Ireland & George Bush
 

Just learned that Bush is likely to attend the EU meeting in County Kerry on June 25 & 26. Rumor has it that the meetings will be held near Kenmare (Sheen Falls) or Sneem (Parknasilla). Those of you who have visited those areas can imagine what they'll be like with hordes of security and media. If you'll be visiting Ireland this summer,you might want to adjust your itinerary accordingly.

County <i>KERRY???</i> Surely you jest.

No, it's true. Wonder what he'll think of all the 'Up Kerry' T-shirts.

Wonderful! I'm looking forward to the photo ops!
Paule

A general feeling I got from Irish people we met during a recent visit there is: there's no love lost for George W. Bush. If U.S. Tourism to Ireland is 'down' this year, they will surely blame GWB for U.S. Fiscal Policies (i.e., weak dollar vs. the Euro).

Expect to see Irish (and other EU) protesters carrying signs and placards denouncing GWB for his war in Iraq and other stuff.

Mary are you sure? Last I heard it was going to be in the Phoenix Park. I was planning on exiting Dublin for a few days to escape the madness. I am not interested in Waking up to Military jets flying over my place :-) I think the countryside is a better and more secure place for these meetings.

Siobhan, if you hurry you might snag a job with the Bush camp re your feelings about security..they need intellectual help.

Isn't Bertie Ahern a wee tease...?!

jonjon...ouch!
I am just not happy to read they found maps of Milan and Dublin in a van with other material linked to terrorists recently. Belive it or not they were talking about having jets fly over the park where he was supposedly ataying (We have no airforce here) and making the city centre a no fly zone...maybe it all BS but thats what I read in the papers a while back. Sounds like a bad movie...but not one I care to be in!

Well, what were things like when Clinton visited Ireland? It shouldn't be any different. ((b))

Now, if I've been to (County) Kerry and had a few walks in the Bush (Australia), would that make me bi-partisan?

No, it just means that you're better traveled than the President of the United States.

And as for me, well, I've been to Cheney (Washington) and can inform you that there were no bunkers to hide in.

As for Crawford, Texas, I think that's pretty close to the Nader (sic) of existence...

Siobhan,
No, I don't think it's definite yet. The Kerryman (via www.unison.ie) reports 'strong indications' that it will be held near Kenmare or Sneem.

Why can I not get away from this man?

Despite his name, Kerry has an Austrian background. When I was in Vienna last week, there was some minor gloating about that...an Austrian now governor of California and the *possibility* of someone with Austrian roots as President (everyone deftly turns aside any thoughts about the anti-Semitism that caused Kerry's Austrian ancestors to leave the country).
Of course, there's nothing wrong with County Kerry claiming the man too, just as millions of people celebrate St. Patrick's Day despite having no Irish background.

I thought Kerry's background was not Austrian but Sudeten German.

The displaced Sudeten German's have already earmarked the opportuinity to get their greviences back on the international political agenda whilst the Czech mayor of a Sudeten town was quoted as saying that he had no wish to rake over old coals with the German's [surprise, surprise!]and that, of course, Senator (or possibly, President) Kerry would be very welcome in his town.

Dr D.

From a geneology website: Kerry's grandfather, Frederick A Kerry, shoe merchant, was born as Fritz Kohn at Bennisch, Austria [now Horni Bene?ov, Czech Republic], 10 May 1873, birth recorded among the Jewish births on the last folio (folio 77) of vol. VII (1866-1873) of the Roman Catholic birth records of the Bennisch parish, baptized along with his wife and infant son Erich at the Pfarrkirche St. Othmar in M&ouml;dling, Austria, on 9 Oct. 1901 (Erich had been born there on 26 Feb. 1901), by decree of 17 Dec 1901 of the Austrian Statthalterei in Vienna the name Kohn was officially changed to Kerry (for Fritz, his wife Ida, geb. L&ouml;we, and their son Erich) at which time Fritz was listed as born in Bennisch but originating from Freudenthal, and currently working as a supplier for a shoe factory in M&ouml;dling (the name change was ordered in Austrian Silesia on 17 March 1902 at Troppau), sailed (with his wife and son Erich) on the Koenigin Luise departing from Genoa, Italy, on 4 May 1905 and arriving in New York (Ellis Island) on 18 May 1905, filed a Declaration of Intention for naturalization in the Circuit Court of Cook Co., Ill., on 21 June 1907, and a Petition of Naturalization in the same Court on 6 Feb. 1911, d. (suicide by pistol shot to the head in the men's lavatory of the Copley Plaza Hotel, 487 Boylston Street) Boston, Mass., 23 Nov. 1921, age 48y 6m 13d, bur. Holyhood Cemetery, Brookline, Mass. 25 Nov. 1921

Exactly - Horni Benesov, slap back in the middle of Upper Silesia, where lived many of the Sudeten Germans until the 1945 expulsions.
Whilst this was certainly a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire the family is most definitely Sudeten German in origin.

Pedantic? Moi?

Dr D. :)

For Bush, Ireland is Ireland, but Ire Land is France.

I have stayed in both kenmare and Sneem. The logistics would be a nightmare :( and I just can's see how the Garda Siochana could cope.

Siobhan: If Pheonix Park, is he going to stay at Aras an Uchtarain? I hope NOT the park, my sister lives just opposite the Castleknock gate YIKES! Where did you read about the maps and terrorist thing? Also, surely we have an airforce? I distincting remember, when I worked for Aer Lingus in the late 70s, been shown a top secret military jet in one of the hangers that was in for service (I has a tarpaulin thrown over it - Irish version of national security :) ) and I thought the airforce was based out of Baldonald. Of cource, that might have been the ONLY jet :)