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Local Americans rate Obama visit
27.05.11
AMERICANS living in
Inishowen were among the thousands who tuned in for
President Barack Obama’s visit to Ireland this week.
One of the peninsula’s best known US citizens, Ash
McFadden, said he watched “bits of it” on television
and was delighted with the result. |
“It was grand. It
really showed that the fellow is becoming a bit more
approachable than he was previously perceived to be.
He had an image of being too professorial, but he
went a long way towards quashing that image when he
was in Ireland,” said Ash, who has run the
planetarium in Greencastle for the last 10 years.
The father-of-two grown up sons, who is originally
from Colorado, visits his home state every December
to ski and to catch up with family. He said
President Obama had an eye on the 2012 elections
during his Irish visit.
“But he ticked all the boxes and made every point
that he needed to make about the relationship
between the two countries. He put down his Irish
roots and it was a real slap in the face to the
Birthers,” quipped Ash. |
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Ash McFadden. |
Buncrana-based Paul
Ferns listened to some of the radio coverage of the
presidential visit.
“I think his speech wasn’t very specific but it was
cheerleading and it was very supportive of Ireland,”
said Mr Ferns, who works as a clerical officer at
the Department of Social Protection in Buncrana.
He said President Obama’s visit to Ireland was a
“proud” day for him. “I think he represents America
very well and he is very positive and uplifting.” Mr
Ferns, from Detroit, Michigan, was living in Ireland
during the 2008 US presidential election otherwise,
he said, he would definitely have voted for Obama.
Meanwhile, Mary Connors, who is a long-time resident
of Inch Island, said, while she likes President
Obama, she wasn’t particularly interested in his
visit. She doesn’t have a TV and neither did she
tune into the radio for any of the coverage.
“I think our local postman, Sean Gallagher, deserves
as much money as Obama for going out in that storm
yesterday to deliver mail,” said Boston-born Mary.
“I don’t think our Government can afford to have all
these (VIP) visits anyway.” |
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