The death of an Athenry man in the US has brought into sharp perspective the dangers faced by the illegal Irish in the US.

It has been suggested that Athenry native Eddie Treacy, who had been living illegally in Boston, did not seek medical attention when he contracted pneumonia as he did not have a social security number and would have been in danger of deportation. He died last week at the age of 33. Eddie had not been home in the eight years since he arrived in Boston, due to his illegal status.

Galway West TD Noel Grealish, who has in the past highlighted the plight of the undocumented Irish, met with Senator Ted Kennedy in Boston last November to discuss finding a solution.

Deputy Grealish said he would continue to work on the issue, which was "a top priority" for the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Illegal immigration is also a prominent issue in the current race for the US Election, with candidates' stances varying widely.

The front-running Republican candidate, John McCain, has drafted a bill with Senator Kennedy which would create a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, while the Democrats' leading candidates, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have both favoured tighter border controls and reforming the system to improve options for illegal immigrants.

A large funeral, held in Athenry last Thursday, 31 January, saw a huge crowd of Eddie's friends and family, including a contingent from Boston, where he had spent the past eight years.

Eddie was a huge GAA fan and was well known both in Athenry and Boston GAA circles. As a young hurler, he was trained by Tom Cloonan of Athenry GAA.

"I knew him since he was a juvenile, he played under-tens, under-twelves and under-fourteens. He loved hurling like all his family.

"Eddie was a very friendly chap. He was very easy to deal with as a player, and very popular. I believe the same was true of him in Boston, where he was involved with the Fr Tom Burkes club," said Mr Cloonan.

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