Presidential Update
Ireland’s election to replace the retiring Michael D. Higgins will take place on October 24th. At the time of this writing the field was not fully set.
However, the leading candidates to date are: Ultimate Fight Champ Conor McGregor, who would run as an independent, trading on his celebrity. Connor is endorsed by South Africa’s Elon Musk. Seems that celebrity, sexual assault and Elon’s endorsement are a formula for running for President.
More serious candidates include TD (member of Irish Parliament/Dail) Heather Humbphrey’s, from County Cavan/Monaghan district. She is endorsed by the Fine Gael party. ‘
Fianna Fail has put forth Jim Gavin, wildly successful manager of Dublin’s GAA team. He served in the Irish Defense Forces and is a trained commercial pilot.
[Editor’s Note: Mr. Gavin withdrew in early October; Final candidates are Heather Humphries and Catherine Connolly]
Catherine Connally, TD from Galway West District, is running as an independent. She is endorsed by the Social Democratic Party, the People Before Profit Party and likely the Labour Party.
Some members of Sinn Fein are proposing endorsing Connally as well, to act as a common Lefty candidate. However, Sinn Fein is still debating promoting one of its own members, a good chance Rose Conway Walsh from County Mayo might get the nomination from Sinn Fein.
Other independents are likely to get on the ballot to try to move to Aras An Uachtarain (The Irish equivalent of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue). P.S. remember to demand the Dublin Government to grant voting rights in the Irish Presidential race to everyone living on the island of Ireland; unilaterally extend the franchise to the six counties.
Gaeilge
Let me put a plug in for the Irish language. I shamelessly steal from the local promoters of Irish pamphlet. “Irish (Gaeilge) is the indigenous and first official language of Ireland. Despite a devastating decline following colonization, it is seeing a huge revival both at home and abroad. Nearly 2 million people within Ireland and 30,000 abroad speak Irish.
In areas known as Gaeltachtai, it is the primary means of communication. It is home to Europe’s oldest vernacular literature, which gave way to a tradition of poetry, music, and story telling that survives and continues to evolve today.”
Check out dates on other pages in iIrish for lessons at Cleveland’s PJ McIntyres. Also peruse Letslearnirish.com. And remember: Is fear Gaeilge briste na Bearla cliste (Broken Irish is better than clever English).
Fiftieth & Fifth
New York’s venerable St. Patick’s Cathedral (dedicated in 1879) is sometimes called America’s home parish, a national home for U.S. Catholics and all Christians. Last month, the N.Y. Diocesan leadership formally dedicated the newest work of art, a mural dedicated to the immigrant church, our immigrant America.
Adam Cvijanovic, a Brooklyn artist designed and painted the mural. It shows realistic images of the human mosaic that make this nation so unique and beautiful. The mural even includes images from Our Lady’s apparition at Knock, County Mayo, Ireland.
N.Y’s Cardinal Dolan commissioned the work for the Cathedral, the largest Catholic Gothic Cathedral in North America. The mural is located in the 5th Avenue West entrance vestibule.
ABC news reports that “This landmark work promises to be a lasting tribute to faith, immigration and service.” Pope Leo recently stated: “Migrants are a witness to hope in a devastated world.” The good book instructs us to Welcome the Stranger.
Leprechaun Whisperer
The New York Times reports that Kevin Woods, in Carlingford, Ireland, is The Emerald Island’s last Leprechaun Whisperer. If the NY Times reports that, it must be true.
Woods has capitalized upon the predictable human interest in supernatural beings. He shares that one of the diminutive creatures told him that there are only 236 remaining leprechauns. Woods is doing his job to promote their plight and educate the public. Look for his next project “Carlinchauns” (Carlingford + leprechauns) animated, modernized version of the fairy folk with their own line of books and movies you can share with the kiddies. This new branding may be the actual Pot of Gold given to Kevin.
Peakey Boo
Look for the debut of Netflix’s Peaky Blinders The Movie to be released early in the new year. Irish actor Barry Keoughan joins Irisher Cillian Murphy in this movie version of the hit streaming series.
While set in Britland, the Irish presence is throughout. It is rumored that a seventh season of the streaming series will be authorized by Netflix soon.
Cuileog ar an bhalla
is the Irish for “fly on the wall,” which I would have liked to have been in last months meeting between Brit PM Keir Starmer and Taoiseach Micheal Martin. These two leaders have carried out and normalize annual meetings between the leaders of these two islands on opposite sides of the Irish Sea.
The tradition of annual meetings was lost during the Conservative party’s reign at No. 10. Topics likely to have been reviewed would include working through the impact of Brexit, Northern Ireland governance as well as Gaza policy and sharing tips of how to manage the American President while dodging tariffs.
Live Aid at 40
Hard to imagine but it’s been four decades since Irish Rocker Bob Geldof, of the Dublin band The Boom Town Rats, created the concert known as Live Aid. The band’s name was taken from Woody Guthrie’s autobiography, where he shared that his childhood gang was called The Boomtown Rats.
Geldof was inspired by news accounts of the suffering and starving taking place in Ethiopia. Forbes magazine reports that the double concerts in London and Philadelphia were watched by 1.5 billion people and is considered the most successful charity event in history. “Do they know its Christmas” is probably the most enduring song to come out of the super star multitude who participated in the historic event.
Sacked
Recent emails of Presidential Bestie Jeff Epstein revealed that The United Kingdoms ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson,’s relationship with Epstein was a much closer than he had admitted to the Brit Government. The Ambassador was relieved of his duties and recalled to the U.K., adding to P.M. Starmer’s growing political woes. It seems that the U.K. should have kept him in the post as he and President dTrump could have bonded over hangin with Jeffie stories
DUP’s One-Trick Pony
The Democratic Unionist Party is bankrupt as to policy; it only has eyes for killing the Good Friday Agreement. Sinn Féin’s MP John Finucane shared that the DUP demonstrate a complete disregard for the people of Ireland. This after DUP MP’s pushing for leaving The European Convention on Human Rights.
Finucane further stated “Ludicrous attempts to undermine the human rights protections within the agreement, merely to serve a toxic English-nationalist agenda, won’t be wished away. The Good Friday Agreement is an international treaty between the two governments, endorsed democratically by the people of Ireland and lodged with the UN. Instead of rewriting the agreement, we should be working to fully implement it, including delivering the provision for a unity referendum.” Amen.
