[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 85 (Thursday, June 25, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        IN HONOR OF PAUL O'DWYER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CAROLYN McCARTHY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 24, 1998

  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my great 
sorrow at the passing of a wonderful man, Mr. Paul O'Dwyer who died 
last night at his home in Goshen, New York. Born in the tiny village of 
Bohola, County Mayo, Ireland, Paul was one of eleven children--the 
youngest son of two school teachers. As a young man, Paul left his 
native home and like millions of his fellow countrymen before him, set 
sail for America seeking a better life. He arrived in New York in 1926, 
and found work as a laborer on the shipping docks in lower Manhattan. 
While working long hours by day as a laborer, Paul managed to earn his 
law degree at night from St. John's University Law school.
  As a young attorney in New York, Paul became the driving political 
force among the Irish of New York. He was a man of tremendous energy, 
and more importantly, tremendous conviction. His office was open to all 
who needed help and he was always ready to champion a good cause. 
Whether it was signing up African-American voters in the South when 
they were being denied the right to vote; organizing efforts to break 
the British blockade of Israel in 1948; fighting for the rights of 
labor; or galvanizing the Irish-American movement for justice in 
Northern Ireland, Paul never saw a wrong he didn't try to right.
  I speak for all who of us who knew an loved Paul when I say he will 
be sorely missed--but his legacy will live on. I would like to extend 
my deepest sympathy to Paul's wife, Patricia, his sons, Brian, Rory, 
William, his daughter, Eileen and the rest of his family.

                          ____________________