Irish visitors meet brothers, friends

Press, 24 May 1985, Page 5

Irish visitors meet brothers, friends

It has been a time of reunions for many members of the President of Ireland’s official party during the President’s week-long State visit to New Zealand.

Dr Patrick Hillery’s two security officers, Detective John McNiff and Detective Tadhg Flaherty, have both caught up with Irish-born New Zealanders they had not seen for years. While in Auckland, Detective McNiff was reunited with his brother, Mr Willy McNiff, whom he last saw 35 years ago. Mr Willy McNiff and another brother, who settled in Australia, left Ireland together and have not been back since.

“It was too expensive for them to come home or any of us to come out here. I still recognised him after all these years,” said Detective McNiff in Christchurch yesterday. He plans to catch up with his other brother when the President visits Australia next week.

A chance meeting in Wellington led to a reunion with an old classmate for Detective Flaherty. “I went to the Irish Society rooms in the afternoon with a couple of local cops to check the place before the President’s visit. The man that showed us round had a distinct. Irish accent so I asked him what

part of the Old Sod he came from.”

As it turned out, Detective Flaherty and the man, Mr John Welsh, were both from Connemara and had been in the same class at technical school together.

To make things even more homely, Mr Welsh was a keen speaker of Celtic.

"There wasn't a word spoken in English. The two New Zealand cops just left us to it in the end.” Both detectives have enjoyed their stay in New Zealand: “All this cold weather and green grass made us think we were at home." Another enthusiastic reunion took place at the Irish

Society clubrooms in Christchurch yesterday afternoon.

Johnny and Peggy O'Boyle, of Blenheim, made a special trip to Christchurch to see their old neighbour. Colonel Tom Ryan, the President's Aide-de-Camp. The Ryans and the O'Boyles lived next door to each other in Dublin before the O'Boyles moved to New Zealand 12 years ago.

Seeing Mr O'Boyle brought back memories for the Rev. Kevin Osborne, of Leeston. In 1954 Father Osborne watched Mr O'Boyle play for the Gaelic Football team in the all-Ireland Gaelic Football against Kerry.