Campaign for Kilkenny cancer hero to present President Biden with Shamrock on St Patrick’s Day gathers pace

A number of online campaigns are gathering pace calling for Kilkenny’s cancer campaignerVicky Phelan to the White House for St Patrick’s Day to hand over the bowl of shamrock instead of Taoiseach Michéal Martin.

The push to have the Mooncoin mother-of-two represent Ireland in the White House next month comes as she is currently in the US receiving experimental treatment at a facility just 15 kilometres from President Joe Biden new residence on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The Government has yet to confirm if Taoiseach Michéal Martin will travel to Washington on St Patrick’s Day for the traditional handing over the Waterford Crystal bowl of Shamrock, which has resulted in a backlash online in some quarters.

Some have argued that the annual Washington DC is a non-essential journey as the country remains under lockdown. Other insisted the Taoiseach would be setting a damanging precedent coming into the ususally busy summer season.

Now campaigns such as #VickyforWhiteHouse on Twitter and ‘Save The Controversy’ on Facebook are pressing to have Vicky Phelan represent Ireland in the White House this year instead.

The US National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland where Vicky is undergoing her treatment is located on the outskirts of Washington DC.

One campaigner said: “No need for any member of government to make a nonessential trip to Washington when we have the best representation there already in Vicky Phelan.”

Another added: “It would be a wonderful gesture from the Irish Government towards a woman who has been badly let down by the State over the last number of years.”