Bill O'Reilly at the Cavan Border.

Mixed reaction to shock host's heritage

There was mixed reaction online to news that controversial former Fox News presenter and political commentator Bill O'Reilly was in the county recently researching his family ancestry.
Along with posting photographs to Twitter and Facebook of him at the county boundary sign 'Welcome to County Cavan'.

O'Reilly also uploaded a photo of himself overlooking Lough Sheelin and another of the old Clonoose National School plaque.
'Clonoose - the village where my ancestors were evicted from their land in 1845,' he wrote, accompanying the latter picture.
Despite the brief visit O'Reilly, who was fired from the network last year after it had come to light that he had paid money to women to settle sexual harassment claims over the years, still managed to cause controversy writing: 'Enjoying my time in Ireland. Visited County Cavan where my ancestors were evicted from their land in 1845. That forced them to come to America legally so they wouldn’t starve. Pardon me if I reject the “white privilege” scenario if applied to my family.'
The result saw dozens reply to the post, in some cases in blunt terms, by claiming that the host of the 'No Spin News' podcast was incorrect and that the US had no significant immigration restrictions in 1845.
Among them, popular Irish musicians, comedians and activists 'The Rubberbandits' replied by referring to Irish revolutionary Daniel O'Connell. 'I'm paraphrasing Daniel O'Connell 1846 here: "If you dont fight slavery when you arrive in America, then we don't recognise you as an Irish person".'
In a follow up Tweet, they continued: 'What a lovely opportunity, for an older man, to connect with his roots, learn about his people and himself on an existential level. To be thankful, humble himself, grow as a person.' Instead, they added, that he seemed to be using it as a stick to beat immigrants.
It has been reported that some of O'Reilly's father's ancestors had lived in Co Cavan; while his mother's side credit their ancestry as being from Northern Ireland.
O'Reilly argued he was a “victim” of liberal outrage when leaving Fox News last year. He has been a vocal supporter of President of the United States Donald Trump, who himself has links to Cavan after his children were nannied by a woman from Belturbet.
Eric Trump has in the past opened up and spoken about the unique influence Dorothy Curry had in his family.
As well as recalling days spent catching trout on the River Erne, or playing golf at the Slieve Russell Hotel, Trump Jr described Ms Curry as “second mom to me and a really amazing person".