That Further Shore By John D. Feerick

"That Further Shore: A Memoir of Irish Roots and American Promise" is a book by John D. Feerick, the Dean at Fordham University Law School.

This is an Irish American immigrant tale, a story of the Irish diaspora in the United States, and one that will surely resonate in this corner of the internet.

Today, I'm delighted to share this autobiography with you. Fordham University Press has graciously offered one copy of this book for a reader to win, plus they've granted me permission to share some excerpts from the book with you today.

Before I share the details of the giveaway, let's first explore this Irish American immigrant tale a little further.

Table of Contents

About John D. Feerick

John Feerick is the Dean at Fordham University Law School in New York and a former labor lawyer who helped to draft the 25th Amendment to the US constitution.

In the 1990's, he was a member of President Clinton’s historic delegation to Ireland and Northern Ireland to promote peace and to nurture the talks that led to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. It was a visit described by Clinton as “two of the most extraordinary days in the lives of all of us who went”.

As Dean, he founded an ambitious Law program between Fordham College, Queens University Law School in Belfast, and University College Dublin, “a first of its kind between the major law schools in Belfast and Dublin" that helped to bridge the national divide between students.

Ever a champion of his ancestral homeland, John’s philanthropy and advocacy for the beautiful Kylemore Abbey has also helped them to maintain their community of Benedictine nuns into the present.

That Future Shore - A Story of the Irish in America

John is the son of Irish Immigrants from whom he inherited the rich culture and history of Ireland, as well as his devout Catholic faith.

In THAT FURTHER SHORE, he tells the stories of his family, farmers from County Mayo who, like so many of their fellow country men, immigrated to America in search of a better life.

His uncle Pat participated in the Irish War of Independence working as decoy and courier.

As a child, he attended a political rally at Foxford where he met Irish activist Maud Gonne. He recalls that “she gave him a warm smile and asked him his age, remarking how young he was and noting that she had a son of the same age”.

This exploration of his heritage culminates in John’s own story of travel to Ireland in rediscovery of his roots. It’s a poignant reunion of family separated by diaspora.

John Feerick Meets His Future Wife, Emalie (An Excerpt)

The following piece is an excerpt from That Further Shore By John D. Feerick and has been republished here with permission from Fordham University Press, Copyright © Fordham University Press.

"As a child, Mom and Pop and my siblings were at the center of my life. This all changed in August of 1962 when I married Emalie Maureen Grace Platt of Southampton, Long Island, New York.

302 Broadway, March 26, 1960

On Saturday, March 26, after a day of participating in Fordham Law School’s trial moot court program, I met Emalie, then a senior at Manhattanville College. She was 21 and I was 23. She served as a juror on one of the competitions, but we only met afterward at a social in the basement of 302 Broadway.

I had originally planned to meet one of the other jurors at the social. She brought along several of her friends, including Emalie. At first, I was not thrilled to have a crowd, but when Emalie spoke, my attention was immediately drawn to her. She was polite and down to earth, without any pretensions. She expressed an inner beauty and a softness and gentleness when she spoke that deeply appealed to me.

She was exceedingly attractive and nicely attired, wearing a white blouse and charcoal gray suit. Her eyes were blue, her hair brown, and her smile lovely.

As I was speaking to Emalie, Dean Mulligan interrupted. He took her aside, stating, as I learned years later, “If you are interested in that fellow, hold onto him. He just became editor of the Law Review.”

When our children celebrated Emalie’s sixtieth birthday in 1998, they disclosed the contents of a letter she’d written to her parents at the time, mentioning our meeting and describing me as a rather “unsophisticated” boy—without airs, she said she meant—“of whom the dean had spoken well.”

I didn’t realize then that this was the consummate praise from Emalie. I’ll forever be grateful to Dean Mulligan for the boost he gave me.

Meeting Emalie, however, complicated my life as I was then dating a classmate of mine. In time, however, everything worked out. Emalie and I went on several dates during the remaining months of the 1959–1960 school year.

We went bowling (she won big), to the circus, to a dance at Manhattanville, to the Broadway production of Camelot, and to a dinner dance for her graduating class of 1960 at which I met her parents. Her father was quite imposing and her mother very sweet and gentle.

On later dates, Emalie and I rowed boats in Central Park, strolled around the park holding hands, and attended an outdoor concert at City College’s Lewisohn Stadium. One memory stands out more than the others—the 1960 Fourth of July weekend in Southampton, when I had the opportunity to meet her siblings and Aunt Teresa and Uncle Harold.

Teresa and Harold were exceedingly kind, taking me to Ridgely’s Restaurant, where I had one of the finest steak dinners I’ve ever had. I was struck by the happiness I found in her home, as her mother played the piano, her father cooked dinner, and Emalie mothered younger siblings and washed and dried dishes.

There was a lot of happy noise going on, which reminded me of my own upbringing. We also went to the beach, where I gave Emalie my first kiss. I was a late bloomer by any standards, and the kiss was a quick one and on her cheek. She later told me that she’d wondered why I’d taken so long."

Marriage To Emalie

The following piece is an excerpt from That Further Shore By John D. Feerick and has been republished here with permission from Fordham University Press, Copyright © Fordham University Press.

"Emalie and I were married on August 25, 1962, by Monsignor George Killeen at the Church of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Southampton. I was 26 and she was 23.

Even today, I remember quite clearly just how stunning she looked, as she gracefully walked down the aisle.

She wore a long gown, with a fitted bodice and full skirt, and she was holding a modest bouquet of flowers. Her blue eyes were shining. Surrounded by the eighteen members of our bridal party, as well as the more than a hundred people that attended the wedding, we had the love and support of all our family and friends.

John D Feerick

Emalie’s sister, Meredith Platt Joyce, stood by her side as matron of honor and my brother, Donald, stood by my side as best man. The younger members of our families also played important roles. Kevin served as an altar boy, while Emalie’s brother Rick served as the ring bearer. My sister Anne and Emalie’s sister Elin were junior bridesmaids.

The day was glorious—bright, sunny, and crisp. The sky was blue without a cloud in sight. One member of the bridal party said that when he awoke, in a room overlooking the water, he thought he was in heaven.

What went through my mind was how lucky I was to be marrying someone as beautiful, positive, easygoing, and spiritual as Emalie. I brought to the church that day a bulky old tape recorder to record the ceremony. Emalie’s family arranged for a photographer. Many of the details of the Mass celebrating our union have faded into my memory, but our words of commitment to each other remain vivid.

The wedding reception was a glorious affair as my Irish friends and family from the Bronx mixed with the Platts and Guldis of Southampton and their friends. Mom was in her splendor, doing Irish dances, and when I joined her on the dance floor, she carried me along as if I knew what I was doing.

A single bar in the corner of the reception hall at the Perkins Hotel in Riverhead tempered the drinking that might have occurred, as Emalie’s mother wanted no wine or beer bottles on the table and no heavy drinking of any kind. Donald delivered the toast, using the Irish blessing quoted at the beginning of this chapter.

Emalie’s sister, Mary Jo, sat next to her on a dais. Emalie and I did our first dance to Irving Berlin’s “Always.” The song has remained a constant in our love notes to one another throughout the years.

After the reception, we started out from the hotel in Emalie’s old Volkswagen, planning to end up in Cape Cod for our honeymoon. I had only a learner’s permit, however, so as soon as the crowd behind us disappeared from sight, I stopped the car and Emalie took the wheel."

Praise For That Further Shore

THAT FURTHER SHORE has received much praise since its publication. Here's a sampling of some of its published reviews.

“This is a superb autobiography because it is an inspiring story of family and the importance of roots…We live in a dark time, and we all need heroes. John Ferrick is my hero. If you read this book, he’ll be yours too.”

—New York Law Review, William Treanor, Dean of Georgetown University Law Center.

“John Feerick elevates any place that he is a part of. It's not simply his numerous accomplishments as a dean, as a leader of legal education, as somebody who has been so fundamentally a part of our legal world-not just in New York, but in the nation—it's the values that he brings to everything that he does that makes all of us want to follow him, that makes us all feel that the world is a better place because of who he is and what he does.”

—Chief Judge Robert A. Katzmann, US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, as quoted in the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

“The name of John Feerick is renowned here in New York, and rightly so. Those of us who so admire him wonder, ‘Where did he get this faith, wit, wisdom, and love?’ With this fine read, now we know!”

— Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York.

“I came to know John Feerick well when he became the Dean of Fordham Law School; and I, like all in legal education, soon came to see him as a beacon for those who view the law as a sacred instrument. It was no surprise to us that, after his illustrious tenure as dean, he devoted his formidable talent to serving our city and the bar. This terrific book tells that story. But, more importantly, it shows how the public man we know was molded in the tradition of Irish-Catholic familial love and sustained by the continuation of that spirit in the family he has built with his love, Emalie. This is a special book about a very special man.”

— John Sexton, President Emeritus, New York University.

“When John Feerick received the ABA Medal, he thanked his parents for assuring that he and his siblings received a good education. His touching and inspiring book appropriately begins with his family's story. John's early years assured he would have an indefatigable quest for learning and teaching. This book takes the reader through a career that unbelievably was accomplished by only one person. Each chapter is an exciting journey filled with fascinating stories. I could not put it down!”

— Linda Klein, Past President of the American Bar Association

Where To Purchase That Further Shore

That Further Shore by John D. Feerick is available from online bookstores including Amazon, and Target.

It is also available directly from the publisher, Fordham University Press.

The Giveaway

One lucky reader will win a copy of That Further Shore by John D. Feerick.

To enter simply leave a comment on this blog post by noon Eastern Time on Saturday, August 8th, 2020.

Any comment will do. What you write does not affect your chance of winning, but if you need inspiration why not tell us about your family connection’s to Ireland, or if you too have an Irish American immigrant tale to share.

A winning comment will be chosen randomly. Remember to leave your e-mail so that I can contact you should you win. Your e-mail won’t be published, just used to contact our lucky contestant for mailing of the prize.

The winner will be announced on Saturday, August 8th, 2020, at the bottom of this blog post.

You may check out Irish American Mom’s complete terms and conditions for sweepstakes’ entries by clicking here.

Thank you to all who support this giveaway, and many thanks to Fordham University Press for introducing his book to us and for sponsoring this giveaway.

Update – Winner Chosen

Our winner has been randomly chosen using the Pick Giveaway Winner Plug-in for WordPress.

And the lucky reader is ….

Susan Rasmussen

I’ll send Susan an email to arrange mailing of her prize.

A big thank you to everyone for supporting this giveaway by leaving comments. And many thanks to John Feerick, for sharing his book and for sponsoring this prize.

If you're interested in other books set in Ireland, here are a few more recommendations to check out...

Dermot O'Hara Detective Series

Fields of Rye

Roots and Wings

Jean Grainger's Books

Between Sisters

Thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.

Disclosure: I do not have a financial arrangement with Fordham University Press. This post reflects my honest and unbiased thoughts about this work.

Text copyright 2020 by John D. Feerick.

Excerpts and photos reproduced with permission of the publisher, Fordham University Press.

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