Happy Birthday, Mr. President

Staff birthday announcements used to be a regular thing here at Tir na Blog. But we stopped because it got kind of hard after awhile as our staff grew to the point where we had a birthday like every damn day and also it was hard to come up with new ways to say "happy birthday! You do an awesome job at whatever it is you do!" By the way, all our staff does an awesome job and should have the best birthday ever, whenever.

But I'm going to go all old-school on you, birthday-wise just this once because tomorrow is the anniversary of the day Irish Fest president Bernard Francis "Barney" Walsh came into the world. And if you can't wish the feckin president happy birthday there's something wrong in Blogville. Also we have to do it a day early for when Barney gets sucked up into the sky during tomorrow's rapture. I'll be sticking around.

Barney of course wasn't born Irish Fest president these 67 years ago. He was born a regular baby but through his relentless pursuit of perfection eventually rose to the presidencies of his hospital nursery, daycare, kindergarten, elementary school, CYO tetherball team, altar boys' society, high school glee club, local Johnny Cash fan club chapter, unicorn figurine collectors' club, fraternity discipline committee, SSAS* chapter, and ultimately of course, the Kansas City Irish Fest. And it's going to be all down hill from here, buddy.

Please join me in wishing a glorious birthday to a friend, president, mentor, drinking buddy and karaoke singer without peer, the man who will lead us into the 9th annual Irish Fest and glory, Barney Walsh.

*Sarah Spinharney Admiration Society