OBAMA SPEECHWRITER TO HEADLINE KENNEDY SUMMER SCHOOL
IAN PAISLEY JNR and the speech writer for Barack Obama have been announced as the headline speakers for this year’s Kennedy Summer School, which includes contributions from Bertie Ahern, Ryan Tubridy, Bressie and many American and Irish political heavy weights.
Paisley Jnr of the Democratic Unionist Party - which is in the midst of talks with Theresa May - will have much to discuss when he visits New Ross for his talk at 8.30 p.m. on Friday, September 8. Cody Keenan will speak about his work writing some of Barack Obama’s most memorable speeches, an hour previously, at 7.30 p.m. on September 8.
Other speakers who have been confirmed for what is a breathtaking programme of events are NUI Galway lecturer Larry Donnelly and Dublin Institute of Technology lecturter Dr Brian Murphy.
This year’s Kennedy Summer School takes place from Friday, September 7, to Sunday, September 9. Tickets are now on sale from keenedysummerschool.ie and St Michael’s Theatre in New Ross.
The summer school has gone from strength to strength since its foundation in 2012. On September 8, in an an audio-visually illustrated presentation, Keenan will explore the craft and process of speech writing with a focus on particular speeches he enjoyed writing.
Ian Paisley Jnr MP, son of the DUP party’s firebrand founder Reverend Ian Paisley, has been a Member of Parliament for North Antrim in Westminster since 2010. He is the DUP spokesman for Agriculture in the House of Commons and a member of the Northern Ireland Select Affairs Committee.
On September 8 in an extended conversation with Irish Times columnist Noel Whelan and an audience questions and answers session, Paisley will tell of his political life, his involvement in the Peace Process and his work on the Northern Ireland Policing Board. He will also reflect on his father’s political career and the ultimate decision to enter government with Sinn Fein. Paisley Jnr will also discuss the prospects for politics in Northern Ireland and the restoration of power sharing government.
The summer school have also gathered a panel of leading historians to assess the legacy of President John F. Kennedy, 100 years on from his birth. Veteran campaign strategist Bob Shrum, who has been central to many US presidential campaigns, will also contribute to the debate. There will be a series of public interviews, including with RTE U.S. correspondent, Caitriona Perry.
There will be special visit to the Kennedy Homestead for the annual Dunganstown Tea Party, a secondary schools’ event focusing on building resilience, and a special children’s book event with Ryan Tubridy.
The opening night takes place on Thursday, September 7, at 8 p.m. at St. Michael’s Theatre and it will be by Katherine Zappone, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, followed by a public interview with columnist and barrister Noel Whelan.
This will be followed by the Edward M Kennedy lecture and a special screening of Condemned to Remember about Irish holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental. The screening will be followed by an audience discussion with Tomi Reichental and Shaykh Dr Muhammad Umar Al-Qadri, Irish Muslim Peace and Integration Council, chaired by Peter Cassells, Director of the Edward M Kennedy Institute, Maynooth University.
On Friday, September 8, at 10 a.m. The Building Resistance talk takes place at St Mary’s Secondary School School when Niall Breslin, known as Bressie, will address students.
There will also be a panel discussion on arts and disability and the tea party takes place at 2.30 p.m. in the Kennedy Homestead in Dunganstown. This will be an afternoon of talks, cookery demonstrations, entertainment and light refreshments.
That evening a panel discussion on the theme Brexit & Borders takes place in St Michael’s Theatre at 6 p.m. Panellists include Bertie Ahern, Mark Durkan, Verona Murphy and Tony Connelly.
At 7.30 p.m. Keenan will talk on the theme ‘The Man Behind The Words: Speech Writing for President Obama’ This will be followed at 8.30pm by the interview with Ian Paisley Jnr.
A history symposium takes place the following morning at the theatre chaired by David McCullagh. He will delve into the President’s successes and failures.
Ireland in the Kennedy era will be discussed and at 2 p.m. Sarah McInerney, co-presenter of Newstalk Drive, will chair a special one-hour panel of leading Irish politicians, including Mary Lou McDonald. Topical issues will be discussed and questions will be taken from the Kennedy Summer School audience.
On Saturday, at 3 p.m. Catriona Perry will talk on the theme Translating Trump’s America for the Irish audience.
At 4.30 p.m. American political heavy weights and John McGuirk will debate on the theme ‘Donald Trump and the US Presidency’.
At 6 p.m. Ryan Tubridy and P.J. Lynch will host a children’s book event at New Ross Library and at 8 p.m., at St Michael’s Theatre, the closing event takes place - an audience with Late Late host Ryan Tubridy on JFK and much more.