No 'Time' like the present as Fine Gael appears to have forgotten past issues

WITH HIS shillelagh under his arm and a twinkle in his eye, Enda set off for Philadelphia yesterday morning.

He likes America. America likes him. No better man to put the cheese into Philadelphia.

He’ll be walking a little taller too, just a week after making the cover of the European edition of Time magazine.

Ah yes, the first Irish taoiseach to be so recognised since Seán Lemass back in 1963. A singular honour so, for Enda.

But wait. Why no mention of Garret FitzGerald? Is there nobody in Fine Gael who remembers Garret gracing the cover of Time in December of 1984? He got a full seven pages inside.

Not even Enda Kenny, already a TD for nine years at that stage? While the Taoiseach got a green-tinged photograph for his cover, Lemass and FitzGerald had very fancy portraits done.

Time turns its attention to Ireland every couple of decades or so. But it seems they only have one story.

In 1963, things are looking up for the emerald isle when Lemass shares the cover with some industrial buildings and a little leprechaun.

“Ireland: New Spirit in the Ould Sod” reads the headline.

And things are looking up again, when Time returns in December of 1984 to give us another pat on the head.

“The New Ireland” is the headline beside Garret FitzGerald. Inside, we hear of “A New Confidence in Ireland” with the main story headed: “Ireland Comes of Age.”

Fast-forward to last week, and things are looking up yet again for Ireland with Kenny spearheading “The Celtic Comeback.”

But how could Fine Gael overlook their Garret? Many thanks so, to Irish Times reader Albert Fenton, who didn’t forget. Albert dug out his copy of Time, complete with then taoiseach’s autograph on the cover and sent us a photo of it.

And not forgetting Penelope FitzGerald from Monkstown, who also got in touch to set the record straight for Garret.