6th January, 2000
As promised I drove to Myrtleville on
Christmas morning to talk to and photograph the brave men and
women, boys and girls who swam for the children's Leukaemia ward
Mercy Hospital Charity. It was a beautiful day. But it was
bitterly cold. There was a huge crowd there and the organisers
supplied hot whiskies, and soup. I'm even told real Russian Vodka
was passed around, and if that doesn't warm you up then you're
dead! Well done to all. I'm sure the organisers will let me know
how much they raised as soon as they get in all the sponsorship
cards. I'll pass on the good news. Again well done to all
concerned.
I finally got my letter from the National Car Testing Service
Ltd. the letter states that the national Car Test is being
introduced to enhance road safety and reduce harmful emissions.
They wish to know if my car is safe enough to be on the road?
Having driven around Douglas over the Christmas period, I can
only think of one answer, No! My car is not safe on the roads of
Douglas, as a matter of fact no car is safe on the roads of
Douglas. The potholes are as plentiful as Bibles at a Tribunal.
As regards the harmful emissions, that would the steam shooting
out from my ears every time I hit a pothole, and the language
which turns the air blue every time I hit another one.
A few weeks ago I got a present of a new book entitled "Life
Journeys"; I know a lot of people who live in the Douglas
area originally came from the Northside. This book is a series of
interviews and peoples memories of their days growing up in the
Northside. It's a great read. My wife spent last night reading it
and she loved it, you don't have to be from the Northside to
appreciate it, being from Cork would be enough. The full title is
" Life Journeys - Living Folklore in Ireland Today"
(published by The Northside Folklore Project).
There was a very interesting TV programme shown on UTV on Monday
night. A consumer show called 'We Can Work it Out'. One learns
something new every day. British motorists are coming to Ireland
to buy new cars. On a Toyota Avensis Turbo Diesel the saving is
£3,000. On a Renault £4,600 and a golf £2,900. In our country
if one wished to buy a car in England and bring it home to
Ireland. The Revenue Dept. would look for a sum almost equal to
the savings by the purchaser. But in Britain the state only takes
a few pounds from the purchaser who buys a car in Ireland. Did we
even think we'd see the day when the British would be coming to
Ireland to buy cars?
I was more than surprised by the facts in Niall O'Sullivan's
article on battered men, which appears elsewhere in the Weekly. I
can't believe that more men are battered by women than the other
way around. But Niall assures me that the figures are correct.
It's a sad reflection on our society that anybody, man or woman
has to put up with abuse. I did an interview with a woman a few
months ago who suffered mental and physical abuse for years and
it made harrowing reading. I wonder are there any men out there
with stories to tell of a similar situation? If there are, give
us a call in confidence, and we'll tell your story.
Well the Millennium has come and gone and the most difficult part
of the whole thing was trying to spell the bloody word, here it
is for the last time MILLENNIUM. Jumbo jets didn't fall out of
the sky. Our computers didn't crash. The only crash was a brass
bedside lamp wielded by Oliva Harrison on Michael Abram's head as
he made an unauthorised house call on George Harrison,
"Something in the way she moved and whacked him like no
other".
Finally, a happy New Year to all our readers. Keep those cards,
letters, and e-mails coming.
Bye for now,
Michael O’Hanlon.
