A Truly Tragic Loss

On a personal note, this column and the Irish Voice would like to take the opportunity to sympathize with Mutual of America Chairman Bill Flynn and his wife Peg, who lost their son Robert recently.

Bill has been a mainstay of the Irish community for many years now, and his work on the Irish peace process deserves far more recognition than it has to date.

The death of a child is tragic at any time, but for people like Bill and Peg Flynn who are so family and community oriented it is a bitter blow indeed.

They can take some small consolation in the extraordinary numbers of people who came both to the wake and the funeral Mass on Long Island. The incredible outpouring shows just how much Robert, Bill and Peg, and indeed the entire Flynn family, are loved and admired in the community. May Robert rest in peace.

Kennedy Upset At Article

An article in Daily Ireland, the new Nationalist publication in Belfast, has raised the hackles of close associates of Senator Edward Kennedy.

The article, written by former senior Sinn Fein official Danny Morrison, castigated Kennedy for his refusal to meet Gerry Adams during the recent tour of the U.S. by the Sinn Fein leader.

The piece went much further than that, however, stating that Kennedy had some cheek in doing so, given his own behavior around the issue of Chappaquiddick.

Morrison details in exhaustive fashion the timeline of what happened in Chappaquiddick, and concludes by stating that Adams has no case to answer for in comparison to Kennedy’s behavior on that ill starred night in the senator’s life.

The article certainly seems to have annoyed some Kennedy associates who have pointed out that Kennedy essentially has the power over Adams ever coming back to America. No doubt if Kennedy lifted the phone to advise President Bush not to allow the Sinn Fein leader into the U.S. again, his word would carry major weight.

The Sunday Independent in Ireland, notoriously anti-Adams, also carried reports of dissatisfaction in the Kennedy camp over the article. It will be interesting to see if there is any more fallout.

Accusations Leveled at McCartneys

The McCartney sisters had hardly reached Belfast soil after their stellar trip to Washington and the White House when some local publications began to take issue with some of the sisters’ more biased remarks.

The Andersonstown News, which circulates heavily in Belfast, said the women were “on the road to nowhere,” and added that their trip to Washington was “unionism on tour.” The newspaper claimed the women were being manipulated by “anti-Republican politicians and hacks.”

The News also stated that Martin McGuinness’s warning to the family that they were being used by politicians for their own ends was a “very sound piece of advice.”

Meanwhile, Phoenix magazine, the top selling satirical Irish biweekly, also has issues with the sisters. In a biting article the magazine compared the McCartneys to the Spice Girls and stated that the “extended tour” by them was just a media circus.

Being Ireland, of course, it was only a matter of time before such criticism surfaced. The sisters are now said to be ready to take their campaign to the European Parliament which no doubt will create a new round of headlines.

Strange Bedfellows

Catherine McCartney picked a surprising outlet to voice further criticism of Sinn Fein at the weekend when she was a guest on Radio Free Eireann, the Saturday afternoon show in New York which is sympathetic to the Continuity IRA and the Real IRA.

Presenter John McDonagh has been known far and wide as a bitter critic of the IRA for daring to have a ceasefire without consulting him. McDonagh is the classic “summer soldier.” As long as the fighting was 3,000 miles away he was quite happy to cheer it on from the sidelines. His bravery in his supporting role was never in doubt.

The peace process makes strange bedfellows, however, and Ms. McCartney and McDonagh appeared to make common cause with their anti-Republican statements on Saturday.

Catherine should really be more careful of how she is being exploited in this situation. Going on Radio Free Eireann creates a major credibility gap for the sisters. Surely they can’t be that desperate for coverage that they stoop to such a level?

Throwing the Illegals Out

The sight of young kids from Nigeria being arrested at their schools and deported back to their home country has shocked the Irish in recent weeks.

The crackdown on immigrants, especially teenagers and some even younger than that, has sent shockwaves through a country that regards itself as one of the most caring and concerned about the less well off in society.

The crackdown is part of a get-tough stance by Justice Minister Michael McDowell, who says that the laws have to be obeyed no matter how draconian they are.

Even in the U.S., however, immigration officials would never go to a school to arrest a student there. After years of looking askance on American immigration policy, could it be that Ireland is about to introduce one even less humane?