Ed Koch not popular with many Irish during his career -- Late NY Mayor defended British role in North after Irish trip in 1988
Posted on Friday, February 01, 2013 at 07:10 AM
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| Ed Koch celebrating St. Patrick's Day |
He was a blusterer who early on in his career stopped listening and began pronouncing and never stopped.
I remember interviewing him and seeing that familiar politician’s fault where questions were answered with the same familiar soundbite, year after year.
Read More: Ed Koch, sage of the city, calls New Yorkers to kick the bums out
He was New York. Larger than life, for better and for worse, and often I felt the latter more than the former.
He was in power too long, somewhat like the current mayor Michael Bloomberg, and had become a poor imitation of himself by the time he stepped down.
On Irish issues he was captive to whomever he last spoke to.
Sure, he wore his big Irish sweater every St. Patrick’s Day and loved being photographed at the parade but at the height of the Northern Ireland "Troubles" he contributed very little to the American role.
Read More: Ed Koch endorses Christine Quinn for New York Mayor
Indeed, his most famous faux pas as far as Irish Americans were concerned occurred in 1988 after he went on a five-day visit over there with his frequent bosom buddy John Cardinal O’Connor.
Here is how his trip was reported on AP:
“Mayor Edward Koch says Irish-Americans who ''beat up the British'' for their role in Northern Ireland are taking the easy way out" ran the headline.
The story ran “The mayor, back at City Hall on Tuesday, defended remarks he made in Dublin earlier in the day at the end of his five-day pilgrimage for peace in Ireland with Cardinal John O'Connor.”
In Dublin, Koch had praised the ''good attitude'' of the British, saying ''I do not believe that they deserve the castigation that any of us, myself included, have heaped upon them. I do not believe that the British are occupying forces.''
Read More: Saved by Jackie Onassis Kennedy Grand Central celebrates 100 years
Well that went down well in The Bronx and Flatbush and Koch never quite regained his equilibrium with the Irish as a result.
Hardly surprising. See more: St Patrick's Day , Irish in US Politics , Irish in New York
34 Comments
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RedBranch | Feb 04, 2013, 08:45 PM EST
Really Niall I would of thought you would have liked the man as he was gay, but I suppose the green trumps pink or rainbow any day for you and yours...
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Seanmor | Feb 03, 2013, 12:52 PM EST
When Kock said in Dublin that he didn't believe the British were "occupying forces" [in the North], many, if not most, in his audience fully agreed with him. I remember Mayor Kock attending Irish Solidority Day a few times in the '80s and indicating his support for human righs and social justice in the Northern part of our homeland, when the powers in Dublin showed NO concern for those beleaguered Nationalists
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seanomelb | Feb 02, 2013, 09:55 PM EST
Poor disallusioned Portia.
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WoundedKnee | Feb 02, 2013, 12:23 PM EST
"Is there really any evidence for the claim that Koch was "not popular with many Irish"?
xwvutsrqponml, I believe O'Dowd is right. I lived in Manhattan when Koch was Mayor, and subsequently when Dinkins took over. As mayor, Koch was far better than Dinkins, but any Irish (American) person I knew--including myself-- loved Dinkins and didn't like Koch.
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WoundedKnee | Feb 02, 2013, 12:19 PM EST
Portia, you dope: You can't "build" olive trees. It is, however, possible to plant them, though if you plant them in|Palestine they are liable to be poisoned by the Israeli military or its settler gangs.
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pilib04 | Feb 02, 2013, 10:39 AM EST
Niall, thanks for the commentary. We always knew the poor man had "problems." May he rest in peace.
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Portia_O'Neill | Feb 02, 2013, 05:40 AM EST
Niall's piece on Mayor Koch compares with thousands of posts on politics.ie given to anti-Israel, Judeophobic rants. Niall probably won't write a column on Irish children who are sent into the streets by their teachers to beg for donations to build olive trees in Palestine because the ,"Jews are evil."
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Smyrnian | Feb 02, 2013, 03:28 AM EST
Zyx - don't you know yet, ALL IC headlines are Niall's opinions!
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falconflash | Feb 02, 2013, 01:36 AM EST
Rebelforce: the Germans were reacting to what they saw happened to the Russian people at the hands of the Boshiviks...learn truth, don't absorb propaganda
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zyxwvutsrqponml | Feb 02, 2013, 12:19 AM EST
Is there really any evidence for the claim that Koch was "not popular with many Irish"? Or is this more of a feeling that Niall has personally?
I don't think such a definitive statement should be used, especially in a headline. Give us your impression of the man's relations with the Irish community but don't make sweeping claims that can't be backed up with some reasonable evidence.
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hughaed | Feb 01, 2013, 11:43 PM EST
Kicking a corpse when he's down is not a good idea. One should always speak well of the dead. "Ta se faoin bhfod anois", as my father would say. "He is dead and buried now". Though he may have had some good points one grew weary of his posturing. His time had come, which is not so bad for those of us who did not want to know him better.
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hughaed | Feb 01, 2013, 11:42 PM EST
Kicking a corpse when he's down is not a good idea. One should always speak well of the dead. "Ta se faoin bhfod anois", as my father would say. "He is dead and buried now". Though he may have had some good points one grew weary of his posturing. His time had come, which is not so bad for those of us who did not want to know him better.
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Joe Glackin | Feb 01, 2013, 11:19 PM EST
I lived in New York for a number of years,when he was Mayor. He used the Irish Patriotic feelings for self interest. This was an insult to our intelligence and disrespectful towards Ireland. I rem the Clown coming to Gaelic Park and his Republican chants.
I hope he is at peace in all respect
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seanomelb | Feb 01, 2013, 08:43 PM EST
The end to a sad and dismal human being.
A true hater of the middle classes.
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