US embassy apologises over actor's airport detention
The US embassy in Ireland today apologised for the detention of an Irish film star who was en route to the Oscars.
Ruaidhri Conroy, who starred in the Oscar-winning short film Six Shooter, was barred from entering the States for the ceremony because he overstayed a visa by two days in 1998.
A spokesman for the US embassy said such incidents were extremely rare.
“We certainly regret any inconvenience that may have happened,” he said.
Conroy is best known for his role as Tito in Into the West. During his day-long detention at Los Angeles airport he was offered only crisps, crackers and processed noodles to eat.
The actor claimed he had never been made to feel so unwelcome.
“I was escorted on to the plane by four officers and they said if you behave we won’t handcuff. They were very heavy,” he said.
The US embassy spokesman said that while Irish people were allowed to travel to the United States without a visa in certain circumstances, this was only possible if they had always been compliant.
He said the solution for people with visa problems was to make an appointment with the US embassy before they travelled.
“Then we can get it ironed out so that these kind of things can’t happen because we want to work with people and we want to be welcoming. We have a good relationship with Ireland and we like to see Irish people coming to the United States,” he told RTE radio.
