By Ray O’Hanlon
A number of leading Irish-American businessmen were reportedly shut out of a lunch hosted by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in honor of President Clinton last week.
The Sunday Business Post reported that up to 20 traveling executives, including Mutual of America’s Bill Flynn and MCI’s John Sharkey, departed the lunch venue at the College of Surgeons in Dublin when it became apparent they were not on the guest list.
The paper reported that Flynn was so upset by the snub that he took an early flight back to the U.S.
The report characterized the failure to invite the U.S. executives as a "spectacular own goal" for Fianna Fáil, which is hosting its major annual U.S. fund-raiser in New York in November.
Sharkey and Flynn are two of the handful of top U.S. executives whom the Friends of Fianna Fáil would normally look to for particularly large checks.
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GAA player killed
A Newry man who had come over to the United States to play for the local GAA was hit by a truck and killed over the weekend.
Shane Davey, 18, had been due to play for Cork at the weekend, his first game since arriving in America four weeks ago. Davey was reportedly hit by a truck while crossing a street in Rockland County, New York. The Cork vs. Donegal football game was canceled and Rockland team players formed a circle and prayed after their match with Monaghan, in respect to Davey’s death.
Vows to ‘eradicate’ U.S. support
Washington’s move to bottle up fund-raising for dissident republican groups in the U.S. appeared to take another step during President Clinton’s Irish trip when the president himself vowed to "eradicate" sources of support for paramilitary groups still committed to violence.
Clinton’s promise, in response to a request by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was mentioned in reports by Newsday in New York and the Chicago Tribune.
The pledge was delivered before the Real IRA declared a cease-fire.
AOH leader voices concern
AOH National President Thomas Gilligan has written Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressing concern over newly adopted anti-terrorist laws.
"It is difficult to fathom why these measure were felt necessary and even more difficult to see how they they might help the peace process," Gilligan said in a statement.
He urged both leaders to move as vigorously with "the justice agenda" as they had with "the jack-boot agenda of security forces."
In a separate statement, Gilligan expressed his organization’s disgust over the recent Omagh bombing.
"Mere words cannot express the anger we feel over this monstrous act. This dreadful deed plays into the hands of the very security forces we wish to see abolished and removed from Ireland," Gilligan said.
Gilligan said that the AOH wanted to see the same diligence exercised in seeking justice for the victims of Omagh applied to seeking the truth and in securing justice for the victims of the 1974 Dublin/Monaghan bombings.
"We want the truth about the 1974 bombers, who set them up and the failure to prosecute and we want to know what the RUC knew about the Omagh bomb and when did they know it." Gilligan said.
Adams heading this way
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams is expected in the U.S. next month for a fund-raising tour covering a number of east coast cities. The visit is currently set for Oct. 10-18, according to Friends of Sinn Féin.
Adams is expected to visit a number of eastern cities, including or possibly Washington D.C., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Albany and Fairfield, Conn.
Meanwhile, the newly formed group Irish Americans Support Pete King is planning a cocktail reception for the GOP representative on Thursday, Sept. 17, from 6-8 p.m. at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. The cost is $150 per person. For details, (212) 587-3300.
Caulfield in court
Former republican prisoner Charlie Caulfield is due to appear in a Manhattan court today to answer charges of not revealing his prison record when applying to enter the U.S. Caulfield’s case will be heard by Judge Kimba Wood at 10 a.m., 500 Pearl St., Room 15B. The Charlie Caulfield Defense Committee is urging people to attend the hearing.