Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE MAYOR OF Kilkenny has extended an invitation to re-elected US President Barack Obama to visit the city if he returns to Ireland in his second term.
Seán Ó hArgáin has written to the White House to see if Obama would include Kilkenny on his itinerary if he returns to Ireland in the next four years and hopes it could happen before his mayoralty comes to an end next June.
“Obviously the last trip was limited,” the Labour Party councillor told TheJournal.ie today. “But there would be a hope that it might be a little bit more open next time, there might not be the same pressures in the second term.”
Ó hArgáin said that Obama’s great-great-great grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, may have had connections to the Offaly village of Moneygall where the US president visited last year but Kearney is connected to Bishop John Kearney – who would be Obama’s sixth generation great granduncle – who is entombed in St Canices Cathedral in Kilkenny.
“He [Bishop Kearney] was a very prominent Church of Ireland bishop and I think he was a teacher in Trinity at some point. Genealogists have done a lot of work on finding a link to Obama.”
The Mayor says that he is a long-standing Obama supporter and as a Labour Party member would have “sympathies with the Democrats” as would his family in Boston.
He also revealed a bet he made seven years ago on Obama ending up in the White House.
“I made a few bob on him in 2005,” he said.
“I read his book in the States and got handsome odds from Paddy Power that he would win the 2008 presidential election. I got 100-1 to on him and I had €20 in my pocket so I was more than happy to collect the winnings!”
Ó hArgáin said that he was awake until 5.30am following the results of the US presidential election on Tuesday and Wednesday last and sent a letter off to the US on Friday but he is yet to receive a response.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Portugal has 2000 isolation beds at the ready and dozens specialist teams ready to deal with an outbreak
Ireland has……Advice
@Ruairi Dowdall: and a hotline that doesn’t work
@Ruairi Dowdall: we heard you the first time
@Ruairi Dowdall: The advice is: Don’t bother wearing a mask, it’ll be grand.
@Ruairi Dowdall: that’s nothing, Ireland organised it’s own storm for tomorrow to blow the corona virus out into the Atlantic.
@Ruairi Dowdall: don’t worry, it was reported earlier in the week that the Mater Hospital has 12 isolation beds, and that they’ll be brought on stream if needed! You couldn’t make it up!!!
@Ruairi Dowdall: Yea , like “ sticking a note on your front door “ lol
Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop huffing glue.
@Sequoia: getting real tired of this now
I’d say by mid next week buy as many stocks as you can, a lot of money to be made. All depends on these virus numbers slowing down by the end of the weekend !
@John O’Neill: or it could get worse as it’s spreads to other countries?
Do you play roulette often?
@John O’Neill: Don’t try to catch a falling knife
@John Black: no new cases in the U.S in the last 32 hours, Italy press conference at 5pm, 85% of Starbucks back open In China. The numbers don’t sound bad to me.
@Bob Frapples: infodemic or pandemic?
@John O’Neill: on the money (: when this fecks off, which will over time, the only way is up for stocks
@Looney Tunes: literally cant go tits up
@John O’Neill: maybe a few days longer, but yeah there will be a massive bounce back
@John Black: always bet on Black .. John Black
@John O’Neill: What would you recommend? White stocks, black stocks, those little hidden ankle stocks, or full length knee stocks?
@barry sorensen: Index funds – they spread your investment over all the companies in whatever stock exchange you pick. Google “S&P 500 graph” and look at the last 30 years. It’s survived every global crisis and downturn over the last 60 odd years.
@Aidan: only fools buy on the way down
@Rocky Raccoon: I was talking the piss
Anyone know where I can buy stocks in a surgical mask company?
@anthony mcgowan: 3M
Bring back brexit the lesser of the two evils
have your say