Galway Bay fm newsroom - The Mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh, whose parents were emigrants from Connemara, has been nominated by incoming President, Joe Biden, for the position of Labour Secretary in his new Administration in Washington.
The new position brings Marty Walsh to the centre of politics and power in the United States.
Marty Walsh is a son of Mary O' Malley's, an emigrant from Ros Muc, and of the late John Walsh who emigrated from Carna. They met and married in Boston.
He became involved in the labourers Union and worked on sites himself and later headed the building workers Unions in greater Boston.
First elected a State Representative in Massachusetts in 1997 Marty Walsh fought a powerful campaign, aided by scores of Connemara people, to become Mayor of Boston in 2013. He was re-elected in 2017.
Campaigns for emigrant rights, worker's rights and environmental issues were noted nationally and the Boston economy boomed under his watch. His work impressed Joe Biden and both developed a close personal relationship.
Marty Walsh received a hero's welcome in Connemara when he came back on a visit following his election as Mayor of Boston - a highly symbolic occasion for many emigrants.
Fifty three year old Marty Walsh now steps forward to one of the world's foremost seats of power - Washington D.C.
