Tag Archives: Enda Kenny

Ring of Kerry cycle race raises money for charities

My wife and I rode our bicycles along the Mount Vernon Trail, an extended bluff that overlooks the Potomac River south of Washington, D.C. Here the river is wide and tidally influenced, like the lower Shannon between Kerry and Clare. We could smell the salt water.

KerryAlso this weekend was the 31st annual Ring of Kerry charity cycle, which raises money for Kerry charities. Taoiseach Enda Kenny was among some 10,000 cyclists on the scenic but grueling 112-mile route, according to The Irish Times.

Some call the race Kerry’s version of the Tour de France. Here’s the official race website, including the charities. Here’s one of my earlier posts about bicycling in Ireland.

Independents, Sinn Féin win big in Irish elections

Independent and Sinn Féin candidates have surged into local offices in Ireland and appear to being gaining ground in European elections.

Some results of the 23 May elections are still being tabulated.

“Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and his Labour Party coalition partners have suffered a huge slump in support … as voters kicked back against the long years of painful austerity measures, The Wall Street Journal reported at the weekend.

Here’s more reaction from Irish Times‘ columnist Stephen Collins:

The 2011 general election marked the end of Fianna Fáil dominance, which had lasted almost 80 years. If the [latest] local election results are the harbinger of things to come, they could mark the end of party politics as we know it. More than 40 percent of the votes in the local elections went to Independents, smaller parties and Sinn Féin, while in Dublin that trend was even stronger with over half the vote drifting away from the three parties that have dominated politics since the foundation of the State. … (T)he scale of the slump in the vote of both Coalition parties, the substantial breakthrough by Sinn Féin right across the country and the sheer scale of the swing to Independents of all hues could presage political instability on quite a scale in the years ahead.

Of 949 contested seats, 45 remained to be filled as of 26 May, according to this election summary by the Irish Independent. Here’s the summary for Kerry, where all 33 seats have been decided.

Some races are still being decided. Image from http://www.breakingnews.ie/

Some races are still being decided. Image from http://www.breakingnews.ie/

 

 

Kenny meets Obama at White House

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and President Barack Obama have completed the annual St. Patrick’s holiday meeting at the White House.

Obama said he was “disappointed” that all-party talks in Northern Ireland failed to reach agreement at the end of last year. Kenny said the two leaders privately addressed immigration reform and the situation in Ukraine.

Here’s the full transcript of their public remarks.

Kenny and Obama. White House photo.

Kenny and Obama.                                                                          White House photo.

Best of the Blog, 2013

This is my first annual “Best of the Blog,” a look at some of the most important news stories, historical anniversaries and personal favorite posts of the past year. I am not numbering the list to avoid the appearance of rank. Most links are to my original posts.

Enjoy, and Happy New Year:

  • The most significant personal milestone of the year was the centennial of my grandfather’s May 1913 emigration from County Kerry. I detailed Willie Diggin’s trip in a series of posts and recently published book, “His Last Trip: An Irish-American Story.”
  • The year 2013 marked the 150th anniversary of the Irish Brigades fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg and Irish-Catholic anti-conscription riots in New York City. It was the 100th anniversary of the Dublin labor lockout and the formation of the Irish Volunteers.
  • Ireland also noted the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s return to his ancestral homeland in June 1963. November marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of America’s first Irish-Catholic president.
  • Ireland liberalized its abortion laws in 2013 after a contentious debate with the Catholic Church, including a controversial appearance at the Boston College commencement by Irish PM Enda Kenny. Kenny won the abortion battle, but his effort to abolish the Seanad Éireann was defeated in a nationwide referendum.
  • The Irish community in Boston was in the news with the trial and conviction of mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, and the election of new mayor Martin J. Walsh.
  • The Irish Independent obtained recorded telephone conversations between former Anglo Irish Bank executives that revealed the depth of deception leading up to a government bailout of the failed financial institution. The Irish banking scandal and property bust reached all the way to Tampa, where I have covered problems with a retail and entertainment complex called Channelside Bay Plaza.
  • The Gathering Ireland 2013 focused on increasing visitors to their ancestral homeland. Project officials said it delivered more than a quarter million overseas tourists as of Dec. 23.
  • RIP: The passing of Seamus Heaney, 1939-2013, was probably the most significant death in Ireland during the year. Watch New York Times video tribute. The death of Margaret Thatcher also caused quite a stir on the island, though hardly as affectionate.
  • U.S. President Barack Obama and other global leaders attended the G8 Summit at County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, something that would have been unthinkable a generation ago. Nevertheless, as the year ended, U.S. envoy Dr. Richard Haass and Northern Ireland political leaders were still trying to finalize on agreement to solve ongoing problems with flags, parades and the past.
  • The past year was the 125th anniversary of the murder of Kerry farmer John Foran, a victim of the agrarian violence so widespread across Ireland in general and Kerry in particular during the last quarter of the 19th century. I look forward to doing more research and writing about this episode and the period in the new year.
This image of Kerry was used to illustrate a New York Times story headlined "Lost In Ireland. I've had it posted at my desk since it was published in October 2010. In 2014, I'll be moving to Washington, D.C. and look forward to seeing what's beyond the hill.

This image of rural road in Kerry illustrated a New York Times story headlined “Lost In Ireland. It was published in October 2010. I’ve kept the picture posted at my work desk ever sense. In 2014 I’ll be moving to Washington, D.C. and look forward to seeing what’s beyond the hill.

Kinney announces 2014 Irish culinary tour

Over the past year I’ve had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with Noreen Kinney, one of the nicest and most important representatives of Irish America in the Tampa metro.

Noreen is Culinary Ambassador for Ireland in the USA. She was a pioneer in the new Irish cuisine movement in the 1960s, and has played an important role in the island’s food scene ever since. Here is a detailed look at her career.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Noreen Kinney at St. Patrick's Day reception in Washington, D.C. in March 2013. Photo: Marty Katz

At center, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Noreen Kinney at St. Patrick’s Day reception
in Washington, D.C. in March 2013. Photo: Marty Katz

Next fall Noreen will lead a “Presidential Scenic Culinary Tour of Ireland” from Sept. 26 through Oct. 4. The trip will span both sides of the border. Twenty-nine U.S. presidents have ties to the island of Ireland, from Andrew Jackson (Bonnybefore) and Ulysses S. Grant (Dergenagh) to John F. Kennedy (New Ross), Ronald Reagan (Ballyporeen), and Barack Obama (Moneygall).

The food — and Noreen’s expert guidance — will be outstanding.

Irish Seanad survives close vote as Kenny takes loss

Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Irish parliament, will continue to have a role in the country’s Dublin-based government.

In a national referendum Oct. 4, the vote was 51.7 percent against abolishing the body to 48.3 percent in favor of the proposal, which was backed by the ruling government coalition led by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

“Unloved as it undoubtedly is, the Seanad may be about to receive an unexpected reprieve,” Irish Times columnist Arthur Beesley wrote in advance of the final tally. “This would open up a nightmare scenario for Kenny, the unwavering champion of abolition and the man who put the very notion on the political agenda in the first place and ran with in the last election.”

Kenny had said that abolishing the body would save the financially strapped country 20 million Euro a year.

The 60 members of the the Seanad, or Senate, are appointed by several different methods rather than being elected by the people. It is similar to the British House of Lords. Members of the U.S. Senate were elected by state legislatures until 1913, when the 17th Amendment allowed for a popular vote.

The Times reported “a clear pattern emerged of a blanket No vote in all Dublin constituencies and in many of the commuting counties of Leinster,” while the strongest Yes margin was in Kenny’s constituency of Mayo which voted 57 per cent Yes and 43 per cent No.

My ancestral constituency of Kerry North-West Limerick voted 53.8 percent Yes to 46.1 percent No.

Kenny echoes Kennedy

“I am the Democratic Party’s candidate for president, who happens also to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my church on public matters, and the church does not speak for me.”

Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy in a September 1960 campaign speech to a group of Protestant ministers.

Kennedy

“I am proud to stand here as a public representative, as a Taoiseach who happens to be a Catholic, but not a Catholic Taoiseach.”

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny in a June 12 speech to the Dáil, or parliament, regarding his sponsorship of a proposed law changing Ireland’s abortion law.

Kenny

Pro-life supporters rally in Dublin, Washington, D.C.

Pro-life campaigners rallied over the weekend in Dublin and Washington, D.C. against the Irish government’s proposal to change the nation’s restrictive abortion law.

Estimates of the Merrion Square crowd range from at least 20,000 to more than 40,000. About two-dozen people gathered outside the Irish embassy in the U.S. capitol.

In Ireland, spokesperson Caroline Simmons of the Pro Life Campaign said:

The turnout today shows that the middle ground of Irish opinion is increasingly concerned about the Government’s abortion legislation. There are people here who never attended a pro-life event before. The message is getting through that this legislation is not restrictive or about saving women and children’s lives, despite the repeated claims by the Taoiseach and his Government.

picture of crowd vigil(1)

June 9 rally in Dublin. Image from Pro Life Campaign

At the core of the debate is when to allow exceptions to Ireland’s restrictive abortion law to save the life of the mother. The issue flared last fall when a woman having a miscarriage died for lack of the procedure. The government’s bill is perhaps most controversial because it allows for abortion when the woman says she is suicidal.

The government’s vote is expected later this month or July. Prime minister Enda Kenny has said he will not allow ministers of his Fine Gael government a “free vote” outside the party voting block, putting him further at odds with Catholic church leaders.

Kenny delivers BC commencement address

Irish PM Enda Kenny has delivered the Boston College commencement address, telling graduates: “Live long and deep and comfortably in your own skin.”

His appearance at the Catholic school drew extra attention due to Archbishop of Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s decision to boycott the annual rite, where he traditionally would give the benediction.

image

Kenny at Boston College. Photo from stamfordadvocate.com

O’Malley has accused Kenny of “aggressively promoting abortion legislation” in Ireland. The cardinal and other church leaders say Ireland’s pending abortion legislation creates a slippery slope toward eliminating the country’s prohibition against the procedure.

A committee in Dublin is hearing testimony this week on the proposed bill. Supporters say it keeps the abortion prohibition in place while clarifying exceptions involving the life of the mother, including thoughts of suicide.

Kenny did not address the abortion controversy in his May 20 remarks at Boston College. The Irish Independent described the 26-minute speech as “rousing.” Here’s a link to the transcript.

During his weekend visit to Boston, the taoiseach also spoke at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, which is joining U.S. and Irish remembrances of JFK’s June 1963 trip to Ireland. Kenny also laid a wreath at the site of the Boston Marathon bombing.

Ireland divided by bitter debate on abortion law

A government committee will begin hearing testimony May 17 on proposed abortion legislation. The Irish Times reports on who will and who will not testify.

Debate over abortion began raging in the republic after the October death of a 31-year-old Indian woman refused the procedure during a miscarriage.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and other proponents of the law say it will maintain Ireland’s prohibition on abortion but clarify exceptions as to when the procedure can take place to protect the life of the pregnant woman, including if she has thoughts of suicide.

The Catholic Church and other opponents see the law as a slippery slope toward ending the nation’s prohibition against abortion. More than 5,000 people attended an anti-abortion rally at the Marian shrine in Knock, County Mayo, at the beginning of the month, but the church’s opposition seems to have only emboldened its critics, including Kenny.

The controversy has crossed the Atlantic to Boston College, where Kenny is invited to address graduates May 20, prompting Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s refusal to attend the event.

The Irish government has until the end of July to pass the law before its scheduled summer recess.