If New York can honour Adams, why can’t we?
I’D say in all honesty, the Taoiseach with his green socks, was seriously miffed, when the mayor of New York decided to name St Patrick’s Day 2018 as ‘Gerry Adams Day’.
Bill de Blasio presented the nowretired Sinn Féin president with a framed proclamation at a ceremony at his official residence, Gracie Mansion.
The mayor praised Adams for his role in the peace process, but also said he was honouring him for ‘his life-long pursuit of the goal that makes so much sense, the goal of a united Ireland’.
Mayor de Blasio said Mr Adams will be remembered by history as ‘one of the people who did something truly heroic... who found a path to peace where others could not envision it. And so many are alive today because of that. He did not accept injustice, and he fought against it... He understood there was no place in this world for colonialism and he fought against it… great ideas never die.’
Gerry takes it all in his stride, because he knows what he is about, but can he expect such an honour to be bestowed on him at home? Highly unlikely because Leo did not seem to impressed, however he did offer his congratulations, after saying that it is not a traditional thing to do at home, to name days after people, like it is in the US.
But y’know what, there will never be a Leo’s day, an Enda’s day, a Brian’s day, Bertie’s day or a Micheál’s day.
So suck it up lads, Ireland has only got one statesman who is recognised for his ability and achievements, and has been lauded the world over, with invitations to state funerals and events that the above named people could only dream about.
Perhaps we should think about reinventing St Patrick’s Day as Gerry Adams Day because we need someone to banish those snakes again. JAMES WOODS, Gort an Choirce, Dún na nGall. ...THE mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, by declaring last St Patrick’s Day ‘Gerry Adams Day’ has provided further proof – if any were needed – that ‘a prophet is not recognised in their own land’.
Can Gerry Adams not be allowed some small token appreciation while he is still alive or must we wait until he is dead? PATRICK MURRAY, Dundrum, Dublin 14.
Repeats ad nauseum
ONCE again a bank holiday weekend comes and goes, and what does RTÉ do? They show repeat after repeat. There were more repeats than any other programme. If RTÉ could get away with it, they would show a repeat of the news . We pay a high licence fee for a load of repeats. When will we ever get value for our licence fee from RTÉ? DAVID BURKE, Gorey, Co. Wexford.
The joy of spring
THE spring equinox has long been celebrated as a time of rebirth and fertility in the Northern Hemisphere. It marks the sun crossing the equator from south to north. During the equinox the sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal – 12 hours of light, 12 hours of darkness. In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring equinox marks the first day of astronomical spring, usually around March 21.
On the other hand, meteorologists, who base their findings on climatology rather than astronomy, maintain that spring begins on March 1.
Whether the seasons have their origins in the movement of planets or in weather conditions, the more seasonable weather of recent weeks in the south west has certainly put a spring in our steps.
Summertime begins next Sunday, March 25, so the days will be noticeably longer. The trees are sweetly blooming while warmth, growth and greenery are returning. Birds are singing and building nests while animals are mating and producing offspring.
How wonderful it is to listen to the bleating of lambs in the fields and to marvel at ‘a host of golden daffodils, beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze’.
The spring equinox renews our energy levels after the cold and darkness of winter. It makes us appreciate how good it is to be alive and living in a beautiful country. It whets the appetite for exercise, sport and outdoor life.
While Alfred Lord Tennyson maintains that in the spring a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love, mine turns to sea – swimming in Fenit, walking in Banna Strand, days at the races and the mouth-watering anticipation of a successful season for the Austin Stacks and Kerry football teams. BILLY RYLE, Tralee, Co. Kerry.
No sympathy for Ant
WHILE I have every sympathy with TV presenter Ant McPartlin and anyone else who has a drink problem, there can be no sympathy for him driving while over the limit (Mail).
If he is worth £60million, then surely he can afford to hire a chauffeur to take him to the park, wait for him to walk his dog and take him home again.
The risk of killing someone would make a person like Ant who appears to have everything end up having nothing. PETER CRABB, Crawley, West Sussex.