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A failure of leadership
The Irish government’s two
year term on the UN Security Council is at an end. Micheál Martin, now Tánaiste and Minister for
Foreign Affairs claimed last week that the government had “achieved
some real and tangible results." As evidence of this he pointed to the UN
role in providing humanitarian aid in Syria and challenging Russia over its
invasion of Ukraine. However welcome the Irish government’s role was in
addressing these matters the reality is that its time on the Security Council
failed to match the ambitious targets it set two years ago.
Its most obvious failure has been in providing
leadership against Israel’s apartheid policies toward the Palestinian people.
In recent months Israeli actions have resulted in hundreds of Palestinian deaths,
especially of children. Last week the new Israeli government, led by
Benjamin Netanyahu, announced further measures against Palestinians. This
followed the Palestinian Authority’s success in getting the UN to agree to ask
the International Court of Justice to draft a legal opinion regarding Israel’s
conduct in the Palestinian territories. The new Israeli sanctions include
freezing Palestinian construction in much of the West Bank while its forces
destroy Palestinian homes. The Israeli government has also cleared for further
illegal settler construction in the west Bank.
Almost
ten years ago the Oireachtas voted in support of the Irish government
officially recognising the state of Palestine and providing official Embassy
status to the Palestinian Mission in Dublin. None of this was done. The
Irish government has also refused to enact The Occupied Territories Bill which
makes it illegal to trade with and give economic support to “illegal
settlements in territories deemed occupied under international law” most
notably Israeli settlements.
The
Dublin government’s foreign policy under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil has been toturn
a blind eye to the increasingly apartheid policies of the Israeli state. The
Irish government had an opportunity to provide real leadership during its time
on the UN Security Council. To challenge Israel’s apartheid policies. To defend
the rights of the Palestinian people. It failed.
Don’t Let The Old Man In
I have been at a lot of
funerals recently. It seems someone from my circle of friends, comrades,
associates or neighbours is dying every week this last wee while. And sometimes
more often than that. I console myself by reminding myself that its the age I’m
at. People were always dying. That’s part of the circle of life. But now I notice it more because its also
part of my circle, my own wee peer group.
When RG and I were exiled for
almost a decade in the Dáil in Dublin I lost a lot of my social contact with
Belfast. Including news of deaths of people I knew. Finding out afterwards
that someone had died used to annoy me greatly. Especially if
it was long after their funeral. And if I heard about their demise by accident. I used to hate that. Now
I’m
out of the capital that’s
less of a problem. But it’s
being replaced with another problem. Too many funerals. Too often.
Funerals are also where we
meet people we haven’t seen
in a while. Sometimes it’s
the only place we see them. Fra McCann is the worst person to fall
into company with at a funeral. He gets me into trouble all the time. He always
has a funny tale or two to tell. Usually against himself. So before you know it
you are grinning widely or worse still guffawing loudly during what
is after all a solemn or sad occasion. Fra is like that. He seems never to let
things get on top him.
Others are less effervescent.
When some old chums of mine bump into each other these days the discussion
usually starts with medical updates, talk of bad backs, sore limbs and
worse. That’s
for those who can hear each other.
‘Was he sick?’
‘No’
‘Who says?’
‘Sue says’.
‘Sue who?’
‘Sue Watch-you- call
her’.
‘Who?’
‘Sue says Tommy’s on the
mend’.
‘Tommy who?’
‘Tá mé go maith’.
‘Who said that?’
‘Said what?’
Their focus is on sceal
about who is in hospital or just out of hospital or on their way to
hospital. It reminds me of conversations I used to hear among
older people when I was a youngster.
Some of my pals have become
obsessed by these issues. No. I won’t name names but RG has noticed it so that’s proof its true.
Whenever I try to ease the
conversation gently to more positive issues there is always someone who wants
to remind us of the challenges of living. Especially for 50
year activists. Or for some of us almost 60 year
activists. Maybe that’s natural also. Part of the
old aging process. One of my more geriatric buddies is the
devil for it. I have learned not to ask him how he is. Because he will tell in
minute detail and at great length exactly how afflicted he is.
But there is no harm in him. Thankfully hypochondria isnt contagious.
Me? I’ve learned that age does not
come on its own so I’m
just glad to be still alive. And delighted that some of my nearest
and dearest chairde
are pottering along, despite our flaws, and still defiant and delinquent.
Martin Ferris put it well one
day.
‘Don't let the old man in’, he
told me. ‘That’s
Clint Eastwood’s
secret’.
Martin is right. So is Clint
Eastwood.
Live in the
moment. And give thanks for it. Enjoy life. And those we meet with
along the way. Including those we don’t like. Or who don’t
like us. Put up with their awkward ways. Don’t ever forget they put up with us. And our awkward ways. Live in the
nowness.
And remember don’t let the old
man in. Or the old woman.
MORE OUL WORDS
My friend Emma McArdle sent me
some oul words to add to our collection. Emma is from South Armagh.
Whist - Be quiet
Howl your whist - a command - say nothing.
Quit the craic - stop telling me this shocking
story
Don't hang me - don't give me away, don't tell on
me
Give the deadner - to shock
Hedges and Ditches - Benson and Hedges cigarettes
Bullifance - very drunk
Banjaxed - wrecked / exhaused.
Banty - not moving well, a banty wheel, leg
Bantyho - a very bad skyward kick in Gaelic
football
Lanty - go fast - Give her lanty, drive fast
Wet the Tae - make the tea
suckin diesel - having good luck - 'Now we're
suckin diesel'
pennies from heaven - finding the thing you were
looking for
Chewing your cud - ruminating
dose - bad sickness / annoying person
Codding - joking
Donkey's - from Donkey's Years meaning a long time
Hames - mess
Dead on - grand/fine/sound
Up to high doh - very excited
On top of your head - to be very busy
Another saying I heard years
ago in this area is ‘ Every rooster has its own dunkill.’ Every
rooster has its own dung heap. A put down for those full of
themselves.
According to Emma the next few words are peculiar to the Crossmaglen area. She says they come from traveller language which is called Gammon or Cant. Incidentally I read somewhere
that the form of English spoken in Crossmaglen is similar to that which
was used by William Shakespeare.
Cant - backchat - That's enough cant out of you!
Feen - boy
Buer - girl
Golya - child
yawk - steal
munya - great
rulya - crazy (can be good or bad - he was going
rulya/We were rulya with drink)
Keen - house - Look at the state of this keen
Rog (sounds like dog) - car
When I'm in the mood, adds Emma, here is a rhyme my father used to say to us, I have no idea where it’s
from:
‘When I was a lad and so was me dad, I jumped on to the beanstalk
The beanstalk being so full, I jumped onto the
roaring bull
The roaring bull being so fat, I jumped onto the
gentleman's hat
The gentleman's hat being so fine, I jumped onto
the bottle of wine
The bottle of wine being so clear, I jumped onto
the bottle of beer,
The bottle of beer being so thick, I jumped onto the oak stick
The oak stick being so narrow, I jumped onto the
wheel of the barrow
The wheel of the barrow began to wheel, I jumped onto the horse's heel
The horse's heel began to crack, I jumped onto the
horse's back
The horse's back began to bend, I jumped onto the
turkey hen
The turkey hen began to lay, and I got an egg
before me.’
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