Doin’ it in Dublin (September 1998)

Swiss Air Flight 111 left New York City at right before my plane took off and we followed it up the East Coast of Canada. Our pilot saw it crash. So spooky to be so close… The Americans on my flight were saying how Air Lingus is so safe, but I bet they were saying the same about Swiss Air. A lot of good people went down with that plane, including Jonathan Mann, head of the UN Aids program so it was pretty sad.

President Clinton also arrived in Dublin thirty minutes after my plane and proceeded to follow me down to County Kerry to play golf where I spent the weekend sightseeing. I can get away from DC, but can’t get away from the man!

Despite the work, Dublin is a fun place to spend 3 weeks. We stayed in Trinity College and met in Dublin Castle.

While we were there Burkina Faso became the 40th country to ratify the Mine Ban Treaty, triggering entry into force of the agreement six months later. At last, the ban will be international law! Needless to say, a lot of Guinness (both white and black) was consumed when we received the news.

On my last weekend, my Kiwi friends came to visit from London (Chris Tubbs, Zane Lowe) together with their Irish friend Patrick Meager, who manages the Dirty Beatniks. We had a great time! Saw the Beatniks DJ a set at the Funnel. Sat in the VIP area at U2’s hotel club called Kitchen, where the Edge and other rock stars were hanging out. Laughed as Zane, a presenter on MTV Europe, was chased through the streets by his fans. Little did we know that was just the beginnings of his stardoml…