[caption id="attachment_71938" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Henry Healey's staying put in Ireland. "]
It would be interesting indeed if Henry Healey, like his ancestor Fulmouth Kearney, got a hankering for America - as a place to live on a permanent basis that is. As reported last week, Henry, from Moneygall in County Offaly, is President Obama's cousin eight times removed. But even such an august family connection was not enough to save Henry from the long lines of Ireland's unemployed. He recently lost his job as a bookkeeper for a local plumbing firm.
Henry and the president famously downed pints of Guinness in Moneygall's Ollie Hayes Pub during Obama's Irish visit last year; and in March of this year, Obama returned the favor by inviting Healy to the Dubliner Pub in Washington to celebrate St. Patrick's day.
Henry came to American as a visitor. But what if he decided to make a go of it as an immigrant rather than sticking to his stated plan of studying for a diploma and becoming a teacher on his native sod?
Well, unlike Fulmouth (sometimes spelled Falmouth) the ancestor he shares with the 44th president, Henry would have a very hard time in being accepted by the United States. As such, he is standing on common ground with most of his compatriots.
But while IF wishes Henry the best of luck with his revised career plan, it is intriguing to imagine the kind of light that would be thrown upon the present barriers to legal Irish immigration to America if cousin Henry decided to emulate cousin Fulmouth/Falmouth and put his name down for a little homesteading in Ohio or some such.
Intriguing indeed.
CLOSE BUT...
New York City Council member Elizabeth Crowley's bid to secure the Democratic Party nomination for the upcoming 6th Congressional District vote in November has taken a bit of a hit with retiring congressman Gary Ackerman opting to support the candidacy of one of her two main rivals, Grace Meng.
Meng already has the backing of Crowley's cousin, Congressman Joe Crowley, the boss of bosses in Queens Democratic politics. So is it all up for Liz? Well, no, though voters who take endorsements from other politicians as their guide will likely line up behind Meng on primary day, June 26.
Reported the New York Times: "But in what could be viewed as critiques of......Ms. Crowley, whose candidacy has soured her relationship with her cousin, Congressman Crowley, Mr. Ackerman, 69, said that Ms. Meng's self-effacing style and background as a fellow child of immigrants had won him over."
Funny, but IF recalls Liz Crowley as stating that she fully accept Joe's decision as he really could not have endorsed her precisely because of their family ties.
Added Ackerman: "It's not a matter of being the most flashy or the most self-promoting, but the ability to bring people together. She's a very likable person and she's a very quick study. She understands that it's not about her, but the people who sent her there."
Ackerman is talking here about Meng but the description would fit Crowley pretty well too. Anyway, Crowley is far from out of it as she has hefty backing from unions, cops and firefighters. And, critically, her entire council district sits in the newly drawn congressional district.
