Mayo TDs sidestep home turf
Blood-sport enthusiasts were inconsolable yesterday when news broke that Taoiseach Enda Kenny will not be attending the Connacht football final in Roscommon tomorrow.
Anticipation has been building all week for what some are billing the Battle of Hyde Park. With feelings running high in the county about the downgrading of the local hospital, despite election promises to the contrary from Enda, protests were expected before the match between Roscommon and Mayo. The Taoiseach also faced the prospect of getting booed inside the ground, something every politician dreads.
”There’s only one way in and one way out of Hyde Park. It’s a dangerous place to be if you want to leave in a hurry,” says a Fine Gael TD from the west. “To make matters worse, the park is situated right next to the hospital, which will only inflame people more.”
All week in Leinster House, people were wondering whether or not the Taoiseach, a big GAA fan, would attend the final, as he usually does. The stock reply from Government Buildings was that his diary for Sunday was not complete.
Then it seemed that Enda would have to go to Europe to attend a leaders’ crisis meeting on the economic situation. This would have been a blessed relief compared with being put under siege in Roscommon while Ming the Merciless stoked up the passion.
But then the EU meeting was abandoned. Still no word on Enda’s movements yesterday morning. Finally, as it came up to lunchtime, he said he had a family engagement and wouldn’t be able to go to the game (a daughter to visit in the Galway Gaeltacht, it seems).
Coincidentally, the other Minister from Mayo, Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring, also has a pressing prior commitment on Sunday afternoon and is up to his eyes with the church-gate collection all morning.
That leaves Michelle Mulherrin and John O’Mahony, the other two Fine Gael deputies for Mayo. We couldn’t contact Michelle before going to press, although she lists basketball, as opposed to GAA, as her hobby. But John O’Mahony, the former Mayo manager, who lives on the Roscommon-Mayo border, says he intends to go to the game.
“I’ve haven’t missed a final since the 1970s, and I won five of the eight Connacht finals I contested here as a manager,” he says. “I always enjoy the rivalry between the counties.” However, he may yet change his mind. “I would like to think I wouldn’t have to miss out on it this year. It’s a great sporting occasion, and I hope points can be made in a dignified way, without causing disruption or impacting on a great sporting occasion.”
At least local gardaí will be relieved.
Sinn Féin in the Picnic line-up
Sinn Féin's Aengus Ó Snodaigh is headlining at this year's Electric Picnic.
Actually, he's not, but he will be appearing in a panel discussion at the Stradbally music festival to address the intriguing subject of the IRA and the Nazis.
Deputy Ó Snodaigh is lining out with Queen's University Belfast lecturer Dr Brian Hanley, Prof Diarmaid Ferriter of UCD and Dr David O'Donoghue, who works as a parliamentary reporter in Leinster House and has just launched a new biography,
The Devil's Deal: The IRA, Nazi Germany and the Double Life of Jim O'Donovan.
"O'Donovan is a little-known figure in Irish history. He was a senior manager at ESB headquarters in Dublin from 1930 to 1962, and the IRA's top explosives expert during the War of Independence," says David.
"He led a fascinating double life for two decades. By day, he was a respectable middle-class manager, working in ESB headquarters and living in a nice house in Shankill. By night, he was an IRA official establishing secret contacts with the Nazi regime in Germany. He even made secret trips to Berlin and Hamburg at the time."
Tommy Graham of History Ireland will be chairing the discussion on September 3rd, for those who might wish to take a break from the likes of Pulp, Arcade Fire and The Chemical Brothers.
Here's a question for his holiness
Are any Irish parliamentarians heading off to see the pope at the end of next month? Because there are a few questions – this week's Cloyne report, for starters – that their constituents would love to have answered. The papal nuncio wasn't very forthcoming on Thursday.
Some weeks ago, a number of TDs and senators received an invitation from the International Catholic Legislators Network to attend a "private conference" at the end of August in Castel Gandolfo.
"You are cordially invited to attend this 2nd meeting of the ICLN that will take place in Hotel Castel Vecchio, overlooking the lake Albano, just South of Rome" read the e-mail. "It is once again planned that the conference will include an audience with the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVl at the Pontifical Palace of Castel Gandolfo."
More than 50 parliamentarians from 20 countries attended the network's inaugural gathering, last year.
The ICLN was founded to bring together practising Catholics in elected office from around the world: "The role of Catholic legislators at national and international level is becoming increasingly challenging, and the need for those that wish to integrate their Christian faith with their public office is ever more urgent. We need legislators that have the personal conviction and courage to do so."
The closing date for those who wish to participate has passed. However, if any Irish parliamentarians are going to the conference, it presents a great opportunity for them to ask his holiness, on behalf of the people of Ireland, if he might know of the whereabouts of Bishop John Magee.
Big fuss over the quiet woman
Sixty years after the making of
The Quiet Man, Cong in Co Mayo is to honour the film's leading lady, Maureen O'Hara. The movie, which, in all its Technicolor glory, also starred John Wayne, has brought millions of tourist dollars to the west of Ireland over the years.
Now local publican John Connelly, the proprietor of Pat Cohan's Bar, where Big Jawn supped pints in the movie, has joined forces with John and Gerry Brown (brothers of Rosemary Scallon) to organise Cong's first Quiet Man Festival.
O'Hara, who now lives in Cork, will be the guest of honour of the village, and Ashford Castle, which features in the film, is putting her up for the duration.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny is hoping he can find a slot in his diary to perform the official opening ceremony. Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan will also be in attendance, along with local Minister of State Michael Ring and former Fianna Fáil minister Éamon Ó Cuív.
During the festival, which takes place from August 26th to 28th, the community in Cong will celebrate O'Hara's career, her commitment to this country and her iconic role in
The Quiet Man.
Given the involvement of her brothers, Scallon will be on hand to oversee the entertainment programme, along with her good pal Daniel O'Donnell. The weekend will also feature a screening of Sé Merry Doyle's documentary on John Ford, who directed the film, and his iconic movie. It includes contributions from Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, Gabriel Byrne and, of course, Maureen.
Term is over, but the jostling continues
The Dáil rises next week for the summer, but the Seanad will plough on for another two days the following week.
Fianna Fáil's TDs and senators are heading to the Grafton Lounge, just down the road from Leinster House, on Royal Hibernian Way, for an end-of- term get-together on Wednesday night.
Their special parliamentary party meeting on Monday was a far more serious affair, when those still standing after the general election met to take stock.
The venue was the Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, at Newland's Cross in Dublin, and the usual "productive" time was had by all.
"It was a bit disconcerting for us, though, because they have Graham Knuttel paintings of former taoisigh hanging in the foyer. Nobody wanted to be seen beside the one of Bertie wearing an anorak and standing outside Fagan's bar, selling newspapers headlined 'The Most Cunning of Them All'. It was surreal," said one participant.
Fine Gael did their partying a couple of weeks ago, and Labour had their summer shindig last Wednesday, with a barbecue at McGrattan's bar and restaurant, near Government Buildings. It's a popular spot with the comrades – there's even a photo of Ruairí Quinn hanging among the roll-call of distinguished patrons.
Reports from this event are mixed.
"It was very pleasant. The only tension was around the barbecue, with people jostling for the burgers and chicken. Oh, very pleasant. No rows. It was lovely," says one reveller.
"Eamon Gilmore was fashionably late and left early," says another. "It was very sterile. Just another staged attempt to 'reconnect' which fell flat. He needs to get a bit of life and be more like he was in opposition."
Swinging and singing summer
We saw Derek Keating, the deputy for Dublin Mid-West, emerge from the Leinster House dining room on Thursday, singing away to himself even though it was only 11am and not a drop of drink had been taken.
As it turns out, he had been to a coffee morning hosted by the Oireachtas choir, which has mounted a recruitment drive. Derek signed up to sing, as did his glamorous assistant Tommy Morris. Sen Paschal Mooney also volunteered his vocal cords.
Keep It Country stalwart Paschal must be hoping the choir will include a few Dolly Parton and Larry Cunningham medleys in their new repertoire.
All politicians and Leinster House staff – including those who are retired – are invited to an open rehearsal on Thursday afternoon. All levels of ability are catered for, says the musical director, Matthew Day.
The choir has been running for many years now, and it is one of the successes of the Leinster House village.
* Meanwhile, for those politicians who prefer a good walk to a good warble, the Oireachtas Golf Society is gearing up for its big summer outing to Ballyconneely, in Connemara.
Independent TD Noel Grealish, the president of the society, is hosting next month's weekend tournament. The golfers haven't played since the election. Former senator Donie Cassidy remains as secretary.
Members are wondering whether Brian Cowen will turn up to play a round. He was always a big hit on the Ballyconneely links.
But there are race meetings to consider too.
The Government whip in the Seanad, Paul Coghlan, is under great pressure from his Fine Gael colleagues, who want to be excused from the last week of business in the upper house so they can attend the Galway Races. Coghlan's ability to crack the whip is going to be tested severely, but he is adamant that no pairing arrangements will be granted to senators so they can slip away to Ballybrit.
"Killarney Races were on all this week, and I didn't get to see one bloomin' race," says Paul.
Mary bets the farm on TG4
Is there life after politics? Little has been heard from former tánaiste Mary Coughlan since she lost her seat in Donegal. However, she will be hitting our television screens early next year in her new role as a judge on the TG4 reality show
Feirm Factor.
Trevor Sargent, the former minister of State for food, is also involved with the show, in which farmers compete in a series of challenges to win the top prize of a Land Rover.
The Irish-language station's reality shows are proving popular with members of the last government. The former minister Mary Hanafin was part of the judging panel for
An G Team,a 10-part show that will air in September. She is among a number of "celebrities" who will judge the efforts of non-Gaeltacht communities to incorporate Irish into their everyday lives.
* Fine Gael's presidential candidate, Gay Mitchell, is just as keen to get in touch with his rural roots. His detractors claim he is an urban candidate who doesn't appeal to voters outside Dublin. Enter John Downing, former assistant government press secretary, who will be Gay's communications director during his campaign.
Downing, among other things, has to make his man more popular with rural voters.
Lo and behold, didn't the pride of Inchicore pitch up this week in Duncormick, in Wexford, to attend the 62nd annual Bannow and Rathangan Agricultural Show?
Some 25,000 people were in attendance, and Mitchell met every one of them. He also did an interview on South East Radio and got a great welcome at the Irish Farmers' Association stand.
Speaking of which, Gay used to work in the IFA: he did the books in the Farm Centre in Bluebell as a trainee accountant. And his roots are in Wexford. All his da's people are from Camolin, and it's Enniscorthy on the ma's side.
Keep up the good work, Mr Downing. Onwards, Gay, to the ploughing.
Saying goodbye to the jungle - and hello to the basement
Mattie the Elephant has had to pack his trunk and move to the Department of Agriculture. Tipperary South's Independent TD, Mattie McGrath, is not happy about having to leave his office in Leinster House for new quarters down the road in Agriculture House. He says the latter building closes earlier and that he's been locked in on several evenings as a result. "I couldn't get out of the basement one night," he says. "I went down to get something out of my van – we have parking spaces down there – and the doors were locked when I tried to get back to my office. The military police had to get me out."
Mattie is not one to blow his own trumpet, but he was chuffed to get a mention when the Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin, came to Cahir recently to address the local troops. Although he has been cast into the wilderness by Fianna Fáil, Mattie hasn't been forgotten in the constituency.
After Martin and local TD Michael McGrath had addressed party members at length, one of them stood up and declared: "None of you are mentioning the elephant in the room – Mattie McGrath." Mattie was delighted.