IT’S BEEN A week of mixed emotions for Henry Healy, the man credited with bringing Barack Obama to Moneygall. Last Thursday the town celebrated the one-year anniversary of the US President’s visit but today Healy took press enquiries on a different matter – losing his job.
The 27-year-old was let go from his position as a bookkeeper with a local plumbing company, a job he went into straight after college and remained there ever since.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie today, Healy said the only career option he was ruling out for certain was politics:
I’m not built for it, you have to be thick skinned. I’m too sensitive. I even regret answering the phone yesterday and taking the calls from the reporters. It meant drawing attention on the company I was working for. I never thought it would be in the national paper but I got texts from people telling me it was and saying ‘sorry to hear about your job’.
Healy, a Fianna Fáil party member, recently took part in a photo call with Labour Minister of State Alan Kelly, to call for a ‘Yes’ vote in Thursday’s referendum. However, the Moneygall man is adamant he’s not interested in taking after his famous cousin and pursuing a career in politics.
“I do have a big interest in politics and current affairs but it’s getting into the nitty gritty that I don’t like. Dealing with problems that face families and individual. I take too much of it to heart. It would affect me personally if I had to make decisions that would cause problems for people”.
Healy is currently in the middle of a professional diploma in education and says he is looking at a career as a teacher.
Last year Healy was the public face of Obama’s visit to Moneygall and was linked with a campaign for Tourism Ireland but he is unsure if a career in the tourism industry is an option.
“I don’t know how I’d fit in with it. All I did last year was give interviews. The visit might have led to tourism for Moneygall but it wasn’t my interviews. I wouldn’t close any door though, you can’t these days,” he told TheJournal.ie.
Moneygall has benefited greatly from the visit of President Obama but Healy says it is not immune to the problems of the recession. “I have five friends my own age all waiting on visa confirmation to travel to Canada. Others are going to back to education like myself”.
Despite his connections to the most powerful man in the world, Healy has no intention on calling in a favour from his cousin Barrack. “I haven’t used them (contacts) for personal gain up to now and I’m not about to start,” he says.
It’s scary going back into looking for a job but I do consider myself very fortunate to have had the year I’ve had. I have to remain positive and keep looking out for things. If something comes my way then I will jump at the opportunity. If it doesn’t then I’ll have to ask myself why.
Moneygall publican gets invite to the White House>
Obama’s cousin becomes face of new tourism campaign>
Unemployment remains at 14.3 per cent, as 4,000 off the Live Register>
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