Friday, September 10, 2004

Irish Tribute web site

I remember back in the fall of 2001 while I was filling in some of the blanks on the Irish Tribute web site I was wondering
  1. Are the tone and content appropriate?
  2. Will the families appreciate this or resent it?
  3. How long will the site remain?
  4. Will it grow dated after a while?
Fortunately, the tone and content were appropriate. This was borne out by the the number of friends & family members who added their own tributes to the individual pages. And, obviously, I can't say how long the site will remain, but at least three years anyway.

My concerns about the site withstanding the passage of time have also been allayed. Tributes are still being added. Stephen Mulderry's page is a good case in point.

I didn't know Stephen, but I knew his brother Peter, who lived down the hall from me in college. When I think about Pete I remember a tall, bright, good-looking guy with a big smile on his face and a nice, crisp jump-shot to boot. Pete was the sort of guy you would never wish anything bad on.

When I saw Stephen's obituary in one of the Albany papers and realized he was Pete's brother I wondered about Stephen's page on the Irish Tribute site. What would the Mulderrys think?

This past May I got my answer when Mrs. Mulderry, Pete & Stephen's mother, added her own gracious words to Stephen's page.

The internet can be cold and soulless, full of malicious content. Undoubtedly it aided those who carried out the attacks on September 11.

At the same time, it can be the Irish Tribute site - a living memorial in a way that no carved stone or metal can ever be. A place where everyday people can express real love in public and where we, the public, can read such words and be up-lifted.