The terror attacks on 9/11 caused not only massive destruction but also disruption around the world as flights into and out of the United States were grounded or diverted.
People in an array of countries found themselves shocked, sorrowful, and bewildered.
The world literally shuddered. And as it did so many found themselves stranded far from home in America.
As places to be stranded in, Ireland was for sure one of the better ones.
And it would be just so for the Dunigan family from New Jersey.
As remembered by James Dunigan, a Middletown, NJ father of two and multidisciplinary artist, that being a writer, actor, musician, playwright, published author (writing as Seamus Sionnach), and inventor.
Dunigan has written "Beautiful Estrangement," a one man musical journey that is rooted in his family story in the days after 9/11.
Says James: "Beautiful Estrangement grew from an extraordinary chapter in my family’s life. My grandmother, Ann Dolan, was one of seven children raised by Michael and Catherine Dolan in a small cottage near Ballyjamesduff, County Cavan. She immigrated to America in 1935 and eventually raised four children in Newark, New Jersey.
"In September 2001, my sisters Katy and Taryn and I took our mother Nancy to Ireland for her 60th birthday. We deliberately chose a CIE tour that passed through County Cavan because we hoped to find our grandmother’s cottage.
"On September 10 we left the tour and spent the day searching Cavan, but couldn't find it. Everything changed the following morning."
As it did for countless people in America and around the world.
James continues: "On September 11, my sister Taryn departed Ireland on an earlier flight. Her plane was diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, making her one of the stranded airline passengers whose experience became associated with the story told in 'Come From Away.' The rest of us never took off and were stranded in Ireland for six additional days.
"With hotels and hostels filling rapidly, an Irish couple we had met at the airport offered us their phone number and help. We eventually called them, and they welcomed us into their home in County Cavan.
In an extraordinary twist, they lived only a few miles from the place we had spent the previous day searching.
"Soon afterward, we finally found our grandmother’s cottage. That experience, being separated from home during 9/11, while unexpectedly rediscovering where our family came from, became the heart of 'Beautiful Estrangement.'
"The title reflects that contradiction. Sometimes distance, loss and estrangement allow us to see home, family, and one another, from an entirely new perspective.
"The story has particular meaning to me as a lifelong Middletown resident. Middletown suffered an enormous loss on September 11, and I dedicate the production to those who perished and their families, especially those from my hometown."
"Beautiful Estrangement" will premiere at the Navesink Theatre in Middletown on Friday September 11, followed by performances September 12 and 13 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Tickets and information:http://beautifulestrangement.com/tickets
