How stroke snuck up on me.

July 1st.2009 was a grand summer's day.I woke early enough .At about 8.00 a.m. I would say.I had a busy schedule.I act as tax agent for a number of clients with Revenue and some of them were under severe pressure to meet  demands for money they just did not have.In addition another few were under severe pressure fending off claims from ex employees  relating to employment no longer available.Mostly foreigners who were begging for work during the years of the Celtic Tiger.They showed no compassion to newly destitute Irish employers impoverished by the bursting of the bubble and had no bother getting the services of the legal profession to advance their cases.
Some of my clients could not afford such luxuries as legal fees and I helped them as best I could.
The slavish response of the Irish Government to the bubble bursting and the absolute failure to stand up for its own citizens is unforgivable and ,in my view ,has caused many deaths, illnesses and pure misery and still is causing untold misery.
I would have been tossing over the practicalities of such things in my mind and also had to do a bit of fencing to keep in three over amorous bulls who were breaking out and trying to tip the valuable heifers of a good neighbour.
In addition herself wanted a lift to Trim to do the shopping.Lidl I think.For the record I enjoyed a smoke and a drink and was chairman of Dunderry Gaa Club and Camogie Clubs at the time and had been involved very actively with both for many many years.
I was as physically strong as a bull myself and for a man of my age ( 58)  had had no physical illnesses in a good few  years.I had got regular check ups over the years and had no problems with blood pressure nor any other physical problems.
Anyhow I brought herself into Trim and dropped her at the shop and went around to Mc Geogh's Hardware to get something or other.Felt the finest.Was talking to the late Hugh and felt of a sudden the strangest sensation.For love or money my feet would just not lift off the ground.No pain at all but if you can imagine that I was wearing lead boots weighing about  a ton apiece that is the way I  felt.Lucky enough I was leaning back to a wall and didn't fall and said nothing.And it passed away in a split second.But the alarm bells rang.
Collected  herself and headed home ,no problem.Said nothing and decided to leave the fencing to the afternoon.Had a look at a few tax cases at the table and about noon the precise same  thing struck again for another split second.The alarm bells rung louder.I figured that it wasn't a heart attack as I understood that it normally involved pain in the arm or chest .I had no pain at all.I more or less figured that it could be the start of a stroke as I knew that a stroke killed brain cells and figured that some of my brain cells were not working properly ,hence the inability to lift my legs.
I phoned my Doctor ,who I trust completely. to see what the next move would be and for advice ,suggesting that it might be the onset of a stroke.He was not immediately available so I left a message on his mobile to get back to me.
But I felt great and decided to plough ahead with the fencing.Lucky for me I took the precaution of bringing two young lads who had been helping me for years to give me a hand,Killian Minogue and Christopher Harrington.
And off we went.The land we  had to get to is at the end of a boreen off another boreen and across a field that you could not drive over and had to walk over for about a half mile. We travelled there and
 lugged the posts ,wire ,crow bar and tools by hand and started the work.
Firstly I made a deep hole with the crow bar,used a aluminium mallet to drive the posts home and then let the lads give the post ten shots each of the mallet to complete the driving operation.No bullin just steady progress.We worked well together.None of us are slaves.I said I was strong and I wasn't joking.I was splitting the posts when I hit them and remarked more than once that a slightly less powerful left arm would not go amiss.You should be careful what you wish for as  you may get your wish fulfilled.
Anyway we were getting on grand when my phone rang and the Doc,told me to get to hell to the nearest Hospital immediately.But I felt the finest and kept at it for about another hour I would say,before packing up.
Then just as we were leaving the spot we were standing in ,with a half mile to go across the field .my legs gave way entirely.The lads dragged me the whole way to the van and I guess saved my life.It was no easy task to drag me that far as I'd say I weighed 19 stone at least.But between grunting and bawling and adrenalin pumping all over the shop we managed.
They were about 16 at the time and none were officially driving.I was afraid to let them do so as I thought they would crash and hurt themselves.I managed to get the van into gear and drove it to the top of the boreen at which I felt my arms going and managed to pull in ,stop it and turn the ignition off.
Now I had no use of my arms nor legs and my mouth was drooping.I knew I was getting a stroke and told the lads to get an ambulance pronto.They were on their mobiles before I could get it out..Killian phoned  his Dad and he organised one immediately.
Then two neighbours appeared almost simultaneously ,Alan Healy and his aunt Marion Fagin.I got out what I needed and Marion's daughter Sinead happened to be at home from England and they went the short distance for her,Luckily she is a nurse.
I figured I might be going to meet my Maker and started a perfect act of contrition and meant every word of it .And the strangest thing.God spoke to me with the message "You will get through this Dots.it's not your time yet".
I believe in God the Father Almighty and believed the message totally and it gave me fierce  strength subsequently and to this day.
I was fully confident that I would not die in the immediate future no matter what came.
They loaded me into the front seat of Marion's  car and Sinead sat in the back holding my hand and attending to me and they drove  me to Navan Hospital where I was admitted immediately.We passed the ambulance on its way out while we were on the way in.
We landed there about 6.30 I would guess.
To be continued.

Commissioner Callinan's stance needs clarifaction.

The standoff between the Gardai top brass and the Public Accounts Committee over the discretion of the Gardai to forgive penalty points made riveting viewing,Certainly the Commissioner put it up to Parliament,effectively telling them to butt out of his area of responsibility.My guess is that Fine Gael,as the party of law and order will see to it that the matter is buried .Enda would know that while he might get away with demonising Catholicism ,taking on the Gardai is a kettle of a different colour.
However what really perplexed me is the distaste the Commissioner forcibly expressed for the actions of those bringing the information to public attention.He expressed the view that their actions was "disgusting."
Now to my mind the borderlines between whistle blowers,informers and the action of good citizens in supplying information to the relevant authorities is extremely blurred.
Social Welfare,Customs,Revenue generally and the Gardai amongst a host of others are continuously advertising for citizens to report any suspicious activities to the authorities.And count it as a success if the numbers of such reports increase year on year.
I would say that in none of these instances would the  crime be already proven in Court.Rather what would be reported would be the informer's belief that the behaviour complained of could constitute criminal or wrong behaviour.
Many Irish people have an inbuilt revulsion of informers ,mainly I suspect because of the propensity of so many informers in the past to report on their neighbours and colleagues to the Brits when they ruled the roost here.(Which may be a reason in why Ruairi Quinn wants to decommission the study of history in our schools)
I figure myself that the act of informing runs in families and is passed from generation to generation but have no scientific proof of this.It sure would make an interesting study for some academic.
Anyhow the point is that the Commissioner may have been talking from his  genetic Irish gut when he described the behaviour of the whistle blowers as disgusting.
Today the memorial service of Detective O Donoghue of Lordship  was widely publicised and that of his horrific murder .The Gardai are pleading for information on his killers.They want informers to blow the whistle on the perpetrators.
I would guess that the Gardai,Revenue and Social Welfare are hugely grateful to the Good Citizen Reports they receive and that it forms a considerable part of its investigative armour.
The Commissioner would want to clarify his position on these matters and be consistent,in my humble view.

Official Ireland self contradictory.

Last night I watched a programme on the merits of E cigarettes.These contain nicotine and involve the inhalation of steam effectively.
The health Taliban have their eyes out on stalks trying either to have them banned,regulated or priced beyond the reach of ordinary people by limiting their availability to Chemists shops.
Not on the basis of any current of any health drawback but because,they say,there may or may not emerge in the future at some unspecified time such a health drawback.
My own belief is that they relish the way have routed and bullied the smokers of Irealand and want to continue to harass them as much as possible.
Now I contrast this approach  with the simultaneous bullying of the population of rural Ireland where the State is trying to force through the confiscation of farm land to erect electric pylons the height of Liberty Hall over the wishes of the owners.
Aside altogether from the promise of a fighting fund from the Government to those opposing the project,which I heard Damian English promise in a pre election meeting and which as far as I know hasn't been delivered ,when the health issue is raised,the standard answer from the proponents of the project is that there is no current evidence of health detrimental side effects from the current pulsating through the wires.
Not a word about possible  bad effects which may or may not arise at some unspecified time in the future.
No wonder we live in a State where one organ of Government,NAMA ,closes down another badly  needed hospital , throws  300 medics on the dole and further frustrates patients ,when the general public are fearful of going into hospitals for treatment in the first place.

Dunderry GAA CLubhouse violated.

Sunday night the door of the clubhouse was smashed and the Clubhouse rifled.As in most of rural Ireland the GAA Club is one of the few  surviving centers of social activity and thank God is widely used by all  sectors of the community.This was an attack on the wider community.
I have no knowledge of who did this but suspect that they did not travel for hundreds of miles to get here.
The insidious and creeping lack of respect for others,particularly their elders, is a growing problem in all communities and notwithstanding the apologists , must be tackled countrywide and rooted out at source if we are to have any standard of life in the future.
As a result of this break in and another attempted one at the weekend several households are living in fear.

Reopening of Vatican Embassy

Eamon Gilmore hasn't even the dignity to be graceful about the reopening of the Irish Embassy in Rome.He called it a "reopening of a scaled back Embassy to deal with development aid ".What a bitter spiteful small minded little atheist.
Presumably his boss Edna fully approves of this description also.
Next weekend when you see your local Labour or Fine Gael activist actively participating in the Mass you will realise what they really think of Catholicism.

VInnie the scab#s show at it again

Fionnan Sheehan,the pol.corr.for the Independent I can take or leave.The one thing I will say in his favour is that he challenged Vinny on the attitude of TV3 to Trade Unions.That is they do not allow trade Unions to operate in TV3.
Fionnan has not featured on TV3 since.So when I relapse and watch Vinnie's Show on TV3 I say to myself "there is the scab Vincent Brown." .And I say the same about his guests who are handpicked to reflect his own prejudices in the main.
One prejudice he has is that he is virulently anti Catholic,never missing a chance to denigrate and sneer at Catholicism.I will never forget the occasion when he spat out the word "sheep " to describe the faithful Catholic Laity as part of his bigotry.
Tonight I had a relapse.His show was the best of a bad lot.So I tuned in.
And true to form ,in the review of tomorrows newspapers a brunette thin lipped female couldn't resist the birth of a child to a nun to denigrate Catholicism and its basic tenets,by sneering at Catholics Church response to the event,which is to ask her to leave as far as thin lips said.
This theological genius spat out thinly veiled sneers about the miracle of the birth of Jesus to his Holy Mother Mary.
What an insulting mouthpiece and bigot.
Just what you would expect on the Scab#s Show and the reason why I long since stopped looking at the show.
Considering the content of some of the other "entertaimnment " shown on the Channell.which let us be clear Young children can view at the push of a switch I wonder why any Christian would advertise with that Station.

Jimmy the "Red Bomber "Dowd in recovery mode.

I would never have known it but  his contemporaries inform me that Jimmy Dowd A.K.A.the "Red Bomber "was a scoring forward of distinction in his football heyday.
Not only this but he was  probably the first (and only ) professional footballer in Dunderry in that he had a fan base who would cobble together as much as they could (in his  day a few shillings,say the price of ten fags  )and promise it to him should he reach a preset scoring target.He would bargain it down as far as he dared, but I am told ,NEVER  failed to deliver.
Often this target would be as much as 1-2.
Jimmy only had one drawback and it was this.He would reach his target in say the first ten minutes and then rest on his laurels,fully satisfied with his days work.
Pity we hadn't an Ambronovich (If that's his name ) in Dunderry then.
Anyhow Jimmy has had surgery and is home in recovery in their house in Dunderry being cared for by his most decent and caring of sisters,Marie..
We wish him a speedy and full recovery.

Death of Paddy Shaffrey,Ongenstown

Paddy Shaffrey ,Ongenstown,has died.I hear that he reached the great age of 91 years.
His mortal remains will be removed to St,Ultan,s Church,Bohermeen this Monday  (20th .January 2013 ) to arrive at 7.30 p.m.
Funeral Mass tomorrow at 12 Noon  and burial afterwards in Boyerstown Cemetery.
To his wife Betty and daughter Mary and son in law Paddy Dunne we offer our condolences.
Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam dilis.

Dunderry Adult Hurling Management Team 2014.

Manager Kevin (Ted) Dowd will have Gerry Mc Loughlin and Dermot Dempsey as his sidekicks this year.I played with all three.
These man gave their all when I played with them.No shortage of balls and no pullback.
In their own quiet ways these boys could pull the rabbit out of the hat this year.
I hope so.
Go n-eiri an bothar libh.

Dunderry Adult Football Team Mentors 2014

Stephen O Rourke is the manager and his sidekicks are Neddie Howley and Pat Gough.
I will say this.All these guys were fine footballers in their prime and would have got a place on any Dunderry team I can remember.
If they can bring the passion and determination they possessed when playing to the present crew and if the present crew are  good enough, we should go far.
Go n eiri an bothar libh.

The dog that bites its own tail.

As a child I used attend Thomas Duignan's shop at Lawlesses Cross,where my aunt used buy her groceries when Lawlesses shop  closed down.This was in the late 1950's and early 1960's and I am not moaning when I say money was as scarce as hen's teeth.
It didn't close too early and was more of a ceilidhe house than a shop at evenings when the locals would gather to converse and socialise.
The craic was always good and lies told to beat the band.
I specifically remember one conversation about the merits of various dogs.(never house dogs but always working dogs in those times.)
One guy said that the best dog he ever saw was Billy Darcy's collie,which Willie could communicate with in a series of grunts and whistles and such was their mutual understanding that Willie could command the dog to go to fields far out of current sight and bring back to Willie either sheep or cattle unseen and the dog would do so.I saw this myself and it was true.
Other guys tried to best this but in truth no one could until Paul Rhattigan ,the undisputed king of the white lie did best it.
To general consensus he put the proposition that it took a great dog indeed to herd suck calves especially if their mothers were not with them,as when they were being milked apart from their babies.
He claimed to know a man "above and beyond" who had such a dog.Were the cows being milked in the milking parlour for example and assuming the farmer wanted the calves brought there by the dog,he would tell the dog to do so and the dog would dip his bushy tail in a bucket of milk and head carefully down to the relevant pasture,where he would go from calf f to calf alllowing them to have a brief suck from his milk impregnated "tit"and thereby line up after him and follow him back to the parlour,stopping to give a fresh nibble to any straggler.
Some story and some dog.
And then the conversation devolved to what type of dog you would like to be were you reincarnated a dog.
One guy said a Jack Russell as you could be very useful and in demand as a ratter.
Another said a fox terrier as you could save lambs from death by foxes.
Another said that an Irish Retriever was the business to retrieve shot game.
Another said a collie was the best dog type for the reason outlined above.
And so it went,each to his preference.
Paul again had the last word,
He said he would like to come back as a strange dog.Why said the stooge,"Well he said ,when I would make my entrance amongst all of your dogs you would all smell my hole,and that would be grand".
And so it went.
There was common consensus's that the absolute worse type of mutt was "one that bit its own tail ,"no good to man nor beast."
I suppose the human equivalent is a self harmer.
These thoughts came to mind when I consider the actions of certain people hogging the limelight for various reasons,especially the strange dog types and the bite your own tail types,

Neil Smyth's Month's Mind Mass.

The family have asked me to inform all that his Month's Mind Mass is this coming Saturday evening at 7.30 in Dunderry(11/01/2014).
All are welcome both to the Mass and Horan#s afterwards ,where light refreshments will be served free of charge.

Will the real Communist please stand up.

Vladimir Putin of Russia celebrated Christmas in the Russian Orthodox church in Moscow.Openly celebrating the birth of Christ.Our so called President ,who before his election was all for openness and transparency,has declined in his secular Christmas message  to make any reference to the birth of Christ and when asked whether he is an atheist ,makes the reply that it would be inappropriate to answer that question.
I remember him saying that n he was "spiritual " when nursed through his pre election interview by a fawning interviewer prior to the election.Why can he not answer a simple question ?Does his view of openness apply only to people other than himself.
He has  no difficulty enunciating the secular Labour agenda on a multiplicity of subjects.
On the  evidence I see Putin is more suited  to the job here.
Some turn up for the books,

Grim Reaper working overtime.

However it is this time of year is a fierce time for deaths.You just could not keep up, with the funerals.
In the last few week we have lost,Nial Smith,Derry O Brien,Nancy Brady,Rory Connor,Gus Martyn's mother (the night before her grandson's Joey's wedding) and Mrs Joe Rowntree from this Parish ,that I know about.
And a hurler and footballer of the highest calibre was buried in Mulhuddart Graveyard from Dunboyne church last Thursday.Sean MOyles ,a Cabra man,played with Finnbars and Dublin in his heyday.I think he played with and managed Dunboyne and St.Paul's also.
His sons played at both codes with Meath.
He delivered bread to our house in Blanch,for years.And Billy Cullen who soldiered with Brigids,Blanchardstown  for many years also made the journey to God
As men go they were  top notch.
Ar Dheis De go raibh a hanam dilis

Dunderry adult managers 2014.

Stephen O Rourke is the Football Manager.
Kevin Dowd is the Hurling Manager.
We wish them the very best for 2014.

Report on 7.30 Christmas Mass in Dundrerry 24/12/2013

It was absolutely freezing outside tonight.The wind would cut you in two and I would say that any lambs born outside would be in deep trouble.It spilled cutting rain ,sleet and some snow at times today but none stuck.It is freezing cold now at 2,30 A,m,
The Church was packed,standing room only.I sat in the side aisle to the right of the nave as you enter the Church.
There is a kind of regular crew that sit in each side aisle each and every weekend and if any regular was missing you would be worried.
Phil Fay always sits or stands in the left side aisle and Molly in the right side aisle,with the width of the Church between them.They are a long long time married and this may be the secret  of their success.
A violinist accompanied by a pianist played during Mass.She was very good.She is  a Czech..
The alter was resplendent with a display of flowers and foliage I have never seen the beat of.
There were 9 alter boys and girls and they did the job with aplomb.
The reading was done by one Sheila and Michael Birds's daughters (shame on me I can't think of her name.).She can speak with passion and total clarity.
Marie Casey can move like greased lightening.I say this because someone forgot to put the sheet with the Prayers of the Faithful out for the Priest and the Reader,.She was out of her seat like a bullet ,hurdled the step into the Sacristy like Arkle at his best and in a blur of pure speed had the sheets in place in less time than the blink of an eye..The Camogie women have a ready made mid fielder.
A huge crowd went to Communion.
Father Hornick does not do long sermons.They are straight to the point.Tonight was no different.
I would have to say that his sermons are a bit longer than those of the late Father Mc Carthy.Prior to the voting date on the Divorce referendum a number of years ago ,which was narrowly carried and on which a long Episcopal letter was supposed to be read at all Masses,he held it up and said "If you believe in the law of God you will vote against it (divorce ),but if you want to suit yourself you will vote for it".
Nuff said.
At the end of Mass the violinist played "Silent Night ".After a faltering start the congregation joined in.I cried copiously.This is because that since my stroke I easily get emotional and cry for no discernible reason.
One thing I did notice is that I do not know two thirds of the people.There are a fierce lot of newcomers in the Parish.
I suppose I should be concentrating on my prayers and not spouting this sort of stuff.
I do it to give anyone from Dunderry in exile a picture of what went down tonight.
 Nollaig Shona duibh.

Derry O Brien,an appreciation.

Dermot William O Brien,for this I believe was his birth name ,was one sound man.And I will tell you why.
First he and his wife Mary (Newman )had three children ,one sounder than the other.Ian and Eunice we all know,love and respect,but there is another who Derry is now hugging and cajoling in the Place where no pain exists and where the other Angels worship the Lord.
Denise (pet name Dolly ) was born with a cndition I cannot currently spell,which involved irreparable brain damage and massive physical disability and of which most sufferers die fairly promptly.
Yet the loving and incessant care lavished on their treasure by Derry,Mary,Ian ,Eunice the Newman family and neighbours resulted in her reaching her teens before she succumbed.A world record in compassion I believe.
They say that the most distressing pain a parent can suffer is the loss of a child.Derry and Mary suffered this pain.And never flinched nor sought sympathy.Ian nd Eunice suffered the loss of a sibling and it is perhaps no coincidence that Eunice chose nursing as a profession.
I have often wondered how Derry and Mary felt when they heard the womb raiders screeching for the murder of perfectly healthy preborn children as a right and have no doubt but that Derry and Mary have more decency in a discarded fingernail than the totality of these child killers.
Secondly Derry had to make a living all during his married life and help support his family .This he also did as well as shouldering the responsibility of massive shared care for Dolly.And he must have done it well because hundreds of his former colleagues in the old Dept,of Posts and Telegraphs formed a huge guard of honour at his packed funeral in Dunderry last Monday.
Thirdly he himself suffered in silence and with dignity for a good while prior to his death and he  disguised it well.You would never think when you saw him picking up the grand kids at school that he was as sick as he transpired to be.Even towards the end he was the youngest and freshest 66year old I ever saw.
On a personal level I chose a different sporting path than Derry.I am a GAA man through and through.Derry was a soccer man and a referee of distinction I am told.I did see a few Soccer Blazers at the funeral.
His mother is a Heerey ,a most diverse and Sporting family.Two at least of his uncles played foot ball with Dunderry in the forties and fifties.Others were All Ireland champions in cycling,running and golf I understand.
In fact when I was in Navan Hospital as a result of a stroke four years ago an uncle of his was in the same ward as myself.He was a good conversationalist and as modest as be damn about the sporting achievements of his lifetime but he was sicker than I thought and died a short time afterwards.
Derry's mother 95 years old attended his funeral , a mother burying a child who himself had buried a child.A most distressing occasion.
To his loving wife Mary,his children and his grandchildren and his siblings all in Dunderry offer their sincerest condolences.
Ar Dheis De go raibh a hanam.

Milk of Human Kindness flows in Navan

With a gammy arm and a pronounced limp from a stroke ,walking is a tricky business for moi.
Today I overdid it.I walked from Cannon Row in Navan  to the Church to attend the funeral of a man who died with dignity at home,cared for to the end by his sisters Helen and Breda and other family members.
Cancer whipped Martin Fennessy,a decent man who suffered the unnatural loss of a son a few years ago.He was dealt a rough hand in the poker game of life but was never heard to complain.The Church was packed to overflowing in tribute to a brave battler who never threw in the towel.He is an uncle of our Aoife.
Afterwards I went to the Revenue Office in Abbey Road and thence to AIB on Kennedy Road.Whence I headed back for Cannon Row ,making two bulky purchases on the way,which were carried in a largish paper bag and were heavy enough.
I have to use the good hand to use my walking stick and had to double up the load on that hand by carrying the bag also.Progress was laboured to say the least.
And the rain fell and the wind blew.Hard.
Crossing through the Credit Union Car Park I was under severe pressure.I was drowned and my faux fur lined Elmer Fudd hat was dripping with rain.I had to use my walking stick as an aid to help me carry the bag by putting the crook in the stick through the handles of the bag and hoisting it on my shoulder ,a bit like a tramp carrying his load on his back.
Then out of the blue a very concerned lady about my own age very sincerely offered me a fiver and suggested I buy a cup of tea for myself.You could have knocked me with a feather.I thanked her kindly and explained that  I was not that poor and gently refused her offering.
I don't know who she is and if she is not an Angel,as I strongly suspect ,thank her from the bottom of my heart.
She is the spirit of Christmas,God bless her.

Hello Black Lion ,Cardigan,Wales.

In the start of December the war Office and myself spent two very pleasant days and nights in the Black Lion Hotel in Cardigan Town,a.k.a Aberteifi in Welsh.
We were totally well looked after by the Manager James and his smashing staff.
The building is over 1,000 years old and predates the Castle built in the town.
This is evidenced by the block work where for example you can see ancient oak trusses instead of RSJ all over the place.
The accommodation is fine and en suite,the grub is bang on and the service is first class.
Parking in the town is only 20 pence for an hour and the shopping streets in the town all have ground level shop units with accommodation overhead as far as I could see.
Cardigan is to Wales what Cavan is to Ireland and prices were fierce reasonable when we were there.
The town is in the middle of farming country and is very similar to rural Ireland.
Unlike Ireland however they are not ashamed of their native language and every Welshman  and woman I met can and does speak it fluently if not always as a first language.
All in all it is a grand relaxing place to visit ,so happy Christmas James and all in the Black Lion.

Mass Times for Christmas in Dunderry

Christmas Eve.24/12/2013.

Kilbride  :6.00 P.M.
Dunderry:7.30 P.M.

Christmas Day.25/12/2013

Robinstown :9.30.A.M.
Dunderry     :11.00 A.M.

St.Stephens Day.26/12/2013
Dunderry   :10.00.A.M.

Meath.s Camogie Lead can revolutionise All Gaelic Associations.

You know the way that it costs huge money to prepare County Teams at all levels for Hurling ,Football ,Ladies Football,Most Camogie Counties and all other amateure Sports at representative level.And you know the way that there is a clamour from some deeply dedicated sportspeople for pay to play,i.e.pay the player to play.And you know the way that all the Gaelic Games associations pride themselves on the ethos that values people from all backgrounds and does not discriminate against or between members because of diverse economic backgrounds.
Well unless I am off the wall the Meath Camogie Board has turned this on its head.
It was put to me recently that any eligible player for the age group who wished to train with and be considered for the Under 18 County Team ,would have to fork out E40.00 for the privilege of so training .
I am amazed that no one thought of this before.Were a fee levied by all the County Boards for the privilege of joining the County Teams no County Board would ever be in debt and could potentially make a fortune by limiting places to the highest bidder.
We mightn't n have the best teams but we would surely have the richest.
And feck the poor.
A whole new slant on the proposition of "Pay to Play".

Under 21 B.H.C.F.Dun derry V Kilskyre/Moylough.15/12/2013

On the way to Kildalkey for this Sunday afternoon match the God of Winter woke from his slumber and spat out as nasty a belch of freezing rain and chilling breeze as I have felt for a long time.It lasted a half hour and penetrated to the bone,not a great omen for the impending battle between ourselves and the North Meath combination.
In my time there have been numerous contests between us  that went to the wire against both  half of the combination in both hurling and football,some of which we lost and some of which we won.I can stretch back nearly two decades to an under 14 Hurling Match  in Dunderry where I was the agreed referee and was nevertheless  stretched out  in a schemmozle .to being put outside the wire after objecting to an agreed referee from the opposition moving the sliotar up to sixty yards for dissent.On several occasions.We won both contests.
The former was re fixed and my eldest son was accidentally split in the face during the replay in Athboy and I spent most of the match in a doctor,s surgery getting his wound stitched.Not a great place to be for the Team manager during the game.We lost narrowly.
About a decade ago Mattie ,Paul and others put a huge effort into reviving hurling at juvenile level in Moylough.I remember bringing a juvenile team there on a bank holiday weekend about a decade ago to participate in a tournament involving a juvenile match between us as a support act to a junior match between them  and a Westmeath Team.
They had pulled out all the stops for the day and had magnificently trophies on hand and a catering operation second to none.Our match became the main event as the guest Junior team did a no show.Very disappointing for them but good for us as we ate for three teams and got a trophy,hard earned it must be said.
And then in 2005 when I was manager of Dunderry Senior Football team Ballinlough beat us after extra time in a relegation battle.And shades of the under 14 match a decade earlier, my son Evan had his cruciate snap in the game .I can tell you that carrying your son in a stretcher as he is wincing in pain from a football pitch is not a pleasant experience.We went down by two points to a last minute fisted goal.
The fact that the four semi finalists came from our group of six didn't soothe the pain.Nor did the fact that nearly all village teams now labour in Intermediate status.Two All Ireland winners,Dowd once and Callaghan thrice,amongst others  have tried unsuccessfully to get back up.Maybe the Legend who has just got the job for 2014 will succeed.Here's hoping.
I.m sure that the combination teams have similar stories of woe regarding ourselves.Let's put it like this.There is a healthy respect inter se and no quarter is sought nor given and the contest only ends when the fat lady sings.
Those thoughts and the bittersweet memory of last year's defeat in a replay to another combination of Drumree/Blackhall,in which the Drumree joint captain thanked our very own Kevin Dowd for the coaching he had given them, rankled.
And the match was sandwiched between the funerals of the Nailer on Saturday and Derry O Brien the coming Monday.
Surely the Man above woukld allow us some cheer.OR would it be the case that "no sooner has God closed one door in your face than he also slams the second one" as my uncle Joe was wont to say betimes.
The pitch was slippy after the shower and it was cold.No conditions for fancy hurling you would say.The fiver admission fare included a programme naming both teams.The referee was Gerry O Brien.They were there from Crossakiel to Carnaross and Oldcastle to Drumbarragh to support the combination and from Tullaghanstown to Tullaghanogue and Kilcooley to Clonbun to support us.

Dunderry Team.

                                            Luke Martin

           Conor Dempsey.                                         Conor O Shea.

Dylan Keenan                     Brendan Wright               Stefan Clarke

             Conor Farrell                        John Moran.

Jordan Martin                     Killian Minogue             Simon Carty

            Stephen Coogan                           Christopher Harrington.

Subs.
Paddy Kenneally,Killian Leonard,Alan Casey and Dara Scannell.

Manager.Mick Minogue,and selectors Kevin Dowd and Tommy Keenan.

IT was not a day for fancy hurling  I thought.I would have said safety first and plenty of ground hurling was called for.Which probably explains why I was not asked to be a selector this year again.
But the skill levels of both teams and the ability to get ball to hand under the heaviest of tackling was a sight to behold.There was no player on either side lacking in either skill nor commitment and the referee let go tackles that a less hurling orientated referee would whistle ,frequently.
No soft frees so and equality of treatment to each  side.You earned your free.But no hurling man complained.
We were the superior team in the first half.But the effort of both teams was exemplary.We scored 2--5 the first half,only two coming from frees by Minogue,one for a foul on himself.,the other for a foul on Coogan..Harrow garnered a well crafted  2--1 from play and one can only wonder what he is capable of doing with a more intensive training regime.Jordan Martin and Coogan scored a minor apiece from play .
We were motoring well and but Keenan and Moran were slightly below par betimes and we did miss maybe two more scorable chances.
I award a star for each piece of action above and beyond the skill level I expect from players of the age group involved.Surprisingly Dempsey,O Shea ,Wright and Clarke,defenders all , topped my list for the first half.
The combination scored 9 points,,number 11 bagging four,number 10 bagging 3 and number 12 bagging two ,which tells its own story.
Their number 8 was marginally their best player.
Only once did the physicality of the hurling exceed acceptable levels and the fault was not ours.I hate to see anyone getting a red card uncles a vicious,unforgiving and thoroughly unsporting act is perpetrated .On balance, but much to our cost as it would later transpire ,the referee's brandishing of a yellow card was an adequate response.
At half time we rang the changes.Keenan and Lukie swapped positions as did Minogue and Moran.And it worked well,Moran going on to bag two fine minors from play,Keenan having a blinder in goals.Minogue exerting a greater input in matters and Lukie steadying up the ship.
We took marginal control for the next twenty minutes.,with bomber registering a minor and Jordan Mattin scoring three fine points.All other got through an amount of work with Carty running himself into the ground for the cause,But they kept in touch ,never losing hope despite going for goal with a few frees when taking a point would have been wiser.And they reaped their reward when they goaled ten from time to narrow the gap to achievable proportions.
The momentum stayed with them and with 90 seconds to go they drew level,The tension was palpable and I ,at least,thought that the ref should have blown the final whistle and brought it to a replay,as the light was fading rapidly.But no he kept going and they scored a point from play to forge ahead..We had one more chance but Jordan was under horrid pressure and hit wide of the posts.
And then the final whistle.
To the victors the spoils.They were gracious in victory.
We were fecking devastated,having snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.Felt pick pocketed.The lads were devastated and I did see some tears of frustration (players and nmentors ).Hard to blame them.Yet again the Gods had deserted us.
But we only scored 5 points since half time.They scored 1--6,number 12 bagging  1-3, ,number 8 bagging 0-2 and number 10 the winning point.
My star men the second half were Bomber,Jordan Martin,Moran,Wright and O Shea.,which seems strange considering we were outscored in the half,but there you go.
Their best in the half were number 7 and 8 again in my view.
I wouldn't pay too much attention to my ratings are they are just my opinion and like a..h..es everybody has one.
From a neutral' s point of view it was a classic,competitive game of the highest calibre  that will long live in the memory of those at it,but this is poor consolation to our boys who will be overage for this competition next year.
The goal has to be the Inter.Championship next year.
Kilskere and Moylough win little enough separately so I for one don't begrudge them one.Enjoy.


           

The summer of 1966

I did my Inter Cert in 1966.Its present day equivalent is the Junior Certificate.I dis fairly well in the exam.My father did a deal with me earlier in the year in which he promised that if I passed a certain number of subjects  he would give me the price of a tent.And so it came to pass.
He gave me a fiver,a small fortune in those days.With it  I purchased a second hand Army tent in Alpha Bargains in Capel Street ,as far as I remember.
I was 16 years old and my brother Robert was 14 years old.We came down on holidays to the Mc Cormacks in Churchtown ,as was our wont in those days.
For some reason Tommy wasn't working and Pat Rattigan was out of work having been injured and recuperating from a motor bike accident (someone crashed into him while he was driving his Honda 50.).
There was very little money around and someone hit on the idea of having a camping holiday around Ireland.
So myself,Robert ,Tommy and Pat sallied forth in Tommy's green mini van,replete with one only canvass tent ,one only frying pan,one only kettle and taypot,an assortment of blankets and pillows well past their sell by date and just about enough money to cover vittles and petrol.
We had no groundsheet for the tent and could not afford a roll of plastic to cover it with to keep out heavy rain.
And into the West with us.
The first night we spent at the side of a boreen looking down on Galway.We all fitted in the tent and lay on blankets on the grass .Rattigan slept on his side and such was the gap between his shoulders and his neck that the pillow wouldn't fill it and I can still hear him saying "give me the fucking frying pan so I can put it under the pillow and straighten out my neck and get some sleep."
And we all dozed off
.Only to be awoken before dawn by floods of water under us running off the boreen and dripping down on us from the porous canvas overhead.Thoroughly soaked we spent the rest of the night in the van,cramped like sardines.
At daylight we headed up country towards north Galway,and Mayo.I remember marvelling at the beauty of Carraroe,Connemara and further up the County.
All  the time the man were discussing how to minimise the drowning  of the previous night and the scarcity of money to help out.
And so THE PLAN was hatched.It was this.Find a ball alley close to a bog with cocked hay handy.WE did that night and each subsequent night.We would pull up and pitch the tent at the side of the alley sheltered from the prevailing wind.Then at dusk we would quietly take the dry innards from a few cocks of hay and place it on the ground under the blankets and sleep away,Pat used stuff his pillow with  hay to raise it to the level he needed.
At dawn we would put the hay back into the cocks and Pat would light a fire from sods of turf ,put the pan on,do the tastiest fry you could imagine and follow up with tay like nectar.
When we moved on no evidence of our stay was apparent.
The weather kept up and we had a week that still lingers.
The only sour note was when we were at the butt of Donegal and Robert and I wanted to go up to the very top but Tommy wanted to return home.Pat had the casting vote on where to stop that night,He said "We will stop above bye and bye" and home we came.
There is no point to this story only to marvel at the good nature of theses men and how they conjured up such a magical holiday for two gosoons out of nothing.
How I loved them and still do.

End of the line for the Nailer.

Today the cold wet clay fell on the coffin of Niall Smith ,Dressogue,Athboy ,a proud native of Dunderry,a husband to Marie,a father to Fiona,Nigel and Francis,a brother to Marie (Dalton ) a grandfather ,a father in law,a neighbour,a friend  and a man whose existence  will long live in the memory of all those who knew him.
Those close to him knew knew that he was tortured betimes but never suspected that his agonies would be terminated so tragically and would weigh so heavily on all ,particularly his immediate family who are in a state of utter shock and bewilderment.
Not inappropriately his burial took place in Dunderry Graveyard on a weekend of tempest and drenching rain similar to the prevailing conditions of THE MAN in whom he totally believed and who died over 2,000 years ago.
I don't doubt for one second that himself,the Showman,the Old Showman,Metal Mickey and Skin are driving the Highways of Heaven,free of multi agency checks ,insufferable work smothering regulations ,breakdowns and with a full order book of back loads in the full and beaming approval of Jesus Christ.
Dunderry Church was absolutely packed last evening as his mortal remains arrived  there for the last time and was thronged also this morning for his funeral Mass .Both occasions were sombre events as is fitting and his sons,daughter ,nieces and extended families paid heart rending tribute to a man so desperately missed and a life so well lived, albeit far too shortly spent.
Father Hornick,ably assisted by his Athboy counterpart ,presided admirably over the ceremonies and if there is a better singer than Paddy Mc Garry  for these occasions ,I have yet to hear him.
I do hope that he appreciates fully the unreal talent that God bestowed on him,
The fact that he often shared a session with the Nailer,and indeed myself in the days of yore inspired him to impart the proper amount of passion and poignancy into the well chosen hymns sung.
It took ages for all the sympathisers to commiserate with the family and file past the coffin on both Friday and today.I'd wager that Nailer would never have dreamt that he so many and so dispersed good and true friends.
The Nailer and his clan has history,all good,with myself and my mother's people the Mc Cormacks going back the generations.The old Showman and Joe and Tommy Mc Cormack were Shinners a lifetime ago. Tommy reverted to Labour at a time when Labour were proud to advance the cause of working people.
I ran as an Independent for the last Dail.About two weeks before the election the Nailer called to the house and offerd me the benefit of his experience in  spreading  the good news of my candidature ,an offer I gladly accepted.And canvass he did.
Then a week before the Election ,surprise of surprisesm RTE came to my house to interview me for "The week in politics "programme.The weather was like today and we were on tender hooks awaiting the arrival of the crew,who were delayed with a puncture in what was Indian territory to them.
When they did arrive like drowned rats we had no idea what format the interview was going to take and had each practised our lines .
They interviewed me separately from Nailer and very kindly explained to him that his chance would come on another day.He accepted this graciously and took it in his stride.
I made the introductory headline appearance in the programme subsequently.publicity money could not buy.
Maybe Nailer got the hump as a week later he was canvassing for Sinn Fein, a throwback to his father's genes maybe,In any event he backed a winner in Peadar Tobin.No fool he.
It wouldn't be the first time that Nailer and family helped us out.In the late 1980's Tommy Mac moved into a shed behind their house in Dressogue to shepherd  hogget ewes through the lambing period.Tommy never believed in doing things by half and was a shepherd in the real sense of the word.
He lived in the shed for over a month and was cared for and fed like a King by Nailer and Marie.
He didn't lose even one lamb.I kid you not.
Anyone who knows about these things will tell you that if you handle a hogget's lamb the human scent will more often than not cause her to abandon the lamb.Tommy overcame this by turning a sheet of galvanise into a crude sleigh by attaching a rope harness and poking any distressed newly born lamb onto the sleigh with the toe of his boot and pulling it into the shed with the hogget continuously smelling the lamb as it was in transit.
When inside he had the door rigged for quick shutting and lamb and hogget mother would be coaxed back to full health under the heat of the Super Ser.
I tell a white lie when I say thart not even one lamb was lost.One was lost and it was my fault.It happened like this.
One Sunday he wanted a break and asked me to go on duty,which I did.One ewe was unable to deliver and I caught her and put my hand in to deliver the lamb.But the lamb was coming wrong and I had to manipulate the tiny front leg to get her into delivery position.I felt a snap but delivered  a live lamb in the end.But she couldn't stand up as a front leg was broken by my clumsiness.After the ewe took to the lamb the vet put on plaster of Paris and a splint  on the break.Unfortunately too long a period was let expire before the cast was removed and the circulation had been cut off and the leg had to be amputated.She lived for a few months on three legs but was  slaughtered before her time as she eventually could not bear her weight.
Tommy was a very clever man and learned from this experience.When a similar break arose subsequently,he cured it himself.Figuring that the plaster was too rigid,he devise a splint made of plastering scrim,ice pop sticks and melted tar,which was poured on the scrim,absorbed by it and stretched with the growth of the lamb's leg.
Anyhow the point is that the Smiths treated Tommy and myself like royaltyand often brought a very young Fiona and Nigel to our house,where if memory serves ,they particularly had a likeness for Agnes's gravy.
I in turn helped Nailer when I was in a position to.
Nigel had a brief but enjoyable hurling career under my tutelage.That is when himself and Gerry Murrray were not hiding in the fields to avoid being collected.I usually found them .Another connection was that our Mags worked with Marie and Nigel in the Lodge where they formed close bonds that persist to this day.
I know Francie since he was a young child.A grand chap.
And Nigel's partner,who also read at Mass ,is a former Camogie player I coached in her youth.A lovely woman.
But no tribute to Nailer would be complete without reference to the mechanical love of his life,trucks  and trucking.
"Smith International " was the legend under which he and Frank a.k.a the Showman and betimes "Rodger Rabbit " ,traded in their prime and which name he preserved up to his untimely death.
I remember them in their prime inn Dunderrry when they were at the top of their trucking game and had a good few rigs on the road.Showman and himself were an odd pair for brothers and partners.Showman was well over six foot and built like a bull,with a tenor voice.Nailer was barely over five foot with a deep baritone voice.I often thought that the Lord got the voices mixed up ,but maybe not.One complimented the other.
Two other men,both now dead also wee on the crew,Michael Wimsey (A..K A Metal Mickey,further abbreviated to "Metal") and Joe Mc Nally (a.k.a "Skin").
One Saturday myself and Tommy Mc Cormack were  working on a machine beside the boys who were laying a new wooden floor in a full length trailer.All day long the banter was magic.Not  once was anyone on the Smith International crew called their Christian name,with roars of "Showman","Nailer","Metal" and "Skin"good naturedly filling the air.
Of that crew I am the only survivor."Metal " too died tragically,"Showman" of cancer at far too young an age,"Skin " of breathing difficulties and Tommy of cancer.I was spared when suffering a severe stroke four years ago.
These man lived like men and were independent to the nth.degree.
When these boys were in full business bloom in the late eighties and before "Showman's "death there was some buzz around Dunderry.Top shelves were emptied ,craic was had,Nailers courtship of Marie was celebrated often and well and full loads were dispersed worldwide,no bother at all.
And Father Enda narrowly missed being decapitated by a half block through a Pub window .while enjoying a well earned pint of the black stuff.A story for another day.
An uncle of mine suffered from Maniac Depression for most of his life.Nowadays it is called "Bipolar" I think.I am not a doctor nor an expert on this condition but know well that when the chemical balance of the brain is out of synch it can kick in and periods of sleepless elation are succeeded  by periods of deep depression.Highs and Lows in my language.
Maybe Nailer had this condition.I don't know.
What I do know is that a number of months ago he was out of sorts and maybe fell off the wagon a few times.I left him home on a few occasions.He unburdened himself to me.Total love for his family I hasten to add.But he was a tortured man and felt pressurised.
I never thought that this would be the result.
I have long held that people who die as he did should have their dealings with State institutions in the run up to death examined to l see whether lessons could be learned to improve future outcomes and hope  this happens here.
Let me hasten to add that I am not apportioning blame to anybody.It was one of these unforeseeable things.
Musketeers Liam is married to Niall's sister.They have buried his brother, mother and now Niall in quick succession.Fiona buried premature twins in recent times.
Lord help us all.and pray for his family in particular.
Ar Dheis De go raibh a hanam dilis.

P.S.I have been informed today that Nial was convicted of drink driving three weeks before his death and as a consequence barred from driving for four years.Given that the only occupation he ever had was truck driving and that he was in his sixties ,as far as I know ,that was the end of his working life in reality.
He was clearly unwell mentally in recent times and its not that long since he was in the physciatric unit in Navan.
As a self employed man he would have very little entitlements under the Social Welfare system.
There are all sorts of investigations into top up payments to charity bosses and the journalists are having a field day.Nobody died as a result of these top up payments.
Nial Smith is dead.
Did the three branches of the  State talk  to each other before the sentence above was imposed on Nial?
Has anybody involved in the charging and sentencing process even a tinge of regret ?Does anybody give a continental fuck about Nial and his family?
Given that it is the anniversary of another Meath man who died tragically.Shane Mc Entee,will Fine Gael pay anything other than pay  lip service to tackling suicide amongst men and look closely at what happened to Nial to see if lessons can be learned for the future ?
Your guess is as good as mine but I will not be holding my breath.
I stress that I am not apportioning blame to anybody involves in the process but would like to know if a holistic approach was taken in his particular circumstances.
The say that the mark of a civilised society is how it treats its weaker members.Nailer was as down as it gets.

The modern plantation of Ireland.

I am the originator of the phrase "living in fear"as I. used it on my election literature in the last general election.
And it  has come to pass,big time in what is left of Ireland under Enda and Eamon et all.
They have broken the most basic of undertakings given before the last election ,when they said on public television that they would not countenance evictions from  family homes.
Not only have they reneged on this but they have legislated to make it easier when the  Courts blocked it.
Now Ireland is being sold piece by piece to the Gall for half nothing while the native people either emigrate by the new time or are forced into homelessness  under the watch of the Blue shirts and the Stickies.
I find it disgusting to look at some old photographs of GAA teams and see lined up in them as team mates members of the above parties  who are now overseeing the eviction of their former team mates.
Truly this Government is Cromwell's spiritual successor.

A tale of contrasts.

Yesterday evening Dunderry National School put on its annual Carol service in a packed Dunderry Church.I was there as guest of Evan and Aoife and Glenda and Edward to witness first hand the choral ability of my grandchildren Padraic and Caoire.
I was not disappointed as all the Schoolchildren put on a magnificent show  celebrating the birth of Christ in true Catholic fashion.
It was edifying to see that so many past pupils have decided to send their  children to the same school that they themselves were educated in.Clearly they are very satisfied with the education they themselves got and wanting only the best for their children are as proud as punch to have them educated here.
And they are dead right.It was glaringly obvious that the teachers had put a huge effort into preparing their charges for the concert as they were word and note perfect ,both in English and as Gaeilge.
The classes performed  in ascending order from the youngest to the oldest.And what  the beer drinker said about pints of the black stuff "there is no such thing as a bad pint,only good ones and better ones" had application to the performances in that there were only good ones and better ones.
We had traditional carols ,contemporaneous ballads and even a Dunderry Rap.
I pads .I phones ,Tablets and conventional cameras were in constant use as another generation of mammies and daddies secured prime position to record for posterity the heroics of their progeny.
Afterwards al were invited to the Parish Hall for refreshments and the draw ,for which there were 40 prizes.
On a personal level I take pride that two parishioners and former camogie players I coached,Aimee Cregan and Kate Martyn  are now  school marms in the school.Only the best for the best and I must say the Mrs Kiely is steering a steady course at the helm.
And of course the real and shy Capo ,Father Hornick is playing a blinder.
All in all a very pleasant and rewarding occasion.

It was therefor with some trepidation that I sat down this evening to watch the Vincent Brown show as it discussed the latest audit on the Catholic orders and Diocese on the issue of child protection.
I have taken it for granted this long time that Vincent would assemble a panel as prejudiced and bigoted against Catholicism as he himself is to "discuss " the matter.And I was not disappointed .He set the tone by equating  allegations with proven facts and distorted the "discussion ab initio.Patsi Mc Garry,who has never displayed any balance on the matter gladly rowed in ,some approach for a self styled journalist,a wan from One in Four who is routinely wheeled out to belittle Catholicism ,opined that Catholic Clergy  should not avail of the legal protections available to all other citizens and roll over on the making of an allegation,as if none of the allegations ever made were false and motivated by filthy lucre,(as a Lady judge pronounced recently about a black Catholic nun in a motor crash case) ( one wonders whether lady judges have become so anti Catholic at this stage that it is a waste of time going to Court at all if you are a member of a Catholic religious order ) and the coup de grace was a so called Theologian who described the Catholic Church as "toxic" if I heard right and suffers from as bad a case of penis envy as I have ever encountered.
As they say around here she is fierce well balanced ,with an equal bundle of chips on each shoulder.And she capped it all by belittling Padraic Pearse for daring to fight for the freedom of his country.What a yoke.
Yes the bush telegraph of Hell was in overdrive in assembling such a sulphuric assholery.
I went to the Christian Brothers for five years as a day pupil.I think more of the discarded nail clipping of the least of these men than the totality of the bigoted mouthpieces on display in that insult to decency.
Some contrast between both events.

One cure for Dogs that worry sheep

We went on a double mission last week to Sas. and  Wales.We went to Frome in Somerset to bury Alice Loughlin ,my wife's last surviving aunt and did so.The Catholic ceremony is different in England than here.At least the one I was at is,in that a number of Hymns are sung during the Funeral Mass by the congregation.Nor is a decade of the Rosary recited at the graveside as is the norm here.Herself and myself said a  Decade anyhow,
The second leg of the mission was to visit the grave of my grandparents in a place near Cardigan in Wales called Pont Hirwaun,which as far as I can make out is the Welsh for the Bridge over the river Hirwaun.
We found it and the place is so small that Dunderry is Tokyo by comparison.I don't know who looks after the graveyard but it is very well kept.
Welsh is very much the spoken language in West Wales as far as I could see and and the writing on the grave was as follows:-
                                 Er  Cof  Annwyl
                                         am
                             Ianto Stephens

                              Pont Hirwaun
                         Hunodd Rhag. 16.1976 .
                               Yn 76 oed. 
                          Can eto cwrdd.
                            Herfyd Dewi ei fab
                         Bu fawr yn Iwerddyn
                         Ion .25.1982.Yn.52 oed.

                           Hefyo Maggie ei briod
                           Bu farw yn Salisbury
                            ym mlwyddyn 2000,
                                  Yn 99 oed. 
It refers to my grandfather Ianto (Evan),Father David (Dewi)  and grandmother Maggie ,although I am sure that her Christened name was Sofia.
We placed a wreath on the grave and said a few prayers.
The thought has recently struck me that I have much to be humble about as both my parents were born into houses made of stone ,which are now extanct and where life was very hard and tough. 
They were great people to survive at all and to be able to rear us was a miracle in itself.
This background probably explains my indignation at the exploitation of ordinary people by the uncaring and powerful.T'wasn't off the genetic road I licked it.
This area is primarily agricultural. and cattle manure and slurry  were being spread all over the shop.
The roads are very narrow but well marked ,even the least significant ones ,but there are practically no soft margins to pull in if you break down.In that event you would have major tail backs,I imagine.
The Welsh language is given prominence on all road signs and official signage and the people are hugely proud of it and use it all the  time.The antagonism of many native Irish to their own language is hard to understand in this context.Maybe it is the case that the genetic make up of the  Irish whose ancestors " took the soup"and effectively renounced their own traditions to help the Crown forces subdue Ireland  over many centuries lives on here more strongly than in Wales.I just don't understand the difference in attitude.
One thing that struck me is the fact that sheep throughout rural Wales and England graze right up to the very edge of the towns and villages without worry.You just would not see that here as the certainty of attacks by dogs would be inevitable.
The explanation is simple enough.In Wales in any event you either own a house dog or a working dog.A farmers dog is a working dog.Owners of house doge keep them at home and under control at all times,usually.
If a dog is caught worrying sheep ,without killing or biting them ,it may be that the  farmer would tightly tie a piece of twine around his goolies and attach a number of empty tin cans to the twine and let him find his way home.A ring of sheep shit around his neck would let the owner know what it was all about.
Were the owner foolish enough to let the dog stray again and if the dog didn't learn his lesson then the dog would be shot without compunction and the owner would have to fully compensate the farmer.
It works.
More anon.
    

Yet another blow to Muskateers

My better half (and you better believe it ) has suffered the sad loss of the very last sibling of her mother's side,the Heffernans,with the death of her aunt  Alice Loughlin of Frome,Summerset,England in her 95th year.She did not suffer for long,thank God.
I understand that she emigrated over 70 years ago from Tipperary to Frome.She outlived her husband by many years and is survived by a number of children and grandchildren ,about more of which anon.
She graced Dunderry when she was able to travel a number of years ago and stayed with us for a short visit.
For many years now my better half has sent her weekly a copy of the Tipperary Star,which she avidly looked forward to.Bernie Flanagan very kindly orders it weekly for us to transmit over, a tradition we will keep up for my wife#s sister Dolores,who also emigrated from Tipp to FRome and who like myself is burning a drop of diesel.
Herself is heading over for the funeral.
We mourn her death as no matter what age you are there is no convenient time time to die.
Ar Dheis De go raibh a hAnam Dilis.

Extraordinary Generosity of Dunderry Massgoers.

At the four Masses celebrated by Father Hornick in Dunderry,Robinstown and KIlbride last weekend he most generously forsook the usual Sunday Mass collection for the upkeep of the Parish Churches ,Schools and clergy and dedicated it to the displaced people of the Philippines and Syria instead.
The Mass goers responded with the sort of  Christian charity which is indicative of their Faith by stumping up the sum of E 3,024.00.
 I think  that about 37 % of Parishioners attend Mass regularly ,maybe 600 people men,women and children. This level of charity is ,in these austere times, laudable.
Were this level of Christian charity matched by those who sneer at ,deride, criticise and belittle practising Catholics in the Parish and indeed  countrywide  these worthy causes would benefit hugely.
A frustrated scribe called Liam Fay ,who sneers for the Irish Independent ,has described  a Catholic Priest ,who advocates for the right to life of the unborn as a "sky pilot".
Now Liam ,let us see how good well you and your fellow sneers can do in helping such charitable causes ,or is sneering and belittling your sole stock in trade ?
Through out a short and interesting life I have found that an empty vessels  makes the most noise and that actions speak louder than words.
So buala bos again to the Mass goers of Dunderry Parish Churches ,no matter where they live.

Immoral Medics contemptible

Just a few short months ago the masters of the Maternity Hospitals lectured us all an the ethics of abortion.Those who favour it left those opposed in no doubt that they regarded them as idiots.I thought to myself at the time that some of these people were so dismissive of other similarly qualified medics of opposing views that an unborn baby, who has no voice at all in the world of the womb raiders, would have no chance  of putting his case even if anyone was interested in taking up the cudgels on his behalf.
Abortion ,in the instance where there is no immediate threat to the life of the mother is largely a matter of morality and ethics.
The recent disclosure that some of these people are taking top up payments on top of their well paid salaries (these top up payments alone are many times the Welfare payment that many unfortunate unemployed people receive) reveals yet again the contempt that these people hold for those less fortunate than themselves.
The untrammeled greed they display in these austere times when many decent and less well off people are facing the emigrant boat at best and eviction,illness and suicide  at worst, displays a total lack of morality and contempt for others and a total absence of community  solidarity.
Given their total lack of judgement  and outrageous greed in such a basic  arena as a maternity hospital totally disqualifies them from  attempting to pronounce on such a moral and ethic subject  as the deliberate taking of life in any meaningful way.
Put another way.;if they are so greedy and morally deficient in  this area they have no right to lecture anyone else on matters affecting life and death.
I recently saw that these masters of the universe will force pregnant smokers who are incarcerated in their hospitals to decamp to the streets for a smoke and one at least will enforce a policy of zero tolerance.
Surely these people ,now that the financial cat is out of the bag ,will have the moral conviction to do the decent thing and resign.
And surely a Minister,under whose watch  the general public are in dread of going to hospitals for fear of infection ,will treat his colleagues as severely as he treats mature smokers who he is so clearly persecuting.
But no and don't hold your breath.The contempt will live on.And the masters of the universe,where greed is most definitely not limited by gender,will continue to lecture and bully and dictate.

Muskateers in deep mourning.

Muskateers Liam (Dalton ) and Deirdre (Clynch ) missed these last two Friday;s prayer  sessions.I figured but did not intrude into the reasons ,as I guessed that his aged mother and her aunt in law  was unwell.
And so it panned out.
This venerable and aged lady died recently in her 97th year.Not a bad age.
She was well until very recently and was sick only briefly.
I know that there is no convenient time to die and am mindful that Queen Victoria is reputed to have  said "my Kingdom for just three minutes more."
This lady led an exemplary life and I have little doubt but that she has already  passed through the Pearly Gates.
She suffered the loss of her husband Peter and her other son Paul during her long life but there remains  to celebrate her good life a son of the highest integrity in Liam and his wife Marie and grand daughters Edel,Annemarie,Mairead,Louise and Sharon and four great grandchildren,as well as a very decent coterie of relatives including the aforementioned Deirdre and her husband and children ,who are neighbours as well as relatives.
Robinstown Church was packed tonight for her arrival there.
Tomorrow Wednesday 13th November her funeral Mass will be held in Robinstown at 1.00 p.m.with funeral afterwards to Dunderry Cemetery,
Ar Dheis De go raibh a hAnam Dilis,

Minor Silverware arrives in Dunderry.

Pairc Tailteann is a big place for adults,never mind juveniles and there is no hiding place.Anyone who played there knows that.It is especially big for thirteen a side teams,which is the norm for the Div.5 .M.F.C.,where we met Nobber in the Final last Sunday.
T'was cold enough but the pitch was immaculate.
I can only take my hat off to a young female steward who was kindness itself to yours truly,a total contrast to the behaviour witnessed in the Vodaphone shop in Trim a fortnight ago (see article "Bullied etc in Trim,"in earlier blog).Faith in human nature fully restored.
From the  go we had an exciting contest between two well matched teams who tried to the bitter end and who were only separated by a point after 70 minutes of intense football.
I suppose our more prominent players are Luke Martyn and Mark Kane.Both ooze potential in this grade and both excelled.To be fair both their markers were no daws either and both had their hands full ,but both contributed massively to our cause.
No one man wins a match on his own and the supporting cast gave it their all (and more) in pursuit of the laurels.Nobber forged ahead in the early play and coming up to half time we were in trouble .But a scoring burst in the run in to half time when Lukie lent  his considerable support to the attack  gave us hope.
On the resumption Nobber forged ahead again and with ten to go were ,if memory serves right ,six points ahead and looked comfortable.but Kane was still using his speed and accuracy to advantage and splitting the posts and Brady was playing the way his father used to,that is going only in one direction; forward.
Daly and Casey minor made up for their lack of bulk by playing cleverly and passing to better placed and stronger colleagues..Clarke was playing a Captain's part and winning his share of possession.ably assisted by Leonard.
Gradually we clawed our way back into contention and drew lever with  five to go.
Nobber stepped on the gas again and gallant defending was called for.Conor Dempsey and Aaron Feeney (a chip off the old block Tommy) stepped up o the mark but for me the man who really rose to the occasions was first half sub ,Cillian Conway,who not once,nor twice but thrice put in telling tackles and brave interceptions which negated sure scoring chances for a confident Nobber team.Cometh the hour cometh the man.
Mc Cabe,whose great grand uncle in the 1880's was the first Dunderry man to play in an All Ireland Senior football final did his part  and Dowdall dug deep,
Casey major made intelligent use of his kick outs and it is a tribute to his backs that he was rarely called on to make saves,
With the teams level at full time an extra 20 minutes (10 each half ) commenced.Fortunes swayed first one way and then the other and mentors Mitchell,Casey,Hickey and Dowdall and trainer Fitzie,,rang the changes using substitutes to full  advantage and we snuck it by a point in the end on a scoreline of 3-14 to 1-19,the subs, fully justifying their selection to a man.
Team was.
                                                               A,Casey
C.Dempsey (0-2)                                                                 A.Feeney

C Harten                                      L.Martyn                          R,Mc Cabe,

                                  C.Leonard                    S.Clarke,

M.Dowdall  (1-1)                               M.Kane (0-8.3 frees )         J.Brady (0-2)

E Daly                                                                                          P.Casey.

Subs used.C.Conway.A .Walsh.(1-0),C.Lawless.P.Hickey,T.O.Conaire  
The attendance stayed fully transfixed  to the end and Clarke made a brief but well modulated acceptance speech
I.n truth no team deserved to lose,but take it we will.And did.
A bonfire blazed in the centre of the Village afterwards but someone rang the fire brigade.Political correctness gone mad.Who will get the bill?
Such are the times we live in.No joy allowed.

              

A surfeit of scores for Dunderry u 21's

5-29 we racked up against a hapless Wolfe Tones this weekend.We won that hurling match and play Longwood in the final.My heart went out to Father Heaney's brother and the other Tones mentors .The former has been preaching the hurling Gospel for a long lifetime and this must hurt him.I'd say he holds some kind of record.More luck to him.
Our boys didn't rub it in and emptied the bench to give them a chance.
Longwood deservedly beat us in the under 21 football championship a few weeks ago and will expect to do the same in the Hurling Final.
We won't get 5-29 but have a fair team and will be all out as this is our last chance of adult silverware.
To auld lads like me it is sacrilege to be beaten  in Football by a recognised hurling power like Longwood.With a much lesser population we won three under 21 football championships proper in the 1990s ,as a Dunderry man in exile in the States recently  reminded me.
God be with the days.
Our Minor footballers did what our Junior B 's couldn't do and beat Boardsmill last Friday.I missed the match but am informed they played well.Nobber awaits us in this Div,5 Final.They already beat us this year  but we were short then.We have a chance.
Our Junior Camogie Team went down against a more experienced Kildalkey Intermediate Team in the League Final in Boardsmill last Sunday.They led for much of the game but were caught and just about passed in a thrilling finale.
No shame in this defeat and with the junior Championship in the bag it was a season to be proud of.
The team was.

Back to the one Muskateer .

Just mise last Friday.I'd say that Leo and Carmel were minding the pub,what with Fiacra and Leanne on the honeymoon,No word yet on Liam and Deirdre.
With the realisation that the barbarity of Love/Hate is dwarfed by the real life dismemberment of a human being in Blanchardstown it is clear that evil and its proponents are on the march.
The atheist and anti Christian bigots who dominate the media  and facilitate the anti life  agenda must be pleased.
No doubt the Catholic clerics who speak out against this type of thing are no more than "sky pilots" as the" Independent" scribe resident in Leitrim so sneeringly labelled a Catholic Priest who committed the "sin" of standing up for the defenceless preborn.
Yep you gets what you pay for.
I hope we get what I pray for.The beat goes on.

History made by Dunderry Gaels this weekend.

History was made today when the Dunderry u 16 Camogie Team played Rathoath in Martry this afternoon.I doubt if hurling was ever played in Martry before,much less camogie.Very kindly St.Ultans lent the girls the pitch as our own pitches at Dunderry and Rathcairn were unplayable.Can't beat good neighbours.
Although narrowly beaten the girls have great pride in the Dunderry jersey and fought to the bitter end..
The under 21 hurlers played their match in Dunganny ,having been rerouted there from KIldalkey which too was unplayable.The place was bitterly cold and I had to scarper before half time I was so perished.The boys were in total control at that stage and ran out comfortable winners in the end against Clanna Gael,who were short on the day.
Our boys have enough pride in the Dunderry jersey to make the effort to appear despite having had double cause for major celebration over the bank holiday weekend.
And now to history of a kind I would rather not report.Last year I got involved with an under 14 football team who did the unspeakable of awarding a walk over in the Football Championship.Subsequently they were unbeaten and were the only football team in the Club to win silverware.
A month ago I was again invited by Juvenile Chairman Darren Yourell to join him and Derek Hickey and get involved ..I did so gladly.To my astonishment I discovered that a few of the better players from last year had retired from the team and gone elsewhere to play other sports and that about half the team hadn't trained with the Club  in the interim but were plying their sporting trades  and training with assorted non GAA clubs around the County.
It was normal procedure for these players to play with us even though they don't train with us.This is totally alien to my concept of Club loyalty and totally at variance with my notion of promotion of our native games.which in Essenes means being available for training  and matches in a condition mentally and physically to participate meaningfully.
I outlined this scenario.And then found that about five players were coming to our Saturday afternoon matches straight from the  soccer fields of Meath totally exhausted after giving their all there.They were in no condition to play our matches in any meaningful way.
We were beaten so comprhensively by Dunsany and Oldcastle that it was a total embarrassment to the Club and an insult to the jersey.And this is in Division 5.
I totally qualify this by stating that there are a number of players who do respect the jersey and do their level best but worry that this total disrespect for the jersey and by extension the mentors and indeed the Club will too permeate their thinking.
Last week only 6 out of thirteen were willing to field and give preference to our native games.So we gave a walkover.
No sense of loyalty ,no sense of community and and some actually despise the game.
I am flabbergasted how it is possible that so many players ,who have been involved,coached and looked after by our club for over 5 years  have so little respect for it and for our mentors.
I have discussed the matter with Darren and we are resolved to give top class coaching and attention to those willing to commit to Dunderry and restore pride in the jersey at that level,
This coaching will recommence this week .
I am mindful of the boast of Robinstown Club in the 1987 Meath  yearbook,over a photograph of soccer posts fronting GAA goalposts that sporting harmony was the way to go.Not for Robinstown it wasn't.It ceased to exist permanently very  soon afterwards.
We won't be making this mistake.
This is a rally to arms ,as it were for Gaels of this age group.

Bullied,threatened and intimidated in Trim.

Today 25/10/2013 is a day to remember.Our Fiachra Geraghty from Duderry married Leane Darcy from Cortown.A Union made in Heaven, about which more anon.I was at the solemnisation in Cortown and afterwards dropped a number of family members off at the Castle Hotel for the reception and proceeded to the Vodaphone Shop opposite Coogan's Butcher's shop in  Trim where I had some business to transact.
On entering the shop I observed that there was one woman behind the counter serving a male customer and there was another male customer next in line,a well known local sports journalist who I know well.All very serene.
Just as the man being attended to by the Vodaphone lady,Ciara I believe her name is,had finished his business and before the sports journalist or indeed myself could begin our business two physically imposing males burst into the shop,brushed us aside and aggressively and with menace tore into the unfortunate and visibly distressed Ciara shouting her down and demanding a refund of e50.00.
Never have I seen such aggressive,ignorant ,threatening ,menacing and indeed frightening behaviour in public ,nor indeeed private before.
The sports journalist objected to the behavior but was totally ignored and these two boys proceeded too bully and intimidate Ciara,
I had enough and as civilly as possible in the circumstances pointed out to them that there was a queue,that they were third in it and their manners towards us and especially towards the lady was totally unacceptable.I worked my way to the counter to position myself between them and Ciara and have my business attended to .I was brushed aside and glared at with menace.All the time these heroes kept their heartening and nakedly aggressive row with Ciara,who was visibly distressed ,shaking with fear,trying to get clear instructions over the phone and hold herself together.
I don't take intimidation too readily and even though disabled,relying on a walking stick for mobility and having one useless arm ,permanently in my pocket ,continued to face up to theses bullies,pointing out to them that bullying older men and women was the mark of a coward.
For this I was called a "four eyed c..."and invited to the car park around the corner to "sort it out".I might point out that I am 62 years old and would have difficulty walking as far as the car park and these two gents would be under thirty ,well muscled and were in full flow.They are obviously athletes of some description,boxing I would guess.
I can say with certainty that were this challenge put to me before my stroke I would give it a lash.Not now however but still I was not prepared to be cowed.
I threatened to call the Gardai.The sports journalist said he would have done so before now only his phone was broken,hence his presence in the shop.They dared me to so,so I did despite stares and body language designed to intimidate,but having the opposite to the desired effect.
I outlined the position to the Gardai and was assured they would be down shortly.I announced this but the news had little effect on their behaviour except to motivate one of them to go outside the door and talk into a car that was idling outside the shop.I went out the door to take the registration of the car and came back into the shop and borrowed a pen to write it down,not attempting to conceal what I was doing.I was barked at to give up the piece of paper but refused putting it in my pocket.
I sat down on the window ledge with my back to the road watching the proceedings unable to do much more except await the arrival of the Gardai.Maybe ten minutes I saw the Garda van drive slowly by out of the corner of my eye but it did not stop.Surely said I the squad won't be too far behind.But divil a sign of it.I have since deduced that the van  drove slowly by,observed no fighting and kept going.
Realising that the Gardai were not coming I went outside the shop,to have the younger coward put his face in mine calling me a "four eyed fat >....who never washed ,was also smelly and asking me again around the corner to sort it out"I told him that him and his ilk didn.t scare me and I would be making a phone call to a lad near his own age to see how brave he really was,or if his courage disappeared when dealing with other than disabled people and women.I must say I seriously considered giving one telling belt of my walking stick and feck the consequences ans was nearly goaded into it.
I reentered the shop and in full view of the two bullies did phone a friend and asked him to appear quam cellerime as I feared for my own safety and that of the others involved.These boys continued their abuse as though invincible.
A smaller male customer who seemed to know them entered the shop,said he knew them having boxed against them and asked them to calm down and leave.Not a word about it.
My friend arrived .He matches them for physicality.I asked them to repeat the threats they had made to me and invited them to challenge him to the car park to sort it out.
You never saw such a climb down in your life.They proceeded to regale him with the details of their claim against Vodaphone and denied they ever intimidated anyone.As regards the car park to sort it out,not a mention of it .
Typical cowards and bullies,.thugs.
Afterwards I contacted the gardai and gave them the registration number of the car outside.
This is rural Ireland for you and in the capital of Meath,

Keeping your word,

On 21st.October,according to newspaper reports ,a woman in the course of an eviction by the Sheriff',backed up by the Gardai,was found to be dead,when they went in to the property in Dublin.
She had been alive the previous Friday when discussions on "voluntary" vacation took place.
The death of the woman has been described as a "personal tragedy"although no official cause of death has yet been disclosed.
Before the most recent election Enda Kenny and Eamonn Gilmore gave the following commitments on the subject of evictions,"Guarantee won't lose home " and "Head off the Bailiffs"
I wonder whether the poor misfortunate woman  and indeed everyone who has been evicted since then actually believed these men ?
I know a number of people who have been voluntary evicted .These are all personal tragedies.
Government T.D.s complain vociferously when citizens picket their homes,(Too" personal" they say).
I can think of little more" personal" than being evicted.
It seems to me that the pre-election commitments of these men should be taken at face value and that anyone threatened with eviction should buy a tent and try to gain access to the "personal" accommodation of their local T,D,s pitch it there and stay  there until these bucks deliver on their promises.
And to make it more "personal"their local Government canvasser should be approached for" tent" space on the canvasser's property  until the matter is resolved.
And by the way the printed and electronic media are so totally in the Government's pocket as to be useless,so media coverage of the above woman's death has been so muted as to be non existent.
Imagine the the media uproar that would ensue were she to die in a religious institution in rural Ireland..The atheist hacks and their fellow travellers would be salivating with indignation.
The one environment this Government have created is one where suicide is rampant and widespread and getting commonplace and hope is dying a tortuous death,

Anti Catholic Bigot sneers at Bishop on RTE.

I relapsed into a former habit of watching other than sport on RTE tonight.I  have long since given up the ghost on any notion that Christians and especially Catholics would receive a balanced hearing from the hateful and vociferous atheists and agnostics that infest the station as staff and as  guest panellists.The stickies of the sixties and seventies who dominated RTE seem to have morphed into a sneering cabal of hateful knowalls who get their jollies from belittling religions of any sort except Islam (because these cowards know that Muslims will strike back).
True to known form an atheist blogger showed his total ignorance by making a snide remark about Jesus appearing in a pub in Coronation Street,pontificated disparagingly at length about the rules of Catholicism,belittled the 86% of the population who claimed to be Christian in the census as being too stupid to know what their religion was and making the ludicrous claim that the Church censored  Irish writers over the centuries (the Censor was never a clergyman ,always a Government employee.)
I am beginning to fully believe a clergyman I admire who claims that the Devil is fervently at work in the media conditioning the populace into the acceptance of evil by  the drip.
Given the preponderance of aggressive atheists,prejudiced anti Catholic bigots and outright liars that populate the electronic and written media he may just  be right,
Let me clarify that Des Peelo the presenter was fair to all sides.
But why was that hateful prick of an atheist even given air time to sneer sat decent people?
Sport only from now on.

The refusal of people to abolish the Seanad.

The politicians,the pet media commentators both electronic and written,the useless pollsters,and the bookies all got it wrong.These gob shites live in a bubble totally divorced from the reality that is most peoples lives.
The inescapable facts of the matter are that it is dawning on the populace that they were totally duped by the unholy alliance who are running the country into the sands,
I repeat for the umpteenth  time that Enda and Eamonn pledged that there would be no evictions from the family homes of Ireland on their watch.These are happening daily and this government went to the trouble of ensuring they would continue by legislating to remove a judicial block imposed for a period by the Courts.
Driven by a Central Bank and Regulatory offices  that fanned the flames of greed  in the first place,whipped up by mouthy mini Ministers who use the language of deceit to disguise their real intentions,ponied up by banks who betrayed our trust in the vilest manner possible, executed by grippers who owe their ancestry  to feudal Norman and Anglo Saxon invaders and presided over by the fir and mna breaga who have broken the hearts of the population.,the "no" vote is the clearest possible sign that we have had enough.
These spiritual successors of Cromwell have implemented eviction on a massive scale,taxed the right to own your own home,the right to drink water ,the very air we breathe (carbon tax) ,the right to dispose of your own shit in your own land and have placed the cost of electricity and heating fuel out of reach of most people.
They have legalised the murder of the unborn and assumed the right to lecture the religious leaders of the majority Churches all the time pushing the secular theism of a Labour Party in total free fall.
Well liberal Ireland,secular Ireland and all the main parties got it up the Khyber and properly so.
For once the Pale got it right.
The simple fact of the matter is that the majority of people just hate this Government with an unbridled hatred because of what they are doing to us.Pure and simple.

The curse of cancer.

The older I get the more people I know who are afflicted  with the curse of cancer.I would say that one of every two people I know who are ill have it.It is the scourge of our times.
Now I know very little of the forms of cancer that mostly afflicts women.I am a bit like that man in the Lotto ad.who cringes when a female employee tells him that she suffers from "women's problems."
Nevertheless I must keep a promise I gave to a female friend of mine to implore all ladies,especially younger ones,who think they may be immune on account of their youth,to frequently and regularly check for the tell tale signs of breast cancer.
I am sure that they know better than me what these signs are.
So over to ye ladies.
And by the way I am the world's worst to get check ups myself and hate being lectured to on the subject.
So do as I say not as I do.

Thr Drudge is under pressure, a little.

Jim Newman a.k.a as the Drudge is hobbling around the village on two crutches.He recently got the hip done for the second time in Navan Hospital,because the first one put in  wasn't up to scratch,.He says he was  treated well in the hospital and asked me to say he is getting on the finest.
Rumour has it that he will be going in to training for the Intermediate Team for next year.Jim himself refused to either confirm or deny these rumours.