NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish Pubs Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > News > GOP VP candidate Paul Ryan not getting the Irish support in ancestral home

GOP VP candidate Paul Ryan not getting the Irish support in ancestral home

Irish want Obama /Biden by an incredible 96- 4 per cent says Gallup poll

KERRY O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Thursday, October 18, 2012, 7:40 AM

Updated Thursday, October 18, 2012, 10:18 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

35 Comments

Republican VP candidate Paul Ryan

Photo by AFP

Paul Ryan is not feeling the love from Ireland that President Obama is continuing to receive, despite also having Irish roots.

Reuters reports from Vice Presidential hopeful Paul Ryan’s ancestral home, the village of Graiguenamanagh in Kilkenny, Ireland, on the locals’ opinion and perception of Ryan.

"It doesn't matter what his name is, it's Obama that has made the effort," said Pat Nolan, 62, a retired physiotherapist and Graiguenamanagh native.

Nolan continued, “He doesn't have the charisma, he hasn't connected with the people." Nolan was speaking from outside of the 13th century stone church where Paul Ryan's great-great grandparents were married.

While Ryan’s genetic roots may be closer to Ireland than Obama’s are, Obama has succeeded in winning over the Irish admiration. Last year’s visit to Moneygall in Offaly, where Obama was famously photographed having a pint of Guinness with the locals, won the affections of the Irish there as well as many in the US.

Even further, Obama’s promises for immigration reform and the securing of US visas have captured the hearts of the thousands of Irish who are emigrating away from their economically struggling home.

Obama’s appeal to the Irish and Irish Americans is nothing new. Reuters writes how he learned to play the Irish card when he was an Illinois senator scrambling for votes on the streets of Chicago. He also regularly participated in the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade.

So when an amateur genealogist made the definitive yet distant Irish connection for Obama, the focus on it was a no-brainer.

Despite Ryan’s closer genetic ties to Ireland, the locals in his ancestral hometown - just 60 miles away from Obama’s - aren’t throwing their support his way too quickly.

"It would give a boost to a nice small town like this,” said 64-year-old Margaret, who is a cashier in Graiguenamanagh, “but I would forgo it. I wouldn't want to inflict him on the American people.”

Margaret, who withheld her last name as to not anger her employer, felt upset by Ryan's plans to cut welfare and Medicare health cover for the elderly in the US.

A straw poll of 20 people in the town saw 12 people supporting Obama and Biden, and none for Romney and Ryan.

On the larger scale, Ireland isn’t giving its support to the Romney-Ryan ticket. A September poll conducted by Gallup International of 1,000 Irish people saw a staggering 96 percent supporting Obama and Biden for the upcoming election were they able to have a vote in the election.

1 2 3 Next page >

Nster.com

E-mail

35 Comments

15 - 35 | See all comments

eiriamach | Oct 20, 2012, 09:39 PM EDT

It's clear from what Seanmor has written here that he thinks of speaking the Irish language as a way of setting himself apart, racially or tribally, from others, such as the people he calls "the African race." But I'd be surprised if many Irish think of their ancient language in that way! Maybe that's why Seanmor senses that, in Ireland, American Irish speakers are "dismissed as 'misinformed malcontents' or 'sentimental fools.'" The Irish language doesn't cater to the need to feel racially superior that motivates some Americans I've known to learn it and American Irish groups to cater to conservative Catholics to the point that they become homogeneously illiberal.

Report abuse

redhand32 | Oct 20, 2012, 02:08 PM EDT

To elizabeth: I worked as a Caseworker for the PA welfare variously for over 3 decades. I audited the PA welfare Dept for 6 years. I worked for USDA in the Food Stamp Program in Regulatory Compliance, and Quality Control reviewing several States in the MidAtlantic region, and the USVI territory for compliance with the law. In all the time there, I only know of one several instances where welfare and Food Stamps were as you put it, "given away". Under natural disaster provisions like hurricanes, persons affected are given these benefits for set period of time. Also, a person claiming less than $100/mo income and about $150 in assets is considered hungry and is eligible for 1 month's Food Stamps. That is the direct result of a single Federal Court Order several decades ago when it was found that actual starving people on the streets of Philadelphia were denied Food Stamps. I never hear of cell phone giveaways.For all other benefit situations applicants must meet requirements, including work requirements if appropriate or be sanctioned. It does not work perfectly, but mainly because since the recession there are no real jobs !

Report abuse

e_lizabeth | Oct 20, 2012, 01:57 PM EDT

As for the comments about Irish emigration to America, personally I would love to see many, many more Irish coming here -- and much fewer Pakistanis, Saudis, and the like. When a country accepts muslim immigrants it is cultural and political suicide. Of course, lefties, communists, and socialists love muslim immigration for some reason -- even though it destroys the native-born working classes.

Report abuse

e_lizabeth | Oct 20, 2012, 01:54 PM EDT

Well, this is an interesting perspective. In America, myself and all my pro-life (and often Catholic) friends are voting for Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan. Sorry you guys don;t like Republicans, but since the Democratic Party embraces abortion and has set itself to destroy the Catholic Church as well as any Christian morality in this country, that's the way it is. Mr. Obama is often linked with names like Marxist, Communist, and Muslim by ordinary people. Is any of that true? Well, it's pretty shocking... As for the welfare rolls here, Mr. Obama has done his very best to give away cell phones, food stamps, welfare, etc. Many of these recipients would be better served by decent employment rather than hand outs...

Report abuse

Seanmor | Oct 20, 2012, 10:26 AM EDT

Ephraim: It is sad but true that a great many of the Famine/Great Hunger immgrants didn't receive a warm welcome when they reached thes shores, but I never experienced any hostility as a LEGAL immigrant in N.Y.C. As for non-English speakers, many of the nation's major businnesses go to great lengths to accommodate those who speak Spanish only and refuse to learn English. Undoubtedly many Yanks are reluctant to accept those who persist on speaking a foreign language, but in the past few years I have been invited to say prayers in Irish at my wife's Methodist church. When I use a few Irish words and phrases in Ireland, I'm often laughed at and ridiculed, even by my own relatives. But Irish hospitality -and generousity - are still very much in evidence in Ireland, especially among the over fifty crowd.

Report abuse

EphraimKibbey | Oct 19, 2012, 10:06 PM EDT

BrianO - If your point is that the US GDP per capita actually grew during the Cheney/Bush years, I grant you that point with the caveat that under the previous administration's "horriblly high taxes," the growth RATE was much greater. AS soon as Bush cut taxes the increase began to level off because middle class wages declined more quickly. The increase in GDP was experienced mostly by the wealthy. His tax cuts are a gift that continues giving until January next year. My point was that the effect of their ineptness caused the world economy to crash hurting not only our economy but also Ireland's.

Report abuse

EphraimKibbey | Oct 19, 2012, 09:07 PM EDT

BrianO - 1. Note that my figures are Married filing jointly so that is at least two people with taxable income. Yours are per capita and there are many in the US that are included in the population who are too young to be in the work force or are non-working spouses. This means that using the per capita income is a low ball average of actual IRS income reporte. 2. If your intent was to show that many people make way less than the amounts I included, that is my whole point! Those earning way less should not be taxed at the same flat rate as those who are making way more than is necessary to take care of the necessities of life as the GOP so often claims they should. The lower brackets should remain pemanently lower to stimulate the economy and only these higher earners should be taxed at progressively higher rates. 3. This is actually how the progressive tax schedules worked until the 1% started warping it toward a flat regressive tax for their own enrichment.

Report abuse

EphraimKibbey | Oct 19, 2012, 08:48 PM EDT

Seanmor - It is a sad truth that many people in the US do not live up to the sentiments on the Statue of Liberty. That cold shoulder that the newly arrived Irish have always experienced here is likewise turned to all the newly arrived where ever they originated. Many Americans believe that it is beneath them to learn another language and that anyone not speaking English must be stupid. I salute the ever gracious people of Ireland and hope that more Americans learn hospitality from their example.

Report abuse

Seanmor | Oct 19, 2012, 07:13 PM EDT

Ephraim: Immigrants of the African race who live in the Irish state legally or illegally are warmly welcomed as the "New Irish" as soon as they set foor on Irish soil. But those of us in the U.S. who identify with the whole rish nation are ruedly dismissed as "misinformed malcontents" or "sentimental fools" if we cling to our heritage, especially the Irish language.

Report abuse

BrianO | Oct 19, 2012, 03:13 PM EDT

Haa haaa haaa- keynesian economics-QE1,2,3,----2000 $35,082 2001 $35,912 2002 $36,819 2003 $38,224 2004 $40,342 2005 $42,569 2006 $44,695 2007 $46,459 2008 $47,015 2009 $45,7 ////per capita GDP of the US

Report abuse

EphraimKibbey | Oct 19, 2012, 02:10 PM EDT

BrianO - Actually mine was not technically a leprechaun ANALOGY but rather a leprechaun DISCLAIMER. I always try to keep an open mind and try to avoid giving UNINTENTIONAL offence.

Report abuse

EphraimKibbey | Oct 19, 2012, 01:58 PM EDT

BrianO - Econ 101 - If your biggest export market crashs, your exports decrease, you lay off workers, your tax base shrinks, the workers can't buy as much, your domestic products sit on your shelves so no need to restock, no need to make more so you lay off more workers. Down and down we go, round and round we go locked in a race to the bottom. BrianO - Finance 101 - If big American banks sell your banks mortgage products that they say have AAA ratings but are actually high risk sandwichs with AAA's top and bottom but junk in the middle, your banks go under while the too-big-to-fail American banks were hedged against the morgage crash because they knew it was coming. The same things happen all around the world and so now ALL your trading partners' markets are drying up and its down and down we ALL go faster and faster in the dance of doom and gloom. Keynesian Econ 101 - Solution - Get people all over the world buying stuff again by getting money into the hands of those who will go out and spend it right away. Now we ALL need to restock so workers are rehired, tax bases expand, workers can buy more again without outside help and up and up we go. GOP and Germany's anti-solution - austerity, austerity, austerity! Don't touch that, those are MY gazillions. Never you mind that I would make even more if the world economy was humming! Greed, ain't it grand!

Report abuse

jetsnoone | Oct 19, 2012, 11:20 AM EDT

angrypaddy........ Black baby is born in Dublin, is he/she Irish? Geography says yes. Blood says no. Blood talk scares liberals, that there might actually differances in the races? Oh, my! Blood talk also scares Anglo-types as they sent the Irish away 150 years ago and most of us here in Amerikay kept our faith, inter-married with other descendants of Ireland. Character is destiny. So is blood. I am an Irish American Catholic whose ancestors came from the west of Ireland during the famine.....most of my friends and family members are the same. Too bad if you don't like it. Paul Ryan the man he is shaped by his faith, his country of upbringin(USA) and his genes (family, genes, blood lines) Too much for you to comprehend? Ryan is an Irish Catholic American...most Americans don't care, but some in fact despise him for this. Sounds like you are one of them.....

Report abuse

BrianO | Oct 19, 2012, 10:27 AM EDT

Ephraim, please as an American of Irish descent, you embarrass me when you pretend to know Irish ways. First off, Ireland is a sovereign country although they trade with the US and Tourism Ireland benefits from American tourism, the US does not pull strings on the Irish economy. Second cut out the leprechaun analogies.

Report abuse

angrypaddy | Oct 19, 2012, 12:44 AM EDT

He is as irish as the last bowel movement you had

Report abuse