At our Embassy in Washington last week, the Taoiseach amused the gathering with tales of his youth during a celebration to mark the 150 years of missionary activities in the US by All Hallows College, Dublin. Bertie Ahern's father was the farm manager at the former seminary in Drumcondra and Bertie recounted how, having earned 10 shillings from smuggling, black marketeering and the sale of empty bottles, he spent every penny on peanuts and sat on the wall of the college eating them all. He hadn't been able to look at a peanut since but he jogs around the college grounds three times a week now.
Ambassador Sean O hUiginn told guests, including Senator Edward Kennedy and brothers Kevin and Raymond Boland, now bishops of Savannah and Kansas City, that over the years All Hallows has sent 1,500 priests to the US. The college president, Father Mark Noonan made a pitch for funding for the restoration of the library. It is part of the college known as Siberia, the Taoiseach recalled as he endorsed the project.