2nd December,1999
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

THE 'OH-OH's'

Re - ‘What ‘Cha Call It?’ on p7 of last weeks Douglas Weekly. With many shocks and surprises in store for us during the first decade of the 21st century may I suggest we call it the ‘Oh-Oh’s!”
Anyone who has seen the brilliant movie Rainman, starring Dustin Hoffman, will recall Hoffman saying ‘Oh-Oh!”
Rainman was trying to solve the riddle ‘Who’s on first base’, from an old Abbott and Costello movie.
The American baseball gag stated the on on first base was called who. Therefore, ‘who’s on first base’ was a statement rather than a question. Get it? I thought not! Solve it yourself!

Neil O’Donoghue,
Douglas.

DOUGLAS TRAFFIC PROBLEMS

Dear Editor,

I would like to relate my observations about the cause of a big traffic snarl up in the back (Douglas) village last Wednesday evening 24/11/'99. It took me from 5.15 PM to 5.45 PM to go from the Texaco garage on the back Douglas Road to John O'Sullivan's car park. Some drivers swung around in frustration and decided to cut across to the main Douglas Road, others (as they crawled their way along) decided to use the slip road past the roundabout and access Donnybrook / Grange / Frankfield using the South Link Road. I decided to bare with it, intent on finding out which agency was digging up Douglas West this evening. But as I eventually approached John O'Sullivan's car park, Lo and Behold; I discovered the cause of the tea time snarl up; A blue Hi-ace van, hazards lights flashing was parked just past John O'Sullivan's car park entrance. The driver was in his seat, mobile phone in use. As I got closer I said I'd stop and have a word and inform him of the chaos he was causing. Just then he pulled off and headed up Douglas West turned left and parked again opposite Daily's, another phone call no doubt. The man was either oblivious or indifferent to the chaos he had caused by effectively reducing Douglas West to one lane.
On the brighter note I was in town on Saturday looking in desperation for a parking place near the Mercy Hospital. A man sitting in a parked car in Sheare Street signalled to me as I went by that he was about to move off, he waited until I turned around and came along side, pulled out of the space and let me in. He then waived a part used Parking Disc out the window to me. Not alone did he save the parking place for me but he gave me his used disc with an hour and a half left to run. Now that's what I call decency and courtesy. Some contrast to the man in the Blue Van mobile in hand.

Dave Lenihan, Donnybrook

HELLO DOUGLAS CORK

The world is getting so very small...Just today while surfing the net here in New Orleans...What do I find??? Douglas has a newspaper. This was quite a surprise... a nice one really. I remember the good old days back in the 50's...going to Douglas to the "Merries" on St. Patrick"s Day...times have really brought exciting changes. I remember that, on occasion, we (a bunch of kids from Frankfield) would go through the fields to Douglas. Other times, we rode our bikes, up the hill through Frankfield, down through Grange and into Douglas. Those were wonderful carefree days, filled with great fun...with a little devilment along the way.
I didn't recognize the place when I home in Ireland last Christmas. Actually, I didn't have time to explore...the shopping centers and the TRAFFIC were "incredible". Happy Holidays to all from New Orleans, Louisiana.

Mary Nyhan Greathouse.

SEND YOUR LETTER INTO US NOW! CLICK HERE!!