Our ambassador to the US, Sean O hUiginn and his wife Bernadette showed their skill at reading love poetry at a charity event called, I kid you not, "My Heart Turns into a Shamrock - an Irish Valentine" in Washington this week. Some couples, such as Congressman Ed Markey and his wife who verbally smooched and were applauded, read to each other as they played Parnell and Kitty O'Shea, but the O hUiginns, with laudatory European reticence, didn't.
The great and the good of Irish America had gathered at the John F. Kennedy Centre to help Project Children, the scheme which has brought thousands of children from the North to the US for summer holidays over the past 26 years and to which the Government is giving a $250,000 grant. Derry-born star, Roma Downey, the MC, said the next episode of her TV series, Touched by an Angel shows Catholic and Protestant teenagers overcoming prejudice while they work together in the US on a Project Children scheme. It will be introduced by Liam Neeson.
Those who contributed to the poetry evening in the Terrace Theatre included British ambassador, Sir Christopher Meyer and his wife; Kerry Kennedy Cuomo and her husband, Andrew Cuomo, who is in the Clinton cabinet; and Ben Bradlee and his journalist wife, Sally Quinn. The audience included US ambassador to Ireland, Mike Sullivan and his daughter Michelle who works in Washington; Senator Chris Dodd who has a house in Roundstone; and Secretary for Education, Richard Riley, who was once tipped as ambassador to Ireland, and as he is now campaigning for Al Gore, might make it some time.
Actor Malachy McCourt, who read from his best seller A Monk Swimming had the best line of the evening. His next work, he announced, will be called "I read your brother's book".
Quidnunc is at rholohan@irish-times.ie