'A slow loss of hope' - Irish impacted by 9/11 remembered

Twenty-five years ago, what began as an ordinary Tuesday morning turned into a day that changed the world forever.

Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Seven of those were Irish born and at least 18 people with direct ties to Ireland were among the victims.

The events of that day left a lasting impact on communities on both sides of the Atlantic.

Commemorative events will be held across Ireland this weekend to remember those of Irish heritage who died and to honour the courage shown by so many in the aftermath of the attacks.

For the McHugh family from Co Galway, 11 September 2001 is a day they will never forget.

Born in America but raised in Tuam, 35-year-old Anne-Marie McHugh was working as a financial broker in the World Trade Centre that day.

As news of the first of the terror attacks at the Twin Towers began to filter through to Ireland, her sister Maura received a distressed call from home.

"My mother rang me and I was living in Dublin at the time. Everyone was like 'Go look at the television' and so you could see the tower with the smoke coming out of it."

Known to the family as Anne, Maura's thoughts immediately turned to her older sister, who had emailed her only that morning. Anne worked for a finance company called Euro Brokers on the 84th floor of the South Tower.

As pictures of the attack on the World Trade Centre were beamed across multiple news outlets, Maura feared the worst.

"Anne was in the South Tower and that one was the second hit, but it was the first to fall. So we saw all of that live on television."

Anne had survived the 1993 bombings at the World Trade Centre when she worked as a broker for Cantor Fitzgerald in the North Tower. Following the 2001 terror attack, with lines of communication down and no way of contacting Anne directly, Maura and her family waited for news from New York.

"We just didn't know because a lot of people got out. Myself and my younger brother Brendan were on the first Aer Lingus flight that went into New York.

"And then when we were there, it was just a slow loss of hope because there was no body. A couple of people saw her, but nobody actually knows what happened that day, other than she died."

Anne McHugh's remains were never recovered from Ground Zero.

"The only reason we know Anne is dead is because she's not here," says Maura.

Before September 11th, Anne had been finalising plans for her wedding in Italy, where she was due to marry her fiancé Patrick Day in November 2001. In the weeks that followed the attacks, Maura and her family faced an agonising wait for updates at Anne's New York apartment.

"It was sad because we were surrounded by Anne's belongings. You know we were just almost expecting her to burst in the door."

As memorials got under way across New York, a special memorial Mass for Irish victims of the attacks were held at Holy Trinity Church in Upper Manhattan.

Among those attending the service were Anne McHugh's parents, Margaret and her now late father Padraic, whom she had regularly flown home to visit.

To this day, the support given to her family at the time of the tragedy stands out for Maura McHugh.

"The help, the love for my family, from the people of New York, from the people in Ireland, from the people in Tuam. And then, of course, all the service people, the police, the fire departments, they were all so great."

'It was such a relief to hear his voice'

Among the first responders on September 11th was Michael Lyons from Swinford, Co Mayo, a member of the New York City Fire Department.

Born in the US, Michael's parents had returned to his father's home county in the 1970s and raised their four sons in Meelick, near Swinford.

After graduating from the University of Galway, Michael spent some time as a teacher but in 1998 returned to New York to fulfil a lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter and join two of his brothers, Patrick and Joe, who served as policemen there.

On 12 September 2001 Martin Lyons, the youngest of the four brothers, finally received the news he had been hoping for.

"I remember getting a phone call. I'll never forget just the relief. It was Mike's voice. He says, 'Martin, I'm okay.' And it was just such a relief to hear his voice. It was much after that we learned what else had happened on that day as well."

The heroic actions of Michael Lyons and three of his colleagues from the New York City Fire Department came to light in the years that followed the fall of the Twin Towers.

The Mayo firefighter had been involved in a miraculous rescue, saving the life of Pasquale Buzzelli, a Port Authority engineer who was on the 22nd floor of the North Tower trying to evacuate when it collapsed.

The rescue inspired the Channel 4 documentary '9/11: The Miracle Survivor', in which Michael Lyons spoke about his experience that day.

"When we got down there, it was chaotic. The North Tower was just after collapsing," he said.

"There were people running in multiple directions. You could see the fear on people's faces. Everybody's covered in dust and debris. You were choking on the air that was down there.

"And we were searching voids and areas that we thought we could find people or fellow firemen or whoever in the debris."

Martin Lyons remembers how the rescue of Pasquale Buzzelli impacted his older brother.

"Michael said it was the only good thing to come from that day, finding that one survivor."

Michael Lyons' actions that day would ultimately lead to his own death from lung cancer. His brother Martin says that despite the impact on his own health, Mike Lyons would not have changed the decisions he made that day.

"He always said though he never had any regrets, even when he got diagnosed with cancer that was relating to the day itself. He said even in his last few weeks, 'Martin, I have no regrets.'"

A father of two, Captain Michael Lyons died on 29 March 2022, aged 53.

In 2003, locals in Tuam came together to create the Anne Marie McHugh Remembrance Park.

Each year since its opening, a service to remember Anne and the other victims of the 9/11 attacks has taken place. This year on the 25th anniversary of the attacks, a memorial event will be held on 11 September at 2pm.

As the world remembers the events of September 11th, 2001, this weekend, Maura McHugh will remember her sister Anne in her own way.

"She was a great friend, a good sister," says Maura. "She loved life. She lived life fully. And that's what I think about her."

For Martin Lyons and his family in Co Mayo and the US, the legacy of his brother and his actions on 9/11 continues to endure.

"He was a proud Mayo man. He was above all a proud dad and gave so much of his life to help others, and what else can one do in one's life but to try and help people in their time of need?

"And I think that's the most human thing of all, to be able to help someone when they need you."