Sir, - I met Mr Padraic MacKernan once in my life, at an Irish-American conference at Notre Dame University in 1987 while he was Ambassador to the United States. I have not seen him since. It was a surprise to read of the situation with Mr Andrews in the Department of Foreign Affairs. I believe my views might be pertinent to the matter.
The term "bright, affable fellow" to describe Mr MacKernan is accurate but is perhaps a significant understatement of his abilities. At that Notre Dame conference where I met him, Mr MacKernan clearly outshone some of the finest academics from the US and Ireland in his knowledge of Ireland and Irish America.
But even more important as he manoeuvered his way through the conference, Mr MacKernan, in an extremely polished and effective manner, was making important contacts for Ireland. In the months after the event several of us received calls from the Irish Embassy asking about various businesses and manufacturing plants in our part of America and were given some very intelligent advice on relocating or establishing a branch in Ireland. I have often wondered to what degree the "Celtic Tiger" has been nurtured by those hard-working and forgotten efforts by Ambassador MacKernan.
I have met many representatives of the Irish Government in various parts of the world but I have never seen anyone of Mr MacKernan's calibre. He made me very proud of my homeland that day at Notre Dame. - Yours, etc., Col Patrick J. Blessing,
USMC (ret), Bloomington, Indiana, USA.