Yesterday evening, the US Ambassador addressed the Society for International Affairs (Sofia) from the lavish surroundings of the former House of Lords, now Bank of Ireland, in College Green. A staff member entertained the audience prior to the Ambassador’s arrival with a seemingly impromptu discussion of the history of the building.
His Excellency Kevin O’Malley, who has had a long and illustrious career in the field of law, began his conversation by praising the “distinguished graduates” of Trinity. He reserved particular praise for former President Mary Robinson, who he stated has “done a great deal for a great many…[and] always with a great deal of class and commitment”.
In his opening remarks, O’Malley addressed the question on everyone’s minds: the election of Donald Trump. He was clear that, although this was not a result that anyone saw coming, “the American people have spoken” and all federal employees have to co-ordinate together to facilitate the arrival of the new administration.
O’Malley underlined the special relationship that exists between our two countries. Like 40 million other Americans, the Ambassador claims Irish ancestry, with his grandparents and their seven children leaving Ireland for America. They arrived “penniless but not hopeless”, worked “smart” and made the world their oyster – the story of so many immigrants arriving into the US, and he added that “there’s no reason to think that that will stop”.
O’Malley was effusive in his praise of this country, which he has travelled around extensively. He believes the Irish have a certain warmth, friendliness and hospitality which sets them apart. The relationship between Ireland and America, he told the crowd, “is not built on politics. It transcends politics”. He emphasised the popularity of the J1 programme and urged the audience to get involved with these kinds of exchange programmes. He participated in a similar programme in his youth and described the experience as “life-changing”.
The Ambassador also highlighted the strong business connections that exist between the countries. In an attempt to continue this tradition, and to encourage new linkages between young people in the US and Ireland, O’Malley has developed the Creative Minds series. This programme invites prominent US artists, writers, filmmakers, digital culture innovators and musicians to share their experience with young Irish audiences in order to build and strengthen relationships between the nations.
O’Malley was measured in his response to the many questions from the floor about President-elect Trump. “I know it’s fashionable to have an answer to all of these questions”, he told the crowd frankly. “The papers are full of answers – but then they were full of answers on Monday too, before the election. So I prefer to wait”.
He doesn’t see the result as a rejection of Obama, whose approval ratings are the highest they have been in years. Indeed, he is full of praise for the president, whose “passion and intellect” he sees as reminiscent of Bobby Kennedy. The Ambassador saw 2008 as “almost as a redo of 1968” and described his work on Obama’s campaign as “one of the most pleasant experiences of my life”. Everybody involved was “idealistic and passionate” and the campaign was largely made up of young people or older people in their sixties on. No one thought that they would win. It was, the Ambassador explained, “a mission of idealism”.
O’Malley acknowledged that “we live in challenging times”. Rather than claiming to have the solution, he asserts the need to understand why the “alt-right” has surged in popularity internationally. The Ambassador has lived through difficult moments in politics before. His personal inspiration, Bobby Kennedy, was murdered in 1968. President Nixon then came to power and O’Malley was drafted into the army during the Vietnam War. “In 1968, I thought the world was going to come to an end”, he recalled. “But I survived that and we will survive this”. The key, said O’Malley, is to keep a cool head and use good judgement. He suggested giving the President-elect “room to grow”.
O’Malley also offered an insight into the Electoral College system. For him, “there is a lot to be said” for this anachronism. It spreads the power around, meaning that candidates have to campaign in many different regions and not just those with the highest population density.
The talk concluded with three more general questions that Sofia ask to all their guests. O’Malley revealed that his hobby is tennis and that he would love to travel and spend time in Australia. Finally, he cited Kennedy as “the person I think about all the time…he had a real compassion for people, he understood what the world was about, he was willing to get things done – and break a few legs in the process!”
A short wine reception finished off this thought-provoking event. Although O’Malley had just flown back from America, he and several members of the embassy staff spent time talking with the students – testimony to the Ambassador’s commitment to taking every opportunity available to foster connections between our two countries.
Correction: 19:37, November 18th, 2016
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the Ambassador was talking about President John F Kennedy. In fact, the Ambassador was referring to Bobby Kennedy.
