Ed Koch not popular with many Irish during his career -- Late NY Mayor defended British role in North after Irish trip in 1988

Ed Koch celebrating St. Patrick's Day

I never had much time for Ed Koch, the mayor of New York from 1978 to 1989. The mayor died today.

He was a blusterer who early on in his career stopped listening and began pronouncing and never stopped.

I remember interviewing him and seeing that familiar politician’s fault where questions were answered with the same familiar soundbite, year after year.

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He was New York. Larger than life, for better and for worse, and often I felt the latter more than the former.
He was in power too long, somewhat like the current mayor Michael Bloomberg, and had become a poor imitation of himself by the time he stepped down.

On Irish issues he was captive to whomever he last spoke to.

Sure, he wore his big Irish sweater every St. Patrick’s Day and loved being photographed at the parade but at the height of the Northern Ireland "Troubles" he contributed very little to the American role.

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Indeed, his most famous faux pas as far as Irish Americans were concerned occurred in 1988 after he went on a five-day visit over there with his frequent bosom buddy John Cardinal O’Connor.

Here is how his trip was reported on AP:

“Mayor Edward Koch says Irish-Americans who ''beat up the British'' for their role in Northern Ireland are taking the easy way out" ran the headline.

The story ran “The mayor, back at City Hall on Tuesday, defended remarks he made in Dublin earlier in the day at the end of his five-day pilgrimage for peace in Ireland with Cardinal John O'Connor.”

In Dublin, Koch had praised the ''good attitude'' of the British, saying ''I do not believe that they deserve the castigation that any of us, myself included, have heaped upon them. I do not believe that the British are occupying forces.''

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Well that went down well in The Bronx and Flatbush and Koch never quite regained his equilibrium with the Irish as a result.

Hardly surprising.

Please, let's keep political correctness out of Saint Patrick's Day -- Pressure mounts to make it about more than just the Irish in America

NYPD Emerald Society marching band in the St Patrick's Day parade in New York (Chang Lee/New York Times)

Political correctness is making its move on St. Patrick’s Day I fear.

There were two articles over the weekend, one in The New York Times, the other The Irish Times, making the same point.

We need to be more inclusive and St. Patrick’s Day should become less Irish and more of an opportunity for all immigrants to celebrate.

To which I say, hooey.

Here are just two extracts.

This from Dr. James Flannery of Emory University in Atlanta in The Irish Times.

It was entitled "St Patrick's Day celebrates the role of all US migrants."

“My hope is that some day the celebration of St Patrick’s Day in Atlanta will become a genuine multicultural holiday, with every year a different ethnic group honored at the head of the parade.

“Imagine a St Patrick’s Day parade that, over time, included Chinese dragons, Mexican mariachi bands, Caribbean steel drummers and Korean acrobats, all marching alongside green-clad Irish pipers and step dancers.”
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I must mention that Jim Flannery is a dear friend of long standing, an inspirational figure in Ireland where he staged the Yeats Cycle of Plays at the Abbey Theater and introduced an unknown young composer called Bill Whelan later of “Riverdance” fame, to the world.

For decades he has been a bastion of Irish culture and influence in the south.

But on this occasion I respectfully disagree with him.

The second piece was in The New York Times with the same gist.

“This March 17, on this side of the water, we ought to be celebrating immigration, not just Irishness," writes the author Peter Behrens.

“It’s About Immigrants Not Irishness” was the title of the piece, which says it all.

It is suddenly becoming fashionable to recast the March 17th holiday as a one size fits all day that we can celebrate all immigrants.

But that is neither the history nor the intent of the day from time immemorial.

I embrace Martin Luther King Day for what it is, a celebration of an incredible American, who did for his risen people what no leader before him could do.

When you look at Barack Obama you know it could never have been possible without MLK.

I don’t want to interject an Irish element to Martin Luther King Day, as that would, frankly, be ridiculous.

It’s a day for African Americans to celebrate their success.

I feel the same about Puerto Rican Day here in New York and love the mariachi bands and the free and open atmosphere of their parade, so different to what we have on St. Patrick’s Day.

One year I remember the Grand Marshal was an Elvis impersonator -- that's not something you'll ever see on March 17th I assure you!

Good for them.

Equally, I don’t want to demand that we walk too in that parade, nor in the Israeli Day or the Polish Day or German Day parades that are such a feature of our American summers.

Some years back I went to the Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown. It was brilliant, exotic and different.

An Irish pipe band among the exploding firecrackers would have looked and sounded ridiculous.

The Irish have a right to their day too, the celebration of the rise from the coffin ships to the White House, the flowering of a culture and a history that has given much to this country.

I love that other nationalities love St. Patrick’s Day, that they clearly have a great day out of it too, that the streets are packed for the spring ritual that rivals Mardi Gras.

But let’s not have a multicultural Saint Patrick’s Day.

That defeats the very notion of what this country is all about “E Pluribus Unum,” from all, one, each separate but together as a nation.

So with due respect to Doctor Jim and the writer Mr. Behrens I say, let’s keep the Irish front and center on Saint Patrick’s Day.

Let's enjoy our different histories, not try and mesh them.

Some Irish need not apply at Obama White House St.Patrick's Bash -- Grumblings as re-election committee grabs prime tickets

It is the most coveted ticket in Irish America, the invaluable access to the Obama White House for the annual St.Patrick’s Day event honoring the Irish Prime Minister.

This year there are many disappointed faces.

Many who have been invited in previous years, including some significant leaders in key re-election states, have been left empty-handed.

It has caused no end of consternation and surprise, especially in an election year when a key constituency like Irish Americans is usually strongly courted.

Indeed, key leaders in many leading organizations have had their stipend cut from two to one, leaving many spouses baffled after they had been on the guest list for several years.

As any couple will tell you hell hath no fury like a spouse scorned and White House personnel have been hearing it hot and heavy over the past week from disappointed significant others.

The culprit appears to be the President’s re-election committee who have bagged many of the Irish invites and shuffled them to big party backers who are only too glad to take part in a White House event, Irish or not.

The upshot has been a similar occurrence to the very first year of the Obama White House in 2009 when old Chicago buddies and other key constituency leaders made it over stalwart Irish names.

That caused such a firestorm that the following year it was Cead Mile Failte to one and all and it has been that way ever since-- until this year.

There were murmurings this week when the British Prime Minister David Cameron had a state dinner in the usual St. Patrick’s slot at the White House. The fact that their joint op-ed in The New York Times did not even mention their joint success at helping solve the issue of Northern Ireland was also noticed.

Ireland and Irish America it seems is relegated to the annual St.Patrick’s shindig, except now, with many being refused invites, even that may not be the case.

It seems a trifle foolish given that Pennsylvania, Ohio and other key states all have large Irish Catholic constituencies which are key swing votes.

The Obama folk should really pay more attention.

What were Nike thinking, marketing Black and Tan sneakers for St. Patrick's Day? Irish Americans surely deserved better than that

What were Nike thinking?

They have a $3 billion dollar budget worldwide for marketing and the best they can come up with for the Irish this St. Patrick's Day is the 'Black and Tan' sneaker.

Did no one at this giant company just check on Google exactly what most Irish relate the term Black and Tan to?

It was the equivalent of Al-Qaeda for a generation of Irish during the War of Independence. A bunch of merciless thugs and scum, many from British prisons, released on the Irish to kill and shoot as many as possible and terrorize them into subjection.

Surely not a fitting name for a St.Patrick's Day-themed pair of sneakers?

Nike made the elementary mistake of linking their product to a drink called Black and Tan on sale in some bars. But the drink has nothing like the world wide reputation or impact that the original term does.
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It is a marketing strategy straight out of the "Nova," the car marketed in Hispanic countries which means "no go," and the Ford Probe, which reminded every woman of a gynecological inspection.

It is up there with Umbro marketing Zyklon runners a few years back in Israel -- Zyklon B was the form of gas that killed millions of innocent Jews in the Holocaust.

The sheen has come off Nike in recent years with lots of issues around child labor in their Far East sweat shops.

This latest gaffe will certainly not help with Irish Americans and neither should it.

Nike should just do it -- get rid of these offensive sneakers.

British take over Obama White House on St.Patrick's week -- Irish celebration pushed back to after St.Patrick's Day

British Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama

Begorrah, the Brits are stealing St.Patrick’s week 2012 at the White House from under us.

President Obama just announced an official visit and a state dinner for British Prime Minister David Cameron and wife Samantha on March 13th and 14th on St.Patrick’s week this year.

This might explain how the annual Irish St Pat’s celebration at the White House got bumped to after St.Patrick’s day, on the 20th of March to be precise, when the green bunting has long been taken down.

We were told originally it was because St.Patrick’s Day was on a Saturday and the Congress would not be in session etc. so the event at the White House was moved to Tuesday with the American Ireland Fund Gala Washington dinner set for Monday the 19th.

We thought it was a little strange, but being the compliant Paddies we are, we accepted the somewhat strange arrangements at face value.
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We all know it is stale beer celebrating St.Patrick’s Day after the fact, but we just went with the flow.

But this freshly arrived press release shows the Brits moved right in on our celebrated week.

"President Obama and the First Lady will welcome Prime Minister David Cameron of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and his wife, Samantha Cameron, to the White House for an Official Visit with a State Dinner on March 13-14, 2012. The visit will highlight the fundamental importance of the U.S.-UK special relationship and the depth of the friendship between the American people and the people of the United Kingdom, as well as the strong personal bond that has developed between the two leaders and their families.

"It will also be an opportunity to recall the valor and sacrifice of the U.S. and British armed forces and their long tradition of standing shoulder-to-shoulder beside each other in defense of our liberties and shared values.

"The visit will underscore the strength of our economic links, which contribute to millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. The Prime Minister’s visit will reciprocate the gracious hospitality shown to the President and Mrs. Obama by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, and the British people during the State Visit that was hosted by Queen Elizabeth II in May 2011.”

A state visit no less and bumping the Irish from the White House St. Patrick’s Week -- score one for Davy Cameron and the boys.

How many British voters are there in American elections again? Oh never mind-- the 40 million Irish Americans know their place-- and it is not at the top table on St.Patrick’s week at the White House when the Brits come calling.

Shure we know our place now indeed.