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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Irish Presidential Tales: In which I am attacked by a British obituary writer for running for Irish president

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Irish Presidential Tales: In which I am attacked by a British obituary writer for running for Irish president

Posted on Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:32 PM

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Two weeks in and the possible run for president hits its first choppy waters.

It is in the form of an article in The Irish Times castigating me as an Irish American for daring to think about running for president of Ireland-- even though I was born and lived 26 years there.

The headline is 'O'Dowd too much of an Irish American for the Aras' (meaning Aras an Uachtarain the president's residence).

It was written by British citizen Walter Ellis, who writes obituaries for The London Times as far as I can judge.

Amazingly, he is presented as some kind of prominent Irish American by the Times.

The Times has been doing a lot of that in recent times, presenting marginal figures as leading Irish Americans.

Clearly the emigrant Irish and Irish Americans are seen by some there as a nuisance at best, as a threat at worst and anyone who will write that way is encouraged.

The key point in the article is to paint me as an outsider, as if Ireland was not tethered in so many ways to the millions who have left the place in the past 160 odd years since the famine.

There is also the attempt to paint Irish Americans as naive and not understanding Ireland, even though we did anticipate and act on the opening for a peace process in Ireland before the majority of the Irish ever did.

We were accused of being naive then too.

Just keep the dollars coming lads and feck off then?

Portraying people as outsiders fits into that genre.

Current president Mary McAleese, because of her Northern Irish roots, suffered savage attacks.

Think Barack Obama and his birth certificate.

Ellis, the British obituary writer, presents the cartoon version of Irish America. He sneers at the fact that my publications celebrate St.Patrick's Day.

I've been accused of many things, but celebrating St. Patrick's Day I plead guilty to.

Then Ellis says I have been nasty to the Royal Family -- again I plead guilty on occasions, such as when Prince Harry dressed as a Nazi and Prince William claimed an Irish title.

But the strangest accusation is that somehow I am not Irish because I am an American and Irish citizen (This is coming from a British citizen).

By his lights, Eamon De Valera, who essentially engineered the modern Irish state, was not Irish either because he was born in New York.

I have spent 32 years writing about Ireland practically every day. To be presented as somehow not of Ireland is passing strange to me, especially by a British writer.

Suffice to say, however, attacks by British obituary writers were hardly part of my fears when I announced I was thinking of running.

But I suppose if an obituary writer is writing about you it is better that you are being attacked than remembered.

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Why running for President of Ireland brings out the best and worst --- not to mention the humor and hostility

Learning from the first Irish presidential debate and Newt Gingrich on immigration

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Towngate | Jun 18, 2011, 01:04 PM EDT

themurphia: I am puzzledby your reference to " ...more a Goy thing". Please explain it to us. As for Miriams accent, I am very familiar with the area she was brought up and schooled in (not D4 - you are confused!) and her accent and delivery is natural,'unaffected', and typical of the area. Although Sean O'Casey made fun of the 'Wrathmines' accent in his 'Plough and the Stars' play - it is still a genuine Dublin accent. As for her 'Tweeting' error: I understand she accepted her mistake and apologised immmediately. ~ ~ ~ @ Walter Ellis: I am surprised you have reacted so badly to the response to your original letter on this thread. Niall has had it as tough as you from them, so you should accept it as part of the squabbling vicious internicine nature of the Irish race. Don't worry. T'was always thus!

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joycean | Jun 18, 2011, 11:29 AM EDT

From his submissions to the IT and IC, Walter Ellis clearly dislikes the US and Irish Americans. He prefers to view Irish Americans through stereotypes: believers in Glocca Mora, St. Patrick's Day marchers, AOH's etc.But stereotypes are always the views seen by outsiders. Okay, so there is one of him and 40 million of us. BTW, Walter, I know you don't accept that number. It's from the US Census, the number reporting Irish as primary ethnicity. The US government does accept dual citizenship among its citizens. So there is no requirement that Americans be only US citizens, or limit their interests to America; and the Irish Constitutions staes that Itreland "cherishes" its Diaspora. It also accepts citzenship by descent.

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hancock | Jun 18, 2011, 11:13 AM EDT

Drop dead. Get it.

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WalterEllis | Jun 18, 2011, 10:42 AM EDT

For the life of me, I can't think why the fact that I write obituaries is in anyway relevant to anything. It's a curious kind of insult. Niall's related assertion that I had been promoted by The Times as "some kind of prominent Irish American," is even more strange since neither The Times nor the Irish Times has EVER said any such thing. If Niall can justify this claim, I would like to see the evidence. But it's time now for me to bow out and let the great man get on with his campaign. With thanks to those who had a few kind words to day, goodbye.

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CanadianPat | Jun 18, 2011, 10:20 AM EDT

Surprised you are getting any attention at all,but does seem fitting that it is comming from an obituary writer, as your campaign was dead in the water before it started!

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GeorgeDillon | Jun 18, 2011, 09:50 AM EDT

Ellis, give me the NYC St Patrick's Day Parade any day. At least it tries to honor Irish and Irish-American heritage and culture. The parade in Dublin now is dominated by Pakistanis, Poles, Indians, Chinese and Africans. It has no element whatsoever of Irish history, music or language. I guess that's why an anti-Irish bigot such as you likes it.

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GeorgeDillon | Jun 18, 2011, 09:46 AM EDT

Towngate: Is this new fantasy candidate of yours English? That would make her perfect, wouldn't it?

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Niall O'Dowd | Jun 18, 2011, 09:45 AM EDT

Declan from Australia thank you for your comments. You are right we need more tourists but they need to be encouraged frpm over here and elsewhere. There are simply not enough flights into Ireland at present.

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GeorgeDillon | Jun 18, 2011, 09:44 AM EDT

declanfoley: You make a number of good points. It always occurs to me that holding a campaign for Presiden of Ireland is nonsense, since the job calls for no ability other than that of signing one's name. On a side bar, you say "Tourists don't visit Ireland for the weather, but to meet the people." I think you're right, but explain to me why the clowns in Ireland have turned hospitality & tourism into an industry that's dominated by Eastern Europeans. On my last trip, I would say fewer than 10% of hotel staff I came across, be they restaurant, reception, shuttle busdrivers, bar staff etc. were Irish. Are the Irish too lazy to do these jobs? Or have young Irish men and women been frozen out of their own country by the corrupt Irish business class, and forced to head for Sidney and Sussex?

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themurphia | Jun 18, 2011, 09:17 AM EDT

As for meeja savvy well if you call tweeting the death of a colleague on twitter before his family has been notified...well yeah I guess she's meeja savvy...

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themurphia | Jun 18, 2011, 08:06 AM EDT

I don't think it's women who fantasise about Miriam and the Aras...more a Goy thing I think...As a contender she is too D4...has a bizarre voice not quite a 'goat chewing spaghetti' but that drawly Oim not really Oirish Oirish...Oim more cosmopolitan yeh know and really cooltured I live in Italy much of the toime...don't ask whoiy...drawl drawl Oh and of course Niall the GAA Sporting connections always a BIG deal for the massive...

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Towngate | Jun 18, 2011, 07:24 AM EDT

Niall,a chara: Bad news from the crow's nest, I'm afraid,Cap'n! ~ ~ ~ Keep yer powder dry until you see whether Miriam O'Callaghan is persuaded to enter the race! My instinct tells me that; no matter how worthy other candidates are, the Mammies of Ireland will instruct their sheeple to sweep this astonishingly accomplished, legally qualified,media-savvy mother of eight children into the Big House in the Park. ~ ~ ~ As President of the American Irish Diaspora (PAID) you could be Presenting your Credentials and your constructive proposals for closer ties with Ireland to her. There is no doubt that the Irish would be delighted if she would agree to represent their country to the world at large and her " Queen Maeve " image would stun the world! ~ ~ ~ add this to her extensive self-made media connections and success ~ and, if she can be persuaded to run ~ I'm afraid you can put the head between the legs and kiss the Aras goodbye!

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themurphia | Jun 18, 2011, 07:13 AM EDT

George Ellis..who he? I think you may be confusing your combatants Mr foley...the IT commentariat is talking about the possibility of Niall as the 'peoples choice' whatever the tribal affiliates think...At the moment Ireland needs someone of integrity dignity and preferably the ability to ignite the economy...Niall has those qualities and connections...'it's the economy stoopid'...Ireland exits beyond 'the Pale' and they are the people who need the jobs...'you got the money honey I got the time'...Mind you if John Hume throws his hat into the ring when he returns form his religious retreat then I think all bets are off...we will see white smoke rise from the Aras and a new Pope I mean President will be anointed/appointed...whatever...

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IronMountainMovies | Jun 18, 2011, 06:43 AM EDT

It seems that 'rumours of your Irish American status have been greatly exaggerated' by this obituary writer. No doubt with an ex PD at the helm, Pat Cox will be the Irish Times favourite for President. Ronan Gallagher

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declanfoley | Jun 18, 2011, 06:42 AM EDT

G'day from Oz Niall, I concur with the sentiment of George Ellis's piece in the Irish Times. And, like George my opinion is not personal, rather realistic. Firstly you have to secure endorsement from a variety of political bodies: a great but maybe not insurmountable leap. Secondly you have to get the votes: insurmountable as the majority will vote party; the General election clearly illustrates this. Apart from everything else, it is not a great President Ireland requires at this time, rather a group of visionaries in Cabinet and a revolution in how local and national government operates. In my considered opinion, the best way in which Ireland can become as it were "A nation once again" is by those whom live in Ireland investing in themselves. Ireland has the greatest opportunity for a tourist industry, yet has failed time and again to capitalize on this industry; worse still to treat tourism as an industry. Ireland is an urban agricultural nation with innumerable historical artifacts. Tourists don't visit Ireland for the weather, but to meet the people. Even if you did become President of Ireland, you obviously do not comprehend the hold on this office the Department of An Taoiseach has upon it. Whilst you did do great work in recent years in regard to the Peace Process, bear in mind that you were not a political threat to anyone in Ireland, putting your hand up for President is a different ball game. Honestly Niall, if I had the organ that you have in your media outlet, I would be pursing that avenue with every ounce of energy to make the Irish people living in Ireland to invest in, and believe in THEMSELVES first. Encourage them to invest in their own localities, instead of having billions sitting in savings in banks. after all when we do die, we are taken from our money. Sincerely Declan Foley (once of Sligo)

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