Who speaks for Irish America?
Larger Text
Print
Make a comment
That is the sum total of the alliance’s activities. It gets millions from Irish, U.S. and British taxpayers to do it. Interesting that -- while the Emerald Isle Center is pleading for money.
Now, however, the Alliance also professes to speak for Irish America along with the neo-Unionist Stanage. If it weren’t so ridiculous it would be funny.
If you go on the U.S.-Ireland Alliance Web site it’s interesting also. Its video was shot pre-Celtic Tiger collapse, so much of the very premise of it – i.e., Ireland is moving way ahead of Irish America, etc. -- falls flat.
Two of the major architects of the boom and bust, former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern and developer Derek Quinlan, are the two main cheerleaders for the Alliance. That video must have looked a lot better a few years ago.
Vargo tries to have it both ways. She used Irish America at the beginning to get her funding, then has spent the last few years denigrating it to anyone who will listen.
This peaked when Vargo stated in another Irish Times article last year that helping Irish undocumented earn legal status here was like “putting lipstick on a pig.”
Her and neo-Unionist Stanage are now the two who want to define Irish America to the toffee nose crowd back at the Irish Times. God help us is all I can say.
