In the beginning of July 1974 there was excitement in Galway as it was known that Senator Edward ‘Ted’ Kennedy was staying nearby with friends. It was all very hush hush as the senator was on a private holiday with his son Teddy Jr, who had recently undergone a serious leg operation for cancer. Everyone was trying to be kind and leave them alone. However, the Advertiser office kept getting calls from national and British newspapers asking where the senator was, and had we got a photograph of him with the boy?
I phoned Sgt Pat Anglim and said there was a lot of pressure mounting for a photograph. Could he help? An exclusive photograph would be worth millions and a great scoop for us.
About an hour later Sgt Anglim phoned back to say : ‘If you are out in Claregalway in 10 minutes you’ll catch him near the bridge fishing’.
Praying that Pat Anglim will be raised to the highest place in Heaven reserved for extra nice saints, my cousin Gerry O’Gorman and I drove like the dickens out the Tuam road. We arrived in a cloud of dust, not from our car but from the hoards of other journalists that Sgt Anglim must have also tipped off! (I made a mental note not to pray for Sgt Anglim ).
The Senator and his son looked annoyed as we all ran up to them. There were only two other men there at a discreet distance, who I assume were police officers. They immediately came forward and told us to stand back. Senator Ted approached us and asked where we were all from? Then he said that he’d only speak to a local newspaper... “as I’ll talk to you guys when I’m in London next time.”
I put up my hand, and said I was from the Galway Advertiser. The other journalists looked on disgusted. Kennedy said to me, ‘Fire ahead.’
Everyone was expecting me to ask something brilliant, but I couldn’t think what to ask him. I then asked how was his son?
‘Kennedy: He’s doing really well.
(Silence )
Me: Are you enjoying Ireland?
Kennedy: It’s exactly as I imagined it.
(Silence )
Me: Are you going to stay long?
Kennedy : We haven’t really decided.
(Silence )
Then a brainwave. “Did your late brother ever talk about his visit to Galway?”
Kennedy’s face lit up. “ Did he talk about it? He never stopped! When he got back that June he summoned us immediately to Hyannis Point (the family home ) and we had to watch the news reels and home films of his trip to Ireland over and over again. Actually we all enjoyed his enthusiastic memories, and despite our joshing we never got tired of seeing those movies. It’s because of those pictures and the welcome you gave my brother that we’re here. We were all delighted that Jack had those wonderful memories.”
And with that Ted called up his son, and Gerry took a very fine photograph under the arch of Claregalway bridge of the relaxed Senator of Massachusetts and his lovely son on American Independence Day, July 4 1974.Ar dheis De go raibh a h-anam dílis
