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THE DEATH HAS occurred of former US ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney.
He was 84.
Serving as US President Barack Obama’s ambassador to Ireland between 2009 and 2012, Rooney was also well-known in American football circles as owner and chairman of the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL team.
Rooney was the son of Art Rooney, himself the owner of the Steelers, and was heavily involved in all aspects of the franchise since childhood.
His spearheading of an initiative to require all NFL teams to interview minority candidates for senior coaching jobs led to its adoption in 2003. It became known as the Rooney Rule.
In March 2009 Obama nominated Rooney as ambassador to Ireland, a role he was confirmed for in July of that year.
Rooney’s Irish connections could be traced back to the town of Newry in Co Down.
Speaking this evening, President Michael D Higgins said he had “heard with sadness of the passing of Dan Rooney”.
“Sabina and I remember Ambassador Rooney and his family’s visit to us in Áras an Uachtaráin with fondness,” he said.
Deeply committed to Ireland and the Irish people, he was always conscious of his Irish roots.
He was a major contributor to the Ireland Funds. Thanks to his contributions and those of others many projects promoting peace and reconciliation in Ireland were initiated, leaving a real and tangible legacy.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny meanwhile commented that he was “deeply saddened” to learn of Rooney’s passing, adding that “Dan was a personal friend of mine”.
During his time as American ambassador to Ireland Dan visited every county in Ireland and his work brought both the United States and Ireland closer together.
Dan was a founding President of the Ireland Fund. He leaves a massive legacy which will benefit many people for the years to come.
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The rockall independence movement is growing
It’s difficult to comprehend why so many areas of the UK haven’t sought much more independence from London. One could argue that the midlands and north England did so when they voted for Brexit. Scotland with it’s huge oil reserves, fishing,Tourism and unique worldwide recognised culture could easily make a go of it. Then you have the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Northern Ireland is an enigma really, an area obvioulsy geographically part of the whole island and even historiaclly so. An area also now which would be economically better off despite the London subsidy(how long will that last after Brexit?). And finally an area where a chunk of the people either want or don’t mind becoming some sort of federal island nation with the Republic which one cannot now argue is run by Rome!
Read it again they are agreeing with Brexit they want away from the EU and scotishslappers.co.uk parliament
The Isle of Man and Channel islands aren’t part of the UK – they have their own rules concerning EU membership.
Whoever downvoted my comment – it’s a staement of fact, idiots. Read up about it.
Winston, think again, Scotland would struggle to survive, economically, on it’s own. The “huge oil reserves” are not all Scotlands, are dwindling and have lost huge amounts of value. Culture they do have, albeit some of it is fairy story stuff, but it doesn’t buy a lot of bread. They have Whiskey and some ship-building but not enough to fund the SNP life-style. Shetland is the powerhouse and they have talked about independence from Scotland for many years.
David Harries, read my mail again, I never mentioned The Shetlands, Joseph just look around at the majority of even ancient nations which are basket cases such as Greece and Italy and you’ll realise Scotland is a very viable possibility. Harry I never mentioned EU membership just ‘more’ independence from London.
LMAO at Clan Sturgeon tying themselves in knots over this – there are Shetlanders and Orcadians who consider themselves as different from the Scots as the Scots are from the English, yet watch how such arguments are brushed aside. MY NATIONALISM GOOD, YOUR NATIONALISM BAD – classic SNP hypocrisy.
Shetland, Orkney and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar all voted against Scottish Independence. Now they want their own independence. Sounds like putting the cart before the horse. If those three had voted yes they would be half-way to getting their own independence. All three see themselves as being different to the Scots.
And for the record, I would support independence for all four; Scotland, Orkney, Shetland and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.
Go for it! Down with globalisation! The world’s richest getting richer with vast fortunes they don’t even know what to do with,all on the backs if the the masses
“Our seas are being plundered by foreign boats.” – a familiar situation
Said without irony by the descendants of Vikings!
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