Wow – hard to believe our trip is almost over. We made our way down to Dublin from Belfast today, and one of the class teams met with Webroot, and the other met with WhatClinic.ie.
Tommy is in the back with curly hair and glasses
We then gathered as a class where Terry Brennan (co-owner of the Celtic Tavern in Denver) introduced us to Tommy Pringle, a new TD (Teachtaí Dála – parliament member) from Donegal. Tommy was quite gracious in that he had to speak in the chamber in the afternoon, but took us on a personal tour of the Dáil (House of the Oireachtas). The building is stunning, and it was amazing to see pictures hanging prominently of President’s Clinton, Reagan and Kennedy. In fact, when Kennedy addressed a joint sitting of the Houses of the Oireachtas in June 1963, he presented a flag of the 1st Regiment of the Irish Brigade, the New York Volunteer Regiment of 1863 to the Irish people in recognition of its Irish roots. The flag remains to this day on permanent display.
Tommy not only explained how the Irish political process works, but also talked about current-day politics, challenges, and the similarities with the US political system. Tommy is an independent and would like to see the Senate become a body that scrutinizes legislation passed down from the European parliament, as well as help create a stronger and viable independent voice.
Tomorrow is our last day of class, and we’ll have a discussion session followed by a key note delivered by Con Clarke – a prominent businessman with close ties to the US.
Share This!
Related Posts
Categories
