15th July 1999
According to Ray Burke it’s tough being a
politician, trying to make ends meet on a T.D.’s salary.
Poor Ray has only £118,000 in a special political fund account,
and only £95,000 in a Jersey bank account. It seems this
£95,000 came from fund-raising in the U.K. Those table quizzes
and chicken supper dances must be big business in the U.K.! I
almost forgot the raffle tickets sold at these nights, you know
all those 5 for £1 with super prizes like a meal for two at the
local restaurant, two bags of coal and a bale of briquettes.
“Money Spinners” £118,000, “No Problem,” in
the words of the late Brian Leninhan. Now we know hoe politicians
accumulate their wealth - tables quizzes and chicken suppers!!
I had a call from Donnybrook resident Pete Duffy last week
concerning the eternal problem … litter. Pete told me that
he has travelled the world and in the U.S.A. one would see old
men collecting cans in shopping trolleys. When they bring them to
collection points they are paid cash. The point Pete was making
was give people an incentive to collect rubbish. I’d put a
tax on cans here in Ireland, 5p a can, and when somebody brought
20 cans to a collection point, they received £1. Older readers
would remember the refund on bottles during the sixties. Maybe
it’s time we looked at that system again.
While on the subject of litter, our new Councillor Peter Kelly
agreed with me that Douglas should have its own litter warden.
One name springs to mind, our own Joe Lynch. Joe is presently
working to keep Douglas clean and well done on the councils
prompt response to the weeds on the footpath opposite the Credit
Union (which I mentioned last week). Joe has been involved in
local soccer clubs in the Douglas area for many years. He’s
well known and respected and last year I saw him run after and
reprimand two youngsters who threw a choc-ice wrapper on the
ground. They picked up the rubbish. If we are really serious
about the litter problem we need to tackle it at ground level
(excuse the pun!), because all the advertisements and press
releases in the world will not stop people littering.
Well done to Sean Brady of Greystones, company Wicklow. Why? you
may ask. Well, it seems Sean was on holidays in Crosshaven,
called into the local chipper for some fish and chips. The next
day he called back to say he had been under-charged by £6.20,
which he duly handed over. It’s nice to meet honest people
in the Isle of tribunals.
Can anybody make sense of air-fares? I rang a travel agent for
details on a return flight from Cork to Edinburgh. I’m sure
you all know there are no flights from Cork to anywhere in
Scotland. However, you may get a flight from Cork to Dublin and
then Dublin to Glasgow, and then make your own way to Edinburgh
(about 60 miles). The cost to travel by Aer-Lingus - £324!!! My
friend Ronnie told me that one can get a return flight to the
U.S.A. for £299!!! I then rang up Ryanair in Dublin (why
don’t Ryanair sort out their differences with the travel
agents?) The cost of a return flight from Dublin to Glasgow is
about £90, travelling with Ryanair. Incidentally, the last time
I visited Scotland was in 1997. On returning my rented car to
“Dollar” Self Drive in Glasgow airport, the
receptionist looked at my booking form and said,
“you’re from Douglas, my sister lives in Rochestown and
her husband is working on the tunnel under the river”. She
also told me that the nicest meal that she ever had in Ireland
was in Eco’s Restaurant in Douglas. Dave Halpin and staff
take a bow.
Over the past thirty years I have been involved in the catering
business. Mostly restaurants and take-a-ways. A chip shop is a
profession and if you are selling cooked food, customers are
trusting you with their health. Down through the years I have
told my staff there are three important rules in this trade: 1.
Rotate your food at all times, 2. Never sell what you
wouldn’t eat yourself and finally, 3. “if in doubt,
throw it out!”. I write this piece because a reader told me
he got a touch of food poisoning last week in a late night
take-a-way in the City centre.
This evening driving from Frankfield to Shamrock Lawn I passed
people walking from the final bus-stop from the number 6 (it
stops opposite Hanleys Sheds in Grange). Some of these people
were carrying shopping and it’s a good long walk if one
lives at the end of Frankfield Hill. For God’s sake would
Bus Eireann sort out this long running dispute which has been
going on for years. After all its these people who I saw walking
who keep Bus Eireann going.
Driving to Carrigaline last Thursday via Donnybrook Hill (which
now looks like the Somme Circa, 1916 on a good day) at the top of
the hill before the entrance to Bracken Court. There were red and
white road cones on the other side of the road. I was driving on
my own side when a van came tearing towards me. He had to swerve
to my side to avoid the cones and because I didn’t stop he
blew the horn agressively, and just missed side swiping me. The
time was 4.50 last Thursday and it was a Caher van. I always
thought one was supposed to yield if there was an obstruction on
one’s driving side. I guess the rules have changed, or maybe
some drivers are “gas men” (terrible pun!!)
Bye for now.
Michael O’Hanlon
