1st March, 2001
At the Brit Awards the winner of the Best
International Male solo artiste award was Eminem. He’s the
guy with the mask and the chainsaw who’ll never top the bill
at the Grand Ol’ Opry. Although what’s the betting that
Pavorotti will want to do a duet with him before the year is out?
Eminem could record the old Beatle classic, “I Saw Her
Standing There”, in honour of his mother!! Oh God, Elvis,
why did you leave us?
Last week Ray Burke told us that he gave money and help to
everybody, the poor, lonely, downtrodden, mass cards, raffles,
drinks all round. The man’s generosity knew no bounds. I’m
sorry I never got to meet this icon of goodness as he brought joy
to the huddled masses in their hour of need. I’ve met a lot
of politicians in my travels and a few more socially. I’ve
never been offered a pint or a packet of crisps from any of them
(it might change should they read this article), but my heart has
been lifted, and my faith in politicians has been restored to
hear that a man named Burke has brought a Ray of sunshine into
the lives of the people who had nothing . God bless you ray, may
the wind be always at your back (excluding the Cliffs of Moher).
The newspapers tell us that in a few months 96FM will have
competition in the Cork area since RTE local radio went off the
air. Honestly, would you think that a radio station having about
3% listenership compared to 52% listenership in the other station
is competition? I think not. When Cork was granted its first
independent licence it went to Radio South. The format was
approved by the IRTC, music, chat, gardening programmes,
specialist music programmes, etc... In other words, a complete
mix. However, things didn’t go so well, and a couple of
Austrialian radio doctors were called in, and their prognosis was
urgent surgery, or the patient would die; and Radio South was
reborn as 96FM Hits & Memories, a worldwide proven successful
format. Add a couple of bob in prize money and even my 78 year
old mother listened, hoping her phone would ring, everyday
writing down on a copy book, 63p this hour, but the phone never
rang! Good luck to Red Hot FM, catering for the 15-34 age group.
Loads of Westlife, Eminem, Samantha Mumba, offer £1000 if the DJ
rings you the listener, and who knows, my mother might be luckier
this time!! Radio Ga Ga, how are ye?
All this excitement is taking its toll on me, and I’ve
decided there’s only one thing to do, have a break. So, this
weekend I’m going away to a hotel by the ocean. I’ve
always wanted to open the bedroom curtains to a view of the
Atlantic. The last time I went away I got one teabag in a teapot
in Doolin, Co. Clare, and I’d swear it was used by the tree
Americans who just had breakfast before us. Multi-channel was RTE
I & II. So this time I’m either off to West Cork or
Dingle, and next week I’ll tell you how I got on. I might
even tell you about the time we booked into a B&B outside
Ennis and were met by a life sized photograph of the Pope outside
our bedroom door, and what the landlady told us as she showed us
to our room.
Next weekend the Homes Exhibition 2001 comes to Douglas. The
venue, as usual, is the Rochestown Park Hotel. Starting on
Friday, the exhibition ends on Sunday. Organiser Peter Crowley
told me that there will be 90 stands at the show, and this years
one will be the best yet (and who am I to doubt the word of a
West Cork man!!) Anyway, as usual the Douglas Weekly will have a
stand, and I’ll be armed with rolls of film. Hope to see you
there!
Michael Kilcoyne, the Chairperson of the Consumer Choice magazine
had a very good editorial in this months issue. This is it ...
“It has been said that a nation can be judged on how it
cares for its people by the way it looks after its old, its sick
and its handicapped.
We are now one of the richest nations in the western world in
terms of our output and living standards and we are, for many
people, a prosperous nation. But, for the old, the poor, the
handicapped, and others who find themselves on the margin of
society, we are a nation that does not care.
Ireland now has the biggest revenue and budget surpluses ever,
and yet the Sinnott family from Cork had to go to the High Court
so that Jamie, their autistic child, could get an education. When
the family won their case and damages, the Department of
Education decided to use taxpayers money to appeal this case to
the Supreme Court to prevent Jamie, and other children in similar
situations, from receiving their entitlements guaranteed in the
Irish Constitution.
Is it not time that Government officials who use their money to
appeal cases to the Supreme Court be held accountable rather than
allow them to hide behind the cloak of Government policy?
All of us in life have to be accountable for our decisions, why
should it be different for senior civil servants who in this
instance are senior officials in the Department of Education? It
is very easy to spend other peoples money.”
Finally, my Weekly joke ... A man calls a lawyer and asks, “How
much would you charge me to answer three questions?” Lawyer:
“Four Hundred pounds”. Man: “That’s a lot of
money isn’t it?” Lawyer: “I suppose it is, now,
what’s your third question?”
Bye for now,
Michael O’Hanlon.
