Madam, – Opinion Analysis (June 15th) featured an attack on the fledgling presidential candidacy of Irish Voice and irishcentral.com founder Niall O’Dowd.
Walter Ellis is quite patronising about Irish America and, consequently, is opposed to Mr O’Dowd’s presidential candidacy.
However, Mr Ellis’s piece, albeit unintentionally, showcases the many reasons why Niall O’Dowd would make a great president. He is a successful businessman who has created hundreds of jobs; he uses his publications and website to celebrate and deepen the special bond between Ireland and the US; he played an important role in the peace process; and he has built strong relationships with America’s most powerful politicians. I would add that he has built equally strong relationships with Irish Americans and others from the worlds of business, journalism, philanthropy, academia and the arts.
Mr Ellis dismisses all of this and concludes that Mr O’Dowd can’t help us. But among other things, Ireland must sell itself abroad and harness the potential of the global diaspora to extricate itself from the current malaise. I don’t think anyone, except maybe Mr Ellis, would disagree. And none of the other putative candidates for the Áras is better credentialled to accomplish these tasks than Niall O’Dowd.
Lastly, Mr Ellis notes that one of the reasons he cannot support Mr O’Dowd is that he is an American citizen. Mr O’Dowd was born, reared and educated in Ireland before moving to the US some years ago at age 26. Conversely, I was born, reared and educated in Boston before moving to Ireland some years ago at age 26. Just as I’m an American who also holds an Irish passport, Niall O’Dowd is an Irishman who also holds a US passport. – Yours, etc,