Category: Present Issues

When I read the tribute to Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh in the match programme on Sat 29th, I little realised that its words would also be a fitting tribute to the great SIX-IN-A-ROW Dublin team as they exited the Championship.

“In his translation of Tomás Ó Criomhtháin’s An tOileánach describing life on the Great Blasket as the 19th Century drew to a close, Robin Flower interpreted the author’s last sentence thus: I have done my best to set down the character of the people about me so that some record of (them) might live after, for the like of (them) will never be seen again”. (GAA Match Programme Meitheamh 29 2024 ps 28-29)

Today’s Dublin Gaelic Fans Facebook page echoed the same sentiment: Great teams like Limerick, Kilkenny, and Kerry achieve 4 in a row All Ireland  titles, but it takes a very special group of players to win 6. I can’t see this record being equalled, not in my lifetime anyway.

Up the Dubs

Ní bheidh ár leithídí arís ann!

A broadcasting legend of our time passed away today – Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh.

In a statement, Taoiseach, Simon Harris said: “The word ‘legend’ gets used too often, but for Mícheál, it is almost not enough.

“His voice, his colour, his excitement, his love of sport, his turn of phrase were often as exhilarating as the action he was describing on the pitch as the audience held its breath for what Mícheál would say next.”

Agus Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh ar shlí na fírinne, seo deich gcinn de na giotaí tráchtaireachta leis atá ar an idirlíne um thráthnóna (ó Tuairisc.ie)

Tá an clog stoptha. Faoi Dhia agus an réiteoir atá sé anois. Pat Horgan an réiteoir. Dia é Dia.

The stopwatch has stopped. It’s up to God and the referee now. The referee is Pat Horgan. God is God.

Tá sé ar a chamán ag Pat Fox agus é ag déanamh go maith anois …ach seo chugainn Joe Rabbitte sna sála air… is mó iontas feicthe agam, ach Coinín ag fiach Sionnaigh ar fud Pháirc an Chrócaigh!

Pat Fox has it on his hurl and is motoring well now… but here comes Joe Rabbitte hot on his tail… well I’ve seen it all now, a Rabbitte chasing a Fox around Croke Park

Ní cóir don bhfear seo a bheith ag imirt peile. Is geall le Lazarus an téarnamh atá déanta aige ó éalang chroí. Ba bhreá an fear é Lazarus ach ní chiceálfadh sé pointe chomh maith le Colin Corkery.

This man shouldn’t be playing football. He’s made an almost Lazarus-like recovery from a heart condition. Lazarus was a great man but he couldn’t kick points like Colin Corkery.

Ó Teddy McCarthy go Mick McCarthy, gan aon ghaol eatarthu. Ó Mick McCarthy ar ais go dtí Teddy McCarthy, fós gan aon ghaol eatarthu.

Teddy McCarthy to Mick McCarthy, no relation. Mick McCarthy back to Teddy McCarthy, still no relation

Seán Óg Ó hAilpín…as Fear Manach a athair, as Fidsí a mháthair, ní áit mhór iománaíochta ceachtar acu.

Seán Óg Ó hAilpín…his father’s from Fermanagh, his mother’s from Fiji, neither one of them a hurling stronghold.

Anthony Lynch, an lánchúlaí sa chúinne ag Corcaigh, an duine deireanach a ligfidh síos tú – adhlacóirí iad a mhuintir.

Anthony Lynch, the Cork corner-back, will be the last person to let you down – his people are undertakers.

…agus tá Brian Dooher gortaithe agus é ar an talamh. Fad is atá sé sínte, inseoidh mé scéal beag daoibh. Bhí mé in Times Square i Nua-Eabhrac an tseachtain seo caite agus caitheamh i ndiaidh na Craoibhe sa bhaile agam. Suas liom mar sin go dtí seastán nuachta agus dúirt, ‘Is dócha nach mbeadh The Kerryman agaibh?’ Agus chas an fear ón Éigipt a bhí laistiar den chuntar chugam agus dúirt sé liom, ‘An é eagrán Chiarraí Thuaidh nó eagrán Chiarraí Theas atá uait?’ Bhí an dá cheann aige agus mar sin  cheannaíos an dá cheann uaidh… Agus tá Dooher éirithe ina sheasamh arís.

…and Brian Dooher is down injured. And while he is, I’ll tell ye a little story. I was in Times Square in New York last week, and I was missing the Championship back home. So I approached a newsstand and I said, “I suppose ye wouldn’t have The Kerryman, would ye?” To which, the Egyptian behind the counter turned to me and he said, “Do you want the North Kerry edition, or the South Kerry edition?” He had both – so I bought both. And Dooher is back on his feet!

D’imir siad leis an ngaoth sa chéad leath. Leis an liathróid a d’imir siad sa dara leath.

In the first half they played with the wind. In the second half they played with the ball.

1-5 in aghaidh 0-8… bhuel, bíodh tú sa Laplainn nó san Antartach, sin comhscór is cuma cén teanga atá agat

1-5 to 0-8… well, from Lapland to the Antarctic, that’s level scores in any man’s language.

Chonaic mé scata daoine ó Shligeach ag an Aifreann i Sráid Gardiner ar maidin agus dea-chomhartha dóibh go raibh na dathanna céanna á gcaitheamh ag an sagart is atá ar gheansaí Shligigh! Daichead slat amach ar thaobh Ardán Uí hÓgáin tá Ciarán Whelan imithe ar ruathar. Agus cúl! Anois cá bhfuil an creideamh!

I saw a few Sligo people at Mass in Gardiner Street this morning and the omens seem to be good for them. The priest was wearing the same colours as the Sligo jersey! 40 yards out on the Hogan Stand side of the field, Ciarán Whelan goes on a rampage … it’s a goal! So much for religion.

My favourite page on The Irish Times is without doubt the Bulletin Page on the Saturday edition (the page with the crosswords). I love the crosswords on the other days, but on Saturday it is the Thinking Anew article and Patsy McGarry’s In a Word that I read first. I often cut out the article to read again and again. I sometimes find an old article tucked away in a book or drawer and I enjoy the rereading. I had a friend once who used send me cut-out articles from magazines. My mother often kept articles that appealed to her, made her think or just amused her.

1. THINKING ANEW

The article at the top of the page Thinking Anew always sets me thinking. Very often it’s based on the weekend’s scripture reading, with a link to a current issue.

• December 16 was titled “Our anywhere and everywhere God” and discussed the links between the liturgical seasons and everyday ups and downs.
• December 9 was titled “Waiting for God-oh” and discussed the importance of waiting and patience, quoting Leo Tolstoy “Everything comes in time to him who knows how to wait”.

2. IN A WORD

In a Word as the title implies, takes a word and relates it to a current issue. It always finishes with the etymology of the word.

• December 16 the word was Puddle and the article discussed how we are all like the child who jumps into a puddle, young at heart. We want Santy  (as he was called when I was a child) to provide our dreams- world peace, freedom from famine, an All-Ireland title for Roscommon.

PUDDLE from old English pudd, “a small pool of dirty water”.

• November 18: In a Word November

This article discussd the bad press given to the month of November and suggests that Scorpios, born in September are described as “complicated, needy and and just plain difficult to get along with. (I know some very cheery Scorpios!) Follow the link to read the 19th Century poet, Thomas Hood’s poem November.

McGarry then compares Scoirpios to Saggitarians, born towards the end of the month. “Passionate and charming, clever, outgoing, and charismatic” who “can light up a room instantly and without trying“.

NOVEMBER, from Latin “novem” meaning “nine” for the ninth month of the Roman calendar.

I’ve said it frequently: nobody does pomp like the British and this is certainly epitomised with their commemorations. Their annual Festival of Remembrance of WW1 on the 11 November is always particularly poignant. Having visited the Normandy WW2 cemeteries this year, Poppy Day was even more touching.

I watched the service in the Royal Albert Hall.

There were the usual quotes of some famous war poets:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
(from For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon)

Perhaps someday I shall not shrink in pain
To see the passing of the dying year,
And listen to the Christmas songs again
Although You cannot hear.

But, though kind Time may many joys renew,
There is one greatest joy I shall not know
Again, because my heart for loss of You
Was broken, long ago.
(from Perhaps 1916 By Vera Brittain, a nurse in WW1)

When you go home 
Tell them of us and say
For your tomorrow
We gave our today

(composed at the end of WW1 by wartime codebreaker, John Maxwell Edmonds, often called the Kohima epitaph)

The idealistic slogan "The war to end all wars" from the H.G. Wells’ 1914 book  The War That Will End War is usually used to describe WW1 little realising that the aftermath of that war contributed almost directly to WW2.

For many years we didnt acknowledge Poppy Day or its significance in many Irish lives. Happily, we’ve rectified that. The Irish Times today related the similarities of these past horrors with the catastrophe of current conflicts in the two articles on page 22 which emphasise the need for us all to take the side of PEACE.

Even in darkest places, there are those who keep a light shining

Thinking Anew: The horrors of the Hamas assault on Israel, and now of the bombing of Gaza, should not blind us to hope

Gordon Linney 11.11.23

Utopia is an idea worth clinging to. Otherwise, why get up in the morning?

Patsy McGarry 11.11.23

I watched the film Invictus (again) recently, probably as the Rugby World Cup 2023 was in its initial stages. The film told the story of Nelson Mandela’s first term as President of South Africa who enlisted the national rugby team as a symbol of unity in an Aparthid-torn land on their quest to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

I also watched One Team One Country, a very moving documentary on the same 1995 final.

Fast forward to Saturday, 28th October South Africa again emerged victorious, sweeping up many records as well as the Web Ellis Cup:
the first rugby nation to win four men’s Rugby World Cups
the second (after opponents New Zealand) to claim back-to-back title,
and undefeated by New Zealand in any Rugby World Cup final – twice they have defeated New Zealand in the final, in 1995 as Nelson Mandela’s dream and now again in 2023.

When I listened to the speech of their captain, Siya Kolisi, at the end of the match, it seemed as if Rugby is still as important and symbolic as it was in 1995. He made an incredible speech:

“Look what 1995 (and South Africa’s very first World Cup win) did for sport in our country. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for that, and the people that came before me. The people that made it possible for people of my colour to play.”

“People who are not from South Africa don’t understand what it means for our country. It is not just about the game. Our country goes through such a lot. We are just grateful that we can be here. I want to tell the people of South Africa ‘thank you so much’. This team just shows what you can do. As soon as we work together, all is possible, no matter in what sphere – in the field, in offices, it shows what we can do. I am grateful for this team, I am so proud of it.”

“There is so much that is wrong in our country,we are the last line of defence… there is so much division in our country but this team shows what people of different colours and backgrounds can do when they work together”.

These sentiments were echoed by his team-mate Faf de Klerk: “Hopefully this shows what unity and team-work can do… if we can come together like this, it can be a better country, and be a better world.”

I know very little about the game of Rugby – but if it means that much to a country – surely they are worthy winners. As a YouTuber commented: This Springbok team was special, not in talent, not in skill….special as they will be everlasting in our memories.

This was Bram Stoker weekend and there were activities all around Dublin.  The events I attended , while not directly connected with Bram or his character Dracula, celebrated blood and gore worthy of any horror story.  Both took place in the National Museum.

Hands-on History: Malady, Mourning and Mystery

I didn’t realise that there were “hands-on” collections in the National Museum. They are taken out for particular events and occasions.

For Hallowe’en weekend the Museum educators presented a range of objects from the Museum’s handling collection that reflect a history of life, disease and death.

Stories about how bone marrow was extracted, the use of mercury to cure STD’s, mourning broaches which contained hair of the deceased, vials and measures of potions and powders, bandages, first aid kits, and booklets about health and safety.

I was particularly fascinated by the quotes from Bram Stoker’s Dracula:

I know what sorrows you have had, though I cannot measure the depth of them.

I fear no weapon wrought alone by man’s hand would have any effect on him.

There is a poison in my blood, in my soul, which may destroy me.

Now, little miss, here is your medicine. Drink it off, like a good child.

A world full of miseries and woes and troubles: Life, Disease and Death in Collins Barracks

The second event was billed as a tour with a Museum guide to “discover the chills, ills, and kills in Collins Barracks’ 300-year long history”. Our guide told a detailed and very graphic story of the trials and tribulations of life as a soldier living in the Barracks from the 1700s until the late 1900s, with a focus on (ill) health, as well as the transition from one of Europe’s oldest occupied Barracks into one of Ireland’s National Museums.

It certainly lived up to expectations. The horrors of Dracula are nothing compared to the grim stories of the residents of this building over the years.

I hadn’t realised that our overpopulated country of the late 1700’s provided the Commonwealth with a steady valuable resource – man power. Over half the British army was Irish and they carved out the Empire, playing a significant role in the Napoleonic war, Crimean War, Zulu War, Boer War and WW1.

The Royal Barracks, as it was called, was one of the oldest and largest inhabited barracks in Europe, housing up to 1500 men and two troops of horses. Life was hard for the ordinary soldier, with harsh discipline and cruel punishment for infringements. The Provost Jail was quite literally two black holes dug under the Provost House for about five prisoners each but frequently accommodating forty to fifty.

Living accommodations was dangerously inadequate and the levels of disease very high. A limited number of families were housed in the most unsanitary conditions of the barracks. Cholera and Typhoid were rampant.
When their husbands were away fighting, the women also faced frequent attacks from soldiers on the base. Life for wives and children in the slums outside the barracks was even worse with their husbands absent for years, many of the women were forced into prostitution. The Lock Hospitals which were established close to many military barracks caused huge social problems as women could be incarcerated there for many months for merely living beside the barracks.

Hundreds of prisoners were housed in the barrack prison after each of the many Irish rebellions. Our guide described the severe methods of interrogation and torture practiced, very often for the entertainment of the troops rather than for information gathering. Flogging with “the cat” was common. Edward Heppenstall, “the walking Gallows” gave many performances of his skills in the barracks square. Pitch capping was also a frequent source of amusement.

STEPHEN STOKES TAPESTRY

We were all delighted to escape the stories of misery and disease, when our guide took us inside to see the Stokes Tapestry. British army soldier Stephen Stokes made this amazing textile while he was stationed in Ireland.

More than 30 panels tell the story of his career, first in the cavalry (the Royal Dragoons) and then in the Dublin Metropolitan Police. Stokes spent more than 15 years working on the tapestry and showed it to Queen Victoria when she visited in 1849.

He omitted telling her of his Irish sympathies, although they were cleverly hidden in the tapestry.

The Royal Coat of Arms is depicted with the shamrock intertwined with roses and thistles all coming from the same stem. I doubt Queen Victoria would have supported its display at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851

I recently watched the film, All Quiet on the Western Front, the story of the horrors of WW1 from the perspective of German boys/men.

Laurence Binyon’s poem For the Fallen published in the London Times in 1914 expresses the same sentiment of loss and horror from a British point of view.

For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

H.G. Wells, the British author, coined the expression: “The war that will end war” to describe World War One.

My visit to the WW2 cemeteries of Normandy with their thousands of crosses clearly indicate the fallacy of Well’s statement.

In these recent days, we see the atrocities being perpetuated in the Middle East, the media opinions on who is right and wrong, who started it. Apportioning blame, justifying violence, seems to be the order of the day.  But I wonder who speaks for peace? Where is the voice of the moderate?

Coincidentally, I’ve just finished reading Colm McCann’s book, Apeirogon, based on the friendship between a Palestinian, Bassam Aramin, and an Israeli, Rami Elhanan: “An Israeli, against the occupation. A Palestinian, studying the Holocaust.” The men are united in their grief – they lost their daughters: Smadar, turned into “a scattered human jigsaw” at the age of 13 by a suicide bomber, and Abir, assassinated aged 10 by a trigger-happy member of the Israeli army. Both men join the Parents Circle, a group of bereaved parents who unite in their sorrow to press for a peaceful resolution to the conflict: “This became their jobs: to tell the story of what had happened to their girls.”

Apeirogon, a mathematical term for an object of an “observably infinite number of sides” is a most apt title for a book that addresses the entrenched positions in the Middle East with a stance that is on both sides and neither.

What a coincidence that I went to see the Film Oppenheimer today, 6th August, the 78th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.

The film tells the story of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, who, during WW2, was appointed to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spent years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work came to fruition on July 16, 1945 with the world’s first nuclear explosion in Hiroshima, an event that forever changed the course of history.

There are two storylines and the film moves back and forth between the two. One is in colour and tells the story of Oppenheilmer’s early life, his work in the Manhattan project and the loss of his security clearance because of early communist connections but probably more so because of his opposition to the development of the H-Bomb. His name was never cleared fully until 2022, around the time the trailer of this film was released

The second story is shown in black and white and follows the confirmation of Lewis Straus to the Senate. It unfolds that Strauss was almost single-handedly responsible for the stripping of Oppenheimer’s security clearance.

I was most impressed with the portrayal of Oppenheimer’s torment in the wake of the bombing in Japan. I read somewhere that after witnessing the destructive power of the bomb he had designed, he quoted Hindu scripture: “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds”.

I think it’s also worth remembering on this day, Paul Tibbits who captained the aircraft, Enola Gay (named after his mother) that dropped the bomb. He did not share Oppenheimer’s regrets at the events of August 6th, believing instead that it was the only way to win te war. Furthermore, to dissuade anti-nuclear protests when he died,  he asked that there would be no funeral rites and no grave; that his ashes be scattered over the English Channel.

“When the Dubs go up to lift the Sam Maguire we’ll be there” – pre match, we sing it with such hope, but doubts always niggling.  And when the final whistle blows and we’re victorious, it’s as if this is how we always pictured it….. . and Sinead O’Connor again, this time with a soulful rendition of Molly Malone.

Cork poet Theo Dorgan captures the excitment  of All-Ireland Sunday – losses as well as victories.