It will be quite an Irish battle for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut next year, with incumbent Chris Dodd likely to face off against former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Tom Foley who is running for the Republican nomination.
 
Foley, 57, who was recently married in Ireland before a stellar group of friends including The Edge of U2, faces a tough primary battle against former Congressman Rob Simmons, but if Foley wins he will certainly give Dodd a run for his money.
 
Foley is independently wealthy and, in addition to serving as U.S. ambassador he was previously a key part of the Bush operation in Iraq.
In normal years Dodd would be a shoo-in, but not this year or next. He has been linked to several scandals, not least his purchase of a holiday home in Connemara in Ireland and his evaluation of it as suspiciously low.
 
The Wall Street Journal in particular has been hounding Dodd on that topic, and it remains to be seen if he can overcome the media assault.
Foley is a newcomer to politics, but he certainly made a very good impression in Ireland and will doubtless be calling on the many Irish American friends he made there to help with his campaign.
 
The Republican primary is in August 2010.