Teen takes national Irish award

By PAUL QUIRINI- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

After researching the lives of Irish leaders Michael Collins and Eamon De Valera, Ellen Gasparovic has reached a few conclusions about the country's history.

"I thought that Michael Collins would have definitely benefitted the country, brought more imagination to build up the country and made greater efforts to unify the country," she said.

For her observations on the contributions of Mr. Collins, president of the Irish Republican Brotherhood who was assassinated in 1922, and Mr. De Valera, then-president of the Irish Republic, Ms. Gasparovic won first prize overall in the 1999 Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians' National Irish History Essay Contest.

An incoming sophomore at the Academy of the Holy Names in Albany, Ellen received $1,000 for winning at the national level, $300 at the state level and $75 at the county level, and a certificate for her achievement.

Delving into history

This year's contest asked participants to examine the roles of Mr. Collins and Mr. De Valera in shaping 20th-century Ireland, and the possible impact of the former had he not been assassinated.

Mr. Collins, a hero of the Irish struggle for independence, directed the campaign for guerrilla warfare during the Anglo-Irish War from 1919 to 1921. He arranged for Mr. De Valera's escape from Lincoln Jail in 1919 and was sent by him to London as a peace negotiator in 1921.

The treaty agreed upon by Mr. Collins was unacceptable to Mr. De Valera and other Republican leaders, and Mr. Collins was shot to death in 1922 in an ambush in west Cork.

Best of all

Ellen researched the lives of these historical Irish figures on the internet and in books from the library. She wrote her essay in February and learned that she had won at the county level a month later. But it wasn't until last month that she learned she had won first prize on the national level, and she was totally caught off guard by the news.

"I was so surprised and thrilled," she said. "My mom brought the envelope when she picked me up from school, and I opened it. I was so excited, happy and grateful."

This wasn't the first year she had entered the essay contest; in 1997, she won third prize at the national level and second prize at the state level. With the prize money from this year's contest, she plans to save some for college and give part of her winnings to a charitable organization, something that her volunteer work at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany has motivated her to do.

"I feel service is very important, so I might give some to charities," she said.

Fun in research

While her last name isn't Irish, Ellen's maternal relatives are Irish, and she enjoyed finding out the roles that two of Ireland's historical figures had played.

"Learning about Ireland's history was interesting," she said. "It was a good experience, and I'm glad I entered the contest. I thought I'd give it a try, and it turned out excellent."

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