The Last Hurrah

Over the last ten episodes of The Last Hurrah, Liam and Scott have spoken to a wide range of journalists, activists, politicians and academics with differing viewpoints on the past, present and future of Irish America.In the final episode of the season, Liam and Scott discuss the key takeaways from their conversations and delve into the unique insights given by our guests. They also ask what it means to be Irish American in 2021 and discuss how this special relationship has developed in the 21st century. Lastly, they look forward, discussing the key moments that may pose a challenge or opportunity to Irish America in the future, including Brexit, Northern Ireland, and the Joe Biden presidency.

Marion McKeone is the US correspondent for the Sunday Business Post. Before that, from 2000-2009, she was the US editor for the Sunday Tribune. She has also written for the Guardian, the New York Times, and the Irish Times. She broadcasts a regular US slot on Today FM's 'The Last Word' and is a regular contributor to RTE Current Affairs programs discussing US politics, foreign policy, and major news events. Marion has covered all of the major political events in the United States from 9-11 to the Bush, Obama and Trump presidencies. In this episode of The Last Hurrah, Liam and Scott talk to Marion McKeone about her experience covering 9-11, how a global minimum tax corporate tax would effect Ireland, and the future of the US-Irish relationship.

Kevin Cullen is an author and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. He has written for the Boston Globe since 1985 where he served as local, national and foreign correspondent before becoming a columnist. Kevin spent more than 20 years covering the conflict in Northern Ireland and in 1994 was honoured by the Overseas Press Club of America for his interpretive reporting from Northern Ireland.In 1997, Kevin was appointed the Boston Globe's Dublin bureau chief, covering the peace process in Northern Ireland full time. He was described by the Irish Times as “the most informed American journalist on Irish affairs,” while The Independent of London called him “the most astute observer of Irish affairs in American media.”In 2001, Kevin returned to Boston where he joined the Globe's investigative team which won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003 for exposing the cover up of sexual abuse of minors by Roman Catholic priests. He is also the co-author of the New York Times bestseller “Whitey Bulger: America's Most Wanted Gangster and the Manhunt that Brought Him to Justice.” In 2014, he won the Mike Royko Award as best columnist chosen by the American Society of Newspaper Editors.In this episode, Liam and Scott speak to Kevin about his life as a journalist, Boston politics, and the future of Irish American politics in the US. 

Trina Vargo is the president of the US-Ireland Alliance. She was employed by Senator Edward M. Kennedy and served as his foreign policy adviser during the critical years of the Northern Ireland peace process. Working directly with political leaders in Northern Ireland, the Clinton Administration, and the Irish Government, Vargo served as a key behind-the-scenes player in the Northern Ireland peace process, including the granting of a visa for Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams to visit the US in 1994.In 1998, Trina founded the US-Ireland Alliance, a non-profit organization dedicated to consolidating relations between the US and the island of Ireland and building that relationship for the future. She's also the author of the book Shenanigans: The US-Ireland Relationship in Uncertain Times (2019).In this episode, Trina speaks to Liam and Scott about her career, the current state of Irish-American relations, and what lies in store for the future. 

Ted Smyth has had distinguished careers in government and public affairs in Ireland and the United States. He was an Irish diplomat from 1972 to 1988 serving in Portugal, Switzerland, the US, and the UK. He participated in the Northern Ireland peace process, serving in the Department of the Taoiseach as Deputy Director of Government Information Services, advisor on Northern Ireland, and in the Secretariat of the New Ireland Forum. He was head of Press and Information in the US from 1976-1981 and, later, held the roles of Chief Administrative Officer at the Heinz Company and Executive VP of Corporate Affairs at McGraw Hill Financial. Ted is currently Vice President of the Advisory Board at Glucksman Ireland House at NYU, and Chairman of the Clinton Institute at University College Dublin. In the seventh episode of “The Last Hurrah”, Liam and Scott talk to Ted Smyth about his career as an Irish diplomat in the United States during the Carter and Reagan administrations, the importance of Irish soft power, and the role of Irish America in the election of Joe Biden. 

Joan Walsh is a national affairs correspondent for The Nation and a CNN political contributor. She is also the author of What's the Matter With White People? Finding Our Way in the Next America, which the Philadelphia Daily News called “one of the best books of 2012 – and even more relevant now.” In the book she “charts growing political divisions in the US through the story of her extended working-class New York, Irish Catholic family”. The book is “a family and political memoir that maps the fears and the aspirations of white ethnic Americans.”In the sixth episode of “The Last Hurrah”, Liam and Scott talk to Joan Walsh about her Irish Catholic family and childhood, the divisions within Irish America and the future of Irish America and the Democratic Party. 

Ray O'Hanlon was born in Dublin, is a graduate of University College Dublin, and worked with the Irish Press newspaper group before moving to the United States in 1987. O'Hanlon's particular beat has long been the immigration issue and his 1998 book, The New Irish Americans, is considered a definitive account of the battle for immigration reform waged by the Irish Immigration Reform Movement and other Irish-American organizations in the late 1980s and early '90s. His new book, Unintended Consequences: The Story of Irish Immigration to the US and How America's Door was Closed to the Irish, will be published by Merrion Press in April 2021.In this episode, Scott and Liam speak with Ray about Irish American politics since the  1990s and look at how the political dynamics of "Irish America" have changed over the years. 

Timothy Meagher is a former Associate Professor, Curator of American Catholic History, and University Archivist at The Catholic University of America. Meagher is an expert on Irish American history. His publications on the topic include Inventing Irish America: Generation, Class and Ethnic Identity in a New England City 1880 to 1928 (University of Notre Dame Press, 2001), winner of the James Donnelly Prize for the best book in Irish and Irish American history, and The Columbia Guide to Irish American History (Columbia University Press, 2005). In the fourth episode of The Last Hurrah, Liam and Scott sit down with Professor Meagher for a conversation on how Irish American Catholics remade the Democratic Party, Irish America's role in World War II and the Cold War, and its shift toward the Republican Party in the latter half of the 20th century. 

James R. Barrett is a professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and currently scholar in residence at The Newberry Library. Professor Barrett's research interests include immigration and race and ethnicity in US cities. He is also the author of “The Irish Way”, a book of “social history” that examines “how the Irish took up positions of urban leadership in the late 19th century” and “how they had to adapt to growing numbers of other immigrants in the early 20th century”. In the third episode of “The Last Hurrah”, Liam and Scott sit down with Professor James R. Barrett to discuss why Irish Americans became so successful politically, why they were drawn towards the Democratic Party and why Irish American political power began to diminish in the first half of the 20th century. 

Former Congressman Joe Crowley of New York is “simply one of the most significant Irish American politicians of his generation.” After growing up in an Irish household in Queens, Crowley's political career began in the New York State Assembly in 1987. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1999 and, from 2017 to 2019, he served as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, the fourth most powerful position in the House Democratic Party. A member of the Friends of Ireland Caucus and one of the Co-Chairs for the Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs during his time in Congress, Crowley was—and continues to be—deeply involved in Irish American politics.In the second episode of “The Last Hurrah”,  Liam and Scott sit down with former Congressman Joe Crowley of New York to discuss his Irish roots, Irish American political successes, and the future of the Democratic Party. 

Irish Americans have had a profound impact in shaping urban and national politics in the US since the late nineteenth century. It is a power and presence that has declined in recent generations – there is no longer a recognisably Irish voting block - but it has not simply disappeared. The Last Hurrah  will consider the evolution of Irish America's political culture into the present – and the election of Joe Biden – and speculate on its future.It is a production of the UCD Clinton Institute and will be co-hosted by Professor Liam Kennedy and Professor Scott Lucas and feature guest interviewees from the worlds of politics, academia, diplomacy, media and activism.

It didn't take long for political drama to unfold in 2021. Less than a week into the new year, a mob of pro-Trump rioters attacked the US Capitol. The bloody act against the ultimate symbol of American democracy was incited by the current resident of the White House and has led to Donald Trump's banishment from social media platforms and calls for him to resign with less than two weeks to go in his term. In the final episode of our second season, Liam and Scott unpack the events of January 6, 2021 and discuss the impact the episode will have on the future of the Republican party and America. 

American women have turned out at higher rates than men in every U.S. presidential election dating back to 1984. That's according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Research Center.But what are the issues driving women to the polls this year? Will the gender gap, discrimination, Trump administration's policies on women's health and especially his continued sexist remarks on women affect the outcome? Have women in America had enough? Professor Melissa Deckman, Professor Sherry Linkon and Professor Diane Negra join Liam in a wide-ranging conversation about women and American politics in this historic year. 

Despite Joe Biden's double digit national lead and a string of new polls showing him ahead in crucial swing states, many Democrats are still feeling nervous about the outcome of this year's presidential election. They are haunted by ghosts of elections past. Namely, the 2000 race between Al Gore and George Bush when the fate of the election wasn't determined at the ballot box but within the august chambers of the Supreme Court of the United States. To get a better sense of what is on the mind of the Democratic party faithful, Liam and Scott caught up with Mike Feldman. He was Al Gore's traveling chief of staff during the 2000 presidential election campaign and remembers the drama surrounding that episode all too well. He is currently the Founding Partner & Managing Director of the Glover Park Group. 

In a week that saw the President and the First Lady of the United States diagnosed with Covid-19, the American public tried to decipher the mixed messages coming from the White House. During this campaign's first October surprise, the President, while infected, took a trip outside Walter Reed Hospital to wave to supporters, putting the lives of American citizens at risk. After three days in hospital the President was flown back to the White House where he told the public “don't be afraid” and to not let the deadly virus that has already taken the lives of over 200,000 Americans to "dominate" them. To delve deeper into how President Trump is handling the current crisis and the ramifications it may have for the upcoming election, Liam and Scott caught up with Brett Bruen. Brett is  President of the Global Situation Room and was a Senior Adviser to Barack Obama during his term as President.

It was a presidential debate like none other, characterized not by an exchange of ideas or inspirational rhetoric, but by petty barbs and relentless interruptions. The public learned little about the candidate's policy platforms, as questions of public health and the economy were largely left unanswered and the President fanned the flames of racial animosity. Civility and decorum were overpowered by insult and lies. What was made clear by this debate -- if it can be called that -- is this President, this election, and, indeed, American democracy itself, seems to be in a state of dysfunction. To find out whether Washington politics appears as dysfunctional from the inside as it does the outside, Liam and Scott caught up with Dan Lippman. Dan's a reporter covering the White House for Politico and was, for years, the co-author of Politico's Playbook.

This November, Donald Trump and Joe Biden will compete for the White House in what many believe is the most consequential election in modern U.S. history. Trump infamously vowed to put an end to American "carnage" in his inaugural address. Four years on, "carnage" seems to be an apt description of what is transpiring in America as it grapples with a raging pandemic and racial and social unrest. It seems Donald Trump was merely making a prophetic reference to the America he would create as president.So what happens next? What are the key issues motivating American voters as they head to the polls and can American democracy meet the challenges it faces? To kick off our new season, Liam and Scott caught up with Brian Klaas, an associate professor in global politics at University College London and regular columnist at The Washington Post. Brian is also the host of the Power Corrupts podcast.

In this season finale, Scott and Liam take stock of the biggest political trends facing the United States as it continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic and prepares for a historic presidential elections in November. Liam also chats with Kevin Gaines, the Julian Bond Professor of Civil Rights and Social Justice at the University of Virginia, about the international resonance of the civil rights movement in America at a time of renewed global push for racial and social justice. 

As America continues to grapple with a deadly coronavirus pandemic, Scott and Liam discuss all the latest political drama gripping Washington. Scott also discusses the declining image of America as a redemptive power inspiring people around the world with writer, activist and storyteller Tori Egherman. They chat about identity, race and Tori's experiences living in Iran.  

Fourth of July, when America declared independence from Britain in 1776, is an annual celebration synonymous with big public displays of patriotism, parades, outdoor barbecues, fireworks and family gatherings. But this year, things are different. America is convulsed by disease, rocked by protest against racism and consumed by a presidential race wherein the incumbent occupant of the White House has seemingly ceded any national leadership role in favour of appeasing his base. Then there's the newly-announced immigration bans by the Trump administration that call into question the very notion of the American Dream.  Scott & Liam take stock of where America is as it celebrates this most awkward of birthdays and Fiona McEntee, Founding & Managing Attorney of McEntee Law Group, joins from Chicago to help us decipher Donald Trump's most recent immigration policies.

The killing of George Floyd has sparked a global conversation about racism, racial inequality, historic narratives and structural barriers to progress. Large protests in Dublin pledged solidarity with the global Black Lives Matter movement while highlighting local concerns like the fight against Direct Provision. In this episode, Liam chats with author and social activist Dr. Ebun Joseph about racism and racial inequality in Ireland.

The murder of George Floyd has triggered mass anti-racism protests across the US. It has also energized a global Black Lives Matter movement that is not only marching in solidarity with protesters in America, but shedding light on local issues pertaining to race and systemic injustice. In this episode, Liam and Scott are joined by Dr. Michell Chresfield, Lecturer in United States History at the University of Birmingham to talk about the events in the US and the way they are inspiring protests in the United Kingdom.  

Barack Obama remains an inspiration for millions of Americans. As the first African-American President in the nation's history, he shattered a glass ceiling. But apart from that pivotal achievement and beyond the stark difference in leadership style and tone between him and his successor, what will Obama's legacy be? Liam Kennedy discusses with Clodagh Harrington, author of Obama's Washington and Senior Lecturer in Politics at De Montfort University Leicester and Scott Lucas, Professor of International Politics and American Studies at the University of Birmingham and the founder and editor of EA Worldview. 

Dr. Allison Page is an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the Humanities Institute and the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts at Old Dominion in Virginia, and has focused much of her work on race in areas such as the criminal justice system and how the media reproduces concepts about race.  She joins Liam for a wide ranging conversation about criminal justice reform and how the Trump administration has treated the subject.Producers: UCD Clinton Institute MA students Tagatha Lorentz & Shuying He Music for this episode was provided by Kevin McLeod at incompetech.com 

What does America Unfiltered mean? Why do we need another podcast on US affairs? Liam Kennedy tackles these questions with Scott Lucas in our inaugural episode. Scott is Professor of International Politics and American Studies at the University of Birmingham and the founder and editor of EA Worldview, a leading source of daily analysis and insight on American foreign policy as well as Middle Eastern and European Affairs.Music for this episode was provided by Kevin McLeod at incompetech.com