Dear Sun Spots: We would love to get some entertainer for some of our diners at a reasonable price here at the Esplanade, a low-income housing unit, in Auburn. If anyone can help, please, I would appreciate a call. Please call Gilda Berube at (207) 786-0368 or Bev Nelson at (207) 784-3910. – Gilda Berube, Auburn.

Dear Sun Spots: On the TV show “Third Watch” I saw an episode with the Irish tenor Ronan Tynan singing at a funeral for a casualty of 9-11. The show was originally shown on Channel 6 but was a repeat shown on A&E recently. Can you please find out the name, and possibly the lyrics from the Irish song he sang? – Pat Carleton, Farmington.

Answer: Sun Spots believes you are referring to “Isle of Hope (Isle of Tears),” by Mayo, Ireland resident Brendan Graham and also recorded by Andy Cooney, Dolores Keane, Anthony Kearns and Tynan. You might like to check out the CD “Ellis Island” by The Irish Tenors for a recording of this. In the meantime Sun Spots hopes you enjoy the following lyrics:

ISLE OF HOPE, ISLE OF TEARS

On the first day on January,

Eighteen ninety-two,

They opened Ellis Island and they let

The people through.

And the first to cross the threshold

Of that isle of hope and tears,

Was Annie Moore from Ireland

Who was all of fifteen years.

Chorus:

Isle of hope, isle of tears,

Isle of freedom, isle of fears,

But it’s not the isle you left behind.

That isle of hunger, isle of pain,

Isle you’ll never see again

But the isle of home is always on your mind.

In a little bag she carried

All her past and history,

And her dreams for the future

In the land of liberty.

And courage is the passport

When your old world disappears

But there’s no future in the past

When you’re fifteen years

Chorus

When they closed down Ellis Island

In nineteen forty-three,

Seventeen million people

Had come there for sanctuary.

And in Springtime when I came here

And I stepped onto its piers,

I thought of how it must have been

When you’re fifteen years.

Chorus

Dear Sun Spots: Dirigo Place needs the help of Sun Spots column readers!

We need lawn maintenance items, a lawn mower, outdoor furniture and a barbecue grill in good condition.

Donations may be left at 98 Russell St. in Lewiston.

Dirigo Place is one of more than 80 programs operated by a nonprofit organization and serving adolescents living with a mental illness. During their stay, our clients volunteer their time at such places as Bradbury Mountain and Lost Valley. They have also adopted a piece of land in Lewiston for planting flowers, maintaining overgrowth and keeping the area litter-free.

We sure would appreciate any donations that would assist in making our summer program fun. For more information, or to make arrangements to contribute to the program, please call (27) 784-7144. Thank you in advance for your support. – Jessica Marston, Lewiston.

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