Irishmen Help With Trade Centre Rebuild

Irish construction workers have been lending a helping hand with the re-build at the ground zero site in America.

Work on the Four World Trade Centres has started to take shape on the land now known as ground zero. Irish tradesmen John O'Shea and his son Patrick O'Shea are among workers employed by the development.

Patrick O'Shea was only 11 years-old when the planes hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

He said: "It is a great experience to be working alongside my father on such a major job."

With more than 3,000 workers on the 16-acre site daily, the Kerry man, John O’Shea says there are several Irish tradesmen involved.

"Historically the Irish have been more into construction than other nationalities. We are known for our construction background and we are all pulling together to bring the site back to its former glory," he said.


An 80 story glass and steel tower and man made waterfalls now stand on ground zero.

The surrounding neighborhood is no longer just a financial district, it is bursting with young families, new schools, a Whole Foods and a Barnes & Noble.

Also opening this coming weekend, the National September 11 Memorial and Museum is complete and looks nothing but impressive.

John said: "I'm kind of proud because two weeks after 9/11 this was a dust pit – this shows a can do attitude."

John who emigrated from Kerry in 1982, works as a foreman with Eurotech Construction and specialises in safety protection. Patrick is a third year carpenter apprentice.

Ground Zero remains a popular tourist destination, with thousands descending on Lower Manhattan each day to catch a glimpse of the redevelopment.

The September 11 were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks against the United States in 2001. On that morning, 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger jets.

The hijackers intentionally crashed two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and both towers collapsed within two hours. Hijackers crashed a third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. When passengers attempted to take control of the fourth plane, United Airlines Flight 93, it crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, preventing it from reaching its intended target in Washington, D.C.. Nearly 3,000 died in the attacks.

(LB/CD)