Madam, – My name is Donncha Corrigan and I am a co-writer of the song There’s no one as Irish as Barack Obama. Following our return from Washington last Friday I was surprised to read Fintan O’Toole’s ugly article in Saturday’s Irish Times.
I wonder if Mr O’Toole was present in DC to see us walk the streets with the African American community and witness the welcome and thanks that they gave us. I think not. I wish to tell him what our song says about the Irish!
Throughout this campaign African American organisations have requested this song. Harlem for Obama, Detroit for Obama and Obama’s campaign team among a host of other organisations used this song consistently in their campaigns and were in regular contact with the band. We received numerous invites to play inauguration events in many states, primarily from African American people.
For our CD launch several African American democrats flew to Ireland to meet us in Moneygall to thank us and flew back that evening. We did numerous radio phone-ins in Detroit throughout the campaign as well.
Mr O’ Toole is sitting up there on one very high horse but he will come tumbling down one day and nobody will go to pick him up. In fact there is a good chance that many other horses will trample over him.
My brother Gerard was the guest of Pacifica Radio in New York last Saturday evening for 45 minutes. Every caller was an African American and every caller thanked us for our song and our willingness to travel over for all of the events we participated in with energy, enthusiasm and warmth.
We donated all of our fees for all of our events and all of our expenses to charity in the US, as did all of our party of 11. That is what our song and our band and Moneygall says about the Irish.
I can assure Mr O’Toole that he will apologise for his venomous article. He insulted the Irish, the African Americans and Mr Obama’s campaign. – Yours, etc,