WE ARE BOSTON FREAKING STRONG!!!

A good friend of mine went back to Ireland to visit his family, reveling in the home of his ancestors during the warm spring in April, when the Tsarnaev brothers decided to blow up people by placing bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. This was the goal, to terrorize the public by detonating bombs that would main and kill runners and spectators at the sporting event with huge media cover, the world watching.

The world watched as the bombs exploded in Boston on Patriots Day, April 15 -- killing three people that included a child, and injuring more than 280 people, many of whom lost multiple limbs. One of the terrorists died in the aftermath shootout with police, the other brother managed to escape. In an unprecedent move, the city of Boston ordered a lockdown, garnering everyone off the streets in order to find the missing Tsarnaev brother.

It was a brilliant strategic move, undercutting the terrorist efforts to melt into the Boston cultural backdrop -- the crazed Tsarnaev brothers understood that Boston was home to an endless stream of students each year. The Tsarnaev brothers were dressed in student fatigues - jeans, sweatshirt, baseball hats - in the city famous for its elite academic institutions.

Four days after the Boston Marathon, the bloody Tsarnaev brother was found in a boat stored in a yard in nearby Watertown. Boston breathed a sigh of relief.

Compared to "The Troubles" violence in Ireland, the reaction to the Boston Marathon bombings was adamantly negative in Ireland -- my friend's Irish companions slammed Boston for ordering the lockdown in order to capture the terrorist, making such a big deal out of the Marathon bombings. Boston was a city united in its quest to find the person who had committed this act of violence during Boston's prestige sporting event with the world as its stage. The unique approach to shut down the city -- ruining the terrorist's chance to escape -- was Boston Strong, agreeing to act together for the greater good.

We understood that we are not immune to the suffering of The Troubles that have become a part of everyday life in Ireland. In America, our political verbage is strong, but we do not want vulnerability in our daily lives. We are Boston Freaking Strong!