Sailing with the Senator
02.09.09
Greencastle teacher recalls
the late Ted Kennedy
by Damian Dowds, Inishowen
Independent
AS TRIBUTES poured in from around the world following
the death of Ted Kennedy, one local woman recalled a
summer working for the US Senator at his Hyannisport
holiday home in Massachusetts.
Margaret Mulhall from Greencastle worked for Senator Ted
Kennedy in the summer of 1997, and last week recalled
her time with the man and the wider Kennedy family.
A student at NUI Maynooth at the time, Margaret and her
friend Caroline Gannon decided to spend that summer
working on a J1 visa in the United States and an agency
placed them with the Kennedy family.
“We were gobsmacked when we learned we were going to
work for the Kennedys,” Margaret recalled. “It was our
first time on an airplane, our first time out of
Ireland, and here we were going to work for this very
famous man.”
The girls arrived at the Kennedy Compound at Hyannisport
on Cape Cod a couple of days before the family arrived
and were shown the ropes. |
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“We were very young, and in
hindsight, we didn’t appreciate the immensity of the
privileged experience that was to enfold for us. On
first meeting Ted, he was infectiously personable and
genuinely interested in hearing our story,” she
recalled.
“I don’t know whether it was because we were young, or
because we were Irish, but he warmly welcomed Caroline
and I into his duties as a boss, and into his home as a
man and as a friend. Whether it being included in the
family rituals of heading out for ice cream, or heading
to Sunday Mass along with his children, he always made
time for us. In particular, one of the nicest and most
fun memories I have of Ted is spending the day sailing
on his yacht 'The Mya'”.
“The Senator was extremely proud of his Irish heritage
and this was proven several times during his memorial
service; especially when the-evening poignantly closed
with his favourite song 'When Irish eyes are smiling'. I
can see why he instantly connected with us”
“Being renowned for their social gatherings and soirees,
Ted would include and introduce us with everyone who
came to stay. I particularly remember meeting the late
JFK Junior and his wife Carolyn. He was the centre hold
of the family. It’s difficult to accurately describe how
full of life he was, and how he held himself with an
effortless self-possession. When he was in the house
there was a great energy about the place, and when he’d
leave to go it was as though something had closed down”
Senator Kennedy travelled to Ireland that summer as the
negotiations that ultimately led to the signing of the
Good Friday Agreement the following year reached a
delicate stage.
“While he was involved in such intense political issues
in Northern Ireland, he still insisted on meeting with
my parents, Bridget and Willie, and with Caroline’s at
the American Embassy when he was in Ireland,” Margaret
recalled. “This spoke volumes about the man who could
operate at such a high political level and yet had the
personal touch and concern to meet with our parents. I
suppose it’s only now as a history teacher that I can
truly appreciate his impact and effect in the North, and
to be able to observe history being made from such a
close view was indeed a great privilege for me.”
Margaret returned to college that September and now
teaches in Moville Community College. After graduation
her friend Caroline returned to work with Ted Kennedy as
a personal assistant, working with him right up until
his death. She phoned Margaret early last Wednesday
morning to say that Ted has passed on.
“While I knew he wasn’t well, it was still a shock to
hear he had died,” Margaret said. “I’ve shed a few tears
and I’ve been watching all the TV coverage of the wake
and the funeral. I’ve dug out my diary and photographs
from that summer. I knew that he was a great person, but
with all the tributes that have been paid it's probably
only now that I really appreciate what a great champion
he was for the ordinary man and a great ambassador for
Irish immigrants, with the Immigration Bill being one of
his main concerns.”
“The America to which Ted was elected Senator 47 years
ago was often a cold house for Irish people. One of over
2,500 Bills that bear his name, the Immigration Bill,
ironically paved the way for me to work for him some 35
years later. In this respect I can thank him for my
unforgettable summer in more ways than one.” |
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