US politicians cross line of Irish allegiance

Relations between Ireland and the US could be strained in the 1970s, writes Caroline O’Doherty.

THE Mayor of New York received a rap on the knuckles from an Irish diplomat for supporting a rally in commemoration of hunger striker Frank Stagg.

In a forthright letter to Mayor Abraham Beame, Irish consul general in New York, Gearóid O’Clerigh, told him his attendance at a mass and demonstration in the city had caused the Irish Government concern.

Mr O’Clerigh had already informed Dublin about the event and of the involvement of a number of Irish American republican organisations, including Noraid, to which the Government was completely opposed.

He wrote to Mayor Beame following the event on March 1, 1976: “In a situation where a religious service and rally in New York were organised mainly by groups and individuals who support or condone violence in Ireland, attendance or participation at such a service or rally, which would otherwise be understood as respect for the dead, is viewed by the public as indicating support for the aims of those organisations or individuals.”

Mr O’Clerigh outlined the unrest and violence that had followed Stagg’s death in Ireland. “You will understand, therefore, the concern of my Government, whose primary responsibility is for the lives of Irish people,” he said.

He continued: “I have thought it proper to express my concern, knowing, as I do, that you would not wish any act of yours toappear to support groups who have been rejected by the overwhelming majority of the Irish people in free and democratic elections.”

Mayor Beame wasn’t the only US politician who fell foul of Mr O’Clerigh, who also informed Dublin that Senator Henry M Jackson of Washington, a leading contender for the Democratic nomination as presidential candidate (he subsequently lost the nomination to Jimmy Carter), had been reported as planning to attend the commemoration.

Mr Jackson had previously sent a message to be read out at the Noraid annual dinner and though Mr O’Clerigh said the senator did not actually support Noraid, he had “got himself into a position where his attitude is seen as somewhat ambiguous”.

Mr O’Clerigh contacted Mr Jackson’s campaign manager, Terry O’Connell. He wrote: “O’Connell insisted he (Senator Jackson) was trying to instil reason into the debate within Noraid and absolutely opposed provisional violence. I suggested the senator unlikely to send message, however reasonable, to a Ku Klux Klan function.

“Our discussion was very friendly but O’Connell is himself unfortunately a Noraid supporter.”

Mr O’Clerigh reported ruefully that while the senator did not ultimately go to the commemoration, which was attended by Stagg’s brother George and brought a crowd of 3,000 on to the streets, he did send a telegram of sympathy, as did Senator Jimmy Carter, who won the presidential election later that year.

Mr O’Clerigh said he would get on to Carter’s office about the affair.