WASHINGTON FOCUS ON IRELAND: The cause endures, the dream will never die

Posted By: January 22, 2015

WASHINGTON FOCUS ON IRELAND

The cause endures, the dream will never die.

Fr. Sean Mc Manus and Congressman Joe Kennedy, III

 CAPITOL HILL. Thursday, January 22, 2015 — Last night Capitol Hill was abuzz with all things Irish — immigration reform, support for the peace-process, and yearnings for the unification of Ireland.

 The event  was held in  in a Congressional office  and sponsored by the  Council on American Irish Relations —  in Cooperation with Congressman Richard Neal ( D-MA) and Congressman Joseph Crowley( D-NY) — to  welcome the new Irish Members of the 114th Congress.

It was Congressman Crowley who expressed the afore mentioned yearnings for a United Ireland when he spoke.

One of the new Members of Congress, Brendan Boyle, spoke movingly and proudly of his Donegal roots — his father being from that County.

Minister of state for the Diaspora, Jimmy Deenihan also addressed the gathering.

Fr. Sean Mc Manus — President of the Capitol Hill-based Irish National Caucus — said:”it was good to see all the continued interest in Ireland. But how could it be otherwise with Brian O’Dwyer and Stella O’Leary at the podium?

When I was being photographed with Congressman Joe Kennedy, III, I couldn’t help thinking of his Uncle Teddy’s famous speech at the 1980 Democratic National Convention: ‘The cause endures, the dream will never die.’ Also, of course, I was very conscious of his father, former Congressman Joe Kennedy II , son of Bobby.

Joe the Second endeared himself forever to Irish-Americans when he was seen on TV being accosted in Belfast by a belligerent English soldier, who screeched, ‘ Why don’t you go back to your own country?’ Joe II, not missing a beat retorted: “ Why don’t you go back to your country?”

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