Bad Day At Galway -- And sure don’t we all have the bad day every once in a while. Not so long ago Queen Elizabeth had an entire bad year that she resorted to Latin to describe. But the Irish Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, had a couple of days in Galway in mid-September that have left his Dail allies and his handlers scrambling for euphemisms in attempts to extricate the Irish leader from a continuing series of highly critical public and press thunderbolts. Some even posed the very real possibility that Cowen’s leadership could be hanging on public opinion polls due out in late September.

It all began at the Ardilaun Hotel where the Fianna Fail boyos and a token presence of female party members were discussing over pints how to resuscitate the coalition government now deep into the economic morass that is Ireland today. The FF think-session broke about 2 a.m. and the Taoiseach had a few brief hours before his RTE radio interview on Morning Ireland. Well, to cut to the chase, let me note that the interview, when it lapsed into incoherence, was a nightmare for Cowen. He mumbled, mistook one agreement for another, and rambled into linguistic corners that offered little or no escape. One Dail Deputy called the Cowen performance "halfway between drunk and hung over." To the rescue came Mary Hanafin, Minister for Tourism and a member of the Cowen cabinet, who said of him on radio, "He was hoarse and groggy and congested early in the morning, which does happen to an awful lot of people." Indeed. She later recanted.
Bad ice cube or whatever, Mr. Cowen’s difficulties in the county of Galway were not finished. The radio station ran a flash poll and 77 percent of its listeners declared they had no confidence in Brian Cowen. Later that day, prominent Irish golfer and onetime European Ryder Cup team member Phil Walton said he was angry and upset at a comical impersonation of him by Cowen that mocked the golfer’s high-pitched voice. And the next day the Irish newspapers, who revel in bringing down the powerful, had much to say about the on-air disaster.
As a final indignity, on the way home to Dublin out of Galway, the Taoiseach got stuck in a massive, hours-long traffic jam that conceivably provided ample opportunity for him and his driver to reflect in depth on the perils of leadership in modern Ireland.
N.I. Leaders Skip The Pope In Scotland -- While secular elements in the United Kingdom and a couple of chancers looking to make a citizen’s arrest of the pope were trouble enough, it was left to the North’s First Minister, Peter Robinson, and deputy first minister Martin McGuinness to do the politically correct thing —for themselves. As the politicians lined up to greet Pope Benedict, it was a lineup that did not include the Stormont leaders. Robinson, the successor to Ian Paisley, was hiding out so as not to conflict with his old boss, who was once again making an anti-papist fool of himself. McGuinness, meanwhile, an unpledged delegate to Elizabeth’s court and well-known abstentionist, was not going to be seen with the queen.
Barry McGuigan, A Hero When Needed -- It was 1985 and McGuigan, a Catholic married to a Protestant girl and hailing from border county Monaghan, had just won the World Featherweight boxing title. He was the toast of Ireland north and south, but especially to the people of the six counties. He had, as one paper announced, "character and charisma" and he was a gentleman, who never spoke ill of his opponents and who carried his WBA crown with dignity and calm assurance. And best of all for the beleaguered North and the freshly minted Anglo-Irish agreement, he fought under the United Nations peace flag and encouraged a sense of goodwill and unity in what were dark, contentious days in the North.
What goes around comes around, they say, and now it is time to say thank you to Barry McGuigan and the hope that he dealt in during parlous times. The retired world champion has been nominated by the Belfast’s Springboard Opportunities to receive the UN’s Inspiration Award for Peace. Well done to a genuine champion.
Phoebe Prince Scholarship Honors Her Memory -- While the trial of several defendants in the tragic bullying death in South Hadley, Massachusetts of Clare native Phoebe Prince soldiers on, there is warming news from California, as the Irish Emigrant notes. Philanthropist J. M. Mahoney has established and funded an ongoing scholarship at the University of California in Phoebe’s name. The scholarship endowment fund at the university will be directed toward students entering the School of Public Health. Anyone interested in donating to Phoebe’s scholarship fund can visit the cal.berkeley.edu site and enter Phoebe Prince in the subject box.
Irish Presidential Election Next Year -- It’s more than a full year before Mary McAleese will finish her second term and vacate Aras an Uachtarain, but already the jockeying for position to succeed her as Irish President is beginning in earnest. Several names that have surfaced in recent weeks include the veteran Labour politician Michael D. Higgins, who represents Galway West in the Irish parliament. Also mentioned is businessman Fergus Finlay, Senator David Norris, Fianna Fail MEP Brian Crowley, Mary (Lenihan) O’Rourke, Dail member and former minister, and last but never least, the former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. All will be looking for party sponsorship and votes come October 2011.
However, early polling following his deadly appearances before the Mahon Tribunal, indicates a sharp falling off of support for Ahern. A recent poll showing an 80 percent to 15 percent NO vote for president for the former Fianna Fail leader should make Ahern a non-starter next year. But with Bertie, one never knows.
Higgins, whose rich resume includes stints as Minister for Arts, as senator, and Dail membership of 30 years, is a colorful character who was a regular visitor to Boston for the Irish trade festivals of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s sponsored by Boston Ireland Ventures. Higgins has asked his Labour Party to name him their official candidate and has been publicly touting his candidacy.
One problem in Irish real politik terms is that Labour and its leadership is currently popular but poor in Dail seats and if Higgins vacates his seat to run for president there is a distinct possibility the party would not hold the seat in the next national election.
Check Out Those Passports -- If you are going to Ireland or Britain all you really need in your functional and secure US passport is that you should be back home before it expires. Simple and direct and you’re all set. But unfortunately that’s not the case with many other EU countries that US citizens visit before or after touring Ireland.
Many countries have rules (often hard to find or know) mandating that American tourist passports should be valid three months beyond the period of stay; not a week or a month, but three full months. And the airlines do not check your country of destination to ensure that you are observing that country’s passport restrictions. You are on your own.
What follows is an incomplete listing of countries that can deny you entry if you do not observe the three-month rule: Germany, Greece, France, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Switzerland, and the Scandinavian countries. To be sure, check with your travel agent or foreign consular officials. It’s better than being turned away at the point of entry.
Save The Date -- Gail O’Docherty has reached out to answer many queries from friends about a Memorial Celebration for her late husband, the popular painter and traditional musician David O’Docherty. The memorial will take place on Sun., Nov. 14, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the upstairs function room of the Black Rose, at 160 State Street, near the Aquarium T stop in Boston.
Kennedy Senate Institute A Winner -- It’s inevitable that there is grumbling and finger-pointing when public places are named for and dedicated to elected public officials and others. It seems to chafe our anti-royalty DNA. But in looking at Ted Kennedy’s legacy and his litany of accomplishments in the United States Senate, it is important, critically so, that we leave something meaningful and enduring in our midst that reminds us never to forget that the youngest of the Kennedy family was a special joyous gift to this corner of America and its people.
We have three iconic highway landmarks in Boston that honor three men who each contributed his individual talent, style, and persona to help define Boston as the unique entity it is. The three could not be more different in background and interests. Ted Williams was a baseball player of extraordinary gifts, a Marine combat aviator, and the son of a Salvation Army volunteer; Lenny Zakim, a Jew, was a man of memorable heart who fought injustice and reached beyond that to elevate charity and giving to a humanitarian art form; Thomas P. "Tip" O’Neill, out of Barry’s Corner in Cambridge, a Catholic social reformer in Old Pol costume who re-fashioned boot-strap politics into a relentless force for good that we may never see again.
In looking over the names of some of the current and past members of Congress that have had institutes and university centers named after them, the list includes some rogues and some legislators of substance and impact. They include Everett Dirksen, John Glenn, Richard Lugar, John Stennis, Charles Rangel, Hawaii’s Senator Daniel Inouye, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, James Cliburn, former Speaker Dennis Hastert, Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, and many others.
The reality is that Edward M. Kennedy was the most productive, progressive senator in length and accomplishment in the history of the United States Senate. Bar none. It is fitting that we honor him with a "dynamic center of learning," as his widow defined it, that will stand as a source of research and learning to help us and generations to come to understand what the Senate is and what and how Ted Kennedy, the giant of the senate, accomplished in his five decades there.
Ireland, A Tiny Country That Gives Big -- A study recently completed by the Charities Aid Foundation clearly reaffirms Ireland’s history and reputation as one of the world’s most generous countries. Ireland tied with Canada for third in the global rankings, trailing only Australia and New Zealand in charitable giving. One of the impressive sub texts of the study is that despite the economic downturn in Ireland its people still recognize that there is a moral obligation to implement their giving as they have done regularly over the years. The study also noted that happier people are more likely to give money to charity than those who are well-off. Is there a difference?
The Green Isle and Gay Marriage -- An Irish Times poll found that 67 percent of the Irish people believe same-sex couples should be allowed to marry. The mid-September survey shows a surprisingly new, broad-based liberalism towards gays, where being gay or lesbian "isn’t such a big taboo" and neither is the subject of gay and lesbian couples getting married. The director of Marriage Equality said that the findings show the Irish are "keenly aware that the current exclusion of gay and lesbian couples from civil marriage is deeply unfair and doesn’t make any sense in today’s Ireland." It is expected that if public opinion continues as it has been trending in recent times, there will be a concerted push to legislate for same-sex marriage.
RANDOM CLIPPINGS
It was bound to happen. Publicans who are hurting have begun pointing to the ban on smoking as a chief cause of reduced revenue in the pubs. … With much less controversy, Galway will soon have its first purpose-built mosque to provide for the city’s 3,000 Muslims. … Bloody Sunday, the massacre of 13 unarmed civilians by British paras, will soon have minted coins as a collector’s item to benefit victims’ families and the Free Derry Museum. … Tony Blair, former British PM, needed a 60-member garda team to ensure his security during his Dublin book tour. … Ireland’s cities and towns are trying to overcome the economic downturn by letting loose the car park wardens. Parking fees account for $70 million annually to cash-strapped towns. … Travel agents from across the Irish Republic will gather in Belfast for their annual general meeting. A generous gesture and long overdue.
Hard times in Ireland has many property owners unloading overseas property and this has intensified monitoring of sales by the Revenue folks. … Towns are looking anew at public toilets. The so-called superloos cost a thousand euros to run each week and take in only a fraction of that. … Trinity and University College Dublin have both slipped in the world university rankings, now out of the first 100. … Pat Kenny, the RTE broadcaster who takes home annually between $800,000 and $1.2 million, describes his salary as "trivial" compared to footballers. He said RTE had to "incentivise" stars like him. What planet, Pat, are you calling from? … Despite the economic situation, some 20 multinational companies have relocated their corporate headquarters to Ireland in the past year.
Michael O’Leary, Ryanair CEO, is testing "stand-up seats" for his planes and has called for one pilot per plane, suggesting that hostesses could be trained to land in an emergency. … The US and Australia are issuing travel warnings for Irish-bound tourists because of the breakaway-dissidents. A bit hyper, say what. … The Irish, as noted earlier in the column, are generous but favor more restrictive laws about begging, especially near residential areas, ATMs and businesses. … Ireland is one of the top spots for nudist beaches, says a UK study. Recommended are Silver Strand Beach in Barna, Co. Galway, Corballis in north Co. Dublin, and Brittas Bay in Wicklow. … Australia’s narrowly reelected Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, is on record as saying that her country should cut its ties with Britain and become a republic when Queen Elizabeth abdicates or dies.
Update on the Marathon man and his mate, who ran an astonishing 32 marathons across 32 counties in 32 days. The total raised by the marathons for Irish Autism Action was $625,000. God bless the Mark. … Coming soon: Long Kesh/H-Blocks the Museum. The prison site is 8 miles from Lisburn and will become a peace and conflict resolution facility. … Emigration of the Irish out of Ireland is at a 20-year high, approaching 30,000 annually. The Irish are heading for Britain, Canada, Australia, and the United States. A sad result of the greed and recklessness of banks in the US, Ireland, and other EU countries. … Howie Carr, of WRKO and the Boston Herald, is now making personal appearances as host and crowd-draw at Republican events in Mass. and New Hampshire. It’s about time that Carr got that public Big R after his name, and the same for Rupert Murdoch, both of whom have long ago stopped pretending to be balanced. … Martin McGuinness, maybe trying to distract the faithful from his absence at the pope’s arrival, is saying that Pope Benedict could visit Ireland in 2012. … Sorry to see the venerable Copley Plaza Hotel sold (almost $100 million) but good to see the Fairmont group will continue to manage it. … The so-called dissident republicans deserve a smash in the face and more, but given the dire Afghan situation I was stunned by the news that a senior British counter-explosive officer who was a top IED man has been sent from Afghanistan to Northern Ireland to counter the bombing campaign there. … Did the Mass. House Speaker or his allies see the tiny item in the Globe noting the layoff last month of 355 workers at Mohegan Sun? Make you stop and think?
Finally, an interesting observation by a top Irish financial regulator who noted that when the Irish economy was growing at 10 percent, three top Irish banks (including Anglo-Irish and AIB) were growing their lending by 45, 40, and 30 percent, respectively. Says a lot, sadly.