This article is from page 1 of the 2009-03-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
CLARE could be one of the first lo- cations penciled in on US president Barack Obama’s itinerary should his much proposed visit to Ireland come to pass next year.
This follows the surprise appoint- ment of Dan Rooney (pictured below with President Obama) as US Ambas- sador to Ireland by President Obama last week. Rooney, a long-time sup- porter of the president, has strong Clare connections and visits the area on a regular basis. Indeed, the ambas- sador’s brother Pat has owned a house on the Liscannor Road in Lahinch for more than a decade and currently rents a property in Ennistymon. So close is the Rooney family’s link to north Clare that they hosted a pre-wedding dinner for the ambassador’s niece in a local restaurant two years ago.
Dan Rooney is the owner and chair- man of the Pittsburgh Steelers foot- ball team in America. He 1s also the co-founder of the Worldwide Ireland Funds, which has raised millions for education programs in Ireland.
A spokesperson from the American Embassy in Dublin would not confirm any details of Mr Rooney’s appoint- ment or a possible visit by President Obama to Clare until after the ambas- sador is officially received by Irish President Mary McAleese.