In the farming and fishing village of Bally Conneely on Ireland's rugged Connemara coast, the small Catholic Church overflowed with 300 adults and children for services Friday night, September 14 in remembrance of the victims of terror in the US. Scores lit candles and stayed for an all-night vigil. It was not the kind of Sabbath celebration I had ever envisaged or hope to repeat.

Throughout Ireland churches, synagogues and mosques were packed by millions of faithful and those who never go, political leaders and teenagers with rings in assorted body parts, and Americans and visitors from others countries expressing their solidarity with the grieving families and the US. In Dublin, Rabbi Zalman Lent spoke to his congregants who similarly face terror in both their homelands of Ireland and Israel, saying violence will never win: "The human spirit is stronger than any attempt to crush, intimidate or terrorize it."

At the Clonskeagh mosque in Dublin Imam Hussein Halawa condemned the attacks but warned against "groundless accusations" being levelled against the Islamic religion. "I call on the world to think thoroughly and rationally, not to make of Islam and Muslims an enemy and not to punish the innocent for the crime of the guilty." Unfortunately, more than 90 abusive calls were received by the Islamic Foundation of Ireland.

At 11 am there was an eerie three-minute silence as both pedestrians and drivers stood still with heads bowed or openly wept. To honor their American counterparts, the Dublin Fire Brigade marched to the US embassy where they joined more than 30,000 in laying flowers, lighting candles and signing the book of condolences.

Ireland became the only country in the world to totally shutdown. All schools and sporting events were cancelled, and nearly EVERYTHING closed--businesses, petrol stations, and pubs. Some US computer makers remained open to serve European customers, but employees were given time to attend services. The nation was truly in deep mourning.

Tuesday afternoon I had been eating wild blackberries and playing with my two young nephews on one of those all-too-rare warm, sunny days. I was in Ireland to present an environmental seminar and visit my sister Ellen for the first time since she had moved with her fisherman husband back to his west coast home.

The phone rang and Ellen was told by a relative down the road to look at the tele as a plane had just flown into the World Trade Center. We turned on RTE One and sat in shocked horror as disaster rained down on her former workplace. Calls quickly ensued as we checked on her various brothers-in-law who did construction work in the city.

RTE TV and radio began 24 hour coverage, and the newspapers became filled with nearly exclusively American news. Shortly after the tragedy had unfolded Irish President Mary McAleese addressed the country and declared Friday to be a national holiday, requesting that all government offices and businesses close and that workers be given paid time off.

There were countless stories from the various commentators and guests about their American connection. I had never understood Ireland's umbilical cord with the US. It is tangible, live and very deep. Nearly everyone I met or saw interviewed had either visited or lived in New York and most had sons, daughters, brothers or sisters living there.

Reports of missing or dead Irish began pouring in--from office and construction workers to police officers and fire fighters--more than 1500. We soon learned of one relative who was missing in the World Trade Center. She was to be part of a family wedding September 15 in New York that was to be attended by 15 relatives in Ireland. She still has not been heard from, and with the cancellation of all Aer Lingus flights, the relatives could not attend.

I was supposed to fly back from Shannon on Friday September 14. There were constant phone waits of about an hour and a half to reach Continental, whether in Ireland or the US. The web showed the flight was cancelled, and the soonest I could book a flight was a week later. I would have missed Rosh Hashanah and a presentation at the Minnesota statewide sustainability conference and Governor's environmental awards.

So I set to work on the Internet for 5 hours and found there were openings in Manchester and some other places in England. I was able to fly thru Dublin to Manchester and then on to Newark on Sunday on a Continental flight that had been overbooked. However, so many decided not to fly and couldn't reach Continental to cancel (or made other arrangements) that there were more than 70 empty seats. Evidently many of the flights were also flying about one-third empty, despite thousands of stranded people all over Ireland and England who could not book returns.

Upon my return it was extraordinary to look across to see smoke still rising nearly a week later from the gaping hole in the New York skyline.

As Americans talk retaliation and war, I am reminded of the constant refrain I heard from a people that know violence all too well, as editorialized by The Irish Times: "If the US response is inspired only by vengeance or simple retaliatory action against Afghanistan, for example, it could easily rebound by recruiting even more people to the terrorist network responsible for this week's atrocities. An effective long-term campaign against this scourge of the modern world must tackle its root causes in misery, despair and injustice as well as the suicidal and fanatical individuals who carried out these outrages."

As a people of peace at this time of deep reflection, I can only hope that we will heed the painfully learned wisdom of our Irish sisters and brothers.

Terry Gips (tgips@mtn.org) is the President of the Alliance for Sustainability