What’s With Maureen & Hillary? Maureen Dowd is the daughter of a cop and a New York Times columnist who writes hard-edged columns that inform and entertain her readers. Entertain, however, is not a word that jumps out at you when Dowd’s subject is Hillary Clinton. For the past 21 years Dowd has waged an obsessive campaign to ruin the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate’s credibility and assassinate the reputation of the former First Lady, US senator and secretary of state. During more than two decades of punishing attacks, Dowd has devoted 72 percent of her work attacking both Clintons while portraying Hillary as an unlikeable, power-hungry phony. In one stretch of columns, Dowd wrote 17 negative pieces about Hillary, with Bill as a throw-in. Additionally, Dowd regularly employs sexist tropes to insult Hillary, perhaps as multi-talented and experienced as any presidential candidate in US history outside of the founding fathers.

It has been the Republican Party’s chief goal in recent years to mortally wound or permanently disable Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential candidate. The GOP could not pass a comprehensive immigration bill; it sought the repeal of Obamacare more than 50 times; and it shut down the government in silly temper tantrums against two sitting presidents. But the key target has always been Hillary. We know that the Republicans have long wanted to remove Hillary as a viable candidate for the White House. But what motivates the hate campaign in print orchestrated over these many years by Maureen Dowd?

The drumbeat of anti-Hillary invective from Dowd even has Norman Ornstein, a scholar of the conservative American Enterprise Institute, mocking her columns.
Ornstein’s tweet on the subject last month read: “Congratulations!  This is the 7,673rd time Maureen Dowd has written this column!  What a gig!”

A final point or two on Benghazi and Hillary’s State Department emails: Benghazi, labeled by many now as a long-running hoax, with Hillary having been cleared by at least two Republican-led committees that found her blameless in that tragedy, is yesterday’s news that is intentionally being manipulated by right wing media who want to bring her down. They never found the meat!

And in the announcement of a State Dept. investigation, ABC News reported that “past secretaries of state, including Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, and staff handled classified material on unclassified email systems. The FBI called Hillary’s email usage “careless” but found no grounds for charges to be brought.

Poof!  In essence, there go the two political issues that have energized and nourished the anti-Hillary attacks from the far right. If the GOP is looking for an unqualified, dangerous, ethically challenged presidential candidate, they might glance across the aisle to the founder of the bogus university who has scammed thousands of working-class students, among other sins.

(I thank Media Matters for the research, numbers, and monitoring help in the above segment.)

Is Enda Kenny On A Short Leash? There is a strong possibility that temporary Taoiseach Enda Kenny has departed before or as you’re reading this newspaper. There is some heavy flak surrounding the Fine Gael Leader, and much of it is originating from within his own party. The thrust from the Fine Gael front benches is, as always, the next election and survival of FG members. There is a handful of candidates for the leadership looking for the nudge to shove; They include Taniste Frances Fitzgerald, Simon Coveney, and Leo Varadkar, who would have support.

Kenny has been plagued by missteps, poor appointments, and the water charges, ans that’s just for openers. There would be no joy at pushing Kenny out the door, but many feel that the future of Fine Gael rests with fresh, new leadership. As Dan McConnell said in the Irish Examiner at the outset of the summer recess: “The knives appear to be out for Enda Kenny, even though his has been the most successful reign of a Fine Gael Taoiseach. It may come down to a graceful retreat or a much less dignified shove out the door.”

O’Donnell Family Researches Irish Links – My younger brother, Boston attorney Jim O’Donnell, and his wife Carol flew out to Ireland in June, Dublin specifically, to check out the O’Donnell family and their beginnings in the old country. Their first point of contact was Kilkenny City, south of the capital. A friend of Jim and Carol has genealogical experience and he had told them that Kilkenny was the home site of the O’Donnells, our O’Donnells, my father’s family.

In the 1980s, I checked out the roots of the Flahertys (my mother’s family) who had lived in Castlemaine in Kerry and with whom we had visited and established a continuing connection. The other shoe to drop was to find more information on the O’Donnell side of the family and, if possible, locate a homestead or similar site where earlier (and current, maybe) family members lived or had lived.

Jim and Carol began by attending Mass at St. Canice’s Parish Church where an earlier, direct ancestor William was baptized in 1809. At that point, Jim had gotten the Kilkenny O’Donnells as far back at least to the early 1800s, a 200-year track to build on. The next day the couple located Commonhall Lane, the street listed as William’s home at the time of his baptism. The next stop was Carrick-On-Suir, 25 miles southwest of Kilkenny, and the place where William’s parents, Peter and his wife, Sarah Danks, were married in 1792.

Jim and Carol discovered Chapel Lane, which sat a short distance from the major Catholic Church, St. Nicholas. Peter and William O’Donnell were weavers and Carrick was a prominent part of the weaving industry  Later, members of the family migrated to Leeds, England, an even larger weaving center. Like so many other Irish men and women, the O’Donnells moved for the work.
 William and his wife Mary made the jump across the Atlantic, emigrating to Boston in 1847 in the midst of the Famine. Later, William’s brothers Patrick and John, came to the US, Patrick to Montreal and John to Boston as a grocer. From there he moved to the Winooski, Vermont, area, then back to Somerville, Mass.

This is a short version of what the Flahertys from Kerry and the O’Donnells from Kilkenny and so many other immigrant families experienced – the spreading of wings and hope as they strengthened the backbone of America!

Irish Women Meet, Celebrate the Countess ­ A stunning congregation of political leaders and former Irish government Ministers – all women---came together in an historic dinner party at the former home of Countess Constance Markievicz, a patriot and Ireland’s first Minister of State. The names were familiar, veterans all of the political maw, including former Taniste Mary Harney, Gemma Hussey, Mary O’Rourke, Nora Owen, Sile deValera, Maire Geoghegan-Quinn, and current Taniste Frances Fitzgerald.
The occasion was the 89th anniversary of the death of the countess, and the event was held in Lissadell House in Sligo, where she and her sister entertained William Butler Yeats on numerous occasions. Those attending lamented the fact that modern Irish history records the names of just 17 women who have served as ministers.  And, of course, amidst today’s heated politics, that array of accomplished women spoke wistfully of the possibility that Ireland might some day have a woman as Taoiseach.

Brexit Brings New Questions, Concerns – From questions about hard and soft borders, impact on Irish unity efforts, the financial fallout and the economic winners and losers, the concerns for Northern Ireland and Scotland (both supported staying in the European Union) are all on the table now. Given the political woes of Enda Kenny and those concerns about the future of so many caught up in the Brexit dilemma, the period following the summer political recess could prove to be the most challenging time of the still young millennium.

One of the more intriguing aspects of the post-Brexit era will be the political future of Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams. Will he stay or will he go and will it take a whisper or a push to effectively retire the Republican icon. Adams spoke early and often of the historic linking of the 1916 Rising and the realization of Irish Unity. They were as one to republicans.

The events associated with marking the centennial of the Easter Rising are winding down and until Brexit very little street chat or political movement was afoot. But all that has changed. In mid-July, Reuters ran a story that said, “Eighteen years after a peace deal ended decades of fighting between mainly Catholic nationalists... and mainly Protestant unionists, Britain’s Brexit vote is making people on both sides of the divide think the unthinkable.” And the unthinkable is Irish Unity! Reuters noted that “a new center ground could form of people from both faith communities who fear the economic uncertainty of leaving the EU.”

The momentum for Irish unity will take more than the dissatisfaction of people on both sides of the border to close the gap between the unhappy unionist and the passionate nationalist while actually moving with purpose and a plan to a real-life version of “the island of Ireland.”

Island Of Ireland Population Numbers – The latest Irish head count, north and south, is now 6.6 million people. The split is 4.75 million in the Republic and 1.81 million in Northern Ireland. At its lowest point in the mid-20th century, the population of the Republic was 2.9 million, and the north’s was put at 1.4 million. The new census figures reflect that the number of people on the island has edged back to the population high point of 8 million in 1840 before the Famine took its toll.

The fastest growing area in this latest census were Greater Dublin, Meath, Kildare, and Laois, and the cities of Galway and Cork. The areas bearing the brunt of outward emigration were Donegal, Mayo, Co. Galway, Limerick and South Dublin.

 A sidebar note from the census should bring some joy to the political crowd. The number of people for the 158 Dail deputies districts is now past the limit, with at least 25 constituencies over the constitutional limit of 30,000. New seats, new TDs, and a vibrant Members Bar just steps off the Parliament chamber appear to be in the future.

Latest Irish Growth Estimates “Worse Than Forecast” – The latest wrinkle in what was thought with Brexit to be moderate economic growth for the Republic has turned into a more threatening forecast, says Europe’s largest bank. Deutsche Bank is forecasting that Ireland’s economic growth will slow down at a faster pace than predicted, to 2.9 percent next year. Bloomberg News, in a similar story, strongly suggests that Ireland, far from “business as usual,” is suffering the Brexit fallout to a far greater extent than first thought. It was originally believed that any Brexit impact on Ireland would be minimal. The new numbers could present new belt-tightening suggestions for government and perhaps a fresh look at ways to stimulate the economy in Ireland as it moves forcefully toward a responsible recession debt resolution.

 Maura Healey Joins in Volkswagen Lawsuit – As the Boston Globe reported on July 21, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey “opened a new front” that cites top executives of the German automaker who “knew of emission problems with its diesel cars for years.” The scope of the AG’s investigation is still unfolding but it’s encouraging that the naming and possible indictments mean that top company players are slowly but surely becoming essential defendants in lawsuits brought by state and federal law enforcement. It’s a long overdue shift in strategy; it used to be that only middle management saw the inside of a courtroom. Go get ‘em, Maura!

From Belfast to the National Geographic – It was over six years ago that Iris Robinson, a Northern Ireland council member and wife of Peter Robinson, leader of the DUP and First Minister (succeeding Ian Paisley in both offices) was outed as the girl friend and sponsor of a 19-year-old would-be restaurant entrepreneur.  That relationship, a touch ribald for the spouse of the top political leader in the North, also involved Iris procuring a $75,000 loan or grant to get her young paramour into the hospitality business. Well, it seems that what happens in Belfast doesn’t always stay in Belfast, The National Geographic TV channel is running a six-part documentary series on emerging sexual mores and Iris and her husband are included.  It’s pretty steamy stuff for the staid National Geographic, a far cry from the superb, well-written articles its magazine runs on climate control and space travel.

Iris and Peter have taken a political back seat and the teenaged “friend” of Iris, Kirk McCambley, is believed to be living in Australia while his restaurant, The Lock Keeper’s Inn on the Lagan, is under new management. Iris has left politics to seek help for some health issues. The television series was scheduled to begin July 10,  so if you want a close-up view of life around Stormont, check the National Geographic Channel.

Catholic Donors Help Replace Co. Down Memorial – It was an obelisk-shaped war memorial erected in 1934 to honor the dead of World War I in Ballynahinch, Co. Down. The names on it were mostly British soldiers who had fought in the Great War. The sole problem with the original monument was that the 80-year-old obelisk was starting to crack and crumble. There wasn’t a great deal of money for the new memorial but there was strong emotional and neighborly support for the project and the men it honored. Initially, the County Down District Council appropriated $80,000, but more was needed. A second request from the Ballynahinch cizitzenry collected a further $40,000, all together some 85,000 British pounds. The money came from townspeople, and chief among those were the churches, mostly Protestant, but three Catholic chapels, who joined in re-building the memorial.
It was the Somme dead that the town was honoring but local Catholics pitched in as friends and neighbors to help erect a proud new memorial and recognize those who gave their lives regardless of church affiliation.

RANDOM CLIPPINGS
With all the focus on the Boston waterfront, from restaurants to new businesses, it’s bright and right that the heavyweights in the city get behind a modern, expanded water taxi services network to move tourists and business folk around more easily. … Gov. Charlie Baker seems to be the flavor of the month, but why is he killing a proposed early voting program. Leave that to the southern governors, mostly Republicans, who want to keep voter turnout low. … Former Congressman Marty Meehan is operating with a strong hand at UMass, and he did the right thing donating his $4.35 campaign fund balance to support state education. Good stuff. … Charitable Irish Silver key Awards are set for the Marine Corps birthday, Nov. 10, at Boston’s Copley Plaza. Honorees include Billy Higgins. Gerard and Marilynn Doherty, and Sister Maryadele Robinson. … The new Secretary of State for NI is James Brokenshire, who succeeds Theresa Villiers. … Cameras on PSNI cops isthe latest good move with a six-month trial of cameras for Boston police next. … American Greg Burke succeeds papal spokesman Father Federico Lombardi as head of Vatican press office. … Consensus after Brexit: Irish & British agree: No return to a hard border. … Banks can do well and do good if they reach out to Payday Loan customers by opening small outlets to cater to those who need financial services.

Nuf said about the sorry spectacle in Cleveland. It looked to this viewer like a rehearsal for a circular firing team waiting for a delivery of bullets. As for that ignorant New Hampshire legislator who wanted to put Hillary before a firing squad: His rant of imagined Benghazi actions, none of which would have escaped a “pants on fire” liar tag, is right in line with the Boss, who can’t be as bad as those who know him say he is. Can he? … Leaving small ball, the really big problem for we Red Sox devotees is how do we get someone to accept Pablo Sandoval and his $68 million owed in a trade?
Enjoy the Summer. This, too, shall pass.