Dan's arm safe in the US

"What d'you mean, he needs a passport?"



Aer Lingus Chief Pilot Henry Donoghue shows Dan Donnelly's Arm to bemused American Customs and Immigration officers at JFK Airport yesterday afternoon, soon after he had flown Josephine Byrne and the famous Kilcullen artifact to New York where it will be on loan for an exibition about Irish fighters.

"They were a little concerned when they were told it was a boxers's arm in the box," Josephine said this afternoon, safe back in Kilcullen. "But pretty soon they were all gathered around and were really interested in the story."

Later, in Gallagher's Steak House in Manhattan, Josephine and the curator of the exhibition, Jim Houlihan, answered questions from about 20 journalists, including a brace of TV teams. The arrival of the arm generated considerable interest amongst boxing columnists across the US, and was the lead story yesterday on the influential Irish newspaper, the Irish Echo

Henry Donoghue was a long-time friend of the late Des Byrne, and played keyboard with The Moon & Sixpence band, which Des founded with Michael O'Connell, John Reidy and Siobhan Hurley.

Brian Byrne.