Friday
The lives we’re living…
Mike: It’s strange…I’ve had no communication from John on the hill for about a week now…
Pat: Are you serious? And ye are normally in contact a lot. Is it not time to be getting worried?
Mike: Ah no, I saw him yesterday, he passed by in his jeep…and I heard from my daughter that he was in town this morning.
Pat: Oh, thank God! So he’s fine…
Mike: Ah yeah, he’s absolutely fine, sure that man is as strong and healthy as two horses, it’s just there’s been no communication…I sent him a WhatsApp on Thursday…no reply.
Pat: Okay…
Mike: I texted him Friday morning, just in case the WiFi was playing up…
Pat: Right…
Mike: I even tried to get him on Zoom, like we were doing on the Neighbourhood Watch committee during Covid…
Pat: Sure he must be on the land, or maybe in the garden, with the nice weather over the weekend…
Mike: I phoned him, and it went to voicemail…
Pat: I wonder if…
Mike: My daughter’s in the drama society with him, communications-wise, they’re on everything…she sent him direct messages on my behalf on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Nothing!
Pat: I wonder…
Mike: And Snapchat…
Pat: He’s probably busy…
Mike: I know, but you’d miss the chat, the bit of craic…I wouldn’t mind, but the jeep is there nearly all the time!
Pat: Eh…I wonder…
Mike: Yeah?
Pat: Ah, nothing…
Mike: No, go on, get it off your chest!
Pat: Have you tried actually calling up to his house on the hill, ringing the doorbell, going in…one foot after the other…maybe having a cup of a tea, asking him about life, chatting over old times, spending an hour there catching up on Neighbourhood Watch, the drama society, the men’s shed, how his sister is in Boston, the GAA, the politics, the neighbours, the weather, the farming, the craic…have you tried physically meeting him and talking in the flesh?
Mike: Jeekers, I hadn’t really thought of that option, fair play to you!
Saturday
It wasn’t quite the day of sport we had expected. I didn’t see Kerry v Limerick in the Munster Football final, and clearly didn’t miss much (Kerry winning by 23 points).
Talk of Kildare putting it up to Dublin proved to be fanciful, the Dubs hitting five goals in 22 minutes in the first half, en route to a routine demolition job. If this is Dublin football in crisis, can we have some of that, please?
Next, the Heineken Champions Cup, where La Rochelle defeated favourites Leinster after a fairly epic battle. It’s an enormous career boost for their coach, Ronan O’Gara.
Later, heartbreak for Liverpool as European masters Real Madrid edged the Champions League final. The Real ‘keeper, Thibaut Courtois, was the real deal, making a number of fine saves. An extremely frustrating night for Liverpool, but they’ll be back challenging for the top honours next season.
Saturday
Readers of a certain age will recall those classic TV ads for Hamlet cigars (believe it or not, they ran from 1966 to ’91). A character would experience some mishap, before quickly becoming philosophical about their bad luck, lighting up a cigar, and breaking into a smile. Cue soothing music and the voiceover: ‘Happiness…is a cigar called Hamlet’.
Such ads are now rightly no longer broadcast, smoking being the health hazard that it is. So one shouldn’t really smoke, but I guess it’s okay to be nostalgic about great TV ads from the past.
Anyways – and really do try not to smoke – I thought of that ad today when it struck me that of the many Liverpool supporters living in Kildare, most of them will presumably have a fondness for the Leinster rugby team…some may even have a partner from Limerick! Not the best of days for those sports fans, given how Liverpool, Kildare, Leinster and Limerick fared in their respective sporting finals today. Cue the music in your mind…
*Complaints about my referencing an advertisement promoting smoking can be sent to the usual address (if flooded with complaints, I’ll have the soothing music ready).
Sunday
It really was like old times today at the Connacht final. It was great to see big crowds back, the beautiful early summer sunshine a reminder of Connacht finals of the past.
There was a very big Roscommon presence in Pearse Stadium and in the general Salthill area before the game. Fortunate to have a designated driver, and after a long walk, we had a pint after the game in the famous O’Connor’s of Salthill, which I first visited in the 1980s. I’m delighted to say it has hardly changed at all, and remains as quaint as ever.
Later, we called to the Galway Bay Hotel, where there was a great crowd of Rossies and Galwegians. Very much like old times, and all the better for it. My views on the match are on pages 51 & 53.
Sunday
On the front of the Sunday Independent, they’re promoting an article by Professor Luke O’Neill (which appears on an inside page): ‘Should you be worried about monkeypox? Professor Luke O’Neill. Page 17’.
Another question: Should we be worried about a growing obsession with viruses/infections meaning ‘celebrity scientists’ like the ever-cheerful Luke are here to stay?
Monday-Wednesday
Maybe it’s the same in other countries, but we really do make a mess of some things here. The chaos at Dublin Airport on Sunday has been followed by unsatisfactory engagement between the DAA (Dublin Airport Authority) and Ministers Eamon Ryan and Hildegarde Naughton, the latter very anxious to assure Bryan Dobson on RTE radio on Monday that she had demanded a report from the airport management “within 24 hours”. It didn’t come then, but has been pieced together as we go to press on Wednesday.
While one can understand the authorities having projected a slower return to air travel (post-Covid) than has been the reality, it’s still the case that the decision to let up to 1,000 workers take redundancy was poorly thought out. Now a desperate scramble to train up new staff is belatedly underway. This weekend is unlikely to go smoothly at the beleaguered airport.
What else can I say? All roads lead to Knock…
Tuesday
On the Tonight Show on Virgin Media, Michael Healy-Rae – who yet again remembered to bring his vote-winning trademark cap – was feasting on greens. I joined it when they were discussing the latest government plan on post offices.
After having a go at Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, declaring that both parties have lost rural Ireland, he paused for effect. But if the polite Green Party TD (Marc Ó Cathasaigh) on the panel thought it was time to relax, he was wrong. Michael had a punchline.
“And the only reason the Greens haven’t lost it (rural Ireland) is because they never had it to lose it!”
You could almost hear some of his constituents back in Kerry cheering. Michael smiled. Sure it was worth going into studio for that quip alone. (Naturally, Michael had a lot less to say when presenter Ciara Doherty noted that one of the canny TD’s many business interests includes his role as a postmaster).
