In 1962, Ed Deevy, a young Irishman who had grown up as a farm boy in County Laois, ar-rived in Louisiana as a newly-minted Catholic priest. After seven years working in Cajun Country he discarded the Roman Collar and joined President Johnson’s War on Poverty. Working on the front lines of the civil rights movement in Baton Rouge he had more than a few memorable experiences. The soft-spoken Irishman would be branded as an ‘agitator’ by the local U.S. Congressman and would later be booted out of the anti-poverty programme. Moving north to Western Massachusetts Ed takes up a new job in Holyoke as manager of a programme designed to provide support for individuals discharged from the local mental hospital. After three years, suffering from fatigue, he decides to retreat to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he pursues study towards a doctorate in organizational behaviour. After obtaining the degree he accepts a short-term position as a Visiting Professor at the University. He then moves on to a new career as a management consultant. In 1995 he published Creating the Resilient Organization (Prentice Hall), a book sharing insights on engaging and motivating employees.After 9/11 Deevy became concerned about the increasing polarization of American society. The weak response by President George W. Bush to Hurricane Katrina and the drowning of New Orleans increased his concerns about the drift of American society. Bush’s decision to invade Iraq, based on what George Galloway called a pack of lies , led Deevy to a decision to return to the land of his birth. Like Odysseus, he returned home after a long wandering journey. Unlike Odysseus, there was no Penelope waiting to greet him on his return. However, as he returned to start a new life in Dublin in 2008, he was welcomed back by friends and a loving family. This is a remarkable story of one Irishman’s experiences of the Promised Land of America.
