Hello to all the Advertiser readers.
I am compiling this column on Tuesday. Readers will know that I submit it on Tuesday for the Advertiser newspapers the following Thursday.
Anyway, I am writing this early enough in the morning, and the temperature is recording 11-12 degrees-plus. Just imagine.
Last week it was minus five as I was compiling, so it just shows you that was a change of 16-17 degrees. We just never know in Ireland what exactly the temperature is about. Be that as it may, we should be grateful now for these lovely few balmy days, and indeed they are balmy. Let’s enjoy them when they come.
Do you remember all the snow we were to have last week? Somehow that misfired or the telling of it misfired. For two days running, the weather forecast announced that there would be accumulations of snow in the Midlands. Anita, my niece in Dublin with whom I go on holidays, telephoned to know if I was okay, or if I was, in fact, submerged under the snow. I had to tell her no, there was a snow shower one night and by early morning it had dissolved into slush, and that, for now, was all of the snow that we got.
So yes, it is spring, but it is still early so let’s watch out for whatever may come along the way weather-wise.
At last, the take-up of the vaccine appears to have got organised, and during this week people of 85-plus will be getting word about the date and time of their vaccine appointment. I am so glad of that. All the nursing homes and all who are in them have now received their two vaccines, so that will render them safe for now.
Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, has been faulted on two occasions recently.
One, she in some way got involved in the Northern Ireland Protocol, which of course neither she nor her staff should have touched. It brought about huge repercussions in the UK, in the North of Ireland and down here in the Republic.
Then, the EU appeared to be tardy in ordering in advance, and then obtaining, the copious amounts of the vaccine needed for all of the European countries. Some are now saying this was the fault of Ursula von der Leyen.
The upshot of it all was that she appeared in the European Parliament to answer queries from members. First, she gave her statement and then disappeared. The first up with a question was Chris McManus (Sinn Féin MEP ) followed by Billy Kelleher (Fianna Fáil MEP ). They both made their points, but instead of a reply they were told that Ursula von der Leyen had to go off to do an important TV interview.
So now she is a little out of favour, but no doubt will work hard to reclaim again her favoured position.
There were two really good rugby matches over last weekend. I saw the first one on Saturday, in which Wales beat Scotland 25-24. This was a real opportunity for Wales because they had not at all been considered to be vying for the Triple Crown, but the two wins they have now got is giving them an opportunity which they have grasped eagerly. They showed great resilience and game plan, and no doubt will be getting ready for their next encounter.
But what about Ireland versus France on Sunday? I settled down to see it, and had quite convinced myself that we could win this match but it was not to be.
Before the match ever began, Ireland were hit by a quadruple whammy when four of their favourites, having tested for HIAs, were deemed not to be able to play. Then captain Ian Henderson, Billy Burns and Cian Healy were all forced, in quick succession, to undergo HIAs during the game. At half-time, the score was 10 for France, 3 for Ireland. I had fully decided that was the end of that.
But no, Ireland continued to make a great contest of the game. In the end, the score was France 15-Ireland 13. So now, Ireland have lost their opening two matches for the first time since 1998.
I thought Ireland played a great game and it was clear that France had not expected such a strong defensive game and were put to their collar on many occasions.
It is very worrying indeed, in this game of rugby, the frequent occurrences of head injuries which can in time affect the brain, and also in time lead to degeneration in some of the players. There is a huge emphasis on it now, and not before its time. Sometimes when you look at the screen and see the melee which is being played out in front of you, you wonder about it all and think, is it worth it?
However, those questions will become more and more relevant as the game goes on and as medical science delves further and further into the injuries sustained in matches.
How is the reading going? I have just finished Stardust Baby by Lisa Lawlor. There has been a lot of publicity about the St Valentine’s night, 40 years ago last Saturday, when over 40 people were burned to death and over 200 badly injured when the Stardust nightclub in north Dublin caught fire. I remember it so well because it was the Friday night of a Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis in the RDS. As you can imagine, there was total pandemonium when it was announced and the Ard Fheis was immediately cancelled.
Lisa’s book is very evocative. She was just a year old when her mother and father, Maureen and Francis, left her in the care of a babysitter and went out to have a Valentine’s night together. They never came home, and Lisa’s mind from then on was always full of the story and the wonderings about her Dad and Mam.
If you can get hold of the book through the library or through a friend, grasp the opportunity. It is very well-written and a really interesting account of all that happened those many, many years ago.
The health picture is looking better, but I hope it is not a false dawn.
That’s my lot for this week. Hope to talk with you all next week.
In the meantime, stay safe and stay at home.
Slán go fóill.
Mary O’Rourke
