Hugh Smith story 'has come home to Cavan'

“We’ll never forget him but now it’s nice to know that other people won’t forget him either.”

Those were the words of the late Hugh Smith’s son Nicholas who flew to Cavan from New York for a commemoration in honour of his father.

In a poignant and moving ceremony, The Hugh Smith 9/11 Collection was officially opened by Cathaoirleach Carmel Brady at Cavan County Museum in the presence of the late Hugh’s family, friends, neighbours, elected representatives and fire service staff.

The event took place last Friday, on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The exhibit tells the story of a selfless and courageous Killinkere man, who rushed to help others during the 9/11 attacks.

Hugh also played a key role in searching for survivors and in the clean up efforts in the aftermath, where he worked tirelessly for 242 days. Hugh passed away in April last year, but now his legacy will live on in the Ballyjamesduff museum, as well as in the hearts and minds of all who knew him.

The event labelled ‘A Cavan Hero’ heard of Hugh’s brave acts that historic day.

Hugh attended Virginia Vocational School where he trained as a carpenter, while he was also a talented footballer and captained Mullagh to victory in 1969 in the Cavan Minor Championship.

Days after he went to America and decided to stay there.

In New York, his carpentry skills led him to doing construction work on the World Trade Center’s twin towers, where he worked until September 11, 2001.

On that fateful morning, Hugh was across the street when the first aircraft ploughed into the north tower.

He immediately began helping with evacuations, however was himself caught in the impact and injured when the towers eventually collapsed.

“The cloud of debris engulfed all life and roared like a freight train,” he said at the time.

“He described the darkness as so complete, that he didn’t know if he was alive,” Hugh’s daughter Margaret Canjura told the room of rapt listeners. “But what he did next will probably tell you more about my dad than anything else. He went back, and back.”

Hugh returned to assist with the search for survivors at what soon became known as ‘Ground Zero’, working on what was called ‘bucket duty’, which was gathering remains, sometimes human.

Hugh then took on the role of health and safety during the clean-up for the following nine months, and was present for the removal of the last standing piece of the tower in May 2002.

While growing up, both of his children listened to their father’s stories in awe. Margaret was in college while Nicholas was in third grade when the attacks happened. Margaret recalled seeing her father after the attacks “completely covered from head to toe in dust”.

“He had so much concrete embedded in him,” she remembered.

Nicholas recalled his classmates being pulled out of school by terrified teachers at different intervals, but nobody in the classroom knew why.

“I was one of the last ones to get pulled out but I guess that was because they weren’t quite sure of his whereabouts.”

Seeing his father that day is an image Nicholas will “never forget”.

“He really knew all of those people who passed away and I think that’s what drew him to go back. He had a very hard time being there, the emotional trauma of it was really a lot but at the same time he felt like it was his duty to keep going,” Margaret explained.

While visiting Ireland in 2013, Hugh donated mementos to the County Museum, which included the hard hat he wore during the clean-up, a set of keys for the World Trade Centre, his Ground Zero Commemoration Closing Bell Ceremony Medal, a lanyard and pins, which includes a shamrock and a pint of Guinness, a metal cross made from a World Trade Centre beam, and a memorial badge which reads ‘We will not be defeated’.

“Dad may have left Cavan but Cavan never left my Dad,” Margaret continued. “He made sure to pass this connection on to us, that is why being here is so special. His journey began in Cavan and across the Atlantic, and took him to the top of the World Trade Center. He survived one of the most catastrophic moments in modern history, and now the story has crossed back one more time across the Atlantic, and it has come home to Cavan.”

Margaret says it is “so wonderful” the exhibit has opened and her dad’s story will be told “over and over again”.

“Obviously he was incredibly special to us but to see the impact he’s had on so many other people’s lives is incredible,” she said.

In 2002, Hugh and his colleague’s efforts were formally recognised by the United States Department of Labour, and Johann Farrelly from Cavan County Museum read out a short extract from that letter of recognition:

“They played an invaluable role in identifying the health and safety issues and concerns and participated in weekly work site tours of the site to monitor the abatement of hazards on the site. They were knowledgeable, well informed, articulated and constructive in their efforts to improve health and safety on the site.

“We send our deepest thanks to the carpenter’s professionalism and commitment to the safety and health of the workers who risked their lives daily at this tragic worksite.”

“I think that sums up Hugh,” Johann said.

Hugh was affectionately known as ‘The Mayor’ and the nickname comes up often during the commemoration. No matter who you were or what your reasons were for visiting New York, Hugh was there to greet those from his native Cavan.

“Hugh took us by the hand and he brought us around New York,” Virginia Fire Station Officer Patrick Farrelly told those gathered.

He shared how Hugh brought a delegation of fire officers from Cavan to places in the 9/11 museum, which normally are not accessible to the public.

“We were privileged that day to get into those places because Hugh Smith was there. They are moments and memories I will never forget... He was a proper gentleman and a brilliant man.”

Football expert Damien Donohoe met Hugh while following the Cavan vs New York game in 2015. He too toured Ground Zero with Hugh.

“When something catastrophic like that happens, it’s a fight or flight mode in you and his instinct on that day was to go and help others. There was no regard for his own safety for his own health in the longer term. It was just [a case of] people need help and I’m going to do it.”

The event paused at 1:46pm Irish time (8:46am New York time) for one minute and again at 2:03pm (9:03am New York Time), which marked the moments aircrafts struck the two towers.

In the silence of the museum, those gathered remembered the people who lost their lives, who helped in the clean-up effort, and those whose lives were forever changed as a result of what happened.

Hugh’s story will form part of the Local Heroes Outreach programme in Cavan schools, developed in collaboration with the World Trade Center Museum. The programme will give local school children the opportunity to explore the story of 9/11 through the eyes of somebody from their own community. The programme doesn’t look at what happened that day but also afterwards, and how somebody from their community made a huge impact in what has become recognised a generation defining moment.

“When we talk about events like this [with young people] we can’t promise that it will never happen again, but after something bad happens there is also kindness, there’s bravery, there’s courage and there’s community spirit. Hugh embodied all of those,”

Research and Education Officer at Cavan County Museum Catherine McGuinness said: “It’s very important that Hugh’s story doesn’t just stay with the museum.

“As the old saying goes, not all heroes wear capes, some wear hard hats.”