Ireland started 2025 with a rare heavy snowfall. Met Éireann, the Irish National Meteorological Service, issued warnings of “extremely cold with widespread severe frost, ice and lying snow, dangerous travelling conditions on roads and underfoot, travel disruption and delays and animal welfare issues. Up to a foot of snow fell in parts of Ireland with prolonged below freezing temps.”
“Many Irish winters are free from major snowstorms, but because of its infrequent and irregular occurrence, snow in large quantities causes serious disruption. A marked feature of snowfall in Ireland is its variation in depth from place to place. Some heavy snowfalls can be quite localized. A deep fall of snow can be short lived if it is followed by a sudden influx of warm air from the Atlantic.”
Martin J. Hughes and son Carl Hughes
39 for 32
“The people of Northern Ireland should know that they have our complete support in their quest for a peaceful and just society.” President Jimmy Carter issued this statement on August 30, 1977, countering his State Departments strong recommendation to not disturb the so called “special relationship” between the Anglophilic Washington establishment and the U.K. corporate and political establishment.
With that policy statement, late President Jimmy Carter became the first U.S. President to lean in on London and began the process of “internationalizing” matters related to the Six Counties. The U.S. State Department and Foreign Policy establishment’s devotion to all things English had their silk stockings in a knot.
Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil and Sen. Ted Kennedy had made President Carter aware of the work of Irish Civil Rights advocate John Hume. Hume’s son issued the following statement upon the death of the 39th President: “guided by my father’s deep commitment to non-violence, peaceful change and human rights, President Carter made a ground-breaking statement on peace and economic support for Northern Ireland. This statement was the foundation stone in the United States positive and constructive influence on the NI peace process over the next 30 years.” Thank you, President Carter, for your commitment to Human Rights.
Bedminster or Bedfellows?
In this recast of the Drumpf Administration (the name of 45/47’s immigrant Grandpa who dodged the draft in the Rhineland, later anglicized to Trump), 47 has nominated Edward Sharp Walsh to the post of U.S. Ambassador to Ireland. Walsh is a successful construction contractor who lives in Bedminster, N.J., the site of Trump National Golf Club. Walsh is a member of Drumpf’s golf club.
Footnote: the Georgian Club House at Bedminster is the former home of John DeLorean, the architect of the DeLorean Motor Car, famously built in Belfast, Ireland. Walsh replaces former Massachusetts Senate President Claire Cronin at the Ambassador’s residence in Dublin’s Phoenix Park. Time will tell if Walsh can match the contributions of Cleveland’s Edward Crawford, Drumpf’s previous Ambassador to Eire.
Lost Gaels Book Tour
Comes to Cleveland
Author Peader Thompson has a new book, Lost Gael, released in late 2024, chronicling the impact of The Troubles on the Gaelic Athletic Association. The Irish Academic Press writes: “The GAA has long been at the heart of Irish life, nurturing our culture and communities and fostering powerful social bonds. However, as sectarian conflict intensified in the North, the GAA became the object of animosity and surveillance by loyalist paramilitaries and Crown forces.
Clubhouses and pitches were occupied by British forces, fans were security checked and harassed on their way to and from games, and over 150 members were killed. Lost Gaels is the first comprehensive account of the devastating impact of the Troubles on the GAA, providing a platform for bereaved family and friends to pay homage to their lost loved ones. Capturing the deep connection between the GAA and the everyday lives of Irish people, this is a poignant and powerful tribute to the lives of lost Gaels.”
Thompson is travelling the U.S. on a book tour this February and March. He will be in Pittsburgh on March 1st, Cleveland (West Side Irish American Club) on March 2nd and Chicago on March 4th.
Read other John Myer’s Donnybrook columns HERE!
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John Myers
*John is an attorney in Cleveland. He can be reached at [email protected].
