Ireland Looking at Obama

The tables are turned today and instead of me eavesdropping on the Irish, I hear the RTE afternoon drivetime chat show discussing President Obama (they pronounce O'bama like Alabama) on the first anniversary of his inauguration. Since my first trip to Ireland in 2003 I have always been taken aback by how much more the Irish know about our government than we know about theirs. Very few Americans would know who the Irish Taoiseach is (Brian Cowen). We don't get the news from there and many people here think there are leprechauns on the roadsides looking for their pots of gold. Few Americans know that Ireland is very multicultural. Just walk around Cork City and hear all European languages and meet a woman from Mongolia working in a toy shop. Few Americans know that what was a few years ago the Celtic Tiger is now an economy on its knees. This morning, Pat Kenny was hosting a discussion about a proposed "banking inquiry commission" to find out who is to blame for the banking collapse. Laughter greeted Minister John Gormley's projecting the inquiry into 2011 and beyond. In the meantime, air traffic controllers have called an industrial action and closed airport traffic this afternoon...just when the icy roads had melted and flood waters subsided.

Trad Irish Music Across the Sea

I can so easily forget that I am in Brooklyn listening to Ceili House, RTE's Saturday evening program of traditional Irish music. Fiddle music, uilleann pipes, flutes, concertinas and harps, toes tapping. I could very easily be in the upstairs room of An Spailpin Fanach on S. Main Street in Cork City, across from the Beamish Brewery. A few Septembers ago, I was very fortunately there during the Cork Folk Festival. On one rainy Sunday afternoon, I enjoyed a "box concert" there in that tight little space...pure natural joy. Am listening to Ceili House now...fingers are flying across fiddles and I am there again. Much of the commentary is in Irish. I have to go pick up my dusty copy of Irish for Beginners and make another try at that.

Haitian Quake Shows It Is a Small World

Here in New York I know there are many Haitians living in Flatbush as evidenced by the delicious aromas coming from restaurants in the neighborhood, especially in East Flatbush along Church Ave. near Holy Cross Church.
But it was a bit of a surprise to hear so many Haitian emigres to Ireland calling into RTE's Liveline show with Joe Duffy today. They shared how they had not been able to reach loved ones caught in the destruction of Tuesday's massive 7.0 earthquake near Port au Prince. The presenter put them in touch with others trying to contact friends and relatives in Haiti through the RTE web site and ended each call with "God bless." Human kindness goes a long way.
Anyone desiring to donate was advised to contact: Concern Worldwide, Oxfam, UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), Trócaire, The Irish Red Cross, or Haven.

Irish reach out to Haitian earthquake victims

Callers into RTE radio shows this morning said that even though they were without water and after several weeks of crippling ice and snow, still they are better off than the victims of last night's devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

More than 3 million people may have been affected by the quake.

By satellite phone, a young Irish woman, Susan Westwood, working at a Haitian orphanage about 50 kilometers from the capital, said that they were still experiencing tremors this morning. She reported that the immediate needs were for clean water and drive generators.

An Irish doctor, Simon Collins, who works for Medecins Sans Frontieres, explained to RTE's Drivetime Radio that MSF already has over 800 staff in Haiti, their presence going back to 1991. He said the MSF hospital in Port-au-Prince has suffered collapse of the first floor and emergency treatment is going on under cover of canvas protection. He said people are being treated for many types of "crush injuries."

This afternoon I received an email from the Irish-based group Concern, which works with refugees and in emergency situations throughout the world. They have asked for donations through their web site www.concernusa.org.

The View at the Roundabout Inn

I saw the cover of the Evening Echo today and had to smile. The Echo is the afternoon paper out of Cork City...you can hear the news sellers bellowing "Echo... Echo," each weekday afternoon up and down Patrick Street. But today's cover shot was an overhead of the Mallow roundabout on the N20 Cork to Limerick road. The headline declares, "Cork battles snow blitz," but there is maybe an inch or two of snow on the road and cars look to be gingerly passing through the roundabout past the yellow aptly named Roundabout Inn at a snail's pace. (I remember eating a breakfast there at the Inn with a friend one morning before heading off to Shannon Airport...lovely old wood in the dining room, maybe a fireplace, massive breakfast.) The poor Corkonians! Not ones to enjoy the "slaves" or farmers on tractors who cause long tailbacks on single lane roads. And now having to deal with a "snow blitz." They must be counting the days till spring and hoping to have their days of lashing rain back. Or better yet, summer...I remember summer there in 2006 when the temperatures in July reached about 70 degrees Fahrenheit and the headlines spoke of the "sweltering heat."

Mrs. Robinson of N. Ireland

Amid the stories of Ireland at a standstill under a couple of inches of snow comes the story of Iris Robinson, wife of First Minister Peter Robinson of Northern Ireland. The story has everything -- money, sex, politicians and hypocrisy. Apparently, when the Robinsons found out that the BBC was planning a Spotlight show on them, they preempted the program by announcing that Iris was suffering from depression and leaving her own MP seat. This was followed up my Peter's statement that he had found out his wife had had an affair (a year ago) and attempted suicide (last March). Of course, the press went to work uncovering the rest of the story, especially eager because Iris has held herself as holier-than-thou, famously calling homosexuality an "abomination." Turns out Iris was allegedly having an affair with a then 19-year-old fella and worse, she went to Belfast developers to get 50,000 pounds to finance her lover's opening a cafe. Needless to say the press is in headline heaven enjoying all the Mrs. Robinson comparisons. But the First Minister isn't laughing because he is being asked to tell when he first knew about the money transfer, which was not properly reported (wonder why). This amid the ongoing "peace process" and questions of devolution in the North. The Irish are never dull.

Still 'Slippy' All Over Ireland

Listeners to RTE radio this morning were advised to wear wool socks over their shoes in order to navigate the sidewalks which are still very 'slippy.' Horror stories of long tailbacks on main roads and in and around Dublin filled the air. Apparently county authorities say there is not enough salt or grit to treat the roads, but so far 11 quarries have called in to to Joe Duffy's afternoon call-in show to say they have plenty of grit available. Minister John Gormley has taken over coordination of the efforts to get access to salt. Three and a half tons are due in port next week. More sleet and snow in the forecast!

An 85-year-old woman, Ellen, called in to say she went out and cleared the wee path to her house herself. Asked if it was as bad as the snow of 1963, she said, "Not a'tall." No winging for Ellen!

Earlier in the morning, Dara Molloy, a Celtic monk who lives on Inis Mor, was Pat Kenny's guest. Interesting insights on how the Roman Church changed Celtic Christianity...expanded on in his book "Globalisation of God." Wondered how he manages to support his family of wife and four kids in the Aran Islands. From his website it seems he provides tours, pilgrimages and Celtic wedding ceremonies. Envious of his life on Inish Mor, as far as you can get away from the 21st Century.

No End to Suffering in Ireland

Whenever I have been in Ireland I tune into RTE radio as I drive through Kerry to Dingle and listen to the chat shows where Irish people share their thoughts, opinions and memories about the birds of the field, the trad musician in the local pub, or writers at the Listowel Writers Conference reading their work. But here in New York I tune in at 5 a.m. on my computer to listen to great interviewers Pat Kenny or Marian Finucane. For the past few months, it's been so much news of suffering. In mid November, a week of lashing rain caused "the worst floods in memory" turning fields into lakes and Cork City into Venice. The elderly and disabled were stranded in their homes. Then on December 9, came the long-awaited budget announcement by Finance Minister Brian Lenihan detailing deep cuts into social welfare payments and public sector salaries. The chat shows were full of talk of young jobless Irish thinking again of emigration. And just in time for Christmas and the New Year, came bitter cold and snow with roads and roundabouts turned into skating rinks. One can only hope there will be better news for the Irish as the year gets going. Slan go foill.