Shenanigans: The US-Ireland Relationship in Uncertain Times

by Trina Vargo

Overview

As Senator Ted Kennedy’s foreign policy adviser, Trina Vargo was instrumental in the controversial effort to convince President Clinton to grant a travel visa to Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams—a crucial step in the Northern Ireland peace process. Vargo served as the Irish-issues adviser to every Democratic presidential campaign from Dukakis through Obama. She founded the US-Ireland Alliance and the prestigious George J. Mitchell Scholarship program, which introduces future American leaders to the island of Ireland. And she created the annual Oscar Wilde Awards to bring together creatives in the field of entertainment.

Vargo has navigated the corridors of power in Ireland and the United States, experiencing first-hand the deep affection each country holds for the other. She has also seen valuable opportunities squandered—and sabotaged—by those on both sides of the Atlantic who jealously defend their turf against imaginative ideas. Vargo became part of the Clintons’ “enemies list” as a result of her work on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008. She has been attacked by a vocal, but determined, few as a result of a truth-to-power opinion piece on immigration, and a member of the Irish parliament demanded she be hauled before the body’s Foreign Affairs Committee. She even had to battle the Irish Film Board in her efforts that resulted in J.J. Abrams filming "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in Ireland.

Vargo passionately believes the US-Ireland relationship needs to evolve and to survive. This page turning memoir gives an unvarnished account of the challenges and poses serious questions about the future of the relationship that should be carefully considered by anyone who cares deeply about both countries.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940155997276
Publisher:	Trina Vargo
Publication date:	03/06/2019
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Trina Vargo is the founder of the US-Ireland Alliance. She created the George J. Mitchell Scholarship program and the Oscar Wilde Awards. She served as Senator Edward Kennedy’s foreign policy adviser for more than a decade and was a key behind-the-scenes player in the Northern Ireland peace process. She served as the adviser on Irish issues to every Democratic nominee for president from Michael Dukakis through Barack Obama. Vargo is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and McGill University. She resides in Arlington, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Introduction xi

Chapter 1: Irish America . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

What is Irish America? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The Nonexistent Irish Vote . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

O’Bama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Tough Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

The US-Ireland Alliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The American Ireland Fund—The First Order

of Business Is Always the Split . . . . . . . . . 20

Triage—What Ireland Can Do about Irish America . . 24

Chapter 2: The 2008 Presidential Campaign . . . . 29

The Clintons’ Enemies List . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The Irish Government, Caught between

Barack and a Hard Place . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Bill Clinton, a No-Show in Belfast . . . . . . . . . . 48

Payback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

An Emerald That Wasn’t So Green . . . . . . . . . 60

Taxes and American Companies in Ireland . . . . . . 62

Chapter 3: Immigration Misinformation 67

Chapter 4: Bureaucrats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Pointless Reports and Conferences . . . . . . . . . 100

Certificates of Irishness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Farmleigh—Talk Shops

Universities

High School

“And I shall have some peace there”—the Aftermath of September 11

Chapter 5: In the Rough

Fintan Drury, the Ryder Cup, and the Long Grass

Chapter 6: The Begging Bowl

The International Fund for Ireland

Special Envoy

Chapter 7: Mediocrity & Begrudgery

The Irish Film Board—Lights, Camera, Inaction

Pinewood

Winter Is Coming

Van the Man, Not a Fan

The X Factor

Conclusion

A Word about the Mitchell Scholarship Program

Ireland, Toward a More Equal Relationship

Northern Ireland Has to Give as Well as Take

The US Government’s Neglect of Europe Has Proved Unwise

American Companies in Ireland Should Contribute to the Relationship

Philanthropists

Postscript

Acknowledgments

About the Author