Millstone family makes Irish eyes smile
Boy from Belfast becomes part of Blazier family for four weeks
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

MILLSTONE - There's hope for him to be part of the new peace in Northern Ireland.

Peadar Fitzpatrick, 12, of Belfast, Ireland, is growing up in a part of the world where, for many, childhood did not come easy. For centuries, boys and girls in Northern Ireland grew up in neighborhoods that served as battlegrounds for conflict that pitted the Protestants against the Catholics. Violence and death were a part of everyday life.

Although there is now a cease-fire and an agreement to seek peace in Northern Ireland, a legacy of hatred still divides the communities there, and reconciliation remains a critical need. By helping Catholic and Protestant children from that area visit the United States, Project Children in Greenwood Lake, N.Y. aims to help break down the prejudice fueling the Irish struggle.

"There are wars in Ireland about religion, and I hope Peadar learns how different religions can get along," Tighe Blazier Jr., 12, said.

Through Project Children, Millstone's Blazier family is hosting Peadar this summer for four weeks.

JEFF GRANIT staff Peadar Patrick, 12, (right and top) of Belfast in Northern Ireland, has fun spending time with the Blazier family of Millstone through a nonprofit program called Project Children. Above: Tighe Blazier Jr., 12, (l-r) and brother Matthew, 9, play video games on Wii with Peadar, who is visiting the Blazier family for four weeks.

During his stay, the Blazier parents have tried to instill in Peadar the necessity of peaceful resolutions to conflicts. They have talked to him about how different people can get along and educated him about the aspects of living in America.

Project Children advises host families not to ask questions about the hostility in the children's homeland. However, the Blaziers said that Peadar did show them a picture on his MySpace page of two men who were on a hunger strike and were being put in jail. Peadar, a Catholic, said they were going to jail "because they were Catholic."

Tighe Sr. said his family has learned a lot from having Peadar as a guest.

"We've learned to be more appreciative of what we have here, and we better understand the differences between the two cultures," he said. "Some things are very similar, but there are a lot of differences."

The Blazier parents also hope that this experience has taught their children a lesson in diversity and inspired them to be open to meeting new people and traveling to places all around the world.

While staying with the Blaziers, Peadar had a chance to visit New York City, see the nation's capital, taste new foods, meet new people and do many other things he had never experienced firsthand before.

Since Peadar's family back home consists of his mother, his father and two younger sisters ages 6 and 8, he was able to experience what it's like to live with two "brothers" while in the Blazier household.

Having two boys his age to play with is "class" for Peadar, which to him means "awesome."

"It's better because the girls really annoy me," he said. "I can't play with them. They play with dolls."

Peadar, Tighe Jr. and Matthew, 9, found out quickly that they had a lot in common. The three were taking turns playing the Wii video-game system while being interviewed for this article.

Together, the boys have been playing lots of video games, swimming, bouncing on the family's large trampoline and sharing their love of sports.

Peadar said he enjoyed telling his new friends about Gaelic football, which is similar to American football but a lot rougher. He also said the players do not wear protective gear.

Peadar said American football is fun and that he likes it better than Gaelic football "because it's better and easier."

"You don't get hurt that much," he said.

The boys also discovered other cultural differences between them.

Peadar said he calls a "trash can" a "trash bin."

Matthew pointed out that his new Irish friend calls french fries "chips" and that he calls chips "crisps."

The Blazier boys' mother, Lori, said, "Little things are different, but nothing major."

Some of the differences have been quite beneficial to Peadar. He has gotten to try and discover a liking for blueberries, applesauce, Caesar salad and grape juice.

Back home, Peadar lives in a city-like atmosphere, unlike Millstone's fairly rural area. Peadar said he was surprised to see a squirrel, which he had never before seen.

He called Millstone "a nice place."

"It's calm," he said. "I like it."

When he returns home, he said he expects to tell his family and friends that his trip "was brilliant" and that the family he stayed with "was great."

Tighe Jr. said he hopes Peadar tells his family and friends that America is really beautiful and filled with good people.

Tighe Sr. noted that Peadar won't return home until July 27 and said, "It's been quite an experience so far."

Lori said she feels fortunate to have Peadar as the family's guest.

"He's so polite," she said. "He gets along great with the kids. He gelled in our family really quickly."

She added, "We just want to talk up our experience so other people get interested. It has been such a great experience for us."

Established in 1975, Project Children is a nonprofit, apolitical, nonsectarian organization made up strictly of volunteers. It allows children to visit the United States at no cost to the American host family and also provides insurance for the kids.

For more information, visit www.interwebinc.com/children/.