood Road to be, but this time round, that won’t be my argument … God, how we loved to argue in our family. And he was the best at it. Christmas morning was always the argument of the year. Religion. I didn’t realise then that he was teaching me a great lesson: question everything. While he didn’t like me to question his authority, he encouraged us to question every other authority.
Here in the 1960s was a Catholic, who drove his Protestant wife and two kids to a little Church of Ireland chapel in Finglas every Sunday, attended mass in the Catholic church, then returned to pick them up. He understood that God and religion were two separate concepts, and that one could keep you away from the other. Wise is another word for his no-nonsense-Dub view of the world.

The proceeds will go towards The Irish Hospice Foundation’s Nurses for Night Care Programme, and also towards Hospice Africa Uganda, founded by the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr Anne Merriman, who did her medical training in Dublin.

The book is published by Penguin Random House and Hospice Press, and is available in all good book stores from this weekend, or online.

Read: After six years (and help from Daniel Day Lewis), Wicklow hospice finally gets the go-ahead>

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11 Comments
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    Mute Atticus the Accuser
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    Apr 19th 2015, 3:59 PM

    Bit ridiculous it’s not a reflection on a person’s character what their ancestors did. I’m sure if you go back far enough in most people’s family tree, you’d get all kinds of “characters”.

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    Mute YFG Account
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:01 PM

    Sometimes as recently as the 70s

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    Mute Jimmy Jim-Jim
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:20 PM

    There is a trend in America of calling for reparations from descendants of slave owners. Given his wealth he may be a target for claims, and given his political activism I can’t see how he could refuse without loosing face.

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    Mute J. Dunn
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:24 PM

    When someone tries to measure you against the actions of your long gone ancestors just tell them, ‘Well, if not for the murderers and rapists in your family tree you probably wouldn’t be here today.’.

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    Mute Jack Dunne
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:28 PM

    Weren’t all white people potential slave owners back then

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    Mute John Ryan
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:31 PM

    What ever you do don’t mention black slave owners or the debt owed to the hundreds of thousands of white soilders who died to bring an end to slavery.

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    Mute Deco James Connolly
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:33 PM

    Blacks owned slaves first .

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    Mute Jimmy Jim-Jim
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:53 PM

    The Aran slave trade makes for some interesting reading. 10-18 million slaves taken, about 1 million of them from Europe. Male slaves were castrated, which is why there aren’t large groups of descendants of these slaves around the middle and near East.

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    Mute Jimmy Jim-Jim
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    Apr 19th 2015, 6:42 PM

    *Arab

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    Mute Agrippa
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    Apr 20th 2015, 12:03 AM

    Yeah didn’t they grab over 100 people from baltimore and enslave them in Algeria

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    Mute John Ryan
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:08 PM

    When will these people ever learn that the more you try to hide this stuff the bigger it comes back to bite you in the ass.There is nothing to be ashamed about here. Ben Affleck didn’t own slaves.Its part of history and should be used to learn lessons from that god-awful period.

    I mean if he wants something to be ashamed of might I suggest Daredevil.

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    Mute Alan Ball
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:11 PM

    Sooo true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

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    Mute John Ryan
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:34 PM

    I’ll tell ya if he fecks up Batman I’ll be wanting words with him.

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    Mute David G
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:44 PM

    It’s called the Barbara Streisand effect

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    Mute John Ryan
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:53 PM

    What ? Fecking up Batman ? ;-)

    Ill grab me jacket.

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    Mute Art Vandelay
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    Apr 19th 2015, 3:59 PM

    I’m sure in a few hundred years time his family will be hiding the fact that they ever knew or were related to an Affleck that was an “actor”..Gigli? Never heard of it…

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    Mute An Observer
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:31 PM

    ‘Batman v Superman’ is yet to be released…. Gigli might be a distant memory after that…

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    Mute Tap Solny
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:09 PM

    People should be held accountable for their actions today not for the deeds of their ancestors.

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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:12 PM

    Tap sometimes I think you’re the only person here who talks any sense.

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    Mute Joseph Siddall
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:29 PM

    Tap, does that apply to countries, also? If so, some commentators on Journal.ie should take note.

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    Mute James Lyons
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:06 PM

    “It’s history” is a forgiving phrase for a reason.

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    Apr 19th 2015, 3:58 PM

    I think it’s important that we never try to sweep history under the rug. Some actions are always wrong regardless of prevailing beliefs at the time or historical context. Those who murder or treat others poorly should always be held accountable as the criminals they are.

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    Mute Top Cat
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:05 PM

    It’s a delicious irony that uber leftwing commie like Afleck is descendant from slave owners.

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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:09 PM

    Top Cat I’d say you’re great craic at parties.

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:38 PM

    There’s got to be a limit to the number of times you can use the “I’d say you’re great at parties” line.

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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:47 PM

    Off topic but where did your username come from?

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Apr 19th 2015, 8:01 PM

    Don’t be coy YFG, we all know you’re talking about FG and AGS’s role in the planning, carrying out and cover up of the Dublin/Monaghan Bombings.

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    Mute Bill Rooney
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:42 PM

    Slavery was abolished in 1833 by an Act of Parliament – in Britain, of which we were part.

    Many weathy people in Ireland owned slaves – as part of their ‘balenced’ investment portfolio. Just like now, investments will include (say) – oil, property, gilts and drugs.

    Gladstone’s family (4 time English Prime Minister – with a major involvement in Irish affairs!) – had over 2,500 slaves, working on 9 plantations in the West Indies.

    In 1833, the Gladstones received £83 million (modern equivalent) in compensation. Staggeringly – getting paid for the ‘loss’ of slaves.

    The families of David Cameron (and his wife’s) had about 400 slaves on their books; they got £4 million in compensation.

    But so far, nobody has researched (as far as I know) the involvement of Irish investors. But – it is believed that many of our ancestors had a considerable slice of the pie, mainly in the Pale…..

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    Mute Deco James Connolly
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    Apr 19th 2015, 4:32 PM

    Democrats are and were the real racists , poor old Ben ,his back will be raw with self flagellation .

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    Mute Brendan Julian
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    Apr 19th 2015, 8:18 PM

    Seems he only made things worse by trying to hide the fact. In your face Ben

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    Mute Amity Bodega
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    Apr 19th 2015, 9:47 PM

    His brother Casey Affleck was arrested for rape but that was covered up too. Also noticed there is very little about the actors on Wikipedia which is strange for such well known actors

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    Mute David G
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    Apr 20th 2015, 9:53 AM

    There is a huge amount on Wikipedia about Ben but less about Casey so that comment is inaccurate.

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    Mute Bernard O'Brien
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    Apr 19th 2015, 10:05 PM

    A third of the people in Ireland are supposedly decended from Nial of the nine hostages which explains a lot !

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