President Obama to visit Galway?

grainnereills

While I don't hold out much hope, it would be amazing, from galwaynews.ie:

INTENSIVE LAST DITCH LOBBYING TO BRING US PRESIDENT TO GALWAY

March 21, 2011 - 1:18pm
Intensive last ditch lobbying is underway to bring US President Barack Obama as far as Galway next May.
The Mayor of Galway Cllr Michael Crowe is spear-heading the campaign and is backed by the Galway Chamber of Commerce CEO Michael Coyle.
The President's schedulers will make their decision later today on whether or not he comes to Galway during his trip to Ireland.
President Obama is already expected to visit his ancestral home in Moneygall, County Offaly, Kilkenny, Mayo and Dublin during the two day trip on May 22nd.

Columc

**** load of places for 2 day trip, doubt he will come to galway

snubbleste

Why would it be amazing?

yeehaw

Big thanks due to FG Cllr. Padraig Conneely for arranging this visit during his time as Mayor.

Newbie_2009

the traffic would be horrific.

cfeeneyinterior

yeehaw wrote: »

Big thanks due to FG Cllr. Padraig Conneely for arranging this visit during his time as Mayor.

Good one!

ScumLord

He can come see our presidential park Ey.. ah I mean Kennedy park.

soundbyte

cfeeneyinterior wrote: »

Good one!

http://www.galwaynews.ie/7100-obama-visit-set-2012

martyboy48

I hope he doesn't make it here.... No interest in him visiting and the hasstle of it all...

soundbyte

martyboy48 wrote: »

I hope he doesn't make it here.... No interest in him visiting and the hasstle of it all...

'Twould be a nice bit of much-needed cash for Galway with all the tourists though. I can see Gerry Devanney selling one or two American flags!

Lapin

grainnereills wrote: »

President Obama is already expected to visit his ancestral home in Moneygall, County Offaly, Kilkenny, Mayo and Dublin during the two day trip on May 22nd.

WTF

pleasant Co.

Lapin wrote: »

WTF

Tis where his irish counterpart is from.

So this means that hotels will likely hike up their prices when he does visit, eh?

ScumLord

Deleted User wrote: »

So this means that hotels will likely hike up their prices when he does visit, eh?

Everyone will be at it. I heard the Galway advertiser will be €2 that week.

Wompa1

It's time to introduce the out of towner tax and the leaving town tax before he gets here.

Don't really care if he makes it to Galway, would spin up to Mayo anyway. I voted for him so the least he could do is tell me one of the state secrets...like Area 51

yew_tree

Lapin wrote: »

WTF

I dont know what your problem there. He wouldn't be the first president to visit mayo - ronald reagan stayed in ashford castle. he said he wants to see the sights of ireland anyway - dont think he will just visit cities.

martyboy48

soundbyte wrote: »

'Twould be a nice bit of much-needed cash for Galway with all the tourists though. I can see Gerry Devanney selling one or two American flags!

Ya sure we might get a few visitors from the countryside lol... Seriously though, my thoughts are a bit selfish maybe, but I don't want even more traffic problems and I don't like the thoughts of my taxes paying in part for his visit which I have no interest in at all... Also I hope local businesses won't hike up prices for the visit. I don't think they will, but I would be disgusted if they did...
If you are a fan of his, hope you enjoy it though, just not for me... My God, I sound like an awful killjoy lol...

mink_man

Galway advertiser on facebook said a few other famous figures who came to galway got killed not long after, the pope, a previous american president and someone else.

celty

Poor Obama said he wanted to see the 'major tourist sights' ... and now they are bringing him to Mayo??!

Sugarfree

celty wrote: »

Poor Obama said he wanted to see the 'major tourist sights' ... and now they are bringing him to Mayo??!

Mayo is a quite a popular tourist county. Its not full of its own s hite either unlike the puke laden streets of Galway city.

baldbear

He'll be in Cork to unveil the Frederick Douglass statue. And i heard there going to bring him to a bog in Clara to show him how to wall some turf.:D

witnessrenegade

The only reason he is coming to Mayo is because Enda is from here, not much for him to see or do and I doubt il be meeting him and the lads half way up the Reek on an early Sunday morning

Lapin

yew_tree wrote: »

I dont know what your problem there. He wouldn't be the first president to visit mayo - ronald reagan stayed in ashford castle. he said he wants to see the sights of ireland anyway - dont think he will just visit cities.

Ashford Castle is in Co Galway.

witnessrenegade

Ashford Castle is in Cong, County Mayo

Lapin

Cong is the nearest town and therefore people regularly confuse the castle with being in the same county as the town.

The truth is, Ashford Castle is over the border in Co Galway.


The golf course on the right of the image attached below is in Mayo, but once you cross the bridge you are in Galway.

Robbo

Ashford Castle is the west of Ireland equivalent to Baarle Nassau and Baarle Hertog.

sgthighway

I could be wrong but I reckon:
The Castle itself is on the Galway side but main entrance from the road is from the Mayo side.
If you go up the bit of a river in a boat from Lough Corrib; Mayo is on the right & Galway is on the left.

[I don't think its classed as a river but locals should know what I mean]

?Cee?view

sgthighway wrote: »

I could be wrong but I reckon:
The Castle itself is on the Galway side but main entrance from the road is from the Mayo side.
If you go up the bit of a river in a boat from Lough Corrib; Mayo is on the right & Galway is on the left.

[I don't think its classed as a river but locals should know what I mean]

You're right! Discussing it over a pint of Guinness in the Ardilaun would give it a nice bit of historical context ;-)

?Cee?view

I remember well when Reagan visited, boats on
lough Corrib were searched by the Secret Service and it was rumoured that nets were laid in the water in front of Ashford to stop any chance of divers swimming in. Great excitement all around!

sgthighway

Don't forget the Gardaí on Inchagoill. The Secret Service would fly over them and instruct them to put out the fires that they had lit to keep warm.

Bosco boy

Lads yer showing ye age! I'd say there's a good chance he'll stay in ashford alright, they can have the queen all to themselves over in the pale when she comes! We'll take Obama in the west

dolphin city

plenty of things to see in Mayo - most important he should be taken to rossport and shown what has been done to the people there while the govt turns a blind eye to the thugs beating people up in the name of shell.

if he comes to galway on the request of crowe, he'd make us cut down all the trees in case people might hide or climb them.

AngeGal

Pretty pathetic to be still making fun of Crowe over one badly phrased press release years ago. Why don't you run next time dolphin? IF you get elected, we can see your hundreds of press releases, listen to your hundreds of interviews and see if you never make a mistake.:rolleyes:

snubbleste

AngeGal wrote: »

Pretty pathetic to be still making fun of Crowe over one badly phrased press release years ago. Why don't you run next time dolphin? IF you get elected, we can see your hundreds of press releases, listen to your hundreds of interviews and see if you never make a mistake.:rolleyes:

Did he rescind it afterwards and explain he really loved trees and they were mother nature's way of making us smile. No.
And yes it will be dragged up again and again..

I don't particularly care if O'Bama ventures to Galway.

McTigs

AngeGal wrote: »

Pretty pathetic to be still making fun of Crowe over one badly phrased press release years ago. Why don't you run next time dolphin? IF you get elected, we can see your hundreds of press releases, listen to your hundreds of interviews and see if you never make a mistake.:rolleyes:

Over one badly phrased press release?!? Oh come on!

Crowe has shown himself up time and time again for being an utter idiot. As i said before in the "Michael Crowe" thread, lets hope he gets the message from the election count and ceases in his efforts to act as a " representative" of this city. Apart from a few FF diehards, nobody wants him, nobody trusts him and nobody likes him.

As for Obama, I'd quite like to see him in Galway but dunno if i could be dealing with the whole security part interfering with my day.

dolphin city

AngeGal wrote: »

Pretty pathetic to be still making fun of Crowe over one badly phrased press release years ago. Why don't you run next time dolphin? IF you get elected, we can see your hundreds of press releases, listen to your hundreds of interviews and see if you never make a mistake.:rolleyes:

nah, not much interest in greed or screwing people over myself. I'm afraid that phrase will stick with him - in fact it will probably be etched on his tombstone. thats what you get for being an eejit.

AngeGal

McTigs wrote: »

Over one badly phrased press release?!? Oh come on!

Crowe has shown himself up time and time again for being an utter idiot. As i said before in the "Michael Crowe" thread, lets hope he gets the message from the election count and ceases in his efforts to act as a " representative" of this city. Apart from a few FF diehards, nobody wants him, nobody trusts him and nobody likes him.

As for Obama, I'd quite like to see him in Galway but dunno if i could be dealing with the whole security part interfering with my day.

Regardless of your view McTigs, he is a representative of this city, he has been since he topped the poll in 2004 and is likely to be for as long as he pleases. You may not like it but it's called democracy. Edited to add if he is such an utter idiot why not run yourself in 3 years and take his seat? It's easy to hurl on the sidelines.

Bosco boy

dolphin city wrote: »

plenty of things to see in Mayo - most important he should be taken to rossport and shown what has been done to the people there while the govt turns a blind eye to the thugs beating people up in the name of shell.

if he comes to galway on the request of crowe, he'd make us cut down all the trees in case people might hide or climb them.

That's gas!

McTigs

AngeGal wrote: »

Regardless of your view McTigs, he is a representative of this city, he has been since he topped the poll in 2004 and is likely to be for as long as he pleases. You may not like it but it's called democracy. Edited to add if he is such an utter idiot why not run yourself in 3 years and take his seat? It's easy to hurl on the sidelines.

I hurl every time time he opens his trap to be honest.

Topped the poll 7 years ago did he? hardly matters now. Back then he was regarded as young, independant and a fresh face for the council, someone with new ideas.

Since then he has joined Fianna Fail and shown himself to be just another career/property portfolio politician with an uncanny knack for making a tit of himself in the local newspapers.

His properties being rented to the council was the last straw for most people and that showed on election day.

McTigs

And i'm not going to run for council cos i have neither the time nor the inclination.

I am however a resident of galway city and a taxpayer and as such i am perfectly entitled to criticize our "representatives" if my view is that they have far more interest in looking after their own interests on city time than doing what they were elected to do. Crowe is a case in point.

schween

From Obama to Mayo's tourist attractions (or lack in some eyes) to Crowe's intelligence. Maybe we should ban buckfast "looney juice" for Obama's visit... I'm sure Crowe would be delighted

Obama's visit doesn't excite me much but anything that gives the town some publicity is welcome.

Storm 10

This is what amazes me about boards, this was supposed to be about President Obama visiting Galway and insted it goes off track having a go at the Mayor. Stay on track here guys

dolphin city

i think thats because its the mayor that is campaigning to get him to come to galway and that mayor at the minute is crowe - thats the link.

celty

Yeah, the most vocal people have been Mayor Crowe and Cllr Conneely. Two of our finest politicians....

Storm 10

As a matter of interset is there any news of a visit ??

beagle001

Couple of ex American military fellas hanging around the Spanish arch premises this week.
Very official and I have met a fair few of them in the past to be fairly certain they were here just checking the place out in advance of a visit.
Whether he comes or not they would do a reconnaissance of the localty well in advance with a few separate teams.
We had them in our building when Bush visited Paris and these guys were very much of a similar calibre.

Sugarfree

Sugarfree wrote: »

Mayo is a quite a popular tourist county. Its not full of its own s hite either unlike the puke laden streets of Galway city.

Funny that considering the vast amount of that belongs to blow ins from places like Mayo.

Us locals know how to look after our own area... so look towards your own people there.

KevR

Apparently Obama will be visiting Galway, I hear he plans on goin' for a bottle down da Spanish Arch and den goin' up Supermacs Eyre Square ta box da teeth a' the first Mayo mang he can find. Yup outta dat, tome buzz!

:pac:

celty

Maybe these new 'sercet service' types are scoping all the empty apartment blocks in Doughiska, because they are looking for a new home for the Guantanamo prisoners and they are so happy that lovely little 'neutral' Ireland allows their troops to buy green fluffy leprechauns in Shannon. Begorrah.:D

snubbleste

So what happened to this last ditch intensive lobbying to bring Barry to Galway?

In other news, Prince Albert of Monaco will be visiting the Marine Institute in Oranmore next week.

celty

Heard some paper said he's coming to Ireland for five hours. What a massive boom for tourism that will be. Hell, some of the US soldiers 'passing through' Shannon might have spent longer here.:cool: