Here at the Roscommon People, we always like to publicise exciting new arrivals at Dublin Zoo – we just do!
And this week, Dublin Zoo is delighted to announce the birth of a southern white rhinoceros calf. The male calf, yet to be name was born to proud mother Nyala and weighs approximately 50kgs.
The youngster is Nyala’s first calf and the birth marks another significant success for Dublin Zoo as part of the European Endangered Species Programme, established to assist the survival of the southern white rhinoceros.
The newest member of the herd now joins Sam, Reni, Chaka, Zanta, Nyala, Ashanti and Zuko (born at Dublin Zoo in 2016). Dublin Zoo is open seven days a week from 9.30 am to 4 pm. For further information on Dublin Zoo visit www.facebook.com/dublinzoo and www.dublinzoo.ie.
Saturday
In Roscommon Arts Centre, comedian PJ Gallagher explodes on to the stage for what turns out to be a delightfully zany and high-energy gig. His support act was the easy-going Eric Lalor. It took the audience a while to ‘get going’, an initially lacklustre response which Lalor was quick to pick up on (and duly tease everyone about). But audience and warm-up act soon warmed to eachother and the droll quips of the comedian/actor created plenty of laughter as likeable Lalor won us over!
The headline act was PJ Gallagher of Naked Camera renown. When he arrived on stage, the pace quickened. A certain Intermediate Hurling team from Kilkenny were soon in his firing line. I hadn’t really known what to expect from Gallagher. He doesn’t do ‘conventional jokes’, but then not many of the ‘modern’ stand-up comedians do. But he was very entertaining, basically the messer from school but with the skill, courage and humour to take his messing to the stage!
Gallagher passed the following test – he had us all talking about his stories and quoting his lines long after the gig.
Overall, a very enjoyable night in a superb venue.
Tuesday
Another self-serving, wriggling, utterly lacking in credibility attempt at verbal escapology by a cornered Irish politician.
Interviewed this morning by a pretty forensic (not to mention impatient) Aine Lawlor, Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald tries her best to wriggle free of the clouds now hanging over her. She fails.
It’s all to do with the Maurice McCabe whistleblower scandal and the response of senior Gardai to the seismic implications of the saga. All to do with attempts to assassinate McCabe’s character in the most reprehensible way and the issue of how much the then-Justice Minister Fitzgerald knew, and when she knew it.
Needless to say, this being Irish politics, it has descended into farce. I am tempted to say that Fitzgerald ‘saw no email, heard no email’…. Fitzgerald’s position is that she “can’t remember” an internal Department of Justice email which raised very interesting/serious issues in relation to a developing row between the legal team for the then-Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan and lawyers for whistleblower Maurice McCabe.
Ms. Fitzgerald now seeks to dismiss the farce by saying that the email – now published – made it clear that there was no role for her, as then-Justice Minister, with regard to the row. Interestingly, the ‘can’t remember’ bit is quite convenient for Ms. Fitzgerald and Taoiseach Varadkar, a handy retort to any grumpy suggestions that they may have misled people about precisely when the then-Justice Minister knew of attempts by senior Gardai to attack the reputation of McCabe.
(Declaration of some interest here: as I’ve pointed out before in this column, I’m related to Maurice McCabe).
That sound you hear in the background is of senior Government figures and Department officials desperately backpeddling and scrambling around in the dark (hoping they don’t get tripped by wandering emails).
I gather that the latest version of ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ is up and running. Hard to watch at times but, on balance, a bit more palatable than ‘I’m a celebrity Irish politician, get me out of this corner.’
Anyways, I’ve assessed senior Gardai’s approach to the whistleblower situation and the role of the Enda Kenny-led Government (in which Leo Varadkar and Frances Fitzgerald were prominent members) and I’ve come to a considered evaluation, without any recourse (by me) to tribunals, senior counsel, lie detectors or psychologists.
It stank.
Wednesday
On Morning Ireland today, news that Gardai have seized a haul of jewellery during raids in Kerry. Hopefully not some of those spare All-Ireland medals melted down…
Thursday
It having been a Wednesday night (when the Roscommon People goes to bed) I couldn’t make it to the auction of a famous painting which we hope (well, the purchaser certainly does) was the work of that handy artist, Leonardo da Vinci. Certainly not an auction to attend if you had a head cold and a tendency to sneeze/raise your hand.
On radio this morning they played a clip, and a mouth-watering one it was. The highest bidder was on 370 million dollars. The auctioneer asked if they was any more bids.
“400 million”.
Extraordinary. It’s certainly ‘another world.’ The very next item on the radio referenced the fact that over 3,000 children are homeless in Ireland and that many of them will be without a home at Christmas.
This Friday…
He was a warrior and a stylist too, that Colm O’Rourke, whose exploits as a Meath marksman it was a pleasure to witness. Since hanging up his boots he’s become the voice of reason (what could I possibly be insinuating?!) on The Sunday Game, and a respected Sunday Independent columnist.
Colm will be guest of honour tomorrow night (Friday) when the Club Rossie Annual Banquet takes place in the Hodson Bay Hotel. The event promises to be a great night out and will feature the presentation of medals to the 2017 Connacht Senior Football Champions.
As our friends in Club Rossie point out: “Attendees can relive the season gone by while enjoying a five-course meal and live music.”
There were a small number of tickets remaining as we went to press so there’s still time to book your place at this great GAA celebration. Tickets are €50 each or €400 for a table of ten.
Contact the Roscommon GAA Office, Racecourse Road, Roscommon (open from 10 am to 4 pm), David on 086-8399584 or Brian on 087-2420896.
And if Colm O’Rourke mentions Meath’s heartbreaking (for us) defeat of Roscommon in the 1991 All-Ireland Senior Football Semi-Final, just pause for breath and mention our demolition of Sean Boylan’s great team on a very wet day in Kiltoom (in the NFL, in 1990).
