Nov/Dec 2015/Jan 2016 - Anne Feeney's Fellow Travelers' Advisory - Volume 10, Number Six

Nov/Dec 2015/Jan 2016 - Anne Feeney's Fellow Travelers' Advisory - Volume 10, Number Six

I hope that 2015 was a great year for you.  I am very grateful for stable health and the many joys of friends, family and music.  I hope this holiday season has brought you boundless peace, love and happiness and a renewed spirit of resistance for the many struggles that lie ahead of us this year. I'm wishing us all an exciting, fun-filled, joyous, progressive and successful new year. I thank you for being a part of my life and my work.  

In this issue:

Tour Dates for 2016
The Ireland Tour - May 1-10
Solidarity wishes for IBEW Warrior Linda Horan
An Appeal for You Help

2016 Tour Dates

In January I'll be at the Western Workers' 30th Annual Labor Heritage Festival. Still looking for work.  Thinking about driving to Florida in March.  Looking for work on the way tthere and back.  Send me an email if you're interested and willing to put on a show.

May 1-10 - Dublin, 

Clonakilty (Co. Cork) and Ennistymon (Co. Clare)

Are you on the bus yet??

Ireland Tour Updates

I still have six empty seats for the 2016 Ireland Tour, May 1-10th. I'm certain that this will be my best tour ever. For this tour, fly into Shannon Airport (SNN) on arriving the morning of April 30th.  You'll take a cab to one of our favorite Bed and Breakfast establishments... Ashgrove House in Bunratty. 

Sheila and Frank Tiernan will welcome us to the the
Ashgrove House Bed and Breakfast in Bunratty on April 30th

Enjoy the picturesque village, and get a good night's sleep at Ashgrove House. No one is better at making you understand that you're not in the US any more.That first jet-lagged night is a great opportunity to meet your tourmates, too. We'll take a short nap after unpacking, and gather for an evening's adventure in Bunratty.  Our jet lag will keep us from staying out too late.  We'll retire back to the Bed and Breakfast for a comfy night's sleep.  

After our sumptuous full Irish breakfast, our wonderful tourmeister, bodhran player, turf-cutter, step-dancer and driver, Paddy Downes of County Clare will arrive so that we can begin our adventures.

Also, I'm thrilled to report that my dear friends Danny Donnelly and Caitriona McConnell Donnelly will be awaiting our arrival in Dublin.  After you've settled into your rooms you can join them for the first of the three banquets included in the cost of the tour.

Caitriona McConnell Donnelly, Me, Donal Donnelly

May 1, 2 and 3 -  The Harding Hotel, Dublin

http://www.hardinghotel.ie/

May 4,5 and 6 - The Clonakilty Hotel, Co. Cork

http://www.theclonakilty.com/index.html

"Welcome to our family run boutique style hotel in the heart of Clonakilty"

                                                                             Christopher and Patricia Byrnes

  May 7, 8 and 9 - The Falls Hotel, Ennistymon, Co. Clare

The Falls Hotel, Ennistymon, County Clare
http://www.fallshotel.ie/ 

The link to our driver +++ Paddy Downes' website:  http://www.downescoaches.com/II

The cost of the tour is $2300 ($500 single supplement) and includes nine nights in lovely Irish-owned hotels, all ground transportation, all breakfasts, three group banquets, admission to all heritage sites and all musicians' and docents' fees.

You'll pay for your transportation to and from Ireland, and to the Bed and Breakfast, as well as the first night's charge for the Bed and Breakfast.  You'll pay for your lunches, your beverages, and the other six dinners. You'll love every part of this tour - especially your tourmates and tourleaders.

If this sounds like I designed it for you (and I did!) Contact our tour concierge, Vicki Belinoski vbelinoski@austin.rr.com

and she'll be able to answer any of your questions. There are six seats left.  I hope that one of them is yours! You''ll be welcome indeed!

Friends and Family

Linda Horan, a dear friend and union activist/warrior, is receiving hospice care in Alstead, New Hampshire.  She is a great advocate of Labor History and Culture, workers' rights, and she has done so much for her friends, her community and her union.
Send a card to: Linda Horan, 7 Summer St., Alstead. NH  03602  

My husband suffered a pretty severe heart attack at the end of November.  He was able to return to Sweden on December 15th and he's convalescing there.  I am very afraid that his transatlantic travel has come to an end.  I knew this day would come, but I sure wasn't expecting it this soon.  I'm sad and lonely and broke.

The joy in my life comes from having my son Daniel and his wife Monique living 11 miles from me instead of in Zimbabwe!  Sebastian and Nico are so dear.

2016 Appeal - Please Read!!

It was August 16 of 2010 when the amazing doctors at Pittsburgh's Hillman Cancer told me that I had small cell lung cancer - a deadly killer.  They told me that they would do everything they could do give me "a good year," but they made no promises after that.

The 1 year survival rate is 20%... there is no 2 year survival rate. To make matters much worse, the cancer spread to my brain.  I was fairly certain the end was near. Chemotherapy is useless on brain cancer.  There's an impenetrable barrier to the brain.  The only treatment is radiation.  After more than 20 radiation sessions, they released me. Radiation causes fatigue and memory loss. Rather than abating over time, my fatigue and memory loss seem to be increasing.

I've just celebrated the 5th New Year's Eve that I thought I would never see. Four birthdays that I thought I would never see.  I've gotten to spend time with my two grandsons - whom I feared would have no memory of me. I am grateful beyond belief...  especially to you, dear readers.

But my unexpected survival is posing new, but I hope, solvable problems. Over the last 5 and 1/2  years I  have spent the $130,000 that arrived here in mostly $50 contributions from more than 2000 of you.  My current financial situation is not nearly as dire as it was in August of 2010, but it's pretty rough.  

I can't work as often as I have in the past - I don't have the strength or stamina to keep the crazy schedules I used to keep.  I need your help to make ends meet, and to pay off the substantial debt that I incurred in 2015. I hope you can send a $20 contribution to me. 
by check:

Anne Feeney

2240 Milligan Avenue 

Pittsburgh  PA  15218

Or by Paypal to:           anne@annefeeney.com

If times are tough for you, please disregard this message. I know lots of folks are really up against it. I hope I get to see you somewhere in the coming year and thank with with all my heart for your generosity, kindness and support over the years.