The best of people and the worst of people

First the good side.

On Friday last I went to the Irish Wheelchair people beside Newgate Motors on the Navan to Kells road to attend to various matters which had arisen.They are very efficient and helpful people.

While walking past the office a young lady came to me saying”I bet you don’t remember me Daithi”.You might depend that I did.She is a young lady called Emma from close to the Dublin border who I first met as a Child in a Camogie context and whose parents I have the honour of knowing  as a consequence.All I will say of this most pleasant young woman is that she is living proof of the adage  that an ounce of breeding is worth more than  a ton of feeding.

Now to the bad side.

On Saturday afternoon I decided it was time to take to the trike seriously and shed a (good) few pounds from the bulging waistline.I headed to Trim and after much huffing and puffing landed in the  Town,of which I think a lot and whose business people are class acts.

Having spent some time in Mc Geogh’s I headed down Emmet Street in the direction of Trim Hardware.I was on the tricycle with my walking stick strapped to the rear basket and my purchases alongside.As I cycled past the front of the Marigold Chinese Restaurant a group of about 20 boys were gathered and on seeing me attacked me trying to pull away the walking stick and lift the bags.They tried their damnest to knock me from the bike ,laughing and jeering.When you are as I am this is a terrifying experience.This happened in broad daylight at 5.00pm on a main street in the capital city of Meath and these feral scum just did not care.They think it their right to commit whatever opportunistic crime they want.I would put their age range at 9 to 14 years.

Only for the fact that a passing motorist saw what was happening and started honking his horn I was done for.His /her reward was to have the car surrounded by this scum and be threatened in turn.Whoever you are I owe you a lot and thank you for tour intervention.

I got as far as Trim Hardware,dismounted from the bike and looked back up the street.They hadn’t moved and were staring in my direction.I took my mobile from my pocket and phoned the Gardai.Only then did the bulk of the mob saunter casually towards the Steppes ,while the ringleaders sprinted across the road in front of the Marigold and disappeared from the street.I would say that this was not the first time those tactics were used.

The Gardai arrived within 5 miinutes and spoke to the mob in front of the Steppes.The ringleaders were not there.The Gardai searched a number of other areas.The ringleaders were not there.

I am satisfied that this mob are traveller  children,who are out of control.

I cannot praise the Gardai enough for their prompt attention.Nor can I praise Pearse Murphy enough.He stood guard on my trike until I returned to collect it.

This mirrored a similar opportunistic attempted assault on me in Trim about 3 months ago.On that  occasion I was dropped by my son at AIB to withdraw money from the cash dispenser.I did so and went to Trim Hardaware to pay a bill.I walked from there to the car park opposite Coogans Butchers to await my pick up.I was walking with the aid of my walking stick on this occassion.While waiting there a man, in his late twenties I guess, with an East European accent approached me bawling for money for wine.As I was standing my ground my son pulled up and my threatening  assailant retreated,lifting his mobile to talk to another man who was standing watching about 50 yards away.I was lucky again.These opportunistic scum are here and just waiting their chance to strike.

I will now bring up another incident which happened to me the Saturday before the Elections ,when I was canvassing on Kennedy Road in Navan on my tricycle,with a poster and leaflets in the back basket.I was accosted by a group of children about  ten strong of similar attitude and demeanour  to those who accosted me in Trim ,who pulled the poster ,also in broad daylight,from my trike ,lifted my handouts and tried to knock me from my trike.They said they were Sinn Fein and that was why they were doing it.Luckily my two brothers were within shouting distance and arrived on my call..These impudent little shits got hard enough to move on.

Now I don’t for one minute believe that they had anything to do with Sinn Fein .If I’m not mistaken I know Peadar Toibin’s father and know they are decent people.

With so many of our own decent young men emigrating how long before these opportunistic scum take over entirely.Unless this is  addressed promptly the disabled,the elderly and the weaker members of our society may lock themselves away behind their own doors for ever.

I was right to canvass on the basis of” reclaiming our country”,although this is not exactly what I had in mind.We must do it street by street,village by village, town by town and county by county,before it is too late.

I ,for one, will not be hiding.