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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Bill Clinton invades a tiny Irish village and the locals go gaga - A serious message for Ireland amid all the fun and celebration

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Bill Clinton invades a tiny Irish village and the locals go gaga - A serious message for Ireland amid all the fun and celebration

Posted on Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 08:30 AM

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Bill Clinton came to a little village in East Cork last night and the locals loved it.

It was early evening when the tiny village of Shanagarry gathered to witness the arrival of the 42nd president.

Sleepy hamlets in East Cork do not get many days like this.

Clinton was guest speaker at the Worldwide Ireland Fund dinner attended by over 200 delegates from 12 countries.

It was held at Ballymaloe House, the epicenter of the slow food revolution in Ireland where the Darina Allen family has established a worldwide reputation for fine cuisine.

The little meeting center where the event was held was more used I’m sure, to local parish functions and the occasional wedding.

Alongside the president was Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny making it a spectacular night for the East Cork speck on the map.

Throw in Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney who accepted a lifetime achievement award and dance legend Michael Flatley and you have a perfect alignment of stars.

The buzz all day at the Ireland Fund event was the decision by Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness to meet with Queen Elizabeth in Belfast next week.

Bill Clinton called it a “terrific” moment in his speech and there is no question that we may witness the last great historic moment of the Irish peace process next week.

As Ireland Funds CE0 Kieran McLaughlin noted, the process that has become so mundane would never have happened without Clinton’s intervention.

As he is wont to, Clinton’ s remarks weaved across many tapestries, his time in office, the upcoming election, but mostly the Irish economy and how to get out of the mess they are in.

“Creative cooperation” is Clinton’s buzzword these days and he points to the US states that are doing best as examples of it, where opposing parties get together for the good of the state.

Unspoken was the reality that there is no creative cooperation in Europe at the present over the Euro which has led to the mess to begin with.

Come to think of it it was exactly creative cooperation which got Queen Elizabeth and Martin McGuiness to agree to meet next week. As Clinton noted, Elizabeth is long enough on the throne to make her own decisions and obviously she wants it as part of her legacy.

Enda Kenny was also in rare form. Clinton gets every politician alive to up their game, though as Kenny remarked appearing after Clinton and before a
Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney, is a tough business indeed.

Heaney was introduced by Ireland Fund chairman Loretta Brennan Glucksman who recited a wonderful poem Heaney had written for her after her husband’s passing.

Heaney got the largest ovation of the day and deservedly so. He is one of Ireland’s greatest national treasures, one of a handful who bestrides the world with no equal.

Once he wrote “no glass of mine was ever raised to toast a British queen.”
I’d bet he, like so many Irish these days, would say that is in the past now.

And indeed it is. As he flew out from Ireland last night, Bill Clinton knows that his work on Ireland is the gift that keeps on giving, as peace continues to break out and a former top IRA commander meets a British queen.

As a Shanagarry local has likely never said “Who wudda thunk it”?

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32 Comments

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BrianO | Jun 26, 2012, 10:22 AM EDT

Bunkerhill, you wish, don't speak for all of "US", Clinton was smart enough to read the tea leaves, in combination with the republican house of representatives aiding in restraining government spending he enjoyed a great economic run. And please don't start anyone on his affairs with the intern or all the others as that might go on forever. Set up, please.

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bunkerhill | Jun 25, 2012, 05:02 PM EDT

As an American I wish we had President Bil Clinton back in office to balance our budget and give us the surplus we had before he left office. We believe he was set up with "what's her name," and hopefullyshe didn't make much money from it. I do believe Clinton truly loves Ireland.

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BrianO | Jun 25, 2012, 04:07 PM EDT

Seano, never need to apologize to me, I was born with a thick skin. Besides being the bigoted, racist, homophobic, hate filled member of the conservative conspiracy allows me to have a sense of humor. Oh and i know you are originally from Dublin but you now reside in Melbourne, cheers.

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Bythebay | Jun 25, 2012, 01:51 PM EDT

Those out in the village weren't locals, they were the Americans who were having dinner with Clinton. The locals had more important things to do. The village gets visitors from all over the world so this is one of many. The size of the room befits the number of attendees -- small for small.

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Bythebay | Jun 25, 2012, 01:46 PM EDT

Bill Clinton did no work on Ireland. He is connected to the Northern Ireland UK, not Ireland, end of IRA Provo Terrorism. It had no connection to Ireland except requiring Ireland to give up any and all claims to Northern Ireland UK.

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Bythebay | Jun 25, 2012, 01:42 PM EDT

The only people "gaga" over Bill Clinton are the author of this article and the Americans who were at the dinner at Ballymaloe House. Oh, and the women he had affairs with.

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seanomelb | Jun 24, 2012, 08:13 PM EDT

Briano I'm Dublin born and to be fair I believe most yanks are great people and love the banter on IC,but now and again some posters "force" me to make incorrect broad statements and that is as close as you'll get to sorry.LOL

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peterson | Jun 24, 2012, 12:56 PM EDT

Sometimes "Slick Willie" makes good sense !

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BrianO | Jun 24, 2012, 09:48 AM EDT

Mourninghours, The congressional change had far more to do with the economy than anything else. President Clinton most certainly did some things on his own that were essential to his economic success as president. From the signing of NAFTA, to welfare reform, to a cut in the capital gains rate,

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Morninghours | Jun 24, 2012, 04:00 AM EDT

Just a reminder for those who give Congress credit for the successes (e.g., the economy) during Clinton's presidency: The bill known for balancing the budget and helping to improve the economy -- The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 -- passed into law without a single Republican vote. It's true; look it up.

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BrianO | Jun 24, 2012, 12:29 AM EDT

Seano, you say yank like it's a bad thing, c'mon kinda funny coming from a man down. under.

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pilib04 | Jun 23, 2012, 08:36 PM EDT

The haters just can't stand that Clinton is so popular in Ireland.

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seanomelb | Jun 23, 2012, 08:10 PM EDT

ill informed densonone!! Ballymaloe house is an international cookery school run by the world famous Darina Allen typical negative statement from a yank.

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BrianO | Jun 23, 2012, 07:59 PM EDT

brianmack, Irish would know more about how Clinton helped in their affairs, but to fully understand the successes that occurred during his terms you can not discount the congress changing hands.

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sharlot | Jun 23, 2012, 07:29 PM EDT

Sorry, but I would have run the other way as quickly as possible--hate to say it, but that man makes my skin crawl!!

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