Once Again The Torch is Passed

Posted by Jim on March 25, 2023

U.S. Special Envoy Joseph Kennedy III

Opinion March 20, 2023 by By James Brosnahan and Dan VanDeMortel

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There is a new Kennedy associated with Irish affairs. With a nod to the past and a move toward the future, President Joe Biden recently selected 42-year-old Joseph Kennedy III as the latest Special Envoy to Northern Ireland.

Who is this newest Kennedy? What does he confront in his new role?

This generational passing of the family torch could impact the province’s future – and his own.

Kennedy is the grandson of Senator and Attorney General Robert Kennedy, assassinated while running for president in 1968. His great-uncle, SenatorTed Kennedy, played a crucial role leading to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement (GFA), including supporting the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement (which provided an advisory role for the Republic’s government in Northern Ireland’s government).

His great-aunt, Jean Kennedy Smith, U.S. ambassador to Ireland in the 1990s, was likewise an influential peace process player. And his father, Rep. Joe Kennedy II, contributed to congressional monitoring of Northern Ireland’s political and economic progress.

Kennedy was born in Brighton, Massachusetts, and attended the elite Buckingham Browne and Nichols School. He and his fraternal twin, Matt, majored in management science and engineering at Stanford University, where he graduated in 2003. His lacrosse teammates and friends at Stanford remember him as the “Milkman”: a teetotaler who opted for milk. After graduation, Kennedy spent two years in the Dominican Republic working for the Peace Corps, a service created by his great-uncle, President John Kennedy.

Kennedy subsequently attended Harvard Law School, where he met his future wife, Lauren Anne Birchfield, this while they studied under Professor Elizabeth Warren. He worked on the Legal Aid Bureau and the Harvard Human Rights Journal and started an after-school program for at-risk youth in Boston. Upon graduation, he became assistant district attorney in Middlesex County.

When Democratic Rep. Barney Frank retired in 2012, Kennedy moved to Brookline to run for the open seat. He campaigned on economic fairness, advocating for equal opportunity for education and jobs. With Matt as his confidant, and his grandmother, Ethel Kennedy, campaigning on his behalf, Kennedy easily won the seat.

In Congress, Kennedy supported improved education and job training. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, he emphasized tackling drug abuse and reducing energy prices. His voting record was solidly liberal but bipartisan on issues such as opioid addiction prevention, access to mental health services for children, and consumers’ access to hearing aids.

Kennedy was active and bipartisan on Irish-related issues, too. He co-sponsored House resolutions supporting Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, creation of a National Museum of Irish American History, and the GFA, and also one that opposed a Brexit-induced hard border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. He co-signed various Congressional letters to President Trump, Homeland Security, UK Prime Ministers, and others requesting a Brexit strategy that would not compromise the GFA, appointment of a special envoy, an independent public inquiry into state collusion regarding the murder of human rights attorney Patrick Finucane, and suspension of deportation efforts against Malachy McAllister. And he regularly attended the annual St. Patrick’s Day Friends of Ireland luncheon, hosted by the House speaker, where he met the Taoiseach and other Irish officials.

Kennedy consistently championed the underdog. He marched in Boston’s Gay Pride parade and was critical of President Trump’ immigration policies on the southern border, often comparing it to the challenges his Irish ancestors faced. He called for “moral capitalism,” vigorously opposing efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

When picked in 2018 to respond to Trump’s State of the Union message on national television, Kennedy received favorable reviews. His rapid political ascent led him a year later to challenge Massachusetts’s junior Senator, Ed Markey, in the Democratic primary. Early polls showed a promising double-digit lead, but Markey unexpectedly triumphed. Ignominiously, Kennedy was cast adrift as the first family member to lose a Massachusetts election.

Until, that is, Biden, offered a lifeline. Kennedy now finds himself simultaneously poised with potential political resuscitation and a chance to help solve problems bedeviling Northern Ireland. According to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken, Kennedy’s focus will be confined to “advancing economic development and investment opportunities” to benefit all communities and strengthen U.S.-Northern Ireland ties.

Will Kennedy’s responsibilities be that narrow? Similar limits were initially placed upon former special envoy George Mitchell and others, whose boundaries eventually expanded upon earning cross-community trust that contributed to, and subsequently nurtured, the Good Friday Agreement.

Indeed, winning hearts and minds, or at least begrudging acceptance, of all sides is the first hurdle Kennedy will have to clear to succeed. Biden is certainly a fan of his family: Caroline Kennedy (President John F. Kennedy’s daughter) and Victoria Kennedy (Ted Kennedy’s widow) serve as ambassadors to Australia and Austria, respectively. So Kennedy will assuredly have the President’s ear.

And his selection was welcomed by Irish and republican and nationalist officials in Northern Ireland and the Republic. But receiving the British government’s respect will be trickier, particularly in the wake of President Biden’s repeated warnings to three consecutive prime ministers to not undermine the peace accords. British public expressions of respect and appreciation could easily be counteracted by annoyed perceptions of Biden and Kennedy as interlopers improperly meddling in UK affairs.

As for Northern Ireland unionists/loyalists, they are historically, sometimes justifiably, nervous when U.S. officials become directly involved in their affairs.

This is especially true now given their lingering feeling of neglect stemming from a lack of consultation regarding a Northern Ireland Protocol-induced border in the Irish Sea, seen by many as British government duplicity. “We seem to be getting one of these classic Irish-American envoys who has no idea what we’re about—that we’re British, not Irish,” one unionist told Politico. Similar comments confirm Kennedy will face a formidable task overcoming his diplomatic inexperience and name to win respect from all sides.

Then there is the problem of violence. The annual marching season, old grudges from the violent days of the Troubles, and the New IRA (a small group of approximately 200 members) remain threats. Stability is always threatened behind the curtain of Irish history as sectarian strife stubbornly pokes at the peace gained with the support of the U.S. government and Irish America.

Kennedy will have to master the newly-minted “Windsor Framework” Protocol trade agreement between the UK and the European Union, which Biden hailed as an essential step to ensuring that the GFA’s hard-earned peace and progress is preserved and strengthened.

How will this agreement be monitored and enforced going forward? The province has had no functioning assembly since February 2022, when the Democratic Unionist Party resigned over Protocol-related issues, compounded three months later when Sinn Fein was voted the province’s largest party.

The human rights situation is also precarious given the British government’s pending Legacy Bill, which would provide immunity for people accused of Troubles-related offenses if they cooperate with a new truth recovery body, and would halt future civil cases and inquests linked to killings during the conflict.

“I don’t know how you encourage people to invest in Northern Ireland unless and until you have a few things solved—the restoration of the assembly, the Protocol, and the paramilitaries,” a former special envoy recently told the Financial Times.

Lastly, will there be reunification of the Republic and the North? Economics may propel it. For instance, Northern farmers are used to selling their products in the South as part of the European community.

Neither they nor other citizens North and South wish to or should be expected to endure Brexit-induced economic inefficiencies. And, this year, shifting population numbers will yield the disappearance of a cultural Protestant majority in Northern Ireland among voters in all age groups.

Consequently, a 2030 united Ireland poll is possible, and planning is needed now. As University of Pennsylvania Professor Brendan O’Leary convincingly blueprints in “Making Sense of a United Ireland,” “this fact-to-be requires preparation, not premature exultation, and certainly not lazy deferral of its predictable consequences.”

The dagger of problems hangs over Northern Ireland as it has for centuries. Americans and Kennedy can play a constructive role by listening to all who desire peace.

His success depends upon how effectively he engages with both sides of the political divide: not just politicians, but farmers, tradespeople, tech workers, NGOs, and church and community leaders. The Kennedys of yore have a storied history of empathizing with, and assisting, citizens of all stripes: a history Joe Kennedy III would do well to emulate.

Coverage of Kennedy consistently describes him as reliable, personable, and thoughtful, someone who feels moral outrage about injustice.

His envoy role will test these personality traits. President Biden and other dignitaries are expected to visit Northern Ireland in April to celebrate the GFA’s 25th anniversary. How many old problems and new ones will confront them?

Perhaps this generation’s Kennedy can help achieve positive outcomes – for Ireland and himself.

James Brosnahan and Dan VanDeMortel have, over the years, published Northern Ireland Presidential and Congressional scorecards, frequently visited Ireland and Northern Ireland, and have written about Irish political and legal affairs. Brosnahan’s to-be-published 2023 memoir will cover, in part, his investigation of the murders of lawyers Rosemary Nelson and Patrick Finucane.

In pictures: St Patrick’s Day parades in full colour across Northern Ireland

Posted by Jim on March 20, 2023

Have a look and see if you can spot anybody you know out celebrating

Watch: Thousands of people celebrate St Patrick’s Day in style in Belfast

Belfast Telegraph

Fri 17 Mar 2023 at 11:00

As ever, Northern Ireland was turned green on Friday for St Patrick’s Day.

There were celebrations across towns and cities, including parades taking place in Belfast, Derry, Downpatrick, Armagh and Newry.

There were plenty of people looking the part and we’ve put together the top photos from the festivities.

Have a look and see if you spot anybody you know:

Derry

Downpatrick

CBOI at Carnegie Hall

Posted by Jim on March 16, 2023

March 16, 2023 by Irish Echo Staff

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The Cross Border Orchestra of Ireland, which has been promoting peace since 1995, will again grace the Carnegie Hall stage Friday evening, March 17. The celebration St. Patrick’s Day concert marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Based in Dundalk, Co. Louth, the CBOI is composed of over 130 young musicians, from age 14 to 24, from all over Ireland and Northern Ireland. View their version of “Where the Streets have No Name,” filmed at locations across the island of Ireland, here:

DUP urged to restore powersharing institutions by US senate leader

Posted by Jim on

DUP urged to restore powersharing institutions by US senate leader

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA in Washington DC

Today at 03:20

The DUP has been urged to restore power-sharing by the leader of the US senate at a gala dinner attended by senior political figures from Northern Ireland.

Among the high-profile guests at the dinner were former Irish president Mary Robinson, PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne and the US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland Joe Kennedy III.

Also in attendance were Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald, her vice president Michelle O’Neill, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, UUP leader Doug Beattie, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long and SDLP leader Colum Eastwood.

Chuck Schumer praised the slow and “sometimes spluttering” progress made to achieve peace in Northern Ireland, before urging the Stormont institutions to be restored.

The US Senate Majority Leader also said he hoped the Windsor Framework “clears the way for the DUP to join Sinn Fein in a power-sharing agreement decided by the people of Northern Ireland in the last election, an amazing election.

“I say to all parties in the north, but especially the DUP, let’s get to the people’s business.”

Mr Schumer also referenced a group of Irish fishermen’s campaign to oust a Russian naval ship away from the Co Cork coast in 2021, quoted novelist James Joyce, and said Mayo would win the All Ireland Football Championship.

“I come from Ireland’s 33rd county – Brooklyn, New York!” he said.

He also praised the Irish rugby team – telling the congregation that if they had been sent to Ukraine, the war would be over within a week.

Republican Kevin McCarthy, the great grandson of a labourer from Co Cork, referenced the opposition that led to him eventually to becoming the Speaker of the House of Representatives – on the 15th ballot.

“A true Irishman never passes up a good fight,” he said. “But as an Irishman we also know when the fight’s over, you bring peace, you keep the peace, and that’s what we will do.”

During his address, Irish premier Leo Varadkar thanked the US for its response to the invasion of Ukraine, paid tribute to the late Congressman Brian Donnelly, and reflected on the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

He told guests: “This remarkable achievement took real political leadership – and a vision that was not afraid of compromise – and it allowed us to break the cycle of violence that had ravaged the island of Ireland for 30 years.

“A new generation of young people were given the freedom to dream big dreams for the first time.

“It would never have been possible without the support of our friends here in the United States, including some of the people in this room.

“In many ways, America is the thirds co-guarantor of the Agreement.”

The Taoiseach added: “Twenty-five years on, Northern Ireland is a very different place. It has its problems and has yet to live up to the full promise of Good Friday 1998 but it is unquestioningly a much better place than it was and there are so many opportunities available to young people that were unimaginable for too long.

“In this St Patrick’s week, let us remember that peace in Northern Ireland is one of the greatest and most significant success stories in American foreign policy.

“At critical junctures, the intervention of the United States drove the process forward.

“I believe the best way of celebrating a quarter of a century of peace on the island of Ireland, is by seizing this opportunity to make it a shining example to the world of what can be achieved when hope overcomes fear,” he said.

Irish Famine immigrants were huge fans of soda water

Posted by Jim on March 6, 2023

Irish, susceptible to disease, soon become a “remedy” among the community and a symbol of national pride.

IrishCentral Staff Writers

Mar 06, 2023

Soda water was the drink of choice for 19th-century Irish immigrants. GETTY

How soda water, Irish sounding-brand names and all, become a medical, emotional and spiritual part of the 19th-century community. 

Today, sparkling water is a trendy alternative to sugary sodas in our health-conscious culture. From 2009 and 2014, the volume of carbonated bottle of water sold in the U.S. increased 56.4 percent. Nearly 800 million liters of soda water are expected to sell annually.

However, sparkling water isn’t anything new. According to researcher Meredith B. Linn, Irish famine immigrants in the 19th century were huge fans of the beverage.

Archaeologists have discovered numerous soda water bottles at the former dwellings of 19th-century Irish immigrants, Linn revealed in the paper Elixer of Emigration:Soda Water and the Making of Irish Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City, published by the Society for Historical Archaeology. Her study focused on findings from Five Points, a working-class neighborhood in New York City during the 19th century.

A substantial number of these bottles were found at the site of two tenements inhabited almost exclusively by Irish immigrants and first-generation Irish Americans. The number of bottles found greatly exceeded the number of similar bottles found in association with German, German Jewish, and Polish immigrant residents at the same site and those found in association with Scottish, English and American-born families in Greenwich Village. This pattern was consistent with what was found in Irish immigrant-related sites in New Jersey and San Francisco around the same time period.

JSTOR Daily reports that Irish immigrants, who were “steeped in water remedy beliefs,” viewed soda water as a health-related drink.

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“Historical records and oral histories indicate that Irish people generally had faith in apothecaries that was equal to or exceeded that which they had in physicians,” says Linn.

Irish immigrant communities were susceptible to disease. In response to the potato famine, many immigrants survived crossings in filthy steerage compartments to come to the U.S. Their immune systems were depleted and many suffered from diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera, and anemia.

JSTOR Daily reports: “Soda water soon morphed into a symbol of national pride. In response to their new clientele, soda water bottlers began to sell water in bottles embossed with Irish-sounding brand names. These clever strategies meant that Irish people not only bought more water, but saved bottles for reuse at home, often filling them with homemade remedies when the soda water was gone. It became common to keep Irish-named soda bottles on display in the home and share soda water with visitors—a ritual that in turn ‘would have been absolutely critical for the survival of most immigrants and constituted a kind of social medicine.’”

Irish immigrants would come to have a medical, emotional, and spiritual connection to the sparkling drink.

According to Linn: “Soda water was a commodity that resonated with Irih immigrants on multiple levels, and one that they actively used to remedy physical, emotional, social, and economic ills resulting from diaspora and emigration.”