Corrigans take Capitol by storm at US inauguration
WHILE the world tuned in to watch Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, a Limerick band were in the thick of the action, performing for the President as he passed in the parade after the ceremony.
The Corrigan Brothers from Limerick performed their hit, There's No-one as Irish as Barack O'bama, as President Obama passed the Ronald Regan Centre on his way to Capitol Hill.
They had earlier performed the song, which now has more than one million hits on the YouTube website, live on ABC news and which was in turn broadcast live on the giant screens on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The trio of Limerick brothers had earlier been interviewed by BBC news and Jon Snow of Channel 4 news, and performed live on CBS News.
After the ceremony, the Corrigans performed at the prestigious Irish American Democrats Ball in the Phoenix Park Hotel, Washington.
"We were introduced by the Governor of Maryland, Martin O'Malley, and he asked the audience of 700 people to put up their hands if they had heard the song and everyone raised their hands," laughed Ger this Wednesday morning.
"He even went as far to describe the song as an inspirational campaign song and everyone sang along. It was great," he said.
The ball was attended by former Taioseach and current EU Ambassador John Bruton; Neil O Dowd, editor of the Irish Voice newspaper, and the chairwoman of the Irish American Democrats, Stella O'Leary.
The Limerick trio have already been invited back to Washington to perform at the traditional Boston Political Roast and perform for new Vice-President Joe Biden in early March.
The Limerick connections with Tuesday's inauguration ceremony did not end there.
Twenty-year-old Rachel Clancy from North Circular Road, who currently studying in California on a basketball scholarship, was officially invited to the inauguration due to her strong academic and sporting success.
"I am very proud to have been invited to the inauguration, I know this is a US event, but it affects the entire world," said Rachel, a former player with UL Aughinish Basketball Club, who won the Basketball Ireland female U20 Player of the Year award in 2006.
And local politician-in-waiting Brian Stokes, who spent a week campaigning for Barack Obama in the Texas Democratic primary last year, has said he was inspired to run for Fianna Fil in next June's local election by his American electoral experience.
"I was very impressed by the fact that he got people involved at a grassroots level, how open, friendly and easy it was for someone to get involved," said Brian.
Charleville was represented by Jane Roberts, whose husband, John G Roberts, is the American Chief Justice and swore President Obama into office on the steps of the Capitol Building.
Jane's mother, Kathleen O'Carroll, left the town for New York in the Fifties, where she married John Sullivan, whose family come from Kerry.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Weather for Limerick
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 13 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South east
