Martin O’Malley, the Governor of the US state of Maryland, who is being increasingly tipped as a possible White House contender in 2016, has strong Mayo connections.
So much so that the music loving Statesman has even joined The Sawdoctors on stage on numerous occasions to belt out his favourite number of theirs - ‘The Green and Red of Mayo’.
Governor O’Malley has been described as “the poster boy for a new generation of Democrats”, and speculation is growing that he could mount a serious challenge and pip Hillary Clinton to the post for the Democratic nomination in the next presidential race.
It is not surprising that O’Malley is a fan of the Tuam rockers and their hit that has become Mayo’s GAA footballing anthem.
O’Malley’s great grandfather emigrated to America in the 1870s from the Maam Valley area right on the Galway-Mayo border.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent recently, Sawdoctor’s frontman Leo Moran said the two-time governor regularly came to their gigs in Maryland.
“We got to know him and he would come up on stage and sing a few songs with us. ‘The Green and Red of Mayo’ would be one of his favourites,” described Moran.
Governor O’Malley, who is young (51 ), handsome and charismatic (he fronts his own Celtic rock band ), is being increasingly recognised by US political pundits as a possible challenger to Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination.
Although Clinton has been labelled a ‘sure thing’ for the nomination, there are reportedly many within the Democratic Party who want an alternative to the Obama-Clinton tag team effort.
O’Malley is said to be seriously considering mounting such a challenge.
There is a long road to go to 2016 but should O’Malley be successful in capturing the hearts of America in the same way former Irish-American president John F Kennedy managed, then it is altogether possible that the ‘Green and Red of Mayo’ could be blasting out from the White House - or maybe even feature at an inauguration ceremony - in the not too distant future.
