It Occurs to Me . . . . . And the wee donkey

Remember Adrian Dunbar as Superintendent Ted Hastings in the brilliant Line of Duty? His most popular line was “Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey!”
It came to mind recently when I read of the controversy about the banning of live animals outside the Mansion House, a custom going back to 1995. I don’t mean to ‘crib’ but is it a coincidence that the colour of the original Grinch is green, the same colour as Mayor Conroy’s Green Party?
What is it about modern purveyors of PC? Are they hellbent on removing joy from every aspect of our lives?
After two years of Covid, how can we begrudge children the sheer joy of experiencing a ‘real’ manger? The ISPCA and the Enniskerry farmer who supplies the animals have no problems with the live show, but I was disappointed with Micheál Martin, who when asked about it, said: “It’s beyond my pay grade”. I thought he was our €230,000 per year leader, but no rocking Coalition boats, eh Micheál?
If the farmer runs out of donkeys next year, and the ban is lifted, sure there’s no shortage of them in Kildare Street. Hee Haw!

GIANNI INFANTILE
Qatar TV is so beholden to Fifa President Gianni Infantini that it feels compelled to zoom in on him a few times during every game. He’s an awful lonesome looking craythur…a kind of Johnny No Friends…sitting on his own and foothering with his smart phone.
In fairness, he must be under a lot of pressure. As a man, I know how bad we are at multitasking compared to women, but not only has he to be Fifa top dog, he admitted: “I feel Qatari, I feel Arab, I feel African, I feel gay, I feel disabled, I feel a migrant worker.” You’d be wrecked, right enough. No wonder he’s been pulling his hair out!

TURNING OFF THE TAP IN LISTOWEL
I have very fond memories of Listowel Writers Week…winning prizes in poetry and ballads in the 1970’s and making many friends there.
The recent controversy is a cautionary tale for those Donegal literary festivals who pride themselves on their independence, but who need to take an odd wee look over their shoulders.
John B Keane, Bryan McMahon, Maurice Walsh, Brendan Kennelly, Gabriel Fitzmaurice, George Fitzmaurice et al are all eminent writers associated with the area and in my experience, Listowel was the perfect venue and the voluntary committee was exceptional. Imagine their shock at being disbanded after an Arts Council review.
As The Kerryman reported: “The ordinary committee members cannot understand how an audit of the festival reportedly concluded that Writers’ Week (WW) is riven by a ‘toxic culture’ and undermined by a committee structure it deemed ‘dysfunctional’...For many returning visitors and locals, it is the committee members who are the public face of the literary fleadh; responsible for everything from generating ideas for the annual programmes and interviewing authors on stage to staffing ticket booths and venues, welcoming the public and generally ensuring the smooth-running of the event.”
A number of the nation’s leading writers – including Roddy Doyle and Edna O’Brien – have called on Listowel Writers’ Week to reinstate the festival’s committee immediately.
In a letter to The Irish Times, 15 novelists and actor Gabriel Byrne, warned of “irreparable damage” should the board of the festival fail to reinstate a committee the writers describe as a “foundational stone” of the famous Kerry literary fleadh.
Their move comes just days after president of Writers’ Week Colm Tóibín stepped down from the honorary position in solidarity with the members of the disbanded committee.
Former chairperson of Writers’ Week and poet, Gabriel Fitzmaurice, said he had no criticism whatsoever of Writers’ Week on the matter - either of the directors or of the former committee.
But he said he was “appalled and disgusted” by the thrust of the Arts Council’s involvement in apparently directing a move towards the new form of governance.
I contacted Gabriel, who is an old friend, and he bluntly stated: “The situation with Writers’ Week is, as one writer put it, a case of ‘cultural vandalism’. The Arts Council should be ashamed of themselves. All the talk of ‘toxic’ culture in the WW committee could have been sorted out by WW.
“It is a festival that has grown up through the community, with the community and in the community and is all the better for it.
“The real danger is that the Arts Council has its eyes on other festivals, e.g. the wonderful Clifden Arts Festival, as well. They want to take them over. It will be interesting to see who is appointed curator of WW. The future of WW is at stake here.
“Many thanks for your concern which I will share with the committee. And an early happy Christmas to you too.
As ever.
Gabriel.
PS So sad to learn of the retirement of the great Michael Murphy. A great footballer and ambassador for Donegal.”
I’ll leave the last quote to the late Brendan Kennelly, whose workshops all those years ago inspired my own writing: “When a Listowel man takes a drink from any tap in this lovely town ‘Tis not only water that’s going down, but the purified secrets of the dead
Flowing into his belly and through his head
No town here or in any land will do this for your body and mind
Inspiration flows through the graveyard sod
Turn a tap in Listowel, out flows God!"

A REAL CAREER BREAK?
A friend spent a summer as a student many years ago slaving in the engine room of a big midlands provincial newspaper.
His was the last port of call before the final print was what faced the readers the following day. These were the days before computers…everyone smoked and so occasionally ash and smoke obscured vital letters in the old fashioned typo functions.
In any event, he was informed that as it was the first anniversary memoriam of the editor’s mother, extra care had to be taken and so he diligently stuck to his task. The final line from the family read: “It’s been a LONELY year without you.”
The following day, some 18,000 copies were distributed with “It’s been a LOVELY year without you. He’s now a teacher…and very fussy about spelling.

Education Minister Norma Foley 

Perversely, I was reminded of him when Norma Foley’s latest ill thought out plan hit the headlines last week. ( Mind you, it seems to have been quiety shelved).
Let me put my cards on the table…I don’t like Norma! I think she hides behind civil servants, and her only discernible asset is power!
Her treatment of teachers during Covid was nothing short of appalling, as was the media’s bouts of teacher bashing.
Whatever about the latter’s ignorance of the real work of teachers, Norma has no excuse, as she once taught in Tralee.
Sending out countless missives on Friday nights was the epitome of someone who was incapable of facing her charges outright, and as regards culling career breaks, isn’t she on one herself.
If, hopefully, she loses her seat at the next election, will Presentation College welcome her back with open arms?
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny only resigned his teaching post in 2006, after almost 30 years on leave.
Ah well, at least I got a laugh when Tommy Bowe referred to one “Nora Foley...the Education Minister”, on Ireland AM.

BEST LINE FROM QATAR
When asked about his team's prospects against Brazil, one manager admitted: “I'm cautiously pessimistic!”