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Mostly Cloudy 1800s American-Irish naval officer remembered
Commodore George Coleman de Kay was honored last week in the place of his burial — the St. George’s Episcopal Church in Hempstead — by a dedicated group of citizens from Nassau County.
It was in June of 1847 that de Kay sailed for Ireland on the frigate called the Macedonian filled with grain and foodstuffs for the famine relief of the Irish and Scottish people. De Kay earned the title of “Commodore” when he fought for the Argentine navy against Brazil in 1826. When the Irish famine stuck, de Kay requested a ship from the United States Navy to help with the disaster. The U.S.S Macedonian was soon loaned to him.
The ceremony at St. George’s Church was a solemn one, as a proclamation was read from the Consul General of Ireland. Part of this historic proclamation read, “In gathering here today, at the gravesite of Commodore de Kay, you are ensuring that the history of the great hunger and the generosity of the Commodore and the American people will continue to be handed on to future generations.”
The ceremony was led by Nassau County Legislator Dennis Dunne Sr. — who represents Salisbury — and assisted by the Wantagh Ancient Order of Hibernians. At the closing, 12-year-old Jack O’Brian played the pipes in a salute to the American-Irish patriot.
Robert Harrison is a historian who lives in East Meadow.
