Fifteen Years Later

How it’s New York: September 11th.
How it’s Irish: A Dubliner’s brief account of one of his 9/11 memories.

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15 years ago this Monday, I was working as a writer/photographer for an Irish newspaper in New York City. I heard the house phone (I didn’t have a cellphone) ring at about 8.40am, and it was an old pal, telling me I should rush into Manhattan and get a story, and some photos, as a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. I skipped the shower, quickly got dressed and threw on a cap to hide my unkempt hair (I’d a lot more back then). Flicking on the news as I prepared myself, I saw the burning building and began to realize the enormity of what had happened. It was at that moment that the second plane hit. I took off my cap, sat back on the edge of the couch, and quit getting ready. I’d not be going to Manhattan that day, and a lot more wouldn’t be leaving it. (PS I took the photo on September 2nd, when I was downtown buying a new digital camera).