To the Editor:
A few years ago, I raised an issue that I believed was a grave mistake, namely, many in positions of authority prohibited “Danny Boy” from being sung at funeral services.
Some responses to my issue were completely idiotic and moronic. For example, ”If we allowed ‘Danny Boy,’ what is next, ‘Who threw the overalls in Mrs. Murphy’s Chowder?’ Others were generalizations that we unfounded, such as, “ It would never be sung in Ireland!” I documented that error by naming Roman Catholic churches in Ireland, where my cousins have often participated in funeral ceremonies where “Danny Boy” was sung!
After much discussion – some if it, as described above, very stupid and others very righteous in order to protect us from inflicting moral harm on the “Sacred Liturgy” – I decided to let the issue rest in peace. But now that a Cardinal has allowed it to be sung at the request of the mourning family of the great Tim Russert, I can only ask, “Is it okay to sing ‘Danny Boy’ if you are of fame but not if you are a simple Irish American, with no political influence?
It seems to me that the Cardinal recognized that within the beautiful framework of “Danny Boy," one is told to “come and say an “Ave there for me.” The Cardinal evidently understands that saying an “Ave” is quite particular to Roman Catholicism and its unbending and eternal belief in the Mother of Jesus.
John P. Lynch
North Smithfield
