This week's guest in my ongoing series of conversations -- about journalism, politics, religion (he's a devout Catholic), and the current sufferings of the Irish nation at the hands of the Irish state, among many other things -- is Declan Ganley. Born in London to Irish parents, Ganley is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Rivada Networks, a leading public safety communications business with operations in the U.S. and Europe. He's built businesses in Russia and across the European Union, as well as in the United States, and even for a time was active in Irish politics. Married to an American, he makes his home in rural County Galway, Ireland. We spoke in London last September on the occasion of the publication of The Pipeline's most recent book, Against the Corporate Media.
What I see, contrary to the stereotypes we often see back in Ireland, is that the Irish Diaspora held on to the most valuable, important parts of what Irish identity is and they discarded or left behind the bits that didn't matter as much. Because that's what happens when you do go into a genuinely multi-cultural environment and you are living as a 'minority,' you keep the things that are worth keeping, you discard the things that are considered less important to everyday life. So the Irish Diaspora, I would say, are polished jewels in terms of representing the best of what Irish identity is. But they are despised for it.
I couldn't agree more. As you can see, Ganley is frank and straightforward in his assessments, which given his international career are reflective of his lived experience and well-considered opinion, not second-hand sloganeering or bien-pensant groupthink. We need more men like him in public life, whether in Ireland, Europe, or the U.S. Enjoy.
Article tags: Declan Ganley, Michael Walsh
