Eoin Butler: writer, journalist and Mayoman of the Year
Tripping Along The Ledge
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Obama’s pick for Irish ambassador meets with opposition from an unexpected quarter
Yesterday, Barack Obama announced the appointment of Dan Rooney as the next US ambassador to Ireland. In his speech, Obama cited Rooney’s longstanding support for Irish-American charitable causes. Now, normally, this would be a move-along-nothing-to-see-here story. Except that Dan Rooney’s nomination was today sensationally opposed by these two outspoken young gentlemen…
Okay, so the Dan Rooney being badmouthed in the above video is not the same Dan Rooney who will shortly be taking up residence in Phoenix Park. Lame joke, I hold my hand up. But for one magical moment, when the announcement was made, I wistfully imagined it might be. Our Dan Rooney is the former King of the Tinkers, who famously defeated Dennis “Aney” McGinley in a bareknuckle boxing match in Crossmaglen in 1990. But the above video is well worth enjoying.
The men speaking are would-be challengers to Rooney’s throne: Johnny Coyle and Patrick Doherty. Their remarks range from the conceited (“I rate myself the best man in the country”); and not-entirely-credible (“We’ve the name of being blackguards and slags, but we’re nice fucking people); to the bizarre (“I’ll fight any man, in any place, at any time, for any thing…” Anything? A Crunchie?); and downright suggestive (“I’ll fuck Dan Rooney, I’ll fuck any man… We’ll do it right here, right now… There’s a man here for any man…”)
In the full length version, which isn’t available online, an equally terrifying Ma Coyle restates that her son is indeed the master of all men when it comes to fighting, and accuses Dan Rooney of being nothing but a “queer” and a “shitarse” (a curious insult if ever there was one).
The great man himself is now long since retired, of course, and is believed to have become a born-again Christian. But here’s a Bebo page from someone at least purporting to be him.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:38 am
there are a few rooneys randomly buried in Kells including a former king of the tinkers. I remember the day of the funeral, I was around six or seven and all the local businesses shut. A few days later the priest berated the town with the most ferocious fire and brimstone sermon I ever heard. It was phenomenal stuff. My parents still talk about it in hushed tones. Mass was never as exciting since.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:40 am
That might not be clear as to why the priest went off on one. It was ‘cos the pubs and shops refused to serve the travellers.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:56 am
I went to school and was friends (of a sort) with lots of Traveller kids. They had an exuberance of language that was just incredible. We would seek them out specifically to walk to school with and pick up on their colourful and inventive phrases (which we would later try to pass off as our own). Dan Rooney was a particular hero.
March 19th, 2009 at 1:24 pm
Dan or as i knew am as “Dan the man Rooney” is still a hero dude, and is preaching to his many followers in Dundalk most weekends. The original video of the fight was brought to us by a Paul Rooney, no relation. The revenue fined him thousands of pound due to the massive sales of the Crossmaglen fight which was sold on the black market. He also appeared on the Late Late and i also had a few pints with the man himself. It would deffo have made extra-visions no 1 of the year if he sold it legally. The best part of the whole video is the famous string quote from some cobbler ” there is a string and any man that crosses that string……………..well…..i wouldn’t like to be that man. With in the first two mins of the fight every man , woman and child had crossed the string. Legend stuff.
March 31st, 2009 at 9:52 am
I hate to be crude but I pity the man who does not shit with his arse…
August 15th, 2009 at 9:07 am
[…] Dundalk to meet former Traveller bareknuckle boxing champion, turned Evangelical Christian preacher Dan Rooney. He’d already cancelled one meeting with us and, on the second attempt, he was almost an hour […]
September 9th, 2011 at 12:25 am
Im from kells and was at the funnrel and day are friends of mine and they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet
June 2nd, 2022 at 11:45 am
Hi how’s things. I would to know if Dan Rooney passed away