The Irish Post - April 29, 2023

DRAMATIC

PORTRAYAL

Actor Bryan Murray highlights Alzheimer’s onstage

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GAA man jailed for sixteen years on sex abuse charges

Thomas McKenna appeared to be a respected stalwart of the community – club treasurer, a postman and a director of the local credit union. But for three decades he preyed on young victims, hidden in plain sight

AT Laganside Crown Court in Belfast last week club treasurer for Crossmaglen Rangers GAA club Thomas McKenna (62), was sentenced to 16 years in prison on sex abuse charges. He was found guilty of 162 offences against 23 male victims, some of whom were young teenagers.

McKenna will serve another seven years on licence for sex abuse crimes. He will also be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.

Detective Chief Inspector Kerry Brennan of the PSNI said: “Thomas McKenna was a respected and influential member of the Crossmaglen community, who used his positions of trust to gain access to young males to carry out the litany of abuse as outlined in court today.”

The PSNI officer added: “He has caused long-lasting psychological damage to his victims and their families and I’ve no doubt that learning of the severity of his offending today will ricochet through the Crossmaglen community.

“Predators of this type are incredibly manipulative, and invest a lot of time building trust and embedding themselves within communities to

Predators of this type are incredibly manipulative, and invest a lot of time building trust and embedding themselves within communities to carry out their offending under the radar

Det. Ch. Ins. Kerry Brennan

carry out their offending under the radar. Hidden in plain sight.”

McKenna’s campaign spanned three decades and took place at various places in Crossmaglen, Co. Armagh, including at the local GAA club. Some of the offences took place across the border in the Republic. The locations of the crime sites included hotels when McKenna was travelling with the club, as well as in pubs and toilets.

The court heard that the crimes were committed over three decades from 1988 until August of 2018 when McKenna was arrested.

McKenna admitted to sexual

assault, indecent assault, voyeurism, and taking an indecent image of a child.

Following his arrest in 2018, the High Court in Belfast heard that police had discovered than 50,000 photos and video clips stored on McKenna’s recording devices.

Judge Patricia Smyth told the defendant he had preyed on both the victims and their families. She added that she found his attitude to his victims chilling.

The victims were aged between 14 and 39, but the bulk of them were in their mid-teens at the time.

Judge Smyth accepted that McKenna had pleaded guilty, thus sparing victims the trauma of appearing in court to outline the abuse they had suffered. But she added that the defendant only admitted many of the more serious offences a week before the first trial was due to begin.

It was also pointed out to the court that McKenna had pleaded his innocence when first arrested by the PSNI. He accused his victims of lying in order to discredit him.

She said: “Every aspect of your defence was an attempt to continue the psychological power games

you had played for years.”

Victims of McKenna’s abuse released an emotional joint statement following last week’s sentencing hearing, saying they were proud of the strength, dignity, and unity they have displayed throughout the process to get the justice they deserve.

The victims also thanked the judge for the sentence, and their families and the Crossmaglen Rangers community for their support. The statement included the words: “We want to thank the Police Service for the empathy and swiftness in which they dealt with the crimes committed against us from when they were first informed almost five years ago.

“In addition, we also wish to thank the Public Prosecution Service and the prosecution team for their

professionalism and diligence in preparing the case for Court and ensuring we received the guilty pleas for the litany of crimes committed against us when we were children. And most importantly, to ensure this individual will never be a part of our community again.”

Eamonn McMahon, from Crossmaglen Rangers, said the conviction was only possible because of the courage of the victims. Speaking outside the court he said: “As a club and as an association, our hearts were broken when we learned about the horrific abuse suffered by children and young people within our community.

“To the victims, we are deeply sorry.”

Mr McMahon added the GAA would launch an independent review to examine the case.

Death of Bród, the Áras dog

BY GERARD DONAGHY

PRESIDENT Michael D. Higgins’ dog Bród has died.

The 11-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog was often pictured alongside the presi- dent at Áras an Uachtaráin when he welcomed visiting dignitaries.

A statement from the Áras said Bród was ‘a very much loved dog’ and ‘one of the most photographed dogs in Ireland’.

“President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina are sad to confirm that Bród, one of their two Bernese Mountain Dogs, has passed away at just past the age of 11,” read the statement from the Áras.

Bród and another Bernese Mountain Dog, Síoda, were familiar figures at Áras an Uachtaráin until the latter’s death in 2020.

Since March 2021, Bród has been kept company by Misneach.

Bród is the Irish word for

‘pride’, while Misneach means ‘courage’ and Síoda means ‘silk’.

Royal visitors including the Prince and Princess Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Earl and Countess of Wessex have all been enchanted by the dogs during visits to Ireland.

In 2021, Bród met German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, with President Higgins joking with the latter that the dog was ‘an experienced diplomat’.

However, Misneach appeared less impressed by US President Joe Biden during his recent trip to Ireland, barking at the distinguished guest and ignoring his calls.

“Bród was 11 years and two months at Áras an Uachtaráin, having come to the Áras as an eight-week-old puppy,” added the statement from the Áras.

“Bród was a very much

loved dog by all that met him and he enjoyed meeting with the thousands of members of the public who came to Áras an Uachtaráin over the years and he was probably one of the most photographed dogs in Ireland.

“He will be missed by the President, Sabina and all at the Áras, particularly Misneach, the President’s remaining two-and-a-halfyear-old dog, who has shared his space with Bród over recent months and was his constant companion, aware of Bród’s situation and very attentive to him.”

On Twitter, An Garda Síochána said that during his time at Áras an Uachtaráin, bród ‘brought joy to many including our own mounts that reside there too, and will all miss him around the grounds’.

Meanwhile, Irish dog rescue charity MADRA posted: “Condolences to President and Mrs Higgins

on the passing of Bród. “The passing of a loved one is never easy and we know Bród was a very loved

Labour suspends Abbott

“I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself from them. The errors arose in an initial draft being sent. But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused.

BY GERARD DONAGHY

LABOUR MP Diane Abbott has had the whip suspended after appearing to suggest Irish, Jewish and Traveller people do not suffer racism ‘all their lives’.

The comments were made in a letter to The Observer newspaper in response to an opinion piece claiming the three groups were among the most likely in Britain to suffer abuse, according to a recent report.

Ms Abbott has since apologised and said the error was due to a draft document being sent, however Labour has suspended the whip and launched an investigation, calling the comments ‘deeply offensive’.

The letter from Abbott said that while Irish, Jewish and Traveller people ‘undoubtedly experience prejudice… they are not all their lives subject to racism’.

It said that the words ‘racism’ and ‘prejudice’ are often used ‘as if they are interchangeable’.

“It is true that many types of white people with points of difference, such as redheads, can experience this prejudice. But they are not all their lives subject to racism,” read the letter. “In pre-civil rights America, Irish people, Jewish people and Travellers were not required to sit at the back of the bus.

SUSPENDED: Diane Abbott MP Picture: Getty Images

“In apartheid South Africa, these groups were allowed to vote. And at the height of slavery, there were no white-seeming people manacled on the slave ships.”

“I am writing regarding my letter that was recently published in The Observer,” read the statement.

“Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others.

“Once again, I would likely to apologise publicly for the remarks and any distress caused as a result of them.”

Despite the apology, a Labour spokesperson confirmed the party had launched an investigation into the comments.

“The Labour Party completely condemns these comments which are deeply offensive and wrong,” said the spokesperson.

“The chief whip has suspended the Labour whip from Diane Abbott pending an investigation.”

The suspension means Ms Abbott can remain in the House of Commons as an MP but cannot represent Labour, instead sitting as an Independent.

Ms Abbott made history in 1987 by becoming the first black woman elected to parliament in Britain and has served as MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington ever since.

She stood unsuccessfully in the 2010 Labour leadership contest but has since held several opposition frontbench roles, including Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Shadow Home Secretary. She was widely seen as a staunch supporter of Jeremy Corbyn.

“I wish to wholly and unreservedly withdraw my remarks and disassociate myself from them. The errors arose in an initial draft being sent. But there is no excuse, and I wish to apologise for any anguish caused. Racism takes many forms, and it is completely undeniable that Jewish people have suffered its monstrous effects, as have Irish people, Travellers and many others.”

Diane Abbott MP

“I think the body can do a lot more than people think it can do, and that’s what drives me to do different challenges.”

Noel Hanna from Co. Down, who has died on Annapurna aged 56.

“It is a sad day for the association, its activists, and its friends in both Britain and Ireland. Many people have given a lot to the organisation in an effort sustained for eight and a half decades. It is clear that the struggle for independence and unity is not over, but the content of the struggle is more important than the form it takes. Fresh consideration needs to be given to how best the Irish in Britain can play our part”

Michael Carty general secretary of the Connolly Association founded in Britain 85 years ago, which is ceasing to be an active political unit.

“It took him two-and-a-half years to apologise to me and my family,” said an emotional Mr Horkan. Two-and-a half years after, he came out with an apology, and I’d safely say he was advised by his legal team to do that, otherwise he wouldn’t have done it.”

Marty Horkan, father of murdered Detective Garda Colm Horkan, on the sentencing last week of Stephen Silver, handed a life sentence at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

“There was never any physical contact. I’ve never had any physical contact. I’ve never used any sexual language. I’ve never propositioned anybody.”

Tony Danker, the Belfastborn former director general of the CBI who was sacked mid-April.

family member. “You served your country well Bród and will be missed!”

shot

CANINE CELEBRITY: Roberta Metsola of the European Parliament meets Bród and Sabina Higgins Picture: RollingNews.ie

Garda killer jailed for life

Stephen Silver sentenced to serve 40 years behind bars for the murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan

BY GERARD DONAGHY

THE killer of Detective Garda Colm Horkan was last week handed a life sentence at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

Stephen Silver, 46, of Aughavard, Foxford, Co. Mayo, was found guilty last month of the 2020 murder of Garda Horkan in Co. Roscommon. Silver, who had denied murder but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, must serve a minimum of 40 years.

Speaking outside court, Garda Horkan’s father Marty Horkan said he was glad his three-year battle to get justice for his son was at an end.

“It’s great to be able to move forward now, it’s been a tough three years,” said Mr Horkan.

“It’s great to have it over and we got justice for Colm and that’s what he deserved, because he was one wonderful gentleman.

“He worked anywhere for anybody that he could help at all times, he was a wonderful, wonderful son. It’s a sad house, it has been, but at least we can go forward from today.”

He worked anywhere for anybody that he could help at all times, he was a wonderful, wonderful son

Marty Horkan

Asked about his son’s murderer, Mr Horkan expressed sympathy for Silver’s mother, but said he felt the killer only apologised under instruction from his legal team.

“It took him two-and-a-half years to apologise to me and my family,” said an emotional Mr Horkan.

“Two-and-a half years after, he came out with an apology, and I’d safely say he was advised by his legal team to do that, otherwise he wouldn’t have done it.

“All I will say is he got justice for what he done.”

Garda Horkan, 49, had served as a member of An Garda Síochána since 1994.

Shortly before midnight on June 17, 2020, he responded to reports of

Hutch walks free after not guilty verdict

GERRY ‘The Monk’ Hutch has walked free from Dublin’s non-jury Special Criminal Court after being found not guilty of the murder of David Byrne.

The 60-year-old was accused of killing Byrne in a fatal gun attack which happened during a boxing match weigh-in at the Regency Hotel in February 2016.

The killing was part of the Hutch-Kinahan gang feud that has claimed several lives.

The trial brought public attention to the Kinahan gang, revealing its international links and putting a spotlight on its considerable wealth

Hutch, who was arrested in 2021 after a European arrest warrant was issued, denied murdering the 33-year-old, and spent more than a year in Dublin’s Wheatfield Prison before his trial began last year.

In a trial that lasted 52 days, the State brought a case that alleged Gerard Hutch was part of the six-man murder team, and one of the two gunmen who fired the fatal shots at David Byrne in the Regency Hotel.

Former Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall had been charged with the murder but pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of facilitating murder. He was due to stand trial with Gerard Hutch for the murder of David Byrne but in October 2022 he pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of facilitation.

Currently serving a four-year sentence, he gave State evidence against Gerard Hutch. He subsequently applied to join the Republic of Ireland’s witness protection programme but was told his application was not dependent on his evidence in the trial.

The Hutch-Kinahan feud began in 2015 when the Kinahans murdered Gerard Hutch’s nephew, Gary, in Marbella, Spain. He was a member of their gang but it was believed he was an informer. Revenge attacks then ensued.

two males driving erratically on a motorcycle in the Knockroe area of Castlerea.

Although they had since left the area, Garda Horkan continued his patrol and came across two males fitting the description on Main

Street, Castlerea.

He stopped his unmarked car and spoke through the window with the males, one of whom he knew.

The other male, Silver, then became aggressive and Garda Horkan exited his car.

Man found liable for Omagh bomb, Colm Murphy, dies aged 70

COLM Murphy who was found liable in a civil trial for the Omagh bomb in 1998 has died at the age of 70 in a Co. Louth hospital. He was suffering from degenerative lung disease.

Murphy from Belleeks, Co. Armagh, was originally arrested over the bombing in 1999 in a joint Royal Ulster Constabulary-Garda investigation.

Twenty-nine people died after the bombing in Omagh in August 1998, including a woman pregnant with twins.

It was the biggest single atrocity in the Troubles.

In 2002, Murphy was convicted of conspiring to cause the Omagh bombing, and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment. The judge described him as a long-time republican extremist

But in a 2010 retrial he was acquitted, after interview evidence from An Garda Síochána was ruled inadmissible.

In 2008, relatives of some of

the victims began a landmark civil case, suing five men they claimed were involved, including Murphy.

The next year, a Belfast judge ruled that Murphy and four others were all liable for the Omagh bomb.

They were ordered to pay a total of £1.6m in damages to 12 relatives who took the case.

In 2011, Murphy won an appeal, but in a civil retrial in 2013 he was again found liable.

To date, no one has been held criminally liable for the Omagh bombing.

As he attempted to make an arrest, Silver resisted and a struggle ensued.

During the struggle, Silver managed to take possession of Garda Horkan’s firearm, shooting him 11 times and fatally injuring him.

‘High-profile’ Irish celebrity to face trial on sex charges

A TRIAL date has been set at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court later this year for an Irish celebrity charged with defilement of a minor.

The high-profile celebrity, who has been described as ‘an entertainer’ cannot be named for legal reasons. He was arrested in March on foot of an investigation by a garda protective services unit.

The man, in his forties, and cannot be named for legal reasons, is facing three charges of engaging in sexual acts with a child under the age of 17 at unknown locations in Dublin on dates in 2010 and early 2011.

The man denies all charges against him.

He appeared before the court on last week, having been sent forward from Dublin District Court.

There was no objection to continuing bail.

The complainant is now in her late 20s, the court heard.

The trial is due to begin on October 9 and is expected to last four or five days.

Judge Orla Crowe adjourned the case until July 24 for a hearing to discuss issues around outstanding disclosure.

Defence counsel had asked for an early trial date, saying the case is seriously affecting his client, whose work requires him to travel.

The accused denies all charges brought against him.

Colm Murphy

ON DUTY: Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon speaking to Marty Horkan outside the Criminal Courts of Justice

Picture: RollingNews.ie

Spurning a banquet

to soothe historic difficulties in the British Irish relationship.

When Doug Beattie, the leader of the Ulster Unionist party got an invitation to attend a banquet in Dublin Castle, hosted by the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for the US president Joe Biden, it’s fairly likely that a few apprehensions occurred to him too.

What if Varadkar made a blatantly republican speech endorsing the Easter Rising? He did.

What if Joe Biden had called him out and asked him to stand up and then made some floridly naive tribute to him that would have him cringing for months?

He did that with others, including Marie Heaney, Seamus’s widow, mispronouncing her name. And we saw her usher the approaching camera away, clearly embarrassed.

Doug says the invitation came late and besides he had other commitments. Could he not then have asked someone else to go on his behalf?

Clearly an occasion like that could be an horrific ordeal.

Much of the British media and voices in unionism were already sneering at the obvious pleasure Biden was taking in the celebration of his Irish ancestry.

A Times cartoon depicted him in a triptych as a prancing leprechaun spilling his Guinness.

And how we howled with outrage at this racist caricature of Irishness.

I am hoping that cartoons might yet survive the censorious cancel culture and get away with images that, if paraphrased into simple text would be outrageous and unfunny.

If Beattie had gone to the dinner he would have been sneered at on Twitter, as he often is, by those who regard him as soft on the Union.

Loyalist blogger Jamie Bryson recently described the UUP as ‘the epitome of weak roll over unionism’. Beattie would have known to expect further derision of that kind if he had gone to the banquet. Indeed, he knows to expect it anyway, so what would it really have cost him?

His challenge, as he well understands, is to extend his party’s reach to draw in support for the Union from beyond the protestant minority.

MALACHIO’DOHERTY

I SUPPOSE the value of an invitation to a banquet lies very much in who you’re going to be sitting beside.

Then there is the danger that the guest of honour or the host might make a speech that so contrasts with your worldview that you’ll feel you should either walk out or keep your head down.

Seamus Heaney perhaps reflected deeply before accepting a seat at a banquet for Queen Elizabeth, hosted by Irish president Mary McAleese. He had already written a poem in

which he had declared that his passport was green and that ‘No glass of ours was ever raised /To toast the Queen’.

He wrote this to correct the thinking of those who regarded him as British and included him in an anthology of British poets.

Personally, I think that was uncharacteristically tetchy of him.

He had grown up in a part of the UK and paid taxes to the British exchequer and had benefited from a free British education system. Why wouldn’t Britain take some credit

for his achievement?

His attendance at the banquet for the Queen showed that that little huff was past.

It was a gesture of respect. And in anticipation, before it was clear how well the night would go, he might have feared that he would be ridiculed for being there. Some might have said he was endorsing a monarch, a woman elevated only by an accident of birth and revered as almost divine. And, on top of that, she was the head of state who cherished the legacy of empire.

If Joe Biden is, as his critics allege, essentially a chauvinistic Irish nationalist blind to the British component of northern identity, then it might have helped enlighten him a little to have had Beattie there, a former British soldier who had fought hand-to-hand in Afghanistan

But, good on him. He went. He supped and it did him no harm. And the Queen did much that week, as an instrument of British diplomacy,

If Joe Biden is, as his critics allege, essentially a chauvinistic Irish nationalist blind to the British component of northern identity, then it might have helped enlighten him a little to have had Beattie there, a former British soldier who had fought hand-to-hand in Afghanistan.

Beattie might, indeed, have had a wee word with the president about that mess too.

Maybe he didn’t want to toast the man who had abandoned the cause he had risked his life and killed for. One could sympathise if that was part of his thinking.

But sometimes it’s better to just button up, sit down and take the soup.

There’ll be little point in complaining that America doesn’t understand unionism after neglecting a chance like that to explain it. n Malachi O’Doherty is one of Ireland’s leading political commentators and author of 11 books on the North of Ireland.

A missed opportunity for unionism to present its case to a fervent Irish-American

POET & QUEEN: Seamus Heaney meets Queen Elizabeth, with President McAleese, Duke of Edinburgh and Dr Martin McAleese looking on Picture: Getty Images

DETECTIVE SHOT IN OMAGH ATTACK LEAVES HOSPITAL

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell suffered life-changing injuries in republican shooting

BY MAL ROGERS

DETECTIVE Chief Inspector

John Caldwell (48) who was shot several times in Omagh, Co. Tryone in what is believed to have been a dissident republican attack left hospital last week. He suffered life-changing injuries in the attack. PSNI investigators believe members of the New IRA were behind the attack.

In a statement a PSNI spokesperson said the officer had left hospital to continue his recovery at home.

“We would ask that John and his family are given privacy at this time,” the spokesperson said.

A total of 15 people have been detained during the investigation into the attack.

The high-ranking officer was off-duty at the time of the incident, which took place at around 8pm at a sports complex in the Killyclogher Road area last Wednesday.

Det. Ch. Insp. John Caldwell was coaching a local youth sports team just prior to the attack. Two gunmen shot him several times as he was

putting footballs into his car with his son after an under-15 training session in Omagh, Co. Tyrone.

John Caldwell is reported to have got up after being shot several times and warned children away from the area. People in the area fled in terror, according to reports.

Initial reports from the hospital painted a gloomy picture, with Det. Ch. Insp. Caldwell remaining in a critical condition.

But late last week it was announced he was recovered enough to leave hospital.

Celebrated Irish mountaineer dies on world’s most dangerous peak

BY FIONA AUDLEY

TRIBUTES have been paid to avid mountaineer and adventurer Noel Hanna who has died after climbing the world’s tenth highest mountain, Annapurna

The climber from Dromora in Co. Down became the first climber from the island of Ireland to summit Annapurna yesterday before tragedy befell the expedition.

Mr Hanna (56) scaled the 8,091 metre-high Annapurna peak in west Nepal but it is reported that he died overnight in Camp IV after returning from the mountain.

It has not been confirmed how he died.

The Irishman was a seasoned climber who had reached the Mount Everest summit 10 times during his lengthy career.

He was also the first Irish person to successfully summit and descend K2 in Pakistan in 2018, the second highest mountain on earth, after Everest.

Tributes have flooded social media today, with friends and fans of the climber paying their respects.

Ulster Rugby Head Coach Dan McFarland was among them, tweeting: “Very sad to hear of Noel’s passing. Noel was a great inspiration to this team.”

Sorcha Eastwood, the Alliance Party’s Lagan Valley MLA, said: “Desperately sad news coming through about Noel Hanna, a renowned athlete and adventurer.

“My thoughts & prayers are with the entire Hanna family circle at this difficult time, the community of Dromara who have lost a very special son and the mountaineering community whom he so loved.”

Noel Hanna’s wife Lynne Hanna in statement confirmed that she had reached Kathmandu, so she could accompany his body home.

“I have arrived in Kathmandu to bring Noel home,” she said.

“He passed away at Camp 4 on Annapurna after a successful summit,” she confirmed.

“He returned to the tent took some hot soup and fell asleep never

Irish nurses in line for major award

BY FIONA AUDLEY

TWO Irish nurses have made it to the shortlist of an international competition which will recognise the “most outstanding” nurse in the world.

Ten nurses have been shortlisted for the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2023 – which comes with a prize pot of $250,000 for the winner.

Dublin based nurse Jince Jerry has been working as a nurse in Ireland since moving to there to study in 2006.

She has been selected as a finalist due to the practices she developed in her workplace during the Covid-19 pandemic, which “contributed to enhanced coordination, better workforce management, systematic practices, and a lower burnout rate among the staff”.

Irish nurse Cathy Cribben-Pearse, who spent 20 years’ nursing in both Ireland and Britain, before moving to Abu Dhabi, is shortlisted for creating an online platform which provides nurses with “guidance, support, and leadership”.

The pair now find themselves among a 10-strong international shortlist which has been whittled down from 52,000 entries from 202 countries.

The final ten also includes entrants from the Phillipines, Portugal and Kenya as well as England, Panama, Singapore, India and Tanzania.

to awaken again. No drama, no big story,” she added. “It was his time to go, and he died in the Himalayas, what better place for my Mountain Man. Sleep well Noel.”

Mr Hanna is expected to be laid to rest in Dromora.

At least 365 people have climbed Annapurna and more than 72 have died on the mountain, authorities in Katmandhu have said. It had death rate of 27.2 per cent up to 2018, according to mountainiq.com – making it the world’s most dangerous mountain over 8,000m. Everest’s rate was said to be just 3.29 per cent.

Members of the public can now cast their vote as part of the final selection here to help decide the winner.

Doctor Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare, said of their award: “Millions of nurses across the world are working hard every single day to serve their patients and form the core of the healthcare eco-system.

“Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award is our way of acknowledging their dedication and recognizing their work.”

He added: “This year, with more than 50,000 nurses vying for the coveted award, it has been a hard task for the eminent jury members to shortlist the top 10 outstanding nurses.

“Each of the finalists have a remarkable trajectory and have made significant contribution to the field of nursing. We wish each of them all the very best.”

The winner will be announced at a ceremony due to take place in London on May 12, which is International Nurses Day.

STANDING GUARD: Police patrol the scene of the shooting on February 22 Picture: Getty Images

DANGEROUS: Annapurna peaks, Nepal Picture: Vyacheslav Argenberg via WIkimedia

minutes with...

DYLAN Brickley began posting YouTube covers aged 18, and soon started getting thousands of views.

His next career move was busking, in Cork followed by Wales and England – when Dylan was at college in Swansea. Spells in Europe, Australia and Cambodia followed Here, he answers our questions on his eventful life...

DYLAN BRICKLEY

What are you up to?

Since the start of the year I’ve been in the studio working hard getting my songs together. My plan is to release a lot of music this year and hopefully put on a show at the end of the year in Cork.

Close To You was my first song. It all began during the lockdown when I was living on an island in Cambodia called Koh Rong Samloem. I was out on the balcony one evening with the guitar and the bridge of the song came about. That was the beginning. I have the song written over a year now and I’d always include it in my set when I go busking. Lots of people would ask who sings that song and I’d reply “It’s my song,” so that’s the reason I got it recorded thanks to my supporters.

Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine?

Luther Vandross’ Dance with my Father Every time I listen to it the music and lyrics connect and I feel the emotion.

Which musician has most influenced you?

My family are big Oasis fans, so I grew up on that music. I’d have to say The Oasis brothers, Liam and Noel Gallagher, inspired me to become a singer.

How did you get started in music?

I was always obsessed with music as a kid. There are some old videos of me when I was four years old running around the kitchen singing and dancing. I was always singing and I enjoyed choir in primary school. When I’d see other people up on stage singing it looked cool and I wanted to give it a go myself.

Where are you from in Ireland, and what are your roots?

I’m from a village in Cork called Whitechurch. It’s in the countryside.

What’s on your smartphone playlist at the minute?

Cian Ducrot, Raye, Mac Miller, Tom Grennan and Bugzy Malone.

What is your favourite place in Ireland?

Sherkin Island in West Cork. There are some amazing things to do there and the scenery is incredible.

What would be your motto?

Never give up on your dreams. Work hard and you will be rewarded

Which living person do you most admire?

My mother and Liam Gallagher

If you weren’t a musician what other job would you be really good at?

I’d like to be a radio presenter. I think it would be a fun job and challenging as

Connolly Assoc. ceases to be an active political organisation

Good Friday Agreement, Brexit and a changing Irish demographic are behind the decision

well. I like interacting with people so I think it would suit me.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given this year?

The best piece of advice I’ve gotten is that you’re not guaranteed tomorrow so live your life how you want to and chase all your goals and dreams because we’re not here for a long time. And to travel as much as possible.

Do you have a favourite line from a song?

At the moment it’s from my song Close To You. I love the lyrics from the bridge. “I miss the feeling when we felt alive /I can’t stop thinking and wondering why you didn’t feel the same way inside.”

It has a lot of meaning and can relate to changes in your life – friendships, relationships, or loss of a loved one.

What’s the best and worst thing about where you live?

The best thing about the area where I live is everyone is super close with one another like neighbours and it’s a quiet, relaxing countryside so I like that aspect and I also like that its only a 10-minute drive to the city so you have the best of both worlds.

The worst is definitely Irish weather.

What’s the greatest lesson life has taught you?

Life has taught me that there is always something out there for you in the world. Just because you’re not the smartest in school and getting the best results it doesn’t mean that you can’t have a successful career.

What gives you the greatest laugh?

The characters I meet while I’m busking, for sure.

What do you believe in?

I believe that anything is possible when you put in the work for it. And you can get to where you want to be.

Who/what is the greatest love of your life?

My family. My girlfriend. Music. Travelling.

THE Connolly Association has announced that it is to become a legacy organisation, and no longer an active political association. The association’s funds have been dispersed to other organisations in accordance with the decision of the Executive.

The organisation was formed in Britain 85 years ago to win support for a united independent republic. In a statement, the association said: “Demographic changes in relation to the Irish in Britain have changed the loci in which the Association traditionally organised, as new arrivals no longer concentrate in particular locations. The structures of the association no longer reflect the extent to which the community is dispersed.”

The association statement also pointed out one factor that is relevant to all organisations focused on the diaspora community – the numbers of the Irish in Britain have fallen considerably.

Additionally, in recent years, the political context within which the Connolly Association operates has also shifted considerably.

In relation to British policy on Irish unity and independence, there have been two fundamental changes.

The first is the Good Friday Agreement, which is an acceptance by London as well as by all strands of Irish nationalism that there shall be no change of the Partition border without the consent of a majority in the North, but that if such a majority comes about the UK Government will facilitate Irish reunification.

While this falls short of a commitment to Irish unity, according to the Connolly Association it is a significant

step towards the achievement of national democracy for Ireland. Independent polling commissioned by the Connolly Association has demonstrated that the majority of the British public, across the political spectrum, believe that Ireland should be an independent and united country.

The second is Britain’s exit from the EU. This is something that the Connolly Association welcomed, and still support.

“The Connolly Association, opposed the EU/EC/EEC from 1961, when British and Irish membership was first mooted. The Irish Democrat was the first newspaper to oppose the Common Market, and the coercion of Ireland, by Britain, into a vassal state of the supranational European Union,” they say in a statement.

In their statement the Connolly Association emphasised: “The political, social and economic consequences of the partition of Ireland have been exploited by the most reactionary representatives of British finance capital, in the most insincere manner, as a reason to

maintain their place in the European empire.

“It is now explicitly clear to progressives across Britain, and aligned with their own popular sentiment, that the continued claim to sovereignty over part of Ireland undermines the struggle in Britain for independence of its own. The independence of Britain from the European Union necessitates the independence of Britain from all of Ireland.”

The association reiterated their opposition to the EU saying that it is an obstacle to Irish unity.

Speaking about the demise of the Connolly Association as an active campaigning force, president Tony Donaghey said: “The Association has a long and proud history and its key achievements include pioneering the idea of a civil right movement to end dictatorship in Northern Ireland and organising the first civil rights marches in Britain with that aim (prior to them being organised in Ireland), winning substantial sections of the British labour and trade union movement to support the Irish struggle, and building support for the Good Friday Agreement amongst progressives in Britain as a step towards national democracy for Ireland.”

General secretary Michael Carty added: “It is a sad day for the association, its activists, and its friends in both Britain and Ireland. Many people have given a lot to the organisation in an effort sustained for eight and a half decades. It is clear that the struggle for independence and unity is not over, but the content of the struggle is more important than the form it takes. Fresh consideration needs to be given to how best the Irish in Britain can play our part”.

Dylan Brickley busking in Cork

A protest march organised by the Connolly Association

Anti-Irish bigotry on display in the British media

TRULY, you would need a heart of stone not to laugh.

The right wing British media’s reaction to President Biden’s Irish trip (north and south) has seen a fair degree of hyperventilating, it is fair to say.

‘Nutty’ would be another word.

The anti-Irish bigotry that never sits far under the surface in some of our newspapers and periodicals came bubbling to the surface in all its putrid hues.

The Times cartoonist, Peter Brookes, depicted Biden as a dancing leprechaun, holding (what else?) a pint of Guinness. “I just love Northern Ireland,” he says, with ‘northern’ written in smaller font.

Meanwhile, The Sunday Times columnist Rod Liddle, a contrarian and supposed wit (well, half of one), surpassed himself, referring to the President as “a senile, gibbering leprechaun”.

He berated Irish-Americans for their ‘Oirishness’ claiming it was merely ‘an affectation, the becoming cloak of the underdog, and rooted in falsehoods, stereotypes, ignorance and things badly misremembered.’

Wow.

Is Gerry thinking of a run for president?

KEVINMEAGHER

A PICTURE says a thousand words.

A selfie of Joe Biden and Gerry Adams taken at the US President’s address to the Oireachtas has caused quite a stir.

All smiles and bonhomie.

Old pals, it seemed.

The President beaming and Gerry with his fashionable round glasses and grand-fatherly beard. Behind the two of them, unbeknown to either man, lurked Bertie Ahern.

His re-emergence on the public stage has fuelled rumours of a presidential bid in 2025 when Michael D Higgins is obliged to step down after two terms in office.

But there is also the intriguing rumour doing the rounds that the former Sinn Féin President might also be limbering up for a run.

Which makes this image all the more poignant.

Could Gerry Adams become

the next President of Ireland?

If name recognition counts, then everyone’s certainly heard of him.

A good start, but a doubleedged, sword – given he was president of Sinn Féin throughout the second half of the Troubles.

And while he strenuously denies that he was ever a member of the IRA, it is easy for his opponents to paint him into that corner.

The advantage he has, though, is that at least everyone knows who he is and what he represents. His baggage, so to speak, is out there in full view.

Still, it would be a bumpy ride in the Dublin media.

The capital’s elite would throw everything at him; but the same tactic is hardly working against Sinn Féin these days, given they are miles ahead in every poll.

For younger people, memories of the Troubles are sketchy.

They have moved on.

Many will regard Gerry Adams as a benign figure they are used to seeing leading delegations to Downing Street or rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty.

And, after all, isn’t that what heads of state are supposed to do?

As well as US presidents – there are also pics of him with Clinton, Bush, Obama and even Trump – there are no shortage of photos of Adams with Nelson Mandela. (He was even part of Madiba’s honour guard

at his funeral in 2013).

Some will argue that southerners don’t like ‘Nordies’ and that his colleague, Martin McGuinness, didn’t get very far when he stood in 2011, receiving just 13.7 per cent of the vote.

But Adams is a far cannier operator and unlike McGuinness, sat in the Dáil for nine years before retiring in 2020, making him much more familiar to southern voters.

And it bears stating: this is 2023, not 2011.

A lot has changed and Sinn Féin has gone mainstream in the intervening years.

By the time the presidential election takes place, they might well find themselves in government.

The latest possible date for the general election to be called is March 2025, with the presidential vote coming six months later.

Adams might get carried along in that wave of enthusiasm for Sinn Féin, which might still be basking in the warm approval of a post-election honeymoon with voters. We are still some way off candidates declaring, but if Gerry Adams does stand, you heard it here first.

Not to be outdone, the right wing Spectator magazine had this: “While most US presidents pride themselves on being ‘American as apple pie’, Biden identifies as ‘Irish as Paddy’s pig’.” Galling, yes. Unpleasant, certainly. But revealing, too.

It is now British right wingers – imperialist wannabes – who have the inferiority complex. Who pine for the lost love of a US president.

Their foaming chauvinism requires that soothing promise of ‘the special relationship’.

Outwitted by Paddy over Brexit, John Bull yearns for the certainties of yesteryear.

Alas, Irish ‘soft power’ came out on top again during President Biden’s trip.

Rishi Sunak had been told to get the Windsor Framework deal passed and then strongarm the DUP back into government ahead of Biden’s trip. Having been such an assiduous friend of Ireland and the peace process during his long years in the US Senate, the President was looking forward to celebrating the achievements of the past 25 years.

Instead, he was greeted with a job half-done. Sunak managed to get the Windsor deal through both Houses of Parliament – with thumping majorities, it bears telling – but then failed to put the thumbscrews on Jeffrey Donaldson and his party.

As a result, the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement was a bittersweet affair, with Stormont still mothballed.

So, Biden’s team cut their losses and curtailed the visit.

Joe couldn’t wait to get across the border! The Americans don’t mess about. You either deliver what you promise or you’re down the road.

The White House is said to be seething that Sunak didn’t tee-up things properly. As a result, the British PM was relegated to a tea break photo opportunity where, it was noted, President Biden didn’t even make eye contact with him. One reporter even speculated that a nervous Rishi was drinking from an empty cup. Hey, Brookes, how about a cartoon depicting that?

n Kevin Meagher is author of A United Ireland: Why Unification is Inevitable and How it Will Come About, and What A Bloody Awful Country: Northern Ireland’s Century of Division

DEEP CONVERSATION: Nelson Mandela and Gerry Adams Picture: Getty Images

OURSELFIES ALONE: Joe and Gerry during the recent presidential visit Picture: Courtesy of Sinn Féin

Awards and honours at Erin Go Bragh annual dinner

WORDS AND PICTURES BY CHRIS EGAN

BIRMINGHAM’S Erin Go Bragh GAA held their annual dinner, dance and award presentations recently at the Villa Park Stadium.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the club, a new coach of the year award was named after long term club coach Dennis Needham.

The first recipient of the Dennis Needham Coach of the Year award went to Niamh Godfrey.

Other awards included:

Senior Hurling Player of the Year

– Eamonn McWilliams

Senior Men’s Reserve Player of the Year

– Liam McMulkin

Senior Men’s Player of the Year

– Aiden Ruffinato

Camogie Senior Player of the Year – Jess Boxwell

Camogie Most Improved Player of the Year

– Anya Mee

Senior Ladies’ Football, Most Improved Player of the Year – Katie Houston

Senior Ladies’ Football, Player of the Year

– Katie Tevlin

Chris McLaughlin presents Katie Tevlin with the Ladies Football Player of the Year award

Andrew McLinden presents Aiden Ruffinato with the Senior Men’s Player of the Year award, left, and Liam McMulkin with the Senior Reserve Team Player of the Year award, right

Thomas Kelley presents Eamonn McWiliams with the Senior Hurler of the Year Award

Niamh Godfrey is the first recipient of the Denis Needham Coach of the year award, shown here with Dennis Needham and Paul McCrory

Brennan’s to be brewed in Britain

T&R THEAKSTON has agreed a deal to add Brennan’s Irish Stout to its brand line-up.

The 4.2 per cent ABV dark ruby stout will be brewed under licence by the Yorkshire brewery.

Located in Co. Wexford, Brennan’s has a rich family history in brewing and the pub industry which can be traced back four generations in both in Ireland and Britain.

The new partnership comes as stout and dark beers are experiencing a renaissance, with Guinness recently named as Britain’s most popular pint.

Simon Theakston, joint managing director at Theakston Brewery, said: “While we’re proud of our almost 200 year heritage at the brewery, we are also always looking at ways to enhance and expand our range, including through developing partnerships with a number of other much-loved brewers and distributors.”

Peter Brennan, managing director for Brennan’s Irish Stout, said: “As a small family business, It is such an honour to be given the chance to work with Simon, Richard Bradbury and all the team at Theakston’s Brewery in what really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. With Theakston’s guidance, their wealth of knowledge and history within the industry, Brennan’s Irish Stout will build to be an exciting and longstanding brand for the future.”

Brennan’s Irish Stout is the latest chapter in a rich family history and tradition. Brennan’s passion for brewing and love for the pub industry can be traced back four generations, in both Ireland and Britain, to 1905 when a young Patrick J Brennan, from Kildare, Ireland, would become an apprentice brewer in Dublin.

This lineage continued with his son James, learning the art and life of a cooper and then grandson Patrick dedicating his life and career to the hospitality industry spanning over five decades. This created the path for his son Peter, great grandson of Patrick J Brennan, to continue the family tradition.

Ryanair’s €40m facility at Dublin Airport

BY FIONA AUDLEY

RYANAIR has announced plans to build a new aircraft maintenance facility at Dublin Airport – at a cost of €40million.

The new four-bay hangar, which will create more than 200 new jobs for engineers and mechanics, will be state-of-the-art and “one of the most environmentally friendly hangars in the EU”, the Irish airline confirms this week.

Construction of the new 120,000sq foot hangar will begin later this year, with it expected to be operational in spring 2024.

The new site will be built with eco credentials at heart, with gas absorption heat pumps reducing energy use by up to 35 per cent.

The hangar will facilitate the heavy and line maintenance of Ryanair’s fleet at Dublin Airport as the airline grows its fleet to 600 aircraft with the delivery of more efficient new technology 737-8200 ‘Gamechanger’

Black cab warning results in apology

A SECURITY briefing document warning delegates at last week’s CyberUK 2023 event in Belfast not to take black cab tours of Belfast’s murals “because they are run by the IRA” was withdrawn after protests.

The organisers subsequently said it was “sent in error by a contractor” and contained “significant factual inaccuracies”. The document, whose contents were reported by the BBC’s Nolan Show, also stated “English accents” were not welcome in certain parts of the city, and that delegates should more or less confine any socialising such as dining out to the city centre.

aircraft, which carry four per cent more passengers while burning 16 per cent less fuel and emitting 40 per cent less noise.

Announcing the plans, Ryanair CEO, Eddie Wilson, said: “As Ireland’s No.1 airline, we are delighted to announce our plans to invest a further €40 million in Dublin which will see significant expansion of our Dublin maintenance base and will create a further 200 highly paid jobs for engineers and mechanics.”

He added: “This facility will be state of the art and one of the most environmentally friendly hangars in Europe and will facilitate the maintenance of our growing fleet.”

The Belfast Telegraph reports that potential attendees were advised to say they were “under a non-disclosure agreement” if asked why they are in Belfast, and to not use the term “CyberUK” outside of the conference venue.

CyberUK is a flagship event organised by the National Cyber Security Centre.

According to the Belfast Telegraph the National Cyber Security Centre distanced itself from the document.

A spokesperson said: “This is not an NCSC document. It was sent in error by a contractor and contains significant factual inaccuracies. The document has been withdrawn.”

Former RUC Special Branch head Jim Gamble told the Nolan Show: “To label taxi drivers is reckless to the extreme and I cannot believe this will not be followed by some kind of legal action.

“If I was a taxi driver in Belfast I would feel that this, number one, created a level of risk; and, number two, was defamatory to me and to the organisation.”

In reference to advice warning against “walking around housing estates which surround the city”, he added: “It’s utterly offensive and unhelpful. These companies need to come out and issue an apology.”

According to the Irish News, solicitors for around 50 people say defamation proceedings are to be launched on foot of the claims.

Danker admits making some staff “very uncomfortable”

BY MAL ROGERS

TONY Danker, the Belfast-born former boss of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) acknowledged he had made some staff feel “very uncomfortable”, adding:

“I apologise for that.” But he added that his reputation was now trashed and he’d been made the scapegoat for other, wider problems affecting the CBI.

Mr Danker was speaking on the BBC’s Today programme.

He said he was particularly aggrieved at his name having been wrongly associated with separate claims, including rape, that allegedly occurred at the CBI before he joined.

He told the broadcaster that the letter terminating his employment had cited four reasons for his dismissal – for organising a secret, private karaoke party for 15 people,

He

for viewing the Instagram accounts of CBI staff, for sending non-work-related messages to staff, and for inviting junior staff to breakfasts, lunches, or personal meetings. Mr Danker refuted the claims that he was improper, but did acknowledge that he had made some staff feel uncomfortable.

When pressed on the allegations,

specifically that he had sent a barrage of unwanted messages, some reportedly including suggestive language, he said:

“I have never used sexually suggestive language with people at the CBI. You know, there was an incident somebody raised a complaint about unwanted contact, which was verbal contact.

“There was never any physical contact. I’ve never had any physical contact. I’ve never used any sexual language. I’ve never propositioned anybody,”

The CBI’s president, Brian McBride, also speaking on the BBC, said that Mr Danker was dismissed on strong legal grounds. He said that Mr Danker’s description of events was “selective” and he was free to seek “redress” if he felt unfairly treated.

Tony Danker is a member of Belfast’s Jewish community. He

still speaks with a very identifiable Northern Ireland accent.

Brian McBride, one eight siblings, was brought up in a Glasgow council house where life was very hard. His

parents were working-class Catholics. Like many from that community, he is an avid Celtic supporter and served as a director of Celtic between 2005 and 2009.

Tony Danker, the Belfast-born former director general of the CBI sacked in mid-April, has given his first interview

REFUTING CLAIMS: Tony Danker with Rishi Sunak Picture: Getty Images

said he was particularly aggrieved at his name having been wrongly associated with separate claims, including rape, that allegedly occurred at the CBI before he joined

Hangar announcement Picture: Getty Images

Former US president welcomed in Belfast

FORMER US President Bill Clinton paid a special visit to an historic hotel while in Belfast last week.

Bill Clinton was in Northern Ireland to attend a series of engagements marking the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Over the weekend he took time to pay a visit to the Europa Hotel, where he met with staff, including Head Concierge Martin Mulholland, whom he first met when he stayed with his wife Hilary in 1995 and then again in 1998.

So familiar is the former president with the historic venue, which is located in the heart of Belfast city, that he told General Manager, Andy McNeill: “I’m so glad to be back.”

“We were thrilled to welcome President Clinton

back to the Europa Hotel,” Mr McNeill said following their presidential visit. He was genuinely delighted to return and said it was good to see familiar faces,” he said.

“The atmosphere in the hotel was electric, guests were cheering and thanking him for everything he has done for Northern Ireland,” he added.

President Clinton and Martin Mulholland were reacquainted over the

Police make an arrest over theft of ATMs

POLICE officers have arrested a 29-year-old man over the attempted theft of three ATMs in County Antrim.

PSNI officers investigating the offences conducted a search last week during which the man was arrested.

ANTRIM

Criminal who shot friend accidentally is jailed

A CONVICTED killer who acted as a getaway driver in a killing that sparked a 10-year gangland feud in Limerick 23 years ago has been jailed for five years after accidentally firing a shotgun that injured his friend.

Paul Coffey, who has 100 previous convictions, pleaded guilty last month to the reckless discharge of a firearm and to possession of a firearm in circumstances.

weekend

“President Clinton and Hilary dined with friends and after their meal they asked to speak to our Executive Head Chef Kyle Greer as they really enjoyed the food.”

Given its prime central Belfast city location, The Europa Hotel has hosted many prestigious events over the years and looked after many of the celebrities and VIPs who visit Belfast.

Detective Inspector Lenaghan of the PSNI said detectives from Antrim CID conducted the search in the Randalstown area after following up reports about the thefts. DI Lenaghan said: “Sometime between 2am and 5am, police received reports that ATMs had been tampered with in the Dunhill Road area of Coleraine, Cushendall Road area of Ballymena and the Roguery Road area of Toomebridge.”

Det Insp Lenaghan added: “A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of three counts of burglary. He remains in police custody at this time.”

The PSNI are continuing their investigations and are continuing their enquiries.

At the Central Criminal Court, Mr Justice Paul Burns sentenced Coffey to six years in prison with the final 12 months suspended for three years in respect of the possession charge. The judge also sentenced Coffey to three years for the reckless discharge offence, to run concurrently.

LIMERICK

Coffey said he had been friends with Mr Alan Murphy, the victim of the shooting, for a long time and Mr Murphy, who was also questioned by gardai, confirmed that they had been friends since childhood.

Mr Murphy also told gardaí that on the day he was shot, he was trying to contact a person who owed him €30,000 but that person was not responding to his texts or calls.

The firearm was in Mr Murphy’s car, Mr Bowman said, and Coffey was “summoned to attend and remove the firearm and it went off”.

Neighbour of murdered Sophie puts house up for sale

THE neighbour who found Sophie Toscan du Plantier’s body outside her home in an isolated part of West Cork is putting her home on the market for the second time in two years.

The two-bathroom, two-bedroom farmhouse has gone up for sale with an asking price of €425,000. It was listed for €250,000 in 2021 but Cork Beo reports that substantial renovations have been carried out on the West Cork property in the last two years.

CORK

The home overlooking Toormoore Bay was originally owned by locals Shirley Foster and the late Alfie Lyons who found Sophie’s body on the laneway up to the house 26 years ago.

Mr Lyons claimed he introduced Ian Bailey to Sophie while he did some gardening work for him. Bailey in turn denied the introduction ever happened and said that he didn’t know Sophie. Ian Bailey, a journalist from Manchester who still lives locally near Schull, was arrested twice over the murder but never charged. He has always denied any involvement in Ms. Du Plantier’s killing, and has always maintained he never met her. A cold case review is currently being conducted by the gardaí. Local auctioneers say there is a huge amount of interest in the property and securing the asking price will present no difficulties.

DUP and Sinn Féin clash over flags issue

TWO local councillors have clashed over the flying of Irish tricolour flags in Newcastle, Co. Down over Easter.

The Down recorder reports that DUP councillor Alan Lewis said the “huge” tricolour flags along Newcastle Main Street disrupted tourism over the Easter break and damaged community relations. But the claims were refuted by Sinn Féin councillor Willie Clarke, who said the flags were put up for an Easter commemoration and then removed.

Cllr Lewis said the Orange Order had respected an unwritten understanding that flags are only flown in Newcastle on the day of any demonstration, such as the Twelfth of July.

“Given that Newcastle is one of South Down’s premier seaside towns, this has worked well as it doesn’t interfere with tourism or detract visitors,” he said.

“However, residents and business owners awoke... to find huge tricolour flags attached to lampposts in Newcastle’s Main Street.

“This is another example of republicans simply doing as they please and locals are aware of who put them up. Some of them own businesses and wouldn’t appreciate flags hung outside their own premises.

Newcastle is a mixed area and a tourist hotspot that shouldn’t be marked or claimed by any one side.”

Cllr Clarke defended the parade and flags being flown in Newcastle, saying that his party held a short annual parade in Newcastle every Easter Sunday, before the main commemoration in Castlewellan, He pointed out that there is significant republican and nationalist identity in South Down and beyond. He added that the removal of union jacks was much more of a priority as they fly all year round and damage community relations in nearby villages and towns.

Newwcastle, with a population of over 7,000 is predominantly Catholic – over 70 per cent, with a significant number identifying as Irish rather than British.

BELFAST

Bill Clinton Picture: Getty Images

MALROGERS Hard news the easy way

COMMENT&OPINION

Winging it

SOME US airlines are having to curtail flights because of a shortage of air traffic controllers.

A myth is as good as a mile

ABOOK by the historian Hugh Trevor-Roper The Invention of Scotland: Myth and History has rubbished some of Scotland’s fondest beliefs about itself. Trevor-Roper, who died in 2003, didn’t much like Scottish nationalism’s appeal to primitive tribal loyalties. He believed that ‘the whole history of Scotland has been coloured by myth’.

According to T-R, several legends poorly based in fact have shaped the self-image of our proud Celtic cousins. The kilt, says Mr Trevor-Roper, was devised by a Lancashire industrialist as a convenient form of dress for his Scottish employees, while the clan-based differentiation of the tartans was the invention of the Sobieski Stuarts.

These two brothers claimed to be the only legitimate grandsons of Bonnie Prince Charlie, with some royal Polish blood in there too.

These two ‘engaging charlatans’, as the author affectionately describes them, had actually been born John and Charles Allen, in Egham, Surrey.

Mr Trevor–Roper certainly has his supporters who believe the kilt, and therefore tartan, was a 19th-century socio-political invention, and largely bogus.

Certainly, a generation ago it was often seen as posh attire, the sort of garb a toff might wear at a toffish wedding.

It steadily made a comeback, however, and is a surprisingly

Howth hoedown

THE Féile Binn Éadair 2023 (May 19-21), free music festival yoke in Howth showcases the best in Irish roots and traditional music. Twenty seven free gigs and sessions across six venues around the village, if you please.

Headlining the festival is Iarla Ó Lionáird and Cormac McCarthy, so that’s reason enough itself to head from Howth.

Mind you, I’d say Howth is a place to reckon with any time.

An extra place is always laid at the dinner table in Howth Castle, the longest continuously inhabited castle in Ireland. And this is nothing to do with the on-site cookery school, the Kitchen in the Castle. The extra place long predates the culinary courses – in fact, it dates back to 1575. It seems that the pirate queen from Mayo, Grace O’Malley aka Gráinne Ní Mháille, sailed into Howth Harbour on her way back from paying a visit to the

Queen of England. She decided to pay a courtesy call on the 8th Baron Howth. But Grace was refused entry as the family were tucking into dinner. Mistake, Naturally enough she was outraged – no pirate likes to be snubbed, or indeed deprived of grub. She promptly seized the heir to the castle, the future Baron Howth, and took him off to Mayo.

Grace O’Malley’s ransom demands were straightforward enough – that the doors of Howth Castle should for evermore be open at mealtimes and that no one in search of food and shelter should be turned away; otherwise it was the end of the peer show.

The lord agreed, the young lad was returned, and the Howths and their ancestors have, according to legend, been as good as their word ever since.

But if you’re heading for Howth for the festival, I wouldn’t bank on getting your dinner there. Along the main straight are several fish and chip shops, cafes and bars which probably represent a better bet.

common attire in Scotland today. It’s also remarkably cosy. If you’re feeling it a bit parky round the Trossachs, the kilt will soon warm you up a bit.

And history does seem to be on the side of those who believe it is an ancient dress form of Scotland.

But to find out the truth of the matter, you need to head to the Victoria and Albert museum – not the one in South Kensington, but the incredible building on the banks of the Tay that houses V&A Dundee. Their current exhibition – running from this April to January 14, 2024 – focuses on tartan. They wax lyrical: “The instantly recognisable symbol of Scotland, a global textile of tradition, rebellion, oppression and fashion – tartan has connected and divided communities worldwide, inspiring great works of art as well as playful and provocative designs.”

From tartans worn by Bonnie Prince Charlie to that which adorned the Bay City Rollers – it’s all there; and of course no exhibition on tartan could leave out the Scottish shortbread tin.

But all the same, thank goodness Mr Trevor-Roper never turned his attention on Ireland. He might have attempted to debunk the one thing that most bona fide historians are agreed on: that Brian Boru’s men as they marched into battle against the Danes in 1014 held aloft the St Patrick’s coat of arms – a shamrock with the proud motto “How’s the craic?”

Flaky story

IS it possible that ice cream may be good for you?

An American public health investigator has revealed that studies over several decades seem to point in that direction.

In an article for the Atlantic magazine, David Merritt Johns said started looking into claims in a 2018 research report. by a Harvard doctoral student. He had found that eating half a cup (64g) of ice-cream a day was associated with a lower risk of heart problems for diabetics.

It would have to be said that medical opinion remains very divided over whether ice cream is good for you.

But this column offers you one fact. It’s from the BBC Archives, and pertains to Giussepe Morelli who came to Ireland around 1907 and established a café and ice cream parlour. From there his ice cream emoure spread across the North.

The headline in the BBC Archives reads: “Morelli’s ice cream founder dies: The founder of the famous Morelli ice cream brand in Portrush, Co. Antrim has died. He was 99.”

The Federal Aviation Authority has said that the shortage – with two out of every vacancies for ATCs being unfilled – could result in as many as 45 per cent of flights in North America being delayed.

But I’m not surprised they’re finding it hard to recruit staff. After all, air traffic controllers play a deadly video game which they just aren’t allowed to lose.

Cheesy story

SADLY, Joe Biden didn’t get a chance to hike in the Cooley Mountains when he made his visit to Carlingford last week. But he undoubtedly already knew about the legends and stories of the area. This is the home of one of the great European sagas, the Cattle Raid of Cooley (Táin Bó Cúailnge).

The Táin Trail begins in Carlingford and threads a spectacular route through the hinterland. Never mind your SatNav, you could still pick out bits of pathways from the 2,000-year-old tale. The legendary Queen Maeve was reputedly killed here when a lump of cheese hit her on the head. If only they’d packed the camembert.

Which reminds me, a story arrived in my inbox from Illinois. The sender told me of the bad injuries received by a wedding photographer when a huge lump of cheese fell on his head. “We were having a group shot, and we all tried to warn him, but he just ignored us and went on snapping.”

TARTAN TALES: A proud kilt wearer Picture: James F. Perry via Wikimedia Commons

JUST DESSERTS: Ice cream may be the healthy option

Picture: Lotus Head via WIkimedia Commons

The voice of the Irish in Britain since 1970

A courageous production

IT could be said that the actor Bryan Murray is not making a drama out of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s; but in fact that’s exactly what he is doing. He is taking the principal role in a unique theatrical experiment at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.

Bryan, who will likely be familiar to many Irish Post readers as Flurry Knox in the Irish RM series, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s about three years ago at the age of 70.

One of the many, and earliest symptoms of the disease is the loss of short-term memory. This, of course would normally be disastrous for any actor, and spell the end of their career.

But playwright Deirdre Kinahan created a new production An Old Song, Half Forgotten especially for him focusing on the problems of Alzheimer’s.

To overcome Bryan Murray’s memory loss, lines are fed to him via an earpiece by another actor. Bryan then extemporises on this.

Alzheimer’s is responsible for more than 60 per cent of all cases of dementia, but Bryan Murray has now shown that although is a cruel disease, it does not need to be totally debilitating. So often, those suffering from Alzheimer’s hide away – or are hidden away – but this actor has chosen to publicly declare he has contracted the disease. His course of action is bound to help those also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and show that it need not sentence them to total confinement.

We can only wish Bryan Murray and the production of An Old Song, Half Forgotten every success possible.

A redoubtable Irishman

THIS week we mark the anniversary of a voyage that never took place – the ship Antelope departing Bristol harbour with a passenger on board whose name echoes through English literature: Lemuel Gulliver.

Dublin man Jonathan Swift’s book Gulliver’s Travels is a satirical commentary on society, politics, and human nature, one of the most significant works of English literature. The novel shows how different societies, such as Lilliput, Brobdingnag, and Houyhnhnms, have their own unique ways of organising themselves and how these different systems can lead to vastly different outcomes for their citizens; often what might be called sub-optimal outcomes.

Swift’s themes have had a profound impact on English literature and have influenced many subsequent works, including George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World Oscar Wilde, Kurt Vonnegut and Mark Twain were also greatly informed by Swift’s work.

He can regarded as one of the greatest Irish people, and we are honoured to pay tribute to this Dublin man who made Britain his home.

Irish, American and British identity

THE British press came out firmly against Joe Biden and his claims to be Irish, belittling his claims to his ancestry and saying that he had as many forebears who were English as he has Irish ones. But, somewhat upsettingly, I also noted among Irish commentators a tendency to be sneering about Irish America and Irish Americans.

There is a tendency to look down on Irish Americans, particularly to look down on the second and third generations by my fellow Irish people. Which is odd given that there is hardly a family in Ireland that doesn’t have at least one close family member in the States or Canada.

But in Ireland if you play any song such as When Irish Eyes Are Smiling or I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen you’ll see the eyes roll. Even though, sung by Bing Crosby, another proud Irish American, they are beautiful masterpieces.

So, for the life of me I can’t see the difference between, for instance, Galway Bay and Galway Girl. Is there any difference in quality, or does it go deeper than that?

Galway Bay would be sneered at if you sung it at a festival or a seisún, yet Sharon Shannon and Steve Earle singing Galway Girl will get cheered to the rafters. Yet Earle, the author of Galway Girl is an American, whereas Galway Bay was written by an Irishman, Arthur Colohan.

So it’s not just the British press (more so than the British people) who were laughing and sneering at President Joe Biden as he claimed his rightful inheritance. It was many of the Irish-born too.

That, I think, is a great shame.

There’s another point that President Biden’s visit to Ireland pointed up. It prompted a good argument between Brits and the Irish about who had a more ‘special relationship’ with America.

It looks like as if Ireland won this time round.

When Barack Obama was in power, it was probably more likely that Britain was the winner then in the special relationship stakes

But of course the whole contest is pointless. Because the real special relationship is between Ireland and Britain, and doesn’t include America. It is enshrined in law by the Common Travel Area which predates the EU by a long chalk.

It is also cemented socially. Currently just under a million or so Irish-born people live in Britain. We work here, marry here – we often marry British people – and we raise our kids here.

There is also another point in this special relationship business. The British community is the biggest (or second biggest) group of non-Irish nationals living in

the Republic. They vie for the title with the Polish community. But it is over 100,000, which is a sizable proportion in a country of five million or so; it’s around two per cent. The British community is predominantly English, compared to Scots or Welsh.

So the special relationship, the social contacts between the British in Ireland and the Irish in Britain is solidly cemented.

And yet there is one huge difference between the Irish in Britain and the Irish in America.

The Irish who go to the US usually take on an American nationality relatively quickly. They regard themselves as Americans. Joe Biden calls himself Irish, but he knows he is an American first and foremost – and is proud of that. He is also an Irish American and proud of that too.

The Irish in Britain, however, never really become British. There isn’t a counterpart of Irish-British the way there is Irish-American. This contrasts with, say, Indian or Pakistani immigrants, for example, who proudly claim British nationality. I have worked with several British-born men with family ties mainly in Lahore, and they become quite vexed if it is suggested they are not British. This contrasts profoundly with

my Irish co-workers. Maybe it’s time to put a few things in action. My request to my fellow Irish people would be: stop sneering at Irish-Americans. My wish list for my fellow Irish-in-Britain citizens would be: learn to value the British, and accept that we are probably closer to them in almost every way than we are to any other nationality.

Michael Donnan Ilford

A different view on country music

I VERY much enjoyed your A-Z of Country Music (The Irish Post, April 22). The one thing however, that should be made clear, is the difference between country & Irish music and other forms of sub-genre or crossover types of music. For example Tex Mex, cajun music, zydeco, swamp rock, or what have you, are blends of country music with different types of folk music, whether it’s country music blended with Mexican music, or Black French music.

Country & Irish is not a blend of country music and Irish folk music or Irish traditional music. It is a blend of country music

with what might be called Irish showband music. That is why, in my opinion, it has no particular ‘sound’ and why it has never proved to be as globally popular as Ireland’s superstars of the traditional world.

Patsy Brennan London N8

Time to rethink the Grand National

SURELY it is time to ban the Grand National. The race this year claimed the lives of three horses. It is unnecessarily cruel. Either ban this horrific race, or reduce the fences to safe levels. Even better, make it a flat race. I believe that injuries – to both horses and jockeys – are far less prevalent in flat racing.

Retired jockey Robbie Power, according to a report in The Irish Post by Conor O’Donoghue said that the protesters who attempted to stop the Grand National at Aintree on Saturday were ‘irresponsible’.

Not so. It’s the people who organise the race, and those horse owners who allow their horses to take part in it, who are irresponsible.

Marion Court London N22

CONFIDENT IN THEIR IDENTITY: St Patrick’s Day in New York Picture: Getty Images

Editor reserves the right to edit all letters as applicable. Please keep your letters as brief as possible. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The Irish Post.

The forum of the Irish in Britain

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Lasting peace requires truth and justice

PRESIDENT Joe Biden, recently marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, spoke of how every person killed in the Troubles left “an empty chair at the dining room table and a hole in the heart that was never filled for the ones they loved”.

The impact of the 30 years of the conflict certainly left a gaping hole of grief in Irish society.

PAULDONOVAN

Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper. The Irish Post is published every Wednesday by Color Company (TM) Ltd.

The newspaper seeks to provide the Irish in Britain with comprehensive news coverage of Irish issues from Ireland and Britain, sports news and reviews, a weekly entertainment guide, reader feedback and features of interest to the Irish in Britain.

©2009 ISSN No. 0959-3748. The Irish Post Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the publishers. Newsagent distribution and printing by Trinity Mirror Printing Limited whose registered office is at One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5AP.

There were 3,600 lives lost over the decades of the conflict. Some 26 per cent of the population were identified as victims due to harm directly experienced or bereavement, according to the Northern Ireland Victims and Survivors Commission.

The population needs truth and justice if this open wound is to ever close.

This need became apparent to me back in the mid-1990s, as the armed conflict could be said to be drawing to a close.

Travelling for The Guardian newspaper across Ireland for the 25th anniversary of the conflict I met many who had suffered.

Sitting in John Kelly’s front room in Derry with the picture of Michael on the wall, it was clear life had stopped for the family on Bloody Sunday in 1972.

Now though, the British government seems to have decided to draw a line under the whole subject. The Troubles Bill would stop future prosecutions of perpetrators of murder, torture and other serious crimes committed during the period of the conflict

Michael was one of the 14 killed that day. Only justice would in any way help them find peace and move on.

The same feeling was evident with the families of those killed at the Dublin and Monaghan bombings in 1973.

The need for truth, justice and reconciliation kept recurring.

Unfortunately, this key issue always seemed to get kicked into the long grass with the peace process. There was a fear that any process would upset some section of the community, which seems to have become a mantra for doing very little.

The Historical Inquiries Team was set up to investigate unsolved murders. It did some good work between 2005 and 2014 but was then shut down.

The Stormont House Agreement of 2014 saw the establishment of the Historical Investigations Unit, Oral History Archive, Independent Commission on Information Retrieved and the Implementation and Reconciliation Group.

There was of course the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday, which provided a comprehensive report into what happened on that day.

It drew an apology from then prime minister David Cameron in 2010.

However, the efforts of

John Kelly and other relatives to secure convictions against the soldiers on that day have failed.

Soldier F was brought to court but the case collapsed.

Major issues such as collusion between state and paramilitaries has surfaced but never been addressed in full.

So, there has been a piecemeal attempt via a number of avenues, to address the legacy of suffering from the past

Now though, the British government seems to have decided to draw a line under the whole subject.

The Troubles Bill would stop future prosecutions of perpetrators of murder, torture and other serious crimes committed during the period of the conflict.

Amnesty International, victims groups, the Northern Ireland political parties, UN Special Rapporteurs and the UN Commissioner on Human Rights are among those opposing the Bill.

The Irish Government is considering taking the British Government to the European Court of Human Rights, if the Bill becomes law.

The Troubles Bill would also create a dangerous international precedent concerning conduct in future conflicts.

The drivers of this legis-

lation come from the right of the British political spectrum. Tory backbenchers, ex-military and police supported and amplified by the rabid right wing media.

The sight of ex-soldiers and police officers having to stand up in court to answer for what they have done angers these people.

Time to draw a line and push on with the project of organised forgetting. This cannot be allowed to happen. The attainment of truth and justice for the past is key to sustaining peace into the future. Failure to accept and reconcile to what happened in the past will mean that the problems could recur in the future.

Retaining and pursuing the rule of law is key to a peaceful future. Not only will a comprehensive process to address the wrongs of the past help those directly effected to move on with their lives, it will also create a more accurate picture of what went on over those decades of the Troubles. Simply sweeping the whole period under the carpet, as this legislation seeks to do, will deny justice to many, whilst also aiding the creation of a wider historical amnesia. In the long term it will serve no one on these islands well.

DEBATING CHAMBER:

The House of Commons in session

Picture: ©UK Parliament / Roger Harris

Gulliver’s Travels – a quick guide

ACCORDING to Dublin writer Jonathan Swift, on May 4th, 1699 Lemuel Gulliver, a ship’s surgeon sets sail on The Antelope from Bristol harbour on his first journey.

May the Fourth is today widely known as Star Wars Day, but of course no one said to Lemuel as the ship sailed out of port that spring morning headed initially for the South Seas, “May the Force be with you.” Instead his adventures and meetings “Into Several Remote Nations of the World” see him involved in various intrigues, fights and disputes – his misadventures become more calamitous and malignant as time goes on. He is shipwrecked, abandoned, then attacked by strangers, then attacked by his own crew.

Plot:

Lemuel Gulliver travels to strange places such as Brobdingnag and Lilliput to meditate on their ghastliness. But the self-important Gulliver fails to see that the terrible worlds he visits are entirely like his own. He embarks on four voyages in total.

Message:

We are all condemned to vanity, misanthropy, or at best indifference.

Is the message usually adhered to by film makers?

Rarely. Most feature wacky high jinks in Lilliput.

Inspiration:

It is claimed that the inspiration for Gulliver came from the profile of

‘Napoleon’s Nose’ on Cavehill in Belfast. (Jonathan served as vicar in Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim so would have known Belfast well)

Places visited:

Lilliput is the one that has entered popular imagination. Gulliver doesn’t seem to like it one bit: “I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth,” he announces.

Brobdingnag fares little better:

“The learning of this people is very defective; consisting only in morality, history, poetry, and mathematics, wherein they must be allowed to excel,” he says of the inhabitants.

A date with history

What happened on this day...

Saturday, April 29:

1769 – Birth in Dublin of Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, soldier, statesman, MP for Co. Meath and prime minister of Great Britain. (Most sources give a birth date of between April 29 and May 1)

1916 – Unconditional surrender of rebels in the GPO in Dublin.

Sunday, April 30:

1942 – Because of petrol rationing all private motoring in Ireland is banned; bicycle thefts soar overnight.

Monday, May 1:

1169 – A small party of Normans arrives at Baginbun and establishes a bridgehead for further invasions.

Example of Swift’s true political satire:

The war between the Big-Endians and the Little-Endians in Lilliput. The war is based on a reading from the holy book of Lilliput the Brundecral which states in no uncertain terms: That all true believers shall break their eggs at the convenient end. This is Swift at his best satirising the religious schism created by Henry VIII’s break with Rome, leading eventually to the English Civil War.

Words invented by Swift, which have entered the language:

The first name Vanessa, and the word ‘yahooo’ – the vicious disgusting creatures which Gulliver encounters in his fourth voyage.

Parts often left out of children’s books:

The Academy of Lagado’s attempts to “reduce human Excrement to its orginal Food.” The Academy’s plans to extract sunbeams from cucumbers is usually preferred.

What they thought then:

The novelist Thackeray thought the Travels were brilliant, but qualified this by saying it was “filthy in word, filthy in thought, furious, raging, obscene.” Voltaire hailed Swift as the

1854 – Birth in Roscommon of songwriter Percy French.

Tuesday, May 2:

1858 – Birth of Edith Somerville, one of the authors of Some Experiences Of An Irish R.M.

‘English’ Rabelais. Michael Foot (former leader of the Labour party) declared: “Everyone standing for political office in Dublin, the United States or London should have a compulsory examination in Gulliver’s Travels.”

George Orwell and Aldous Huxley were both influenced by the book.

What we think now:

A classic, described variously as a satire, a proto-science fiction and a forerunner of the modern novel. But it’s often mistaken for a children’s book.

What Swift would have made of this verdict:

He would have appreciated the bitter irony that Gulliver, which he wrote as a biting satire aimed at a depraved and miserable universe, has become a children’s story of Disneyland proportions.

MAY DAY

May Day is often associated with Morris men and dancing round the Maypole, but its roots stretch back into pre-Christian times. It is a festival which has been celebrated for millennia throughout Europe, not least in Ireland.

1879 – Birth of Maurice Walsh who wrote the short story The Quiet Man on which the film was based (left).

which the film was based (left).

1945 – Éamon de Valera offers his condolences to the German Ambassador, Edouard Hempel, on the death of Adolf Hitler.

Wednesday, May 3:

1785 – The Irish Academy meets for the first time.

1915 – Birth in Galway of novelist Walter Macken.

1924 – The world premiere of Sean O’Casey’s Juno And The Paycock at the Abbey Theatre.

Thursday, May 4:

1699 – According to Jonathan Swift’s book, Lemuel Gulliver sets sail on board the Antelope from Bristol.

Beltane, or Cétshamain as it was called in Ireland, was one of the four great festivals of the year and marked the beginning of the summer, or the ‘warm season’ as our ancestors optimistically called it. The festival marked the time of the year when the cattle were driven out to open grazing, a rite which was accompanied by the lighting of great bonfires - something which continued well into Christian times.

Our ancient forebears regarded May Day with a mixture of pleasure at the anticipation of summer, and also with superstition and fear because, just like Halloween, malign spirits could be out and about.

Fertility rites were also practised at this time of the year throughout Europe

May Day also has very melancholy associations for Ireland, marking as it does one of its blackest anniversaries - in 1169 a small party of Normans arrived at Baginbun and established a bridgehead for further invasions.

Irish R.M.

Jonathan Swift by Charles Jervas Picture: Public domain

SCHOOL’S IN FOR

The 51st Willie Clancy Summer School is now open for business and taking bookings Page 19

An old song, half forgotten

BRYAN Murray (73) is probably best known to most of the televisionwatching public as the lovable rogue Flurry Knox in The Irish RM series broadcast on Channel 4 in Britain. The highly successful show ran from 1983 to 1985, and established Murray as a major name on the airwaves.

Then, in a radical change of role he found himself being buried under the patio slabs of Brookside when he played the part of Trevor Jordache. Although he only appeared in eleven episodes of the hugely popular and highly-rated soap, he became a familiar face to many.

From a Dublin tenement childhood, Bryan Murray started his long career at the Abbey Theatre and it would be fair to say he has always been in demand, and has played a variety of roles over the decades. He co-created and co-devised the ITV series Perfect Scoundrels which ran for three years, and has co-written two musicals.

About three years ago Murray was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and has now made theatre history by returning to perform at the Abbey while suffering himself from the disease.

As he has no short term memory, he can’t learn scripts effectively. So his career was over until playwright Deirdre Kinahan created a new production, An Old Song, Half Forgotten especially for him. It highlights the many problems and vicissitudes associated with Alzheimer’s.

Bryan Murray is now able to take to the stage he loves with his lines being fed to him through an earpiece by another actor, Darragh Feehely. This means Bryan can play the role of James O’Brien, a veteran actor with Alzheimer’s, in this courageous theatrical experiment.

This technique has never been tried before and effectively each production for Bryan it is a new and fresh performance — he has no memory of the script and will react to and interpret the off-stage prompts as he hears them on the night.

It’s basically a first night every night; indeed, winging it every time.

Bryan is being supported with this unique project not just by his co-actor Matthew Malone, playing his younger, on-stage alter ego, but

also by director Louise Lowe, who keeps any delay between the actors as brief as possible.

Bryan Murray has the daunting challenge of taking in the lines and then using his innate proven acting skills to convincingly express the sentiment in a natural flow for the audience.

This experiment is also being supported by the entire team at the Abbey Theatre, and, crucially by his partner the actor Una Crawford O’Brien.

I became friends with Bryan on location when producing the music

We opened last night and it was fantastic. We got a standing ovation at the end...

for The Irish RM series and he was playing the incorrigible character Flurry Knox. He later hosted another of my projects, the video A Song for Ireland

Although we had not spoken for a while we talked of about this project as well as The Irish RM, working with Beryl Reid and Peter Bowles.

Speaking about his current show, he said: “We opened last night and it was fantastic. We got a standing ovation at the end... amazing, an uproar. At the very end of that we went out to the bar and found that most of the people who were in the theatre were actually waiting in the bar to have a drink and chat with me and all the rest of us. It was great. Deirdre Kinahan knows my situation. She has written it so well; she’s remarkable.

“It doesn’t stay with you for a full day, Alzheimer’s. You find a couple of moments, three or four moments in a day, when you got Alzheimer’s – that’s the reason I have to find out where does that bus come from, or stuff like that. And you just have to work that out. It’s not really pleasant to have, but it’s not the end of the world.”

 An Old Song, Half Forgotten runs until May 6 at The Abbey Theatre, Dublin www.abbeytheatre.ie

Michael J McDonagh

In a new play by Deirdre Kinahan, veteran Irish actor Bryan Murray tackles the subject of Alzheimer’s – a condition the actor himself is now diagnosed with

MEMORABLE PERFORMANCES: Main picture – Matthew Malone, left, and Bryan Murray in An Old Song, Half Forgotten; Inset above – Bryan Murray in his younger days and, right, with Una Crawford-O’Brien at the Alzheimer’s Tea Day 2023 fundraiser (Picture: RollingNews.ie)

Irish radio in your area...

BEDFORDSHIRE

 Jim Carway presents Luton Irish Live on Diverse 102.8FM and online every Tuesday evening 6-8pm. Contact Jim on 07977 063233.

BRADFORD

 Joe Sheeran presents Echoes of Ireland on Bradford Community Broadcasting 106.6FM every Sunday at noon. The programme is repeated on Mondays at 9am and Wednesdays at noon and is online at www.bcbradio.co.uk.

BRIGHTON

 Brighton and Hove weekly Irish radio airs live on Mondays from 8pm on Radio Reverb, 97.2 FM, DAB and online.

COVENTRY

 Hands Across the Waters on Hillz FM. Broadcasting live every Monday and Thursday 1pm-2pm and the best of Irish & Country every Sunday 1pm-2pm. You can tune in locally on 98.6fm or catch us online at www.hillzfm.co.uk

 Join The Four Country Road Show with Colm Nugent and Michael Gallagher every Tuesday 9-10pm and Sunday 2-4pm. Broadcasting live in Coventry from the studios of Radio Plus 101.5fm and online around the world on www.radioplus.org.uk playing the very best in Irish and Country music, news, guests and more.

GLASGOW

 Celtic Music Radio on 1530AM and www.celticmusicradio.net

featuring Paddy Callaghan’s Trad with Pad every Tuesday from 6-7pm.

HERTFORDSHIRE

 Radio Verulam 92.6FM and online at www.radioverulam.com

featuring The Emerald Hour with Kathy Weston, Lydia El-Khouri and Shane every Thursday from 7-8pm, and John Devine’s Traditional Irish Music Show, featuring Joe Giltrap, every Monday from 7-9pm (available on the website for seven days after broadcast)

 John Devine, Monday evenings from 7-9pm on Radio Verulam in West Hertfordshire 92.6FM or through the internet at www. radioverulam.com. Facebook www.facebook.com/rvirishmusic.

LONDON/SOUTH-EAST

 Johnny Jameson hosts Ireland’s Eye on Resonance 104.4FM every third Wednesday of every month, 8-9pm and repeated the following morning at 10pm.

 Emily Horgan, Pippa T and Róisín O Rourke broadcasting What’s the Craic? every Tuesday from 7-8pm on West London’s ONFM 101.4.

 Johno’s Irish Hour, ONFM 101.4, every Saturday morning from 10-11am with presenter John O’Sullivan. Anything and everything Irish including traditional Irish music, news and sport.

MANCHESTER

 Out and About in Manchester with Martin Logan, Wednesdays 7-9pm on 96.9FM.

 The Irish Connection Show with John Lowry on Wythenshawe 97.2FM, Saturday from 10am to noon. www.wfmradio.org.

MIDLANDS

 Bob Brolly’s Irish Show, Sundays 4-7pm on BBC Radio WM 95.6FM and DAB Radio.

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE

 Jim Bennett, Fiona Clelland and Tommy McClements present NE1 Irish from 5-7pm every Wednesday on 102.5FM or www.ne1fm.net. Text NE1 + message to 60300. Contact 0191 261 0384.

OXFORD/BERKSHIRE

 BBC Radio Oxford/BBC Radio Berkshire hosts Henry Wymbs’ Irish Eye, Sundays from 2pm on 95.4FM | 104.1FM.

ONLINE

 Gerry Byrne’s Irish Radio: www.irishradio.org 24/7 non-stop Irish Music. Live weekdays 1-3pm; Saturdays & Sundays 11am-1pm. Podcasts uploaded to website immediately after shows are transmitted. Requests welcome to: gerry@irishradio.org. For music, arts, charity sector, commerce and current affairs interviews search YouTube Irish Radio with Gerry Byrne.

 Mid West Radio, the home of Irish music, chat, news, culture and gossip 24 hours a day! www.midwestradio.ie

 RTÉ Radio operates four primary national stations — RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2fm, RTÉ lyric fm and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta — and seven exclusively digital stations — RTÉ Radio 1 Xtra, RTÉ Choice, RTÉ Pulse, RTÉ Chill, RTÉ Gold, RTÉ 2XM and RTÉ Junior, available online.

 Alan O’Leary of Copperplate presents two hours of Irish traditional and folk music every Sunday at 8-9.30pm (repeated Wednesday 8-90pm) on www.liveireland.com — 24/7 live Irish trad and folk. It can also be heard 24/7 on Mixcloud, Soundcloud and Podomatic.

 All Folked Up – a folk show with an Irish influence – is broadcast on the third Thursday of the month on sarumradio.com at 7pm.

 Irish Country Music Radio (Limerick) – Broadcasting live and recorded programmes 24 hours a day covering a broad spectrum of Irish music: www.irishcountrymusicradio.com.

THE IRISH IN THE UK TV SHOW www.theirishintheuktv.com

Join Martin each week as he meets the community around the UK with an Irish connection

Every Thursday evening at 7.30pm

Repeated Sat at 8.30pm and Tues at 1pm

Sky 186 Freesat 161

Martin Logan 07808 573142 martinloganmanchester@gmail.com

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McSweeney shines in captivating revival of Dancing at Lughnasa

OUT AND ABOUT MANCHESTER RADIO SHOW

96.9 ALL FM Wednesday, 7-9PM with MARTIN

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T: 0161 248 6767 | M: 07706 682622

E: outandaboutmanchesterradio@yahoo.co.uk

DANCING AT LUGHNASA: Siobhán McSweeney (Maggie), Bláithín Mac Gabhann (Rose), Louisa Harland (Agnes), Justine Mitchell (Kate) & Alison Oliver (Chris Right – Siobhán McSweeney as Maggie and Ardal O’Hanlon as Jack in Dancing at Lughnasa

SIOBHÁN McSweeney leads a stellar cast in a captivating revival of Dancing at Lughnasa which opened in London this week.

Brian Friel’s 1990 Olivier Awardwinning play has been brought delightfully back to life at the National Theatre – where a superbly cast ensemble extracts its humour and emotion with gusto on a thoughtfully designed set.

A raft of famous faces are to be found in this production, which is directed by Josie Rourke.

McSweeney, of Derry Girls fame, plays Maggie, the second in command of the family of five Mundy sisters who live together in a rural Donegal home just outside the town of Ballybeg.

The Cork native’s wit and impeccable comic timing truly shine in this play, where Maggie is the glue that tries - ultimately in vain - to hold the sisters together and keep their spirits lifted as the

world that they know slowly transforms around them.

Fellow Derry Girls

Louisa Harland is also in on the action, as the quiet yet formidable Agnes.

She is the main carer and confidante for her more vulnerable younger sibling Rose, who is played equally sensitively by Cork-born Bláithín Mac Gabhann. When we meet these women it is 1936 and life in Ireland is changing.

The appearance of a giant radio in their kitchen, affectionately named ‘Marconi’ by the sentimental sisters, confirms it.

It keeps cutting out, but the message is clear, the future is calling and the Mundy women should really prepare themselves. But they are oblivious to the call as it is harvest time.

They instead spend their days longing for one last dance at the Lughnasa festival and joking about the lack of men in their lives.

And as they dance and sing along with Marconi, while fulfilling their daily roles in and around the house, they are unaware that they are living on the edge of a precipice and that soon their lives would change forever.

religiously devout sisters.

Another familiar face is Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, the RADAtrained actor who first rose to fame in RTÉ’s Love/Hate series.

Vaughan-Lawlor plays Michael, the son of the fifth sister, Chris (Alison Oliver) – an unmarried mother with a part-time boyfriend who seldom visits.

There are exceptional, full-bodied performances at every turn in this play, but none elicits as many belly laughs from the audience as McSweeney’s, whose delightful depiction of the cheeky yet caring Maggie is enthralling to watch.

Running a close second in the humour stakes is Dublin-native Justine Mitchell, of Conversations with Friends fame, whose portrayal of the family matriarch, eldest sister Kate, shows her to be eloquently effective at landing a punchline. Mitchell’s perfectly pitched take on Friel’s hard-working, God-fearing schoolteacher is both hilarious and depressing all at once – as the audience knows a time is coming that Kate, as likable as she is, is simply not suited for. A further familiar face comes in the form of Co. Monaghan native Ardal O’Hanlon, who is no stranger to screen or stage – and who also starred in the Channel 4 hit Derry Girls

O’Hanlon is effectively eccentric as the only Mundy brother, Jack – a priest who returns from 20 years spent as a missionary in Uganda with notions about pagan rituals and secular ceremonies that are unwelcome among his

Clever positioning by Rourke sees

Clever positioning by Rourke sees Michael narrate the whole tale as an adult, nostalgically looking back on the “best summer of his life”, when he was aged just seven, before everything changed.

Although few and far between, Vaughan-Lawlor’s heart-piercing monologues are emotionally charged and cause a necessary halt to the hilarity enjoyed elsewhere in the play.

It is he who offers the truth, the back story and the hidden scenes which tell the audience what sadness has blighted the lives of his mother and his aunties in years gone by and the unfortunate fate that will eventually befall the women who jointly raised him.

that will eventually befall the women

Such drama and emotion build with each scene in Rourke’s production.

And it’s all superbly supported by Robert Jones’ stunning set –complete with the traditional Irish furniture that one would expect to find in the Mundys’ Donegal home, and a meticulously designed rural landscape surrounding it.

From the set to the cast and the many, many laughs, there is so much to enjoy in this production.

But what will stay with me longest is the dancing.

Particularly one splendid scene which saw a rousing piece of traditional Irish music move the five Mundy sisters to let go of their fears and the restrictions society had placed upon them and simply have a good old dance on and around the kitchen table.

In there somewhere is a message

In there somewhere is a message that remains as relevant for us all today as it was for Friel’s Mundy women.

 Dancing at Lughnasa runs at the National Theatre until May 27. For tickets or further information visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Fiona Audley

From the set to the cast and the many, many laughs, there is so much to enjoy in this production. But what will stay with me longest is the dancing

Siobhán McSweeney as Maggie in Dancing at Lughnasa at the National Theatre

Picture: Johan Persson

star

Ireland is changing. calling and the Mundy women they religiously devout sisters.

Bláithín Mac Gabhann as Rose

Picture: Johan Persson

Drama focuses on historic fight against apartheid

ARDENT Theatre’s Strike!, a play based on the inspirational story of the 1980s Dunnes stores antiapartheid strike in Ireland has now opened at Southwark Playhouse and runs until May 6.

The Dunnes Store strike was one of the most pivotal protests of the anti-apartheid movement outside of South Africa, to audiences in the capital.

Strike! tells the story of the famous walkout by staff members between 1984-87.

The strike followed the actions of Mary Manning, an employee who refused to sell a South African grapefruit to a store customer. She was subsequently suspended by management. The strike lasted until April 1987 when the Irish government banned the import of South African goods.

The three-year long Dunnes Stores dispute, which ran from 1984 to 1987 has become

significant both in the memory of Irish trade unionism and in the history of the global civil society movement against apartheid in South Africa.

The strike began with a walk out by a handful of young, women and one man. The employees staged their industrial action from Dunnes’ Stores in Dublin in July 1984, after Mary Manning, a 21-year-old cashier and trade

unionist refused to handle a South African grapefruit. This ultimately resulted in Ireland becoming the first country in the world to ban the importation of South African goods.

Full of passion and humour, Strike! is the true story of the hardships and personal sacrifices, the friendships and camaraderie these young people experienced as they stood up for what they

believed in. As their understanding of the suffering under apartheid in South Africa and the politics within their own government deepened, they began a journey that would change their lives, and Ireland, forever.

To begin with the strike garnered little support, but it slowly grew. They were hugely encouraged when Archbishop Desmond Tutu met with the

strikers on his way to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He invited them to visit South Africa. Eight of the strikers travelled to South Africa in 1985, but were not permitted to enter the country.

Nelson Mandela made Ireland the first European country to visit following his release and met with the women, thanking them personally, saying their actions helped to keep him going while in prison and ultimately he said, led to the fall of the apartheid regime in South Africa. They were subsequently invited and attended Mandela’s funeral in 2013.

These were young, workingclass women had little idea how big their action would be and they had a limited understanding of world affairs in general when they began their dispute, but this quickly changed and they became very well informed with exiled South African speaking with them and supporting them. It was such an incredibly brave response by these women, which resulted in huge changes not just in Ireland but across the world.

With a cast of 13, this is quite a large number of actors for a fringe show but the company has crowdfunded the show with money from various pots including the heritage lottery fund and significant contributions from celebrity donations.

The strike has also been celebrated in song by both Ewan MacColl and Christy Moore.

 Southwark Playhouse, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD

www. southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Catriona Gray

Strike! Picture: RollingNews.ie / Design by Sean Longmore

A South African grapefruit starts something that takes nearly three years to resolve. The incident in a Dublin store leads to industrial action by a handful of brave workers to help the fight against apartheid. The episode has now been dramatised in the play Strike!, staged at the Southwark Playhouse, London

Doireann May White (Vonnie)

Mensah Bediako (Nimrod) Anne O’Riordan Sheila Moylette (Anna) Chloe O’Reilly (Mary Manning)

Full of passion and humour, Strike! is the true story of the hardships and personal sacrifices, the friendships and camaraderie these young people experienced as they stood up for what they believed in

WILLIE CLANCY SCHOOL NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION

The 51st Willie Clancy Summer School in Co. Clare in July, one of the biggest traditional music events in Europe, has now opened for booking

IN the early 1970s two young men in Co. Clare, Muiris Ó Rócháin and Harry Hughes, were deeply impressed and influenced by the genius of a musician called Willie Clancy. He was a gifted uilleann piper, whistle player and singer, and travelled round the country spreading the word about the piping tradition. In the early 1970s uilleann piping was not the ubiquitous discipline it is today.

Willie even journeyed to Belfast in 1971, during one of the worst years of violence in the North, to give a concert at the McMordie Hall — at the request of a Presbyterian uilleann piper and teacher, Wilbert Garvin.

Willie Clancy’s spell was cast far and wide, but of course it was in his home in west Clare where his presence was most felt.

Despite not actually being musicians themselves, Muiris Ó Rócháin and Harry Hughes enjoyed the company of Willie and his fellow musicians in Miltown Malbay so much that they spread the word about the burgeoning traditional scene in the town, especially centred round Friel’s pub. But they didn’t just leave it at that.

In A Touchstone of Tradition by Tony Kearns and Barry Taylor, the story of how the Willie Clancy Summer School came into being is told in an engaging and informative way.

The odyssey began just shortly after Willie’s sudden death in January 1973. The

local people wanted to honour the retiring, laid-back man who had been at the centre of their town’s musical activities.

The annual week of workshops was seen as a fitting memorial to Willie, one which would provide a teaching environment for all traditional instrumentalists.

Having said that, of those attending “Willie Week” the largest category are fiddlers – as many as 500 of ‘em – but the pipes are seen as the spiritual lynchpin of a week of events, sessions and workshops which also include dancing and sean nós singing. Na Piobairí Uilleann, the pipers’ association, leave their Dublin headquarters in Henrietta Street for the entire week, and relocate in Clare. And the shadow of not only the Clancy chanter inspires those who journey to Clare, but that of Seamus Ennis as well. The pair’s legendary duets are still the stuff of legend in these parts.

The Willie Clancy week runs from July 1 to July 9, but registration has now opened, and it’s essential if you want to take part in any of the workshops, lectures, concerts, set dances, talks or classes.

Céilís take place nightly from 9.30pm to 1am at the Mill Marquee. They feature the Brian Ború, Kilfenora, Tulla, and Four Courts céilí bands, and the Abbey Trio.

Tuition is available in traditional singing, banjo, accordion, concertina, fiddle, flute, harmonica, harp, dance, whistle, and uilleann pipes.

The range of talks and lectures is wide, covering all the nooks and crannies of Irish music, and its significance not just in Ireland but throughout Europe.

This year’s Breandán Breathnach Memorial Lecture, the keynote talk, on July 1 will be given by Belfast fiddle player Conor Caldwell, a lecturer in Irish traditional music at the University of Limerick Conor will be expounding his views in a talk called “Against Christianity, learning and the spirit of nationality – Jazz and Irish Traditional Music in the Early Twentieth Century’.

Each year the Willie Clancy school honours a musician with a special tribute. This year ist is the tin whistle player Mary Bergin. Born in Shankill, Co. Dublin, she won many awards in Oireachtas and Fleadh Ceoil competitions and moved to An Spidéal, Co. Galway in the early 1970s where she played with Dé Danann. She also played with Ceoltoirí Laighean and was a cofounder of the Green Linnet Céilí Band.

Bergin issued the classic solo albums Feadóga Stáin (1979) and Feadoga Stáin 2 (1992) and has published two volumes of her Irish Tin Whistle Tutorial and is currently working on the third and final volume. In 1989, with Kathleen Loughnane and Dearbhail Standún, she formed the group Dordán, which received a National Entertainment Award in 1993.

Gigs featuring particular instrument, including harp, fiddle, uilleann pipes, whistle, flute, banjo, accordion, concertina and harmonica will take place each evening

An opening concert on Sunday, July 2 features TG4 Gradam Ceoil award winners

On July 8, the Ceolchoirm Chuimhneacháin Muiris Ó Rócháin (Muiris Ó Rócháin Memorial Concert) will take place at the Community Centre from 7pm to 10pm and will be presented by Muireann Ní Dhuigneáin.

Online registration is now open and the cost for a full week of tuition is €150, which includes all classes, workshops, lectures and evening recitals.

 www.scoilsamhraidhwillie clancy.com.

Síle Friel tuning up before performing at the 2013 uilleann pipes recital

Picture: Tony Kearns

Tommy McCarty (foreground) a well known face at London seisúns, taking a concertina class at the WIllie Clancy School in the 1980s Picture: Liam McNulty

Gleeson starring in Miller classic

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is coming to London’s National Theatre with Brian Gleeson in the lead role of John Proctor

THE National Theatre in London has confirmed Brian Gleeson will take the lead role of John Proctor when its take on Arthur Miller classic The Crucible transfers to the West End.

From Dublin, and part of the Gleeson performing dynasty that includes his father Brendan Gleeson – of Banshees of Inisherin fame – and brother Domhnall, Brian is no stranger to the stage or the screen.

The actor featured in the likes of silver screen hits Tiger Raid, Assassin’s Creed and Snow White and the Huntsman, and has taken regular roles in a range of television series, including Love/ Hate, Peaky Blinders, Frank of Ireland and Sharon Horgan’s Apple TV hit Bad Sisters

In June he will take to the boards at London’s Gielgud Theatre to star in the highly anticipated West End transfer of director Lyndsey Turner’s acclaimed production of The Crucible Miller’s tale centres around a witch hunt which emerges in the town of Salem.

Raised to be seen but not heard, a group of young women suddenly find their words have a terrible power – but as a

climate of fear spreads through the community, private vendettas fuel public accusations and soon the truth itself is on trial.

With set design by Es Devlin, the contemporary new staging of Miller’s gripping parable of power and its abuse enjoys a limited run in the West End from June 7 until September 2.

Gleeson stars alongside Caitlin Fitzgerald of Succession and Masters of Sex fame, as Elizabeth Proctor, and Ron Cook, who has starred in Hot Fuzz and Mr Selfridge, as Giles Corey.

These three join the

previously announced Milly Alcock, of House of the Dragon, as Abigail Williams.

The large cast further includes Christopher Birch, Lucy Brindle, Grace Farrell, Chyna-Rose Frederick, Miya

CROSSWORD

No.

James, Ebony Jonelle, Tama Phethean, Amy Snudden, Nia Towle and Samuel Townsend among others.

n www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Fiona Audley

Clues Across

1. Scoop crime up with this scientific instrument. (10)

6. Wartime food or unwanted email.

(4)

10. The Devil. (5)

11. Perplexed, but feisty ‘mid confusion. (9)

12. Implore. (7)

15. The lawyer gets old material for the neck. (5)

17. Pimples. (4)

18. Male deer over five years old. (4)

19. Roman goddess of agriculture.

(5)

21. Study an air-pipe where the nuns live. (7)

23. Pearl could be less colourful. (5)

24. The largest continent. (4)

25. Ring Wesley when one is in debt. (4)

26. Pitch them when you go camping. (5)

28. This day of the week might stay due. (7)

33 & 34. Revolving firework. (9,5)

35. Team. (4)

36. Sounds like the explosive went off in the shade. (6,4)

Barry book soon to be onscreen

AN Irish cast of Kerry actor Michael Fassbender, Ruth Negga (who has Irish and Ethipian nationality), and Domhnall Gleeson

from Dublin star in Night Boat to Tangier, adapted from the book of the same name by Kevin Barry, reports Hollywood news website Deadline.

The book, and film, is set in Spain and Ireland. The action follows Maurice and Charlie (Fassbender and Gleeson) a colourful pair of Irish criminals.

According to Deadline, the drug-smugglers have a long shared history of violence. In Night Boat to Tangier they’re back in Andalucía revisiting old haunts, old flames and dangerous local criminals, searching for Maurice’s estranged daughter.

“Night Boat to Tangier is perfect for today’s market. A whipsmart and pacy gangster movie with fantastic, memorable characters played by some of the best actors around & directed by one of the finest directors. We look forward to working with this wonderful team,” Carl Clifton of Hyde Park studio told Deadline

Oscar nominee Negga takes on the role of Cynthia, the brains behind their schemes.

The synopsis for the book reads: “In the dark waiting room of the ferry terminal in the sketchy Spanish port of Algeciras, two aging Irishmen – Maurice Hearne and Charlie Redmond, longtime partners in the lucrative and dangerous enterprise of smuggling drugs – sit at night, none too patiently,” the summary reads.

The book was long-listed for the Booker. The film is currently in production on location.

Grainne Conroy

Clues Down

1. Fruit of the oak, beech, chestnut etc, scattered over mats. (4)

2. Great church. (9)

3. Imperial weight measure. (5)

4. Funny part of the dotcom I created. (5)

5. Nuisance. (4)

7. Previous kind of abbot. (5)

8. Island off the east coast of Africa. (10)

9. Cut up for anatomical investigation. (7)

13. Reverberate. (4)

14. Her vats can contain the yield. (7)

16. Make kindling to provide an alternative to cutlery. (10)

20. Here in Galway, get Mr. Kemp an article on meat. (9)

21. Traverses. (7)

22. With which we breathe and smell. (4)

27. Observed that one is someone other than the editor. (5)

29. Overturn. (5)

30. Seamstress who helps in waste disposal? (5)

31. Beach associated with Venice. (4)

32. Run away from. (4)

Sudoku requires no calculation or arithmetic skills. It is a game of placing numbers in squares using very simple rules of logic and deduction. It can be played by children and adults. Simply fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9. However each number can appear only once on each row, column and 3x3 box. Answer next week.

Actress Ruth Negga

Caitlin Fitzgerald, above, and Brian Gleeson, right, will star in the Arthur Miller classic

The language of Ireland’s farmers

Vet and author AUSTIN DONNELLY looks at local terms for farm animal ailments across the country

IF your bullock needed a jag to help clear a cough, in Co. Armagh that would mean he needed an injection. If a farmer in Co. Galway was concerned such a cough might spread from one beast to another, he might call his vet and ask “is it taken?” While in Tipperary in the same circumstances a farmer might inquire –“is the cough smitten or smittle?”

Meanwhile in Co. Kerry a beast that has gone back in her ‘male’ would mean she is off her food. In Co. Monaghan if a farmer rang to say they had crossed their dog over, that would mean their dog had been in an accident with their car!

Here we look at some more of the local phrases and terms found for animal conditions around Ireland. Depending on what part of the country you are in, your cow’s udder may be called a bag in the midlands, an elder in Ulster, or a dug in Tipperary and Cork, and if she were to have the misfortune of damaging one of her teats in Co. Meath

long and not progressing they would say, Sshe’s been caking a while.”

and surrounds, the farmers would report she has a bad spin.

If your ewe had a prolapse of her cervix prior to lambing, in county Galway they say she has her reed out, while in county Longford she would be said to have her lew out.

This ewe would be suffering from red ball in county Kerry, have her rose out in county Offaly, while in the counties of Wicklow and Wexford she would have her bairn out. When it’s time for the ewe to lamb and she’s made a start, in Co.

Kildare the farmers say, she is sick to lamb and if she was at it a bit too

A cow that is in heat and ready to visit a bull, is said to be bulling in Co. Kerry, is gone to dairy in the midlands, is looking away in Ulster and in Co. Leitrim she would have a case of the rambles. A follow up pregnancy test of this cow a couple of months after such a visit, in the north and west of the country is termed – to dip her. Similar terms for being in heat can be used for a mare, but in Co. Clare you would also hear it said, the mare is fierce anxious, or she is horsing. While out cappin your cattle, an old phrase that refers to getting helpers to stand in and block gaps as cattle are moved from one field to another, you may discover a beast that is having a bit of difficulty walking. One of the causes of this could be an infection between the hooves known in Clare and Limerick as foot rot and widely known in other areas, as foul in the foot. In Tyrone, Antrim and Derry the terms scald, thrush, rough foot or founder

are heard for this condition. Note also that a beast with a founder in parts of the north can refer to having a bad chest, so the distinction between chest founder and foot founder would be needed. In the summer months cattle out in the meadows grazing can get a sore teary eye from an infection carried by flies. This is widely known as pink eye but in mid Ulster it’s forest disease and in Co. Galway, pearl eye. In Westmeath and Clare this condition is termed new forest eye whereas the expression, one eye cold is used by farmers in Co. Dublin.

Ketosis is a condition seen in some dairy cows that are producing a lot of milk but not getting enough energy in their food to keep up. A cow that is suffering ketosis will have a sweet smell on her breath. Such a cow would be said to have sugar deficiency in Carlow, Cavan, Tipperary, Fermanagh and Waterford. She would have sweet breath in counties Clare, Derry, Limerick

Tyrone and Kildare while she’d be suffering smelly breath in Co. Waterford, diabetes in Co. Laois, sour stomach in Co. Limerick and have a case of the slow fever in Co. Wicklow. In the next article we will look at a mix of the magico-religious, herbal and folklore-based remedies for animal ailments. Got any more local animal terms or phrases? Please email to animaltales19@ gmail.com

Tyrone and Kildare while she’d Depending on what part of the country you are in, your cow’s udder may be called a bag in the midlands, an elder in Ulster, or a dug in Tipperary and Cork

With special thanks to the farmers and vets who contributed phrases for this article.

 Austin Donnelly is the author of a memoir on his international work as a veterinarian, Whiskers, Feathers & Fur: Veterinary Tales All details of how to get a copy are available at https:// austindonnellywrites.wordpress. com/whiskers-feathers-and-furveterinary-tales/ on Austin’s blog.

SHEPHERD’S DELIGHT A shepherd at work, Glenshane Country Farm, Co. Derry Picture: Courtesy of Tourism Ireland

TRAVEL

Edited by Mal Rogers

Essex’s understated charm

at one of the three tranquil Bullocks Farm Fieldbarns, which are nestled in countryside just 10 minutes from Stansted Airport and provide a spacious, very modern and wellequipped base (even offering a romantic log burner) from which you can tour the area at any time of year.

FIRST a confession: after more than two decades in East Anglia, I never bothered to venture down the A12 to Essex, which had always seemed a depressing delta of mudflats bordered by greasy spoon seafronts inhabited by ne’er do wells with squeaky voices and evil intent.

How misinformed I was. A few days spent in sunny Southendon-Sea and then heading up-county to the rolling green-felt fields and thatched medieval villages of North Essex and I became a penitent with many apologies to make.

The county, where England’s best landscape painter John Constable produced great works like The Hay Wain and Dedham Mill, has so much that remains as chocolate-box-picturesque as it was in his 19th century heyday. It is also packed with fine eateries, ancient pubs, fascinating museums and friendly people (with hardly a fake Burberry handbag in sight).

So, over five glorious days my partner and photographer Sue Mountjoy found several gems.

Forget Southend’s dodgems and the amusement arcades on the central seafront, where every inch of beach is rammed with sunbed-hogging Londoners in August. In either direction we found delightful alternatives, with miles of empty sand backed by majestic beach huts eastward along the ‘millionaire row’ of Thorpe Bay, whilst to the west we wandered through the delightful independent shops of Leigh-on-Sea as well as the cockle sheds, historic inns and cobbled streets of Old Leigh

fishing village.

Further along the coast, we headed for Canvey Island, which was a hotbed of rock music in the 1970s boasting homegrown outfits like Eddie and the Hot Rods and Dr Feelgood. We were able to follow a Feelgood trail, from the Canvey Club which provided the cover for the Sneakin Suspicion album to the Lobster Smack Inn where the band’s guitarist and singer songwriter Wilko Johnson launched his autobiography. Ah, nostalgia.

And then there was the amazing accommodation. We stayed at the four-star boutique Roslin Beach Hotel, on Thorpe Bay, which was a revelation due to its bright and lively Miami South Beach-style interiors, as well as its friendly and unstuffy atmosphere, great food and wide sea views.

It was there we came across Jacqui Dallimore the managing director, who has been at the hotel for the past 17 years and has an amazing story about her upbringing. Born to an unmarried Limerick mother who

bravely left Ireland to give birth in a London convent, Jacqui was adopted six weeks later by a Southend couple “who were the best parents in the world,: she says proudly, and, as well as having two of their own sons, always called her “their special little Irish girl”.

Nowadays, the former travel agent says she loves having Irish guests - some of whom, she recounts, have spent all night in the bar during wedding parties, claiming they were ‘waiting up to wave off granny when she left in the morning””.

Before ending our two days in the resort, we had to take the bracing walk along Southend Pier, the world’s longest at 1.34 miles, and the scene of several boat crashes, storms and fires since it was constructed in 1830. At the end is the lifeboat station, a decent chip shop and the Pier Railway terminus, which saved us from taking the windy slog back.

Next day, after a hearty Roslin Beach breakfast, we headed north for a taste of inland Essex, close to Constable country and three nights

On the way there, we meandered through the beautiful Crouch Valley to stop off at New Hall Vineyards, which has been growing vines and making English wine for 50 years in an area which even served the historic toasts for the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215.

Forget the cheesy cocktails and Liquid Diamond Prosecco of TV’s TOWIE Essex stereotypes, New Hall provided us with the county’s classy reality, including a fascinating vineyard tour and a tasting (which can be booked) of some fine white, red, rose and sparkling varieties that have regularly knocked the socks off critics and won countless major medals.

Touring locally over the next few days lifted the lid on the beauty of North Essex. At the River Blackwater port of Maldon, famed for its sea salt as well as its Promenade Park riverside walk and beach huts, we wandered down to Hythe Quay to admire its ancient vessels, including elegant Thames barges, that do day trips regularly.

At Saffron Walden, we lunched at the family-run Angela Reed Café inside the upmarket interior furnishing Aladdin’s Cave of 13 showrooms on five floors, before ambling round a town that is dripping with pastel painted medieval houses, big and small, as well as museums, galleries, gardens and notably the majestic St Mary’s Church, where, in 1647, Oliver Cromwell urged his disgruntled New Model Army to follow him on a ‘holy war’ to Ireland (it was two years later that he finally invaded and wrought havoc, killing and transporting countless thousands).

Nearby, we toured the finest remaining Jacobean house in the country, Audley End, including its ‘Downton-style’ experience of life upstairs and downstairs. Then there was Finchingfield, said to be ‘the UK’s most photographed village’ where residents were protesting plans to demolish and replace their 200-year old ‘weak’ bridge.

It was at Great Dunmow that we experienced our most jaw-dropping Essex experience when we stepped into Talliston House and Gardens which is one of the most extraordinary homes in Britain – a former 3-bed council semi which has been converted by its owner, over 25 years, into a haven of history and fantasy in which each of the 13 rooms has been carefully recreated into a specific place and period.

After a tour led by the creator John Trevillian, followed by afternoon tea, we were left still trying to absorb an experience that had taken us through an exact replica of everything, from a 1950s’ New Orleans kitchen and a Victorian dining room to a Moorish bedroom, a bygone Japanese tea room and even a Scottish Edwardian Hall.

Essex like TOWIE? Don’t you believe it.

Factfile

Information: www.visitessex.com

Roslin Hotel: www.roslinhotel.com

Bullocks Farm: www.bullocks-farm.com

Other links: New Hall Wine Estate: www.newhallwines.com.

Angela Reed Café: www. angelareed.co.uk/angelareed-cafe

Audley End: www.englishheritage.org.uk/visit/places/ audley-end-house-andgardens.

Talliston House and Gardens: www.talliston.com.

Forget the image of fast-talking chavs and bottle blondes, Essex has a charm that has been buried beneath too many lazy TV ‘reality’ shows. JAMES RUDDY reveals all

BRIGHT AND BREEZY: Beach huts beneath a blue sky at Southend Picture: Sue Mountjoy

village’ in England

Finchingfield ‘the most photographed village’ in England Picture: Sue Mountjoy

Bodegas, basilicas and ball games

MAL ROGERS takes a detour on his latest trip to Hungary

GYÖR in Hungary, like any town earning its keep in central Europe these last couple of thousand years or so, was shaped by the great mincing machine of Mittel Europa history. The ancient centre of the city is Káptalan Hill where three rivers meet: the Mosoni-Danube, Rába, and Rábca. From here you’ll spot Püspökvár, the residence of Győr’s bishops, easily recognised by its somewhat incomplete tower. Search me.

Make a note of this, because Györ’s bishops play their part in our story.

The town itself has quite the history, very neatly summed up at the impressive town hall.

Across the millennia, Roman merchants moved in to Györ, the Mongols came visiting, the town was overrun by Slavs, settled by Magyars, ravaged during the Second World War, and almost destroyed by the Czech army. It even got mixed up with Ireland and Cromwell.

Let me explain.

The Embassy of Ireland and the Library of the Diocese last month launched a new documentary film The Story of the Irish Madonna, according to The Budapest Times The documentary, celebrates the close ties between Györ and Clonfert in Ireland.

The Weeping Irish Madonna, also known as the Crying Madonna, is a carved wooden painting of the Virgin Mary located in the Basilica of Györ. The icon is said to have miraculous powers; not least that its

wooden eyes shed tears. The phenomenon has been attracting pilgrims and visitors for centuries.

The cathedral, something of a Gothic and Baroque masterpiece, has all the gen in Hungarian, German and English.

According to legend, the painting of the Madonna was carved in wood by an unknown Irish artist in the 14th century. It depicts the Virgin Mary holding the infant Jesus.

The Embassy of Ireland and the Library of the Diocese last month launched a new documentary film The Story of the Irish Madonna ... [it] celebrates the close ties between Györ and Clonfert in Ireland

The Weeping Madonna was brought to Györ by Irish missionaries, active in Hungary at the times – in fact active all across Europe during the Middle Ages. The journey was taken to protect the statue from Oliver Cromwell’s men. One version states that the bishop of Clonfert, Walter Lynch brought it with him when he fled Ireland as Cromwell’s rule began to bite ever deeper.

Lynch evidently liked Györ. He settled in the town, and never returned to Clonfert.

The tears from the Madonna are said to have first appeared in 1696, when the city of Györ was besieged by Ottoman forces. The Budapest Times says: “On March 17, 1697, on the feast day of St. Patrick and in the same year penal laws were enacted in Ireland banning Catholic bishops and priests from the country, an image of the Virgin Mary known as the Weeping Irish Madonna, according to legend, shed tears of blood for three hours.”

Since then the Irish Madonna has been a destination for pilgrims and an icon of veneration. A parchment in the cathedral signed by “the priests and Faithful present that day”, as well as some Lutheran Protestants, Calvinists, and a rabbi from a Jewish synagogue attests to the miracle.

So, pop along and see what you make of it all.

But aside from the Weeping Madoona, is Györ Well-Worth-AVisit, to use that useful travel writers’ phrase? Yes, probably, but to be honest, most people only stop by if they’re en route from Vienna to Budapest. This has been one of the most important European thoroughfares since before the Middle Ages, connecting as it does two of the great cities of the world. The Danube cycling trail (which I wasn’t doing) passes close by, and several wine tours (yes, that was me) use Györ as a handy over-nighter.

I tell you – the wine was so good I was one glass away from getting a tattoo.

Sport too: I stayed a couple of days, and was intrigued to catch a handball match – the local Györ women’s team Győri ETO KC is is top notch. Now this isn’t Irish handball; in fact it’s more like Gaelic football, except you can’t kick the ball. Although you seem to be allowed to kick your opponent. It seems the perfect shotgun wedding between artistry and brute force. To see if the team is playing during your visit go to www.gyorietokc.hu/en/

To the northwest of Györ is the

Vértes area, vine-stitched hills that produce some of the best wine in Hungary. Endless rows of grape vines stretch across the horizon, interspersed with oak groves. My guide told me that this region was the oldest wine growing area of Hungary. More wine, they kept on saying. Now I very much like more wine; in fact it’s one of my favourite things, so I said yes please. I was happy to leave all the fact-checking to them.

The nearest internationally renowned wine-producing area to Győr is Pannonhalma, about 30 km to the southwest. This is known for its white wines, particularly Traminer as well as Chardonnay, and a very palatable range of sparkling wines.

So, if you’ve already ticked off the likes of Burgundy or Rioja on your viticulture map, this part of central Europe could be your next destination. Everybody has a Hungary heart after all, and a thirsty one. I saw a busker in Györ playing the tuba. On his own. He was very good. I like to think his sound effects at this point, in light of the Hungary pun, would be a descending “Mwah mwah mwah”.

The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady, or Györ Basilica Picture: Wikimedia Commons Bishop

Lynch evidently

IMPRESSIVE: Gyor town hall

SPORTING CHANCE: A game of handball

B. Movers

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In Loving Memory ANN MACKAY (née Cleary)

After a short and sudden illness, Ann sadly passed away, aged 81, at Hillingdon Hospital, London.

Born and raised at Knockmoyleen, Ballycroy, Co. Mayo, Annie Josephine resided in West London and retired as a district nurse after nearly 50 years nursing in England.

Ann leaves behind her husband Jim and loving sons

Alistair and Michael.  Her siblings Jerry, Con, John Francis and Bridget Teresa all sadly pre-deceased, with eldest sister Mary Agnes still living in Canada.

Annie Jo’s funeral mass will take place at 11.00am on Thursday 27th April at St. Benedict’s Abbey, Ealing and will be livestreamed via the church’s website.

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Patrick Joseph MADDEN

of Handsworth, Birmingham and formerly of Maree, Oranmore, Co. Galway. Passed away peacefully at Ashleigh House care home on the 19th of March, 2023.

In loving memory of In heaven now with his brother Tommy and sister Christina.

The funeral will take place on Wednesday, 3rd of May at St Agustine’s Church, Avenue Road, Birmingham B21 8ED at 12 noon. Place of committal: Sandwell Valley Crematorium, Newton Road, Forge Lane, West Bromwich B71 2SX at 1.00 pm.

Beloved brother to John, James, Michael, John and sister Esther. And beloved uncle to his nephews and nieces. Family flowers only, please. Donations, if desired, can be placed into the collection at the church, or passed on via the funeral directors. All monies received will go to Church funds.

Ryan’s role in historic campaign

“The atmosphere all week was exciting, definitely, and a good bit of nerves and that’s what you want, those big weeks. But for us the big focus was playing the game, not the occasion and not getting side-tracked by everything associated with the game.

“It was about homing in and focusing on our performance and knowing what would get us a result, and that’s the best way to approach those types of games.”

Ireland’s ruthless efficiency in the Six Nations was clear for all to see, and for many onlookers, the current Ireland side looks like a well-oiled machine that refuses to let obstacles stand in its way of success and titles.

After beating New Zealand, France, England, South Africa and Australia, Ryan was asked if approaching games of this size was second nature to this Irish team. He doubted that Ireland was used to big occasions and claimed that nerves always played a part in the spectacles.

“I wouldn’t say they have become second nature, to be honest, particularly the bigger games,” he said. “The nerves and anxiety you get on match day are very hard to get used to. I don’t think it will ever become second nature, but you can probably understand how you can manage it with experience and learn what can work for you.

“For me, if you have a game in the afternoon, it’s just finding ways to take your mind off a game, so that might be just meeting family members or having a coffee for a chat.

“If you think of it too early in the day, that nervous energy is wasted energy. You learn how to deal with it better, but I don’t think it ever goes away.”

LAST MONTH, the men’s Irish Rugby team made history by becoming the first side to win a Six Nations Grand Slam on home soil. Andy Farrell’s all-conquering Ireland side ended the Six Nations Championship unbeaten, scored half a dozen or more brilliant tries, and kept their status as the number one rugby side in the world intact.

After convincing wins against Wales, France, and Italy in the opening three weeks, Ireland had to overcome the challenge of Scotland and England in weeks five and six.

After a dogged performance against Scotland, where Ireland won 7-22 in Murrayfield, it was the final game against England that mattered most to the Ireland team.

That final game was against England on the day after St Patrick’s was in front of a packed Aviva Stadium. Ireland had won Grand Slams before, but the caveat for the 2023 team was that it had never

been done on home soil in front of home fans.

The previous Grand Slams were in 1948 at Ravenhill, in 2009 in The Principality Stadium, and in 2018 at Twickenham – but Ireland’s fourth to be played against England was set to be the most special due to the circumstances.

Not only was it the first chance for Ireland to win a home Grand Slam, but the other narrative surrounding the game centered around Ireland’s captain, Johnny Sexton. Sexton (37) would play his last game at the Aviva

Stadium in an Irish jersey; he also had the chance to break Ronan O’Gara’s Six Nations points record of 557.

Sexton’s final outing at the Aviva and Ireland’s quest for immortality as one of the best Irish sides ever raised the stakes even higher for Ireland that St Patrick’s weekend.

The game got underway, and Ireland struggled to gain any momentum early in the first half against England. Andy Farrell’s men did score the opening try when hooker Dan Sheehan crashed over the line in the first half.

England were still in the game, but the contest turned on its head when England full-back Freddie Steward was sent off for a collision with Ireland’s Hugo Keenan. Ireland went into the changing rooms 10-6 up as well as a man up in the contest.

The second half was a tight affair with England making it 10-9 at one stage, but Robbie Henshaw opened

the floodgates for Ireland. Sheehan would get his second try moments later, and despite England getting a try, Ireland scored a fourth after clever work from Ulster’s Rob Herring late on.

The final whistle blew, and with it, Ireland’s rugby team made history. The final score was 29-16 in Ireland’s favour.

One of the key people for Ireland and Andy Farrell during the campaign was Leinster and Ireland lock James Ryan from Blackrock, Dublin. The 26-year-old has become a mainstay in the Ireland team in the second row and, at times, has captained the side.

Last week, Ryan sat down with The Irish Post to discuss Ireland’s famous win in March. Ryan first explained what the feeling in the Irish camp was like before the game. “It was a huge week all week because we knew we had only won three Grand Slams in our history at that point,” the Leinster lock said.

Ireland’s victory and the first home Grand Slam will go down in history, and it is easy to think that the likes of Ryan, who was one of the key men who were instrumental in the feat, would allow the moment to pass him by, but that wasn’t the case.

“It was unreal. We did a lap around the pitch, and like nobody left the stadium for like an hour after the game, and that was incredible. It was so cool. It was just trying to soak it in, if you know what I mean,” admitted the two-time Grand Slam winner.

“In the changing room, there was a huge sense of relief because of what went into the last few weeks before the game. We were just delighted to go out there and get the result, really. I think the relief hits you straight away. You go, ‘Jesus, we won that, it’s brilliant,’ but thank God it means a lot, and you know you’re coming up against an England side that will always be very difficult to beat.

“It does take a few days for it to soak in and realize that was a pretty special few weeks.”

The nerves and anxiety you get on match day are very hard to get used to. I don’t think it will ever become second nature...

James Ryan, one of the key players in Ireland’s all-conquering Six Nations sides, revelled in the historic win against England in March that sealed the Grand Slam. CONOR O’DONOGHUE spoke to him last week

ONE JUMP AHEAD: James Ryan in action against Italy Picture: Getty Images

Tigerish London edge Meath after second-half epic

Christy Ring Cup, Round 2  LONDON      4-17  (29) MEATH         1-24  (27)

BY ANTHONY MCLAUGHLIN

KEVIN McMullan’s London head to Castlebar this Sunday buoyed by last weekend’s victory over Meath at McGovern Park, all thanks to a tremendous late surge which sealed their first Championship win of 2023. With Mayo winless after two rounds of the Christy Ring Cup, London will be looking to build momentum as they chase Derry and Tyrone at the top of the table. Last Sunday’s clash with Meath proved another close run thing –the two teams having met last month in the National Hurling League when Meath pipped it by a

single point – and matters threatened to run away from London early in the second-half before Fiachra O’Keeffe’s goal midway through launched a memorable fightback.

Things looked promising early on for London when Conor O’Carroll netted to put them four ahead and they largely maintained a handy lead throughout the opening quarter until Niall Broderick struck their second goal from play to double their advantage to six points. Meath, winners of Division 2B in the National League, fought their way back to lead before half-time until Ronan Crowley’s free sent the two sides into the changing rooms level pegging.

It could have been tough going for London when Meath grabbed an early second-half goal as

Éamon Óg Ó Donnchadha set up James Kelly for what would be the visitors only goal of the match. Now Meath were keeping London at arm’s length on the scoresheet, until Emmett’s full-forward Dylan Dawson had other ideas to equalise with his side’s third goal.

Back came Meath, abetted by Damien Healy they hit the front once more to lead by four but London simply didn’t wilt – a Sean Glynn point and O’Keeffe’s goal within the space of a few minutes hauled the home team level before a back and forth scoring spree ultimately saw London come out on the right side thanks to clutch points from Crowley (free) and captain Jack Goulding off a side line cut.

Lancashire went clear at the top of the table in the Lory

Meagher Cup, Liam Knocker’s side roaring their way to a superb away victory over Leitrim in Drumshanbo last Saturday. A dominant second-half, bookended by three goals for the visitors, completed a 4-15 to 1-15 win that keeps them unbeaten ahead of Saturday’s trip to Kingspan Breffni to face Cavan in what is proving a very open Meagher Cup so far.

Meanwhile Warwickshire were unable to follow up their first round heroics against Cavan as they went down to Longford last Sunday by 2-23 to 1-09. Niall

Eames scored Warwickshire’s only goal of the game late in the second-half but the damage had been done by half-time as Longford built a sixteen-point lead by the interval.

In what was a must-win match

for the home side after their opening round loss to Lancashire, Longford brought back David Buckley to the full-forward line from the start as they raced into the lead early on. Warwickshire tested Pat Burke’s goal with efforts from Luke Hands and Jack Grealish but despite a late flurry of scores were unable to gain a foothold; they must now dust themselves off ahead of a trip to Monaghan this Sunday.

Teams:

LONDON: P. Collins; K Fennelly, S Bardon, D Heffernan; E Kelly, P Muldoon, E Ryan; J Goulding, N Broderick; C O’Carroll, C McCormack, R Lodge; S Glynn, D Dawson, R Crowley.

MEATH: C Ennis; G Dwane, S Brennan, B McKeon; N McLarnon, J Toher, S Ennis; S Geraghty, M Healy; P O’ Hanrahan, J Regan, J Kelly; M Cole, É Óg Ó Donnchadha; N Potterton.

Referee: T. Conway (Derry)

DEFIANT WARKS DELIVER ALL-BRITAIN STATEMENT

All-Britain Football Championship, Group A

WARWICKSHIRE        2-12  (18)

LONDON                     3-03  (12)

BY ANTHONY MCLAUGHLIN

AT GLEN ROVERS, WATFORD

YOU can’t lift silverware in the early stages of any championship but you can always lift your own self belief. Last Saturday in Watford, Warwickshire’s footballers did exactly that.

Starting down a five-point deficit at halftime, reduced to 13 men early in the secondhalf following Liam Gilbride’s red and Niall Gilbride’s black cards, Warwickshire could have easily folded against the reigning All-Britain Champions who looked in goal hungry mood. Some twenty minutes later, Charlie O’Donnell’s team had fired home 2-05 to not only claim top spot in Group A but a place in the semi-finals with a game to spare, not to mention a serious statement of intent.

With head-to-head records favouring both London and Lancashire over bottom placed Scotland in Group A, both counties are set to join Warwickshire in the last four alongside the eventual winner of Group B which now focuses on Hertfordshire’s trip to Yorkshire early next month after Gloucestershire awarded a walkover to Hertfordshire last weekend. At the time of writing, the semi-final draw is yet to be determined by the Provincial Board – meaning that the possibility of an open draw as opposed to the format of the previous two seasons could be considered.

So while last Saturday’s game at Radlett Road may prove an hors d’oeuvre to a showdown further down the track between these

two rivals, Warwickshire will take plenty of positives out of another strong finish to an inter-county match following their opening round win against Lancashire. It could have been very different after Stephen Lynch’s side went on a first-half goal spree to turn around an early deficit, Parnell’s forward Ryan Forde twice carving Warwickshire open to drill the ball beyond James Connolly before London

bagged a third immediately after through Conor Spinks, the Parnell’s full-forward superalert to grab the breaking ball and pounce. Leading 3-01 to 0-05, London couldn’t build on that momentum scoring two points in the second half hour of play. Up at the other end, Warwickshire hit back through Michael McGettrick and Joel Powney (free) before Conal Dowling latched onto Jack Keogh’s pass

to thump the ball into the top corner of Frazer Beckles net. Sean Doyle levelled the match before Keogh sent Warwickshire back into the lead as last year’s finalists paid little heed to their two-man disadvantage. When Gilbride returned to the field, the Sean McDermott’s man raced through from the left seeking a key second goal only to be denied by a firm Beckles block.

Denying London space, Warwickshire relentlessly countered into open field with Keogh adding his fourth before substitute Ryan Kearney wrestled a point back for London with three minutes left on the clock. Captain Gilbride launched a point out on the right moments later before yet another sweeping move resulted in Naomh Padraig corner-forward Ryan Flanagan calmly slotting home his side’s second goal to seal the points.

Warwickshire will travel to Glasgow for their final Group A match against Scotland early next month, with London visiting Manchester for their own against Lancashire. The All-Britain is hotting up nicely once again.

Teams:

WARWICKSHIRE: J Connolly; C Maguire, N McGovern, J Chapman; L Gilbride, M Mannion (0-1), S Doyle (0-1); M McGettrick (0-1), S Dirrane; J Ferron (0-1), J Keogh (0-4), N Gilbride (0-1); R Flanagan (1-0), C Dowling (1-0), J Powney (0-3, 3f).

Subs: M McAleer (for Keogh 56).

LONDON: F Beckles; D Lynch, P O’Connor, S McGoldrick; R O’Connell, R McCready, M Tierney; R Lennon, C Cronin; C Griffin, S Rafter, R Forde (2-0); T Barry (0-1), C Spinks (1-1, 1f), D Griffin. Subs: R Kearney (0-1, for D Griffin 52).

Referee: N. Griffin (Hertfordshire)

WINNING RUN: Jack Keogh takes on London in the second-half

FAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

BY FIONA AUDLEY

A NEW TV series currently being filmed in Ireland will bring the beauty of the nation’s many spectacular golf courses to viewers across the US.

The six-episode mini-series is set to showcase an array of Irish golf courses, as well as the many experiences that visitors can discover off the golf

course when they visit Ireland.

Golf Channel host Alexandra O’Laughlin and a film crew were in Ireland last week filming content for the series, which will feature Lahinch Golf Club, Dromoland Castle Golf & Country Club, Adare Manor Golf Club, The K Club, Portmarnock Golf Club, Seapoint Golf Links, Royal County Down Golf Club, Ardglass Golf Club, Holywood Golf Club

and Royal Belfast Golf Club.

Filming has also been taking place at the Cliffs of Moher and Game of Thrones Studio Tour.

The partnership between Tourism Ireland and the NBC Golf Channel is aimed at promoting the island of Ireland to golfers in the United States.

“The mini-series will air around coverage of the PGA Championship, US Open, The

Open and the Ryder Cup, as well as on the digital and social channels of the Golf Channel, during 2023 – reminding US golfers that now is the time to book a holiday to Ireland,” a spokesperson for Tourism Ireland confirmed.

Alison Metcalfe, Tourism Ireland’s Head of North America, said: “We are delighted to partner with NBC Golf Channel once again, to showcase some of our world-class golf to a huge audience of potential American golf holidaymakers.

“The mini-series will remind viewers that the island of Ireland

offers American golfers the complete package – with some of the very best golf in the world, stunning scenery and the warmest of welcomes – and that now is the time to book their trip.”

She added: “Golf is the world’s largest sports-related travel market and Tourism Ireland is working hard to drive home the message that a golfing holiday in Ireland is about much more than a round of 18 holes – the combination of our world-class golf and our unique brand of hospitality plays a key role in attracting US golfers.”

DUP opposed to additional funding for GAA ground in Euro 2028 bid

BY GERARD DONAGHY

THE DUP has said it is opposed to additional funding for the redevelopment of Belfast’s Casement Park, the North’s major GAA ground. The proposed 34,500-seater ground is one of 10 included in a joint British and Irish bid to host Euro 2028, backed by both the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the Irish Football Association (IFA) as well as their counterparts in England, Scotland and Wales.

While the party said it supports the application to host the tournament, it opposed funding beyond that originally allocated to redevelop Casement, rugby’s Ravenhill Stadium and soccer’s Windsor Park.

North Down MLA

Stephen Dunne, the DUP’s sports spokesman, said an enhanced funding package ‘does not align with competing pressures in schools, housing and hospitals’.

“When we met the IFA some weeks ago, we

explained that we do not support additional funding for the building of Casement Park in Belfast beyond what was originally allocated by the NI Executive to the three sporting bodies,” said Dunne.

“Whilst we support the joint Euro 2028 bid, we would be greatly concerned if Treasury was to unilaterally allocate additional resources to meet the GAA’s shortfall in the Casement Park project at a time when other vital public services are in need of additional

and necessary resources.”

In 2011, the NI Executive announced funding to redevelop Casement, Ulster Rugby’s Ravenhill and Northern Ireland’s Windsor Park, in conjunction with their respective sporting bodies.

The Executive ultimately pledged £62.5m for the West Belfast ground, with the GAA committing £15m to the redevelopment. However, the project has been hit by the inability to form an Executive as a result of the DUP’s refusal

to return to power-sharing.

Despite that, Stephen McGeehan of Ulster GAA told BBC Newstalk that the project will be completed ‘either with an Executive or with the support of the UK and Irish governments’.

Belfast Live reports the last estimate for the redevelopment was £112m, while the BBC this week reported that the final cost could be double the original £77m estimate.

As well as Casement, the joint British and Irish bid also includes Everton’s

new Bramley Moore Dock ground, which is currently under construction ahead of a proposed opening during the 2024/25 season.

Other grounds forming part of the bid include Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, London’s Wembley Stadium, the Principality Stadium in Wales and Glasgow’s Hampden Park.

The successful Euro 2028 bid is expected to be announced in September, with Turkey also in the running.

SCENIC SPORTING VENUE: Royal County Down Golf Course

Picture: Courtesy of Tourism Ireland

Fore! Filming taking place on Ireland’s golf courses to promote the ancient game in America