NY mayor to unveil monument in Sligo today
The Mayor of New York is due to visit Ballymote in Co Sligo today to unveil a monument that incorporates some of the original steel from the Twin Towers.
The monument is dedicated to the Fighting 69th Regiment, which was led during the American Civil War by Sligoman Michael Corcoran.
Corcoran left Ireland during the Famine and went on to become a US hero and close friend of Abraham Lincoln.
Groups opposed to US foreign policy in the Middle East are planning to mount a protest when Mayor Michael Bloomberg arrives in Ballymote and are urging everybody who feels strongly about the issue to boycott his visit.
However, Fine Gael TD John Perry, who issued the invitation to Mr Bloomberg, has criticised the planned demonstration, saying the event was a celebration of the links between the west of Ireland and New York.
