NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > News > That drunken Irish joke still haunts Bloomberg

That drunken Irish joke still haunts Bloomberg

New poll shows most New Yorkers offended by it

JAMES O'BRIEN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Friday, March 18, 2011, 7:38 AM

Updated Friday, March 18, 2011, 7:38 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

32 Comments

Michael Bloomberg at The Saint Patrick's Day Parade in Staten Island, NY

“Bloomberg, You’re a Drunk” read the sign held aloft during the New York St.Patrick’s Day parade yesterday and it reflected a sense of anger from many Irish Americans still smarting over the mayor’s bad Irish joke last month.

That joke, reported exclusively on IrishCentral.com at the time was about Irish hanging out the windows drunk at the American Irish Historical Society.

Bloomberg said he was used to seeing a “bunch of people totally inebriated hanging out the window, waving," at the venue. on St.Patrick’s Day. He later apologized

A poll taken for the New York Daily News yesterday revealed that 47 per cent of New Yorkers, mainly women and blacks felt the Irish should be offended while 45 per cent, mainly whites and men believed they should not.

Bloomberg went back to the scene of the crime yesterday visiting the American Irish Historical Society where he was greeted by President General Doctor Kevin Cahill.

One person there described his reception as cool. A request to speak was turned down by the society.
The joke was clearly on Bloomberg’s mind from early on St.Patrick’s Day. Speaking at the annual breakfast at Gracie Mansion he joked that he hoped his speech would go better than the one at the Historical Society.

“Frank,” he said calling out to his speechwriter, Frank Barry. “I hope this speech goes better than the one you wrote for me at the Irish Historical Society. I mean really, what were you thinking?”

Despite boos on the parade route and a new opinion poll from Quinnipiac University showing his popularity slumping to just 39 per cent approval the mayor remained upbeat.

“This is a day to celebrate, and a day to celebrate all the cultures that are here, and I’m just thrilled to be invited,” he told reporters.

Nster.com

E-mail

32 Comments

15 - 32 | See all comments

BARNEYKX | Mar 19, 2011, 05:40 PM EDT

an irish family have been found frozen to death outside the dublin odeon they had been queuing up for three weeks to see closed for the winter

Report abuse

skydiver15000 | Mar 19, 2011, 04:46 PM EDT

An group of Irishmen walked past a pub....... what..... it could happen!!!!!! They were goin to Paddy's to see his bookie!!!!... Lighten up ya bleeden brother Irishmen!!!! To be low class is for the American racist blacks!! I walked through a black town in America and was robbed and beaten... they are the real racists. I will never go back to America!!!

Report abuse

BARNEYKX | Mar 19, 2011, 12:28 PM EDT

Well one day Harry the Eagle waited at the nest for Mary, his darling of 10 glorious years. After a while when she didn't return he went looking and found her. She had been shot dead! Harry was devastated, but after about six minutes of mourning he decided that he must get himself another mate, but since there weren't any lady eagles available he'd have to cross the feather barrier. So he flew off to find a new mate. He found a lovely dove and brought her back to the nest. The sex was good but all the dove would say is ......... 'I am a DOVE, I want to love! I am a DOVE, I want to love!' Well this so got on Harry's nerves so he kicked the dove out of the nest and flew off once more to find a mate.. He soon found a very sexy loon and brought her back to the nest. Again the sex was good but all the loon would say is........ 'I am a LOON, I want to spoon! I am a LOON, I want to spoon!' So out with the loon. Once more he flew off to find a mate. This time he found a gorgeous duck and he brought the duck back to the nest. This time the sex was great, but all the duck would say was..... NO, The duck didn't say THAT ! ... Don't be SO disgusting! The duck said.... 'I am a DRAKE, You made a MISTAKE!!

Report abuse

dermot.r | Mar 19, 2011, 12:06 PM EDT

I'm from Ireland and I have opened my big gob a time or two. Can't people just accept the man's apology and let it go? Isn't this the land of second chances?

Report abuse

Liamkeyes | Mar 19, 2011, 10:46 AM EDT

OHHHH C'Mon, give the man the benefit of the doubt and move on. We've made it here in the Land of the free, now the Hispanics are doing the mundane jobs, if some people persist in cracking "Dry Irish Jokes" Let it be. None of them can match the Irish Wit.

Report abuse

bunkerhill | Mar 19, 2011, 10:42 AM EDT

In response to Manhattan's comment about the three "Irish" comedians and their show denigrating their Irish roots, my wife tells me that is a an old ploy. In past generations they were called "stage Irishmen" and they would dress up in baggy pants and old cloths and they were an instant hit among the Irish haters in the vaudeville audience. Irish have always known that the surest way to become a hit in any venue whether it be the stage or writing a book is to totally demean your background. We wonder what is behind this trait and certainly most Irish do not act in this manner. Look at English shows. Almost always they portray cultured people of leisure, wealthy and well mannered. It seems Irish shows always portray the very poorest and desperate. Neither portrayal is accurate. We have traveled extensively through Ireland and there are people who are actually surprised there were "Irish Castles" going back to antiquity. The Irish for the most part will never mention this. By the way DNA is showing there was never an "Anglo-Saxon" invasion and most of the people are native Britons. Churchill wrote about this in his "Birth of Britain." English is about 60% Latin from the Romans. My wife says she was taught in school that the name England came from the Romans who found a population of blonds and red heads and nicknamed them angels. Angela is angel in Latin.

Report abuse

ciarrai | Mar 19, 2011, 08:00 AM EDT

Ronan Tynan got the shaft for far less.

Report abuse

Snowdrop | Mar 19, 2011, 12:10 AM EDT

I always stood for Bloomberg, with his strong financial background, as the leader NYC needed. However, let's call a spade a spade. For any elected official today to pander to stereotypical cultural insults reminiscnet of Puck's Irish apes, then cast blame on his speech writer, is like the QB overshooting his receiver, and blaming him. The last time I heard of folks hanging out windows screaming was Molly Goldberg. Let's update your repertoire Mike!

Report abuse

Canadian | Mar 18, 2011, 11:04 PM EDT

I don't know what's happening to the world. if i see someone run a red light and report it, it is an observation. If i include the fact that the person was irish or jewish or whatever, it is racist, maybe even hate mongering.

Report abuse

cillowen | Mar 18, 2011, 09:10 PM EDT

bloomberg member of a racist tribe - claimers of being g-d's own - reporting to a higher authority the rest of us are cattle goyim.

Report abuse

palmeiras | Mar 18, 2011, 08:34 PM EDT

Remember this : bloomberg supports israel who murders innocent pregnant Palestinian women, along with young children in Gaza and the West Bank

Report abuse

mairdemalone | Mar 18, 2011, 07:38 PM EDT

Come on! Give it a rest, why don't you! Mayor Bloomberg, like all politicians of his ilk, has passed the buck to his lowly lacky his:"speech writer". So don't waste any more brain energy on him, because he is clearly a man of his affluence and influence: A Rich Arrogant Member of the Elite, who care little about the average Joe or Jane -except when votes are needed- and who comes from a group of people, most of them clueless too, who care little about the way the rest of us live. So enough is enough, already!!!!!

Report abuse

lookbackkid | Mar 18, 2011, 04:53 PM EDT

I, personally am not offended. To me it just shows that the man himself (Bloomberg) is rather shallow.

Report abuse

maryosullivan | Mar 18, 2011, 02:21 PM EDT

Reading some of the comments small wonder we are not shown respect. The isn't a jew on the face of the earth, and rightfully so, who would accept slurs such as this and laugh it off. Get a grip on yourselves and quit playing the town idiots

Report abuse

maryosullivan | Mar 18, 2011, 02:18 PM EDT

did anyone pay attention to Mel Gibson's apology? I guess some can say what they wish regardless of the insult we are supposed to laugh it off. Try repeating anything close to Gibson's utterance and see how fact the media will come down on you

Report abuse