There’s been quite a lot of coverage for Turkey on the media recently. They looked like winning the Eurovision for a while, before eventually finishing in second place behind Germany.
Then we had the shocking reports from the Mediterranean, when nine people on their way to Gaza were killed by the Israelis, who were suspicious of the Turkey and Hamas link.
For once our Taoiseach moved swiftly and issued a statement that must have sent tremors of fear throughout Israel. He warned that “If any harm comes to any of our citizens, it will have the most serious consequences.”
What does he intend to do? Send in the Navy? Stop buying their oranges? Give them ‘nul points’ in Eurovision? He could use the Father Ted tactic and wear a “Down With That Sort Of Thing” tee shirt when he meets the Israeli ambassador. Israel, you have been warned, hell hath no fury like an Offaly Taoiseach scorned.
While all this was going on it turns out that Turkey was celebrating ninety years of their parliament, called The Turkish Grand National Assembly. I’ve never been to Turkey, but I believe it can be very hot at this time of year, so full marks to the Irish parliamentary group, consisting of TD’s Frank Fahy, Phil Hogan and Noel Grealish, along with Senators Donie Cassidy and Paddy Burke, who took time off from the troubled affairs of the nation to represent Ireland at this momentous occasion in Turkey’s history.
The main event on the all-expenses paid trip to a resort called Antalya was a golf tournament among the parliamentarians from all over the world. Let’s hope our lads brought home the cup to make up for disappointment of our poor Eurovision showing.
The hundredth anniversary of the 1916 rising is not too far away and it’s very likely that Fine Gael will be in power at that time. Now is the time to start planning and if Turkey can hold a golf tournament to celebrate their 90th anniversary, surely we can do the same, only bigger and better. Maybe Phil Hogan can arrange for the Padraig Pearse Memorial Trophy to be played at Mount Juliet?
Sartorial squabbles
And about time too. The local Fianna Fail group have finally addressed the shocking state of sartorial affairs in the local council chambers. Mayor Malcolm Noonan has had a magnificent eleven and a half months, but now, with just a couple of weeks left of his reign as Mayor, Fianna Fail have finally found something to hit him with: the wearing of jeans and sneakers at official functions.
I’ve had a look through the many photographs of Malcolm on the local papers over the last few weeks and have found no evidence of the offending footwear and clothing, but I’ll take Fianna Fail’s word for it that they have been worn on public appearances.
The scandal is to be brought before a borough council sub-committee in the coming weeks. I don’t know who on the sub-committee is qualified to deal with this important matter. Maybe they should invite Frank Wall or Billy Walsh to offer some fashion advice. Hats off (if that’s allowed ) to Fianna Fail for bringing some well deserved national publicity to the local council by highlighting this scandalous affair.
The Fianna Fail fashion police had better hurry up if they want to discipline the Mayor before his term is up. While they’re at it, I hope the sub-committee are going to take a look at some other lapses of fashion etiquette. I’ve seen several examples of unpolished shoes, flashy ties, unzipped flies, ill fitting anoraks, crumpled suits and non matching handbags at official functions over the years . The biggest fashion crime is those long red robes with the furry (I hope it’s fake ) collars. Some of them don’t even fit properly and are a throwback to bygone days. It’s time to get up to date fashion wise, how about jeans and sneakers?
Get well soon
Anyone who saw The Duke and The King perform what The Irish Times described as “two of the best sets Kilkenny has surely seen in years” at The Set and Kytelers Inn during the Rhythm and Roots Festival will be saddened to hear that their front man, Simone Felice, has undergone emergency open heart surgery in New York.
I had kept in touch with Simone and we had planned to do two solo shows in Kilkenny in September. Last week I got an email from him cancelling the shows and the message, “ thanks for your hospitality and the great time, and I will surely return for a solo show as soon as time allows...”
There was no mention of his illness, but two days later another message said he had undergone emergency surgery. The good news is that he is on the mend and hopes to be back on the road later in the year. Hopefully that return to Kilkenny will take place sooner rather than later.
