From the Heart of Ireland (Paperback)

I hope this book is selling well. Why? It's pleasant reading. I'm one of the contributors. And the royalties are going to Laura's Hope, a charity funding research to combat Huntington's Disease. The subject of my story, the late Sister Isaac Joques would be pleased.

My story, "Hiroshima - an Irish Survivor," appears on page 127. Overall it looks pretty good. One small problem. The entry in FROM THE HEART ... doesn't identify me as Sister Isaac Joques's cousin. Instead the short bio in the back of the book is essentially what I use when submitting a newsletter article.

Sister Isaac Jogues and I share a common heritage. The 1901 Irish Census shows Julia Canny as a seven-year old (as of March 31, 1901), living in a household in Upper Kilbeg with her widowed grandmother; her parents; her brothers and sisters; and John Canny, her (then bachelor) uncle and my maternal grandfather.

I never met you, Julia. But I sure wish I had! Such a remarkable life. And I think you'e be pleased that your story is helping to fund research to combat Huntington's Disease.

The FROM THE HEART ... version is based on an my earlier story about my cousin, Julia Canny (aka Sister Saint Isaac Joques), as it appeared in the August 1999 edition of WESTERN PEOPLE. Julia and seven other members of the Society of Helpers were in their Hiroshima convent on 6 August 1945, when the atomic bomb was dropped. The convent was a mere 1.4 miles from ground zero, yet all eight sisters survived that day. Although my account published in FROM THE HEART ... covers the events of that day pretty well, it doesn't cover some interesting COINCIDENCES that led me to write the first account in Western People.

Which brings me to the next issue. I would like to try to compile an anthology book --- similar to FROM THE HEART ... --- with stories about unusual or interesting coincidences. Indeed Dr. Carl Jung had some things to say about coincidences or "sychronicity." And, In another part of my life I've been told that "a coincidence is God working anonymously." When you read my Coincidence story spliced in below, you'll see what I have in mind. (The spliced in doesn't
show the different fonts and italics, but you'll manage.) I submitted my Coincidence story to Brendan Power for inclusion in FROM THE HEART ... Brendan liked the story, but he declined to include it. He felt the readers couldn't identify with the American place names.

Are you a competent writer? Maybe you have an interested Coincidence or "sychronicity" story. Or perhaps you know someone else who might be interested in contributing.

I'll be doing some preliminary investigation to see who might be interested in publishing. Or, maybe you have some ideas.

Beir bua agus beannacht.

Slan go foill!

Let me know if you're interested, by contacting me via e mail

"Ed Murphy" <jmurphy@lycos.com>
FALLS CHURCH VA USA