49,400 reason to give 60 or 120 seconds

It is an often erroneous fact that the Poppy in a symbol of Unionism in Northern Ireland. However, between 1914 and 1918 over 300,000 young men from this island fought in the various armies across Northern Europe. 49,400 of them never returned.

They are remembered at the Irish National War Memorial Gardens (Gairdíní Náisiúnta Cuimhneacháin Cogaidh na hÉireann) in Inchicore (Inse Chór), Dublin (Baile Átha Claith). Also at the Garden of Remembrance (An Gairdín Cuimhneacháin) in the city at the Northern end of O'Connell Street. But these are just two of the many memorials around Ireland.

They are there as a mark that the war dead from this Island against the Central powers. One name that struck out from all the names on memorials across Ireland was one of Eileen Mary O'Gorman of the Territorial Forces Nursing Service a woman who would appear by the name to be of Catholic descent who was killed in the First World War. Her name alongside others is on the memorial at St. Anne's Cathedral here in Belfast on the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service memorial.

Also there and across the island are the names of many from all walks of life. Church of Ireland, Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist whatever. Young men who laid down their lives for the freedom of those back home during the Great War and other conflicts.

So come the eleventh hour of the eleventh day give two minutes silent contemplation. On Remembrance Sunday do the same, or even just the minute (depending where you are).

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Tug fás ní bheidh d'aois, mar atá fágtha againn go bhfuil fás d'aois;
Ní bheidh feidhm ag aois bonn dóibh, ná na blianta Cáineann.
Ag dul síos na gréine agus ar maidin
Leanfaimid orainn cuimhneamh orthu.

Happy St Patrick's Day

As an Irishman you'd expect me to be celebrating St. Patrick's day this evening. Well I may have a dram of Whiskey (note the spelling) later to celebrate but there is a local party meeting this evening first.

Of course that doesn't stop my blog from celebrating without me.

As a Northern Irishman it is over to the Muppets to sing the song of our country.



As a Rugby fan I'm still on a high from the events around the time of the last St. Patrick's day. Ok there was a bit of disappointment on St. Valentine's day but our hearts were soon put back after being broken at Twickenham.



Mind you to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of one of Ireland's most famous exports this was the advert.

Sláinte mhaith.

Top 'o The Morning

It is St. Patrick's Day so I'm going to round up some Irish news stories this morning.

First up and some sad news for Cardiff Blogger, Jedward have been dropped by Sony after just one single. John and Edward Grimes who were Louis Walsh's last remaining act on the show released their cover of Under Pressure mashed up with Ice, Ice Baby but it was kept off the top slot by Owl City and then dropped like a stone the following week.

Walsh said:

"I'm completely committed to Jedward and I know they still have a great career ahead of them.

“I am in talks with a major record label about a new deal for them."

The Metro is telling me that tomorrow's hangover will cost the UK economy £560 million. Almost a quarter of all workers will be nursing a hangover tomorrow. Now I know us Irish are renowned for breeding like rabbits but seriously 11.5 million adult Brits claiming to be Irish, I'll await next years census results with interest.

Chris Sorek of Drinkaware urges caution:

"If you are heading out after work, have a big, late lunch. It's also a good idea to pace yourself with non-alcoholic drinks and plenty of water and opt out of rounds."

Back home in Northern Ireland it is the big day for school sport. Belfast Royal Academy face Ballymena Academy in the Northern Bank School's Cup final for rugby at Ulster's Ravenhill ground. St. Malachy's college will face De La Salle in the Maxol Direct Senior Cup for football at Lisburn Distillery's New Grosvenor Stadium. While in Gaelic Football Omagh Christian Brothers School faces St Colman's, Newry for the MacRory Cup at Casement Park.

And finally The Irish Times tells us that we may have been celebrating the Irish Saint's day over 6 weeks ago on 1 February if Patrick hadn't outdone Brigid of Kildare in the nations affections for patronage.

"WHILE ST PATRICK has had the edge in terms of recognition as Ireland’s patron since the dawn of recorded history, St Patrick’s Day has only been a national holiday in Ireland since 1903, when the British Parliament passed the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act. St Patrick’s Day parades have a somewhat longer pedigree, with the earliest recorded taking place in 1762 in Manhattan, when the participants were Irish-born British soldiers. Parading for St Patrick’s Day does not seem to date back any further than the 19th century in Ireland."

I won't tell the Cheltenham Festival, Guinness, New York or Boston etc if you don't.

Anyway that is it for this morning. Sláinte mhaith.

The 'Unluck' for Irish Sport May Continue

The luck of the Irish appears in somewhat short supply for the quadrennial events that are happening in 2010.

First we had the hand of Gaul which lead to the late goal that denied Ireland from going to Johannesburg for FIFA's World Cup. While the Swedish Referee Martin Hannson who failed to see Thierry Henry palming the ball twice to get it to his team mate William Gallas from that winning 'goal' will be on a South African bound flight.

Now the Irish women's Bobsleigh team who are in Vancouver waiting and expecting to compete in the 2 woman event are now waiting to hear what the IOC decide on their fate. There are twenty women's pairs competing at the Olympics and Ireland duo, Aoife Hoey and Claire Bergin, are ranked 20th in the World, but the Australian team, Astrid Loch-Wilkinson and Cecilia McIntosh, went to the Court of Arbitration in Sport (Cas) to point out that the governing body, International Bobsleigh & Tobogganing Federation (FIBT), failed to properly apply its regional qualification system by omitting a team from Oceania.

Yesterday Cas said FIBT had wrongly applied the criteria by saying that Ireland rather than Australia had qualified. However, they also 'strongly recommended' the inclusion of the Irish bob. That decision however now is in the hands (pardon the pun) of the International Olympic Committee and the local organisers Vanoc.

The Statement from Cas reads:

"The Cas panel found the clear wording of the qualification system implemented by the FIBT reflected the intention of representation by one men's bob team and one women's bob team from non-represented continents and could not be interpreted otherwise than as formulated.

"Accordingly, the application of the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) was granted and the FIBT was ordered to allocate a continental representation quota place to the AOC for participation of the pilot Astrid Loch-Wilkinson in the two-man women's bob event in the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

"Nevertheless, considering the situation of the Irish athletes, who expected legitimately to be entitled to participate in the Olympic Winter Games 2010 after their entry had been validated by the FIBT and the IOC, the Cas Panel has recommended to the IOC and Vanoc the inclusion of a 21st team in the women's bobsleigh event which is scheduled for 23 February 2010."

Update 2 on Baby Ben

There is good news for Kerry Robertson, Mark McDougall and their baby Ben. As I reported last Friday when Ben was just 4 days old he was snatched from his parents by Irish social services upon the request of Fife Council's team who had deemed that Kerry was incapable of raising the child.

Yesterday mother and baby were reunited in a mother and child unit in Ireland. While that does mean that they will be under constant supervision it mean that the bonding process between mother and child can resume.

Fife Council it emerges have never carried out a formal psychological assessment of Kerry, who readily admits to not having many qualifications from school. However she was employed as a childcare worker in a local school in Fife before becoming pregnant and does hold a certificate in child care.

Now at least I'm glad that a proper appraisal in the mother and baby unit of Kerry capabilities as a mother can be assessed, though why this wasn't the first port of call from Fife or Ireland is beyond me. I hope that this period of supervision is successful for the family and they can then get on with the normality of raising their child.

UPDATE: To help raise money for the family and Mark to be able to get to the mother and baby unit you can bid for some of his pictures on ebay (via Morgan Gallagher).

What is 1.7 on the Richter Scale

There is news that two 'earthquakes' or 1.5 and 1.7 on the Richter scale have hit the land of my father's County Donegal in the last 24 hours. But what exactly is 1.7 on the scale?

You wouldn't even feel a thing. An express train going past you on a platform has more effect on you. It also is hardly news 8,000 hit the world every day of 2.0 or less, they are described as micro and not recorded. Compared to even the aftershocks that have been hitting Haiti this is nothing to write home about. Apart from in this case by the BBC.

However, Thomas Blake of Dublin's School of Cosmic Physics said that some people felt the event. So either the measurement is wrong or they were having a different type of earth moving experience.

Update on Baby Ben

The Irish Times this morning are running a story by Ronan McMcGreevy into the baby Ben story I ran with on Friday.

It appears that things are looking hopeful from the stance of Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE). The baby's father Mark McDougall is saying:

"We are expecting some good news by then. It looks like the Irish HSE are very keen to try everything they can for the most positive outcome, which they agree is to have us all together as a family. The Waterford HSE are so much more understanding than the UK social services."

And is comparing it to George Orwell's 1984.

"Not intelligent enough to raise a child, what next? Not middle class enough? Too old to raise a child etc etc."

I'll keep you posted of developments, thanks to everyone who has read this and joined the Facebook Group that has been going to show support.

A Cold Snap-Shot of the British Isles

The BBC have this pic from NASA showing us today. I notice bits of Ireland are still living up to the name the Emerald Isle.

It's Friday So......(Thiery Henry Special)

Well sorry I was not posting my usual 5PM Friday snippet for the last two weeks. Last week I had no t'internet. This week my little laptop has been playing up. However, as this weekend I'll be spending Saturday at the Lib Dem Blogger's Unconference in Edinburgh, I thought I better do my usual weekend tweet.

So courtesy of Dublin FM104 radio with a little help from Norwegian stars A-ha



For my non-Irish, or non-football following readers here is what has made the former Arsenal playing Ireland's most hated man. Having lost 1-0 to the French at Croke Park in Dublin. The Irish were in Paris for the second leg of the play off for the World. The got the equalising goal in normal time. But towards the end of the first period of extra time, the "hand of frog" incident occurred.



When the wife of Kevin Lang Edinburgh North and Leith Lib Dem PPC saw Thierry Henry over breakfast a few months back in their hotel, I know wish she's chopped off his left hand.

Irish Labour Party Supports Marriage Equality

The Irish Marriage Equality campaign have produced this excellent video to aid their cause seeking equal civil marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples. It has even got the support of the Irish Labour Party.



The Scottish Campaign for Equal Marriage could well try something similar to get the message across in such a charming and appealing way of just how the inequality still exists through the 'equal' but different approach that has been taken in the UK, so far.

Hat tip to Slugger O'Toole.

Ted Kennedy - Mixed Feelings

My friend Caron wrote yesterday that the passing of the Senior Senator for Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy was the lose of a great liberal. Maybe it is because my first memory of him was somewhat different that the many liberal things he did were tinged with a rather darker side in my eye.

One of Ted Kennedy's last acts for to write along with 6 other Senators that letter asking Scottish Justice Mnister Kenny MacAskill not to release al-Megrahi. That letter cited the feelings of the American families. However, the man was also the same man who said the British should get out of Ireland and a United Ireland should exist.

From a country that has only been in existence since 1776 as an independent nation it sounds rather shallow. From that suppressed its own native peoples, confining them to reservations and taking up the best tracks of their land it becomes rather two faced. When some of us know our family has been working the same land we had first leased in 1710 it makes the sentiment stink.

Of course he did carry on the message on civil rights that his brothers championed, despite his wealth he sought to expand the nature of health care provision to those who could not afford it. So yes there were a lot of liberal ideals encompassed in the man. But like many of us I suppose there is a stumbling block to pleasing all of the people.

Ted knew his constituents had a large number of Catholic Irish-Americans. He came to the point of an Irish settlement late on in the day. Of course as Caron stated there was his, and other Kennedy's, influence over Gerry Adams, Martin Maginnis et al, he also was a voice that American Presidents and British Prime Ministers would listen to. In that one sense once he came to the ball game he was an influence for the peace, whereas in the 70s and 80s he was viewed with contempt by the majority in Northern Ireland.

None of the next generation of Kennedys, despite trying, seems to have the political stature of John, Robert or Edward. The one of the clan with most influence now is an Austrian former body builder and film star who married Eunice's daughter Maria. Though Ted's son Patrick is a congressman, Robert's son Joseph is also in the House and John's daughter Caroline failed in her attempt to replace Hillary Clinton as Senator for New York. There is a possibility that they or one of the other campaigners of business people in the Kennedy clan may well succeed to the seat that has been in the family's pocket since JFK first won it. Camelot though less influential now than it has been may still hold unto its foothold in this corner of their kingdom.

Cross Posting: My Rugby Filled Saturday

This is cross posting to an article I wrote for Slugger O'Toole on Saturday morning.

This Nipple is suffering reverse rugby culture shock

Living as I do only a 30 minute train ride out from Edinburgh my insatiable thirst for Rugby is easily satisfied at Scotland’s national stadium. Though my Scottish friends have threatened to ban me attending 6 Nations games if our lads in green keep winning.

However, this weekend for me, a political activist, is just the two weekends before the voting in the Euro elections so I was heading into town for more campaigning. So I trundled down for the 10:25 from Bathgate, normally a pretty quiet service to see a queue of confused looking people at the ticket machine. < Read More >

Top O' the Mornin'

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

We'll let you all join in just don't turn too much of the "Black Stuff" green we don't like it like that. It's too American.

As for you lot down in Cardiff, enjoy it while you can we'll be moving the party there for the weekend. At least those who aren't still recovering from Cheltenham. So get the stocks of Guinness in we'll be celebrating come what may, but hopefully the end of 61 years of waiting. But you can join in I'm sure.

Hands Off Our Forsests

You would have thought that a party claiming to speak for the nationalist movement of a nation would understand the mindset of that nation. Not so the SNP when it comes to the nations forests.

Almost three quarters of the respondents to the Scottish Government consultation on the leasing of a quarter of Scotland's forest were opposed to the proposal. In fact while 71% were against only 12% were in support of the SNPs plan. Is this just the latest sign of how out of touch the SNP are with reality and the concerns of its citizens?

Well as Hamish MacDonell wrote in the Steamie yesterday it is not just limited to Scotland that the SNP have lost grasp of reality. Jim Mather the enterprise Minister is still clinging to the Arc or prosperity.

So that would be:

• Ireland where the government support for the banking sector is currently 220% of GDP, it could get worse as the Banks' coverage of loans is still 5 times that amount.
• Iceland whose banking sector almost brought the prospect of the nation going bankrupt into being.
• Norway who like Scotland have oil. With a 7% drop in the price recently that is hardly going to be a stable economic structure.
• Of course Scotland's own two one point five one point two five* Banks are also the pinicles of prosperity.

So the Arc is sinking something that never affected Noah and clearly dodesn't worry Mather either. Man the lifeboats and lets hope there is a helicopter ready to rescue us like the oilworkers before we sink to fast under Nats pilotage of our economy.

*Really depends how much of HBOS you consider Scottish after the second merger.

No Slam This Year

It has been a good weekend for many rugby followers, my apologies to Peter Black and and the whole plethora of English Lib Dem Bloggers. As an Irishman resident in Scotland it has been a glorious weekend. We are three weeks into this years six nations and already no country is on course for a Grand Slam and only Italy are really out of the running for winning this season.

With Scotland beating the previously unbeaten English at Murrayfield yesterday, I wish I'd not attempted to change trains at Haymarket at 4:45 yesterday and Ireland beating Waled this afternoon, I'm one happy rugby fan. Now there are four countries with a 2-1 record, England, France, Ireland and Scotland. It makes all the matches in the last two weeks vitally important.

I'm just happy that Ireland are not scheduled to play Scotland during Scottish confernece weekend this year. A couple of years back at the BBC reception on the Friday night the head of BBC Scotland addressed the delgates by saying I hope you will all be cheering on Scotland as they take on Ireland in tomorrow evenings tie. I said out load not all of us, know the people to the left hand side would expect nothing less, only to turn to my right and see the then Scottish leader Jim Wallace smiling braodly at my comment. Fortunately he has not bourn me a grudge. Although I am led to believe we were cheering on different teams at Murrayfiled last year.

Mind you Ireland have the last game of this years six nations on 18th March when we take on England at Twickenham. Who knows how important that game will turn out to be for both teams?