Irish Ambassador to the U.S. Retraces Rockhurst Roots
The students might be gone for the summer, and the campus looks a lot different, but for Daniel Mulhall, every step across campus is a reminder of his bustling summer in 1974.
That was the year Mulhall, now Ireland鈥檚 ambassador to the U.S., first came to America while he was a college student in Ireland on a J-1 summer work visa, staying in Corcoran Hall on the 射精视频 campus. Though he wasn鈥檛 enrolled as a student at the University, he said he was an active part of campus life, attending lectures, and spending time with his American counterparts in residence hall common areas.
Last week, Mulhall returned to Kansas City for the first time since then, part of a four-state tour revisiting sites from his time here 45 years ago.
鈥淚鈥檝e had a marvelous trip down memory lane,鈥 he said. 鈥淎s they say, I鈥檝e changed a lot since then but I haven鈥檛 forgotten the experiences I had in this city, at this college.鈥
That J-1 summer work visa was an incredible opportunity, he said, to see the world, and that first trip was a time of a lot of firsts for Mulhall. Not only was it his first trip out of Ireland, but his first time on a plane at all. During his time here, he was introduced to American baseball and football, as well as Kansas City barbecue, and worked at Kansas City stalwart diner and burger destination Winstead鈥檚. Not without irony, he also purchased his first copy of Ulysses by James Joyce 鈥 a seminal work of Irish literature 鈥斅燼t the University of Missouri-Kansas City bookstore. He started reading the book 鈥 which he now acknowledges as among the influential on his life 鈥斅爄n his room in Corcoran Hall room.
In addition to all of those milestones, Mulhall said he also learned a lot about both a culture different from his own, lessons that continue to shape his understanding of the world around him. And so much of it, he said, is owed to the people who he came into contact here 鈥 those who both welcomed him and mentored him during his stay. Particularly, John Sullivan, 鈥39, who not only sponsored his visa but also invited him and another Irish student, sponsored by Eddie Aylward, over for regular dinners and visits.
鈥淚t was remarkable, the support we got,鈥 he said.
Given the impact Mulhall鈥檚 stay in Kansas City had on his life, it鈥檚 no surprise he would want to retrace his steps. During his visit, Mulhall visited with University staff and faculty and members of the Aylward and Sullivan families, attended a reading at the Irish Cultural Center of Kansas City, stopped in at Corcoran Hall where he once lived, and returned to Winstead鈥檚 for a tour of the kitchen, lunch with Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James, 鈥80, and a massive 鈥渟kyscraper鈥 milkshake to boot.