Judgement Day

After 100 days the blog's judgement on our Master's political promises  falls for review
(1)End to Repossessions and Evictions from residences in genuine cases
STILL GOING AHEAD.NO CHANGE.
(2)End to committal orders for people who genuinely cannot pay their debts.
STILL GOING AHEAD.NO CHANGE.
(3)End to economic emigration.
STILL GOING AHEAD.NO CHANGE.
(4)Reduce unemployment rate.
NO REDUCTION.IF ANYTHING NUMBER OF LONG TERM UNEMPLOYED IS GREATER.

One way of getting rid of rats was to place a number of them in a barrell,place a lid with air holes on it and go away for a suitable period.On the expiry of that period only one rat would be left.He would have killed the other rats and devoured them,in the process getting a taste for rat flesh.Releasing him or her in the infested area would soon clear it as he would turn predator on his own.
This recession is like that.Those without either financial clout or physical courage are being persecuted by private and state enforcers and grippers who threaten them at every hand's turn,rachet up the debt by court and other actions .spy constantly on their victims and drive their quarry to despair or worse.The more vicious are getting a taste for it.
There is no Robin Hood for the unfortunate victims and many are heading away just to get a night's sleep in any country bar Ireland.
The recent urging by the Finance Minister to spend ,spend ,spend leaves a sour taste in the mouths of the despairing.Are these guys becoming detached from reality so soon?
My view is that no genuine person should be evicted from his residence,nor jailed because he cannot genuinely pay a monetary fine nor debt,nor be left short of the necessities of life.
Not much to ask for but seemingly beyond the competence of our home grown masters,who continue to farm us for the benefit of the Europhiles.

Sold a Shitty Pup

I have earlier alluded to the fact that Fine Gael  in particular courted the farming community  for their votes in the run up to the last election.Reports suggest that they got about 70% of the vote.They were particularly anxious in this constituency to portray themselves as the very best friends of rural residents in such matters as :-
(1)Reversing the ban on stag hunting.
(2)Preserving the rural way of life
(3)Setting up a fund to defray the cost of challenging Eirgrid in their plan to run the pylons over the ground.(I personally heard this commitment given by their representative at an anti -pylon meeting prior to the election).
Unless I have been asleep there is no sign of 1 or 3 above being attended to and they are meeting the I.F.A to ease in the Shite tax.
Presumably those well known rural pursuit individuals who organised support for  Fine Gel will now have the decency to pursue  reversal of  this tax and will be as vocal in this now as they were in other matters beforehand.
Lads ye were sold a pup .Have the decency to say it loud and often.
As for the votes garnered and promises made in relation to Navan Hospital,promises that did not materialise ,nor were never likely to be delivered ,I hope that those T.D.s that opportunistically led the protests now have the honesty to admit that they sold a pup to the electorate.
I am flattered to see that some of my proposals for reform of the health services (see earlier blog on Health Policy) have now been taken on board by some commentators.Look lads,take them all on board and the problems will be solved overnight.
Another suggestion.Put mothers of seven or more ,who have raised their children on modest income, in charge of each ward in all hospitals.I'd say they wouldn't be long getting them shipshape.
And finally gonad politics is making its debut.How in the name of all that's holy ought the the shape of a person's gonads be a factor in determining suitability for political office,or indded any job.Will we see sex change operations by aspiring male politicans to make selection for office easier.And just who will check the shape of the individual's gonads to see that they meet the criteria.
Another pup being touted for sale.

Dunderry V Walterstown Feis Cup Dunderry tuesday 21/6/2011

On this the longest day of the year,there was a fierce shower of rain for an hour before the match.The pitch was covered in water for a while but was rock hard underneath and the lads were busy with forks and prods trying to drain away the water.It worked and the match went ahead.
Team.
                                                   Jennings
Lar Callaghan                             Red Callaghan                     Mc Cormack

Harte                                           Stephens                              Garry
                                  Fay                                Peadar Callaghan

Andy Coogan                              Ivan Mc Cormack                Bob Doherty

Keith Callaghan                           Stephen Coogan                   Swiss Clarke.

This was a fair game of football given the conditions,with the ball changing from end to end.Good standard I thought played in a very sporting manner.We led for most of the first half and Walterstown were lucky to garner 2 points in the first 20 minutes ,due to 2 very soft frees given by the referee against us.They actually went in 2 points up as they got a goal and point in the last five minutes of the half. Score at half time .Walterstown 1--03 to 0--5.
Lar went off with an injury after 10 minutes to be replaced by Slatts.
In a ding dong second half we outplayed them on the score board to win by two.Kelleher,Conaty ,Ke   nneally and Owen Dempsey replaced Keith ,Ivan, Andy and Alan Garry.
The full back line was solid with Davy Mac excelling,,the half back line excellent particularly Stephens and Harte ,the former delivering several long range foot passes to the inside forwards,the mid field on top mostly and Swiss ran himself into thr ground in his roving role contributing a number of fine points.
It was a tough day for fowards,the backs having the advantage in the weather conditions, but they eked out enough hard earned scores to pull ahead in the last five minutes.We won by 1-09 to 1-07.
It may seem a low score but in the conditions it was fine,most of the match being played in drizzle.It is telling that our lads were applauded from the field ,something you don't see every day.
Good day in office.
Report on hurling match v Rathmolyn cooking.     

Dunderry V Carnaross I.F.C.

Venue .Parc.Tailteann, Navan 11/06/2011.

Pitch in great condition. No wind. Overcast.

Was there at 6.00,half hour before kick off as didn’t want to be in queue because of dodgy leg and inability to walk far.Went in players entrance because cannot pass through styles.Whatever thought I might have entertained that free admission might apply disappeared, with money man nearly snatching hand off along with tenner.

Went to practise pitch to see lads warming up.The Barr,T.Garry ,Legend,Con and Pip all there.Phil Fay ,Seamin and Jack Devine and Billy casting benevolent eye.Jack remarking to me”Hoping HE didn’t come.”HE being  “hard luck”,a private joke from time I was on line as Sec. And he as P.R.O.You know the way it is.If some lads make a hames of it it is “hard Luck”,if other guys do the same it is “what a fucking gobshite.”Funny enough when things are going well hard luck stays at home.

There is a small crowd on the stand and about four on the terrace opposite the stand.No one at the back of each goal.

The Team.

                                                    David Jennings

                                                    (son of Pat)

Kevin Slattery                    Darren (Red) Callaghan        Davy Mc Cormack

(son of Bill)                          (Oliver)                                     (Noel)

Colm Harte                         Evan Stephens(Finn)              Alan Garry

(Jim)                                      (Daithi)                                     (Michael the bear)

                   David Callaghan(Lar)          Darren Fay

                             (Michael)                     (Allstar)

Andy Coogan                     Kevin Dowd (Ted)                   Damian Clarke (Swiss)

(Tony Calfer)                      (Tommy)                                    (Vincent)

Stephen Coogan(Fairhill)                Paddy Kenneally                      Keith Callaghan

(Christy)                                               (Stan)                                         (Gerry)

I set out the names of the fathers as some of the blog viewers may not know the present generation.

The big men for Carnaross would be Ollie Murphy,John L Mc Gee,the Nugent brothers and Comaskey who must be the best midfielder in Meath(how he is not on the Meath team is beyond me ).To add spice to the occasion my brother Alan is manager of Carnaross.Winner take all.

Murphy has number 14 on his back.Mc Gee number 11.As anticipated they switch positions before the throw in.Idea would be to hit ball in high to Mc Gee who is taller than Red.

The ball is in the game is on.

We earn free from throw in.Fairhill collects and to Fay who lets in long ball to Keith.Ball breaks but we fail to capitalise and a free out awarded against us.Missed opportunity.Carnaross work ball down wing,cut out by Garry to Swiss to Ted and Carnaross retrieve it ,send in long towards Mc Gee but it is cut out by Finn who passes to Jennings to Slatts to Mc Cormack to Andy who lets long ball in.  Kenneally wins ball and earns free about 30 yards out, half way between sideline and centre.Fairhill converts free from ground.Good score from his  wrong side.Lar wins break from kickout to Fairhill to Garry to Keith who scores a minor.Broken play ends with Fay hitting wide from 50 yards.Carnaross win free from kickout .No dirty play but their man goes down.From free Carnaross play keep ball and take a point from play 40 yards out.We earn ball and Slatts to Finn to Harte to Kenneally who takes fine point forty yards out.Another player from the border down.Are they carrying a lot of injuries?We disposses Carnaross fron kickout but they retrieve the ball around the middle.Finn runs back in front of Mc Gee but ball worked to Murphy and interplay ends with Mc Gee in possession.He kicks wide under pressure.They win free from kickout and let it in quick to Mc Gee who fluffs shot.Ball gathered by Davy Mac .Keepball played and Fairhill misdirects ball to opposition.Long ball to Mc Gee who again misses from close in.Another border man on ground.Must be a plague of injuries.Carnaross 10 wins ball to 8 who converts.Carnaross win kickout and send to McGee who is fouled.They convert free.Three points each.Carnaross  win kickout but lose possession to Harte ,to Fay,whose long ball is mopped up by their full back line.They play keepball and eventually send long ball to Mc Gee who lays ball off for point.Ball collected by Stephens who hits long to Keith 40 yards out and he shoots short to goalie.They build from the goals and long ball to Mc Gee wide.Stephens is trying to cover back in front of Mc Gee to stem flow to him.This is leaving Murphy space.Different plan needed.Short kickout to Finn,to Davy Mac,to Garry.Gets tough shoulder and ball breaks to Carnaross.They lose ball to Red,to Swiss to Lar,to Kenneally.Fouled.Quick fre beaks to them and into our full back line.Slatts gathers,to Fay,to Coogan,to Lar,to Fay,long ball in to Kenneally,who is fouled near corner flag.Fairhill to Andy to Swiss,whose shot breaks to Ted to Harte .Wide of posts and free to us from edge of D straight in front of goal.Fairhill converts.We win ball from kickout and work to Fairhill who hits post with shot.Carnaross break and send long to McGee who shoots wide.We win throw in from disputed free and work ball to Kenneally who makes brave burst but is dispossessed and ball worked to Mc Gee,who is surrounded by our lads and can’t get shot in.He passes out and ball shot wide.Stephens and Garry switch. Swiss wins kick out and is fouled.Another border man down.From broken play Kenneally passes to Fairhill.who score from play.Good point.They win kivkout and work ball to Murphy who offloads it. Kicked wide.Carnaross win free from kickout and long ball to corner,where they lift from ground and concede free.From broken play Mc Gee scores a minor from a free.They win kickout but Ted retrieves to Fay to Harte to Kenneally to Fairhill.Point.Ball breaks to Garry,to Swiss to Harte to Kenneally ,dispossessed.Ping pong football up and down the field ends when Keith gathers ball,sidesteps marker and takes a minor. 0-7 to 0-5 in our favopur.Half time whistle blows.

Very average football that half.But great to be ahead.

Dunderry later on field than Carnaross.Must be a bollicking going on.No changes in personnel apparent.From throw in ball worked to Ted,who hits post and wide.They win kickout and pass  to Murphy who passKto 9 is cleverly diverted by Fay to kenneally.who shoots wide.Fay breaks ball to Coogan.to Kenneally who atones for last miss with a minor from 45 yards..WE win break from kickout.Coogan to Dowd to Garry whose pass is intercepted.Work ball to Mc Gee.Red forces shot .Wide.Dunderry backs surround Carnaross forwards and stifle them.Ball got by Finn,to Slatts,to Kenneally.Beaten by bounce.Ball back in to our half .Stephens wins it and to Jennings.We counterattack and they do.Ends with a carnaross wide.More end to end play terminates with another McGee wide.Fay wins kickout and sends long ball to Ted ,to Kenneally whose shot is deflected for a 50.Fairhill converts. (His ma is seen texting Conor Counihan). 0-9 to 0-5 in our favour.

Stephens to lar who lets in long.Carnaross intercept and work to Mc Gee who is quickly closed down and shot diverted for a 50,which they send wide.Murphy picked up by Davy Mac as he hovers around the full forward line..Garry on 15.Red fiollows Mc Gee further out.They work ball in but good defending forces a wide.Carnaross win break and register a good point from play.Ivan Mc Cormack and Bob Doherty on for Ted and Keith.Mc Gee gathers kickout and to Murphy who lays it off.Shot wide.Slatts off ,Peadar Callaghan(son of Henry) on.Lar gone full back.Attack and counter attack end when a quick free to Fairhill is converted.Mc Gee wins ball from kickout and keepball by both sides end with Fairhill wide from play.Period of keepball end with move involving Stephens,Fay and Fairhill,who scores magnificient point.(Counihan’s helicopter has landed).That was a great move capped by a magnificient point.Another Carnaross man is down.No reason.must be shipping big injury list.Mc Gee back in full.Red in close attendance.Murphy back out with Lar in close attendance.Ball worked to Ivan who sends to Coogan.Wide.Lar moves back on Mc Gee.Paddy Kenneally off.J.P. his brother replaces him.Murphy wins kickout and ball worked to Mc Gee who goals.0-11 to 1-06 to the Fort of the Oaks.We work ball to Fay who scores debut point ,I think,for Dunderry.KIckout won by Finn to Swiss to Bob,who mishits and Carnaross intercept.Broken play and clever interpassing by Dunderry earn another Fairhill point from play.Fay moves back on Mc Gee and Trevor Conaty on for Andy Coogan.Every ball is desperately contested and Murphy hits wide.4 minutes left 4 points in it.Dunderry play keepball and through a succession of players work ball to Ivan who scores a minor.Carnaross fight back and earn close  free.We line goals and they take point.Murphy has argument with himself.They play on and secure a minor.Final whistle blows.

Ref.Watch.

Did well I thought.Was seemingly instructed on his job during course of game.(not by us I hasten to add)

Post Mortem.

I have nothing but praise for both teams.On mature reflection afterwards it struck me that there would be only one of the starting fifteen who could say for definite that  he had work to go to on Monday morning.I understand that Carnaross have  been badly hit by emigration also.I heard after that another local team will be missing 6 of their starting 15 for their next outing and yet another has been ravaged similarly..

How these young men stick it I cannot understand.And I must say that our politicians have no consciences to let this state of affairs continue.They are utterly shameless .Only the clubs are keeping a lid on the energies of the prime of our youth there would be social revolution.The way things are shaping the country will be devoid of Irishmen soon and a whole generation gone.The clubs will have to take a lead here and start pressurising the political classes to get their fingers out.

I therefor take my hat off to both sides for the contest and bow to the fortitude of all the players and mentors.The first half was not great but the second half was entertaining.We are a work in progress and will improve,as indeed we must.From now on it is knock out for us.We must win all the matches to stay in.For Carnaross it is an end to this year’s dream.

Post post mortem.

A confluence of circumstances lifted poverty from misery’s back last Saturday.The post match conference lined up with a 40^th birthday in Horans.Nance was bustling behind the bar,the people got merry on little as drink is so rarely imbibed now and a great night was had.Of such are memories made.

Rumour has it that the Pylon people are active locally and despite opposition are using all legal means to push their case.They are not welcome in Dunderry,Any of ye abroad affected should note.

Incidentally all the politicians promises made before the last elections in this regard are like last winter snow-evaporated.Par for the course i’d say.

Helllo to Brian in New York and all the emigrants who tune in wherever ye are.

Brian Lenihan R.I.P.

I never met this man.I did however meet his late father.When we were all at home in Blanchardstown years ago and most of the eleven people living in 4 Tolka View were eligible to vote,Brian Senior often lingered to extract the vote.Which he would usually get,it must be said.He was very influential in securing the Morgan Schools grounds for St.Brigids G.A.A.Club in the early seventies as he used his influence to overcome the reverse bias then evident in the G.A.A. Club's attempts to secure the playing fields of a Protestant boarding school.
My late mother Peggy did however meet him and had reason to have recourse to him.Were she alive I would have sought her permission to relate this and I would have said nothing about his demise ,but both are now dead and I feel it only fair to give credit where it is due.
For a period after my late father's death and during a period when Fianna Fail was in Government with the now defunct P.D.s Blanchardstown was a village of elderly widows.Around this time the new motorway behind my mother's house in Tolka View had opened and this gave ready access to certain persons of low breeding to my mother's house ,which was burgled a number of times .She was one frightened lady,as were her neighbours.
Anyhow the building at the top of the lane,which formerly housed Jemmy Godley's clothes shop and A.I.B. was vacant and plans were afoot to make it into a probation service depot and a drug addddict  drop in unit.You can see that this would have inspired huge anxierty in a road of elderly widows.
Never one to lie down,my mother wrote to the relevant minister outlining her anxieties .
She told me that she got the most insulting and belittling response she ever suffered. She was so upset thar she burned it so I cannot say whether the Minister or one of his minnions wrote it  but its effect was that not only would the plans not be changed ,but that such a combination of services would enhance the lives of the residents.This is called negotiation by putting your boot on the throat of the other party.
No doubt the writer selflessly passed up the opportunity to have such a service beside his own home.Incidentally since I reverted to civil society I have found that there are pockets of the Public Service which treat ordinary people as gobshites if they think they can get away with it ,so such a reply comes as no surprise to me now.   
This is where the late Brian Lenehan came in.She contacted him,explained the position to him and the matter was resolved in a manner befitting the situation.
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis.

Dunderry V Carnaross I .F.C.

We won by three and deserved it.The Fairhill boy ,grandson of Jimmy and Molly ,son of Christy and a half O Roirdan was outstanding.Full report must my return to sobriety.

The flying shite.

I know a fellow who married in the early  nineteen seventies.He had little money and built a snug prefab in his parent’s garden.It was made from wood and rested on concrete pillars an average of three feet from the ground.It was fairly well insulated and cool in summer and warm enough in winter.Heated by electric storage heaters it was the grandest.It was plumbed for water and sewage.Because it was raised from the ground the service pipes had to insulated or they would freeze in winter.While he lived there he maintained the insulation on the pipes and heated the building in winter and the pipes never froze.

It served them well and they moved on.As he had many siblings and as space was constrained in the family home next door two of his younger brothers were glad to move in.They were either at school or college and had very little money.None of us had.In fact the two chairs they owned were rescued from a nearby river when it was flooded.The storage heaters were disconnected because they couldn’t pay for the electricity and the lagging around the service pipes fell off.

In the summers this made no difference but in winter the water within the building used freeze including the water in the toilet bowl.You get the picture.

The clothes line was immediately opposite the bathroom window and about ten feet distant.

One freezing winter’s day the water in the jacks was frozen,as was a brown trout embedded in the water.One of the lads was in a bad way to make a deposit.He hacked through the ice including the trout,placed it in a plastic bag and in his haste flung it out the window.His mother was advancing towards the clothes line and ducked as the parcel nearly took the head off her.”What in the name of God is that” she asked.”Well that mother is what’s known as a flying shite”.was the accurate reply.

Now Hogan the minister for whatever he is minister for has recently announced a plethora of future charges,about which more anon,including a tax on septic tanks.So as we can be clear on this a septic tank is built by a householder on his own property to process human waste generated by the household at no cost to the State.All the maintainance is paid by the householder.

We as a nation send monies to third world countries to improve hygiene and human waste disposal for reasons of good health practise.People here dig septic tanks for the same reason.Before their advent in rural Ireland people relieved themselves in the open air in all weather.Even the elderly.

Now Philo of the ranchers and  Eamo of the workers  (assuming they say the same in public and privyate) intend taxing us for this priveledge.It  was for this they were voted in.No doubt Angela and Nicholas and our good friends in Europe will pat them on the back(side)  for such innovative thinking and our spineless politicos and senior public servants will report this innovative move to the American diplomats and Euro masters as further evidence of our passivity.I can hear them say”we have them scared shitless”to the guffaws.

For myself I intend to go alfresco from the introduction of the charge and show the politicos who vote it in what I think of them by sending to them in their clinics or wherever they hide,once a week in rotation one only flying shite  as my contribution and I urge ye all to do the same.

Henceforth every time Philo comes to my attention I will think Philo an Caice. It might stick. 

Death of Margaret Mc Namara

The above ,a native of Scariff,Co.Clare,died peacefully in the tender care of her nephew Mick Minogue,his wife Miriam,their children Killian and Aoife and a close knit circle of  relatives and friends on Friday June 3rd 2011 in the Minogue household at Athboy Road,Dunderry.
Margaret was eighty years young,had spent about twelve years in America and lived most of her life in her native Scariff.
She came to visit the Minogue household last Christmas twelve months and would not be the first visitor to be smitten with the charms of Dunderry,as she liked it so much ,much to the delight of the Minogues ,she decided to prolong her visit.
She fitted right in with life here and took great pleasure in watching the young Minogues ply their wares on the hurling and camogie fields,usually accompanied by that lady from the hurling bastion of Dublin,Miriam who would have filled in the gaps in her hurling knowledge.
I had the great pleasure of meeting her many times and until recently she could give as good as she got in the verbal stakes.She never handed in her gun and fought the good fight uncomplainingly right up to the end of her sojourn in this life.
I have no doubt that she is quietly and with a twinkle in her eye having a chinwag with those who went before her, under the protection of the lord.
She was a lady.
She is survived most immediately by her sister Beatrice ,aged 83 years and Des Ferguson,her husband  ,who with their son Peter made the massive journey from the United States at short notice to attend the funeral,a large number of nephews and nieces and inlaws and other relatives.
Her remains are reposing in Minogue's house and will leave for Scariff at eleven a.m Sunday for Longs funeral home for five o clock ,where she will lie in repose until she is received in Scariff Church at seven thirty.The funeral Mass will be at 11.30 a.m. on Monday.

Ar deis De go mbeidh a anam dilis.          

DEATH OF ANNETTE COFFEY.

Annette Coffey,wife of Colin and mother of Barry,Serena and Calvin died at midday on Thursday June 2nd.at home,after a long illness suffered bravely and with stoicism.She and indeed her husband are from long established and well respected Dunderry families,he from the Yellow Walls and she from the Meadstown Road.
Her maternal grandfather Tom Byrne worked with my late uncle Tommy Mc Cormack and the late Larry Stanley in the Boles family farm a lifetime ago.I allude to this because as a child I heard many good reports about her people,which were borne out a hundredfold when we moved here to live and got to know her and her family.Many will recall the devotion Tom's widow had to his memory as she visited his grave twice daily as long as she was able.
Annette had a long and brave battle with her illness,had a zest for life thar was infectious and irrepressible and we, her neighbours and friends ,hoped and prayed that she would prevail in her herculean battle, which she fought with all guns blazing.She was hugely assisted in this battle by her devoted husband and children,her extended family,in laws and a close coterie of friends,all of whom did what they could to butress her resolve.
Even when sick she was great company,a joy to have the banter with and had a great sense of humour.Last summer for an afternoon we shot the breeze in our front garden over tay and she cheered me up.
She was a hard grafter when she could work and no job was too daunting for her.She was highly praised as a mother,wife and homemaker and well deserved all the accolades that have flown and will flow her way.All her neighbours and friends will miss her and words alone cannot capture the desolation that must be felt by those close to her ,whose loss is immeasurable.
Pre- deceased by her father Padna,who kept a mean goal for Dunderry G.A.A,Club in his day she is alse survived by her mother Patsi,sisters Noreen and Loretto (both England),uncle Francis (Scotland) and a large number of other relatives.
She is being waked today at home from three o clock and will be buried tomorrow Saturday after mid-day Mass in Dunderry Church.
Ar deis De go mbeidh a anam dilis.

D.P.S.