THURSDAY
Burnham & Trump
Normally, one gets used to a new UK Prime Minister after a while. But Andy Burnham is not very… prime ministerial, is he? Clearly, he’s endeavouring to convey a ‘The chap down the local’ persona. And that may well be the sort of guy he is. But Andy lacks gravitas. I’m not sure he has the ‘presence’ required for the role.
Unsurprisingly, Burnham looked nervous when meeting US President Donald Trump earlier this week. Predictably, Trump praised Burnham, whom he immediately elevated above his predecessor, Keir Starmer.
Incidentally, Trump has now encountered six British prime ministers since he first became president: May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak, Starmer and Burnham.
FRIDAY
A football bombshell
I was parking in Lisnamult to catch the second half of a minor football semi-final between Roscommon Gaels and Kilmore/Shannon Gaels when the solemn tone of the Off the Ball presenter on Newstalk got my attention.
“We’re starting with the massive breaking news from Manchester” he intoned at the beginning of the popular sports show.
I felt sorry for Michael Carrick, unceremoniously dumped by Old Trafford chiefs under the cover of the international break, just because he can’t win enough games and spends post-match interviews with the stunned expression of a child who has just been told Santa – or Alex Ferguson – no longer exists.
But Manchester United hadn’t sacked Carrick. The breaking news was that Manchester City had been found guilty of more than 100 charges of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules. Big story.
This saga has a bit to go yet. City will appeal. But the news has sent English football into turmoil. For City supporters, this isn’t a dream (well, maybe a nightmare). The club could be stripped of several Premier League titles and other trophies, they could even be relegated into the lower divisions, and a multi-million euro fine seems inevitable.
If titles won by City are taken back, clubs that finished runners-up to them may well be granted retrospective trophies. On Newstalk, they were saying it would be as if iconic moments from the entire 2009-2018 period – the years to which the alleged breaches relate – had never happened.
This conjured up thoughts in my mind of a new nightmare twist: Could the 2009-2018 Premier League era become a sporting equivalent of Bobby Ewing’s appearance in the shower in Dallas, when an entire season had apparently been a dream?
Sort that out, Gary Neville.
SATURDAY
A football farce
Utter chaos in the Irish football camp in Hungary today, on the eve of Ireland’s controversial Nations League fixture against Israel.
The Irish players spent several hours apparently debating whether or not to boycott the game. One player withdrew from the squad, while several others voted against playing, but accepted the majority view. Manager Heimir Hallgrimsson looked drained and deeply uncomfortable when a long-delayed press conference finally took place.
During that engagement with the media, FAI CEO David Courell appeared weak and uncertain. When an Israeli journalist asked Heimir Hallgrimsson about Ireland playing against “Nazi Germany” in 1936, the FAI representatives should surely have stepped in immediately. By that stage, the situation had become farcical, the Irish manager having to field questions that had nothing to do with football, but lots to do with foreign policy and decisions that were made 90 years ago.
This was yet another FAI masterclass in chaos. Its original decision to fulfil the fixture was controversial and highly divisive. Some people believed it was the right call in difficult circumstances; many others were furious with the decision.
But once that call had been made, the organisation should have ensured that every squad member travelling to Hungary was committed to playing. It should also have protected its players – and its manager – rather than leaving them so publicly exposed at the 11th hour.
SUNDAY
Short story
Watched ‘Marty, Life is Short’, a Netflix documentary on the much-loved comedian and actor Martin Short. You might know him from ‘Three Amigos’ (with Steve Martin and Chevy Chase), ‘Father of the Bride’, the hit series ‘Only Murders in the Building’, or his wonderfully absurd mock-interviewer creation, Jiminy Glick.
Intoxicatingly energetic and funny, Short is a true one-off. This is an enjoyable reflection on his life and times, but with considerable poignancy too, given the death of his brother David when Martin was just 12, and the subsequent loss of his wife, Nancy Dolman, the love of his life.
The warmth and affection expressed by celebrity friends such as Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, Eugene Levy and the late Catherine O’Hara make it clear what a special talent – and lovely man – Martin Short is.
MONDAY
Mary’s wake-up call
I hoard newspapers. Sometimes for months. Eventually, I catch up. I scan, I read… then I bin them. Today, in a Sunday Independent from earlier this year, I came across a Barry Egan interview with Mary Berry of The Great British Bake Off fame.
Mary, now in her 92nd year, was talking about how much she enjoys attending the Chelsea Flower Show. Barry asked her about Diarmuid Gavin, our own celebrity gardener, who has presented garden designs at the world-famous show. Mary had never heard of him.
The Bake Off Queen has never heard of our gardening royalty. To which I say: good on her.
It is a useful reminder that we shouldn’t presume the world is sitting around waiting for the next Irish celebrity to emerge. We like to think our big achievers are celebrated and recognised for their Irishness wherever they go. But perhaps we have an exaggerated view of our own significance!
Take Saoirse Ronan. Yes, film audiences around the world may admire her enormously, but how many viewers are actually thinking: ‘Wow. Another amazing Irish export’?
Some of the Irish stars we have elevated over the years – many of them Late Late Show luvvies – are household names only in the households that happen to be in Ireland! We punch above our weight in sport and culture, certainly. We have produced extraordinary writers, actors, musicians, sportspeople and assorted national treasures. It’s only a few weeks since we celebrated the wonderful Katie Taylor.
But we are not the centre of the universe (well, maybe occasionally). Mary Berry has never heard of Diarmuid Gavin. Gentle wake-up call!
Maybe we need to appreciate Bono and Roy Keane a little more, after all?
