Danny’s off-the-wall views embarrassing for Ireland
Perhaps I was just being naive, but up until now I’ve always tended to give the Independent TD the benefit of the doubt whenever I heard some of his off-the-wall comments.
Danny made international headlines when he called for a special licence to allow people in rural Ireland to drink and drive.
He, of course, just in case you’ve forgotten, had a self-interest here as a publican himself.
He knows from first-hand experience of pulling pints how country pubs are dying on their feet.
But it’s disturbing how he doesn’t accept most revellers quickly lose vital hand-to-eye co-ordination after only a couple of drinks – and let’s not forget that proverbial, ‘One more for the road’.
I reckon Danny knew deep down his reckless idea was always going to be a non-flyer but it was a great populist card to play in rural Ireland.
It was a way to increase his profile and was also a great votegetter exercise.
DISRESPECTFUL
It was actually myself who Danny famously told Noah’s Ark was proof God is in charge of the weather. You could say he really pushed the boat out on that occasion.
People often ask me how I was able to keep a straight face when he said it – but, apart from it being unprofessional, it is disrespectful to laugh at other people’s belief systems.
Besides, nobody knows what is in store for us all after we shuffle off this mortal coil.
One theory is as good as the next no matter how absurd, right? I, for one, am an atheist, but often pray I was agnostic.
However, I chuckled at all the hilarious memes – particularly the Ryanair adverts, with the best being: “We can’t change the weather Danny! But for €19.99 you can change climate.”
I’m sure such jokes even brought a “Rae” of sunshine to Danny.
Again, I reckon many Dubliners nearly fell of their bar stools when Danny spoke about his fears of building roads on fairy forts.
Yet he isn’t alone in such superstition – many in rural Ireland believe it’s bad luck to tamper with fairy forts. It’s an urbanites versus rural Ireland mindset at play. I’ve always found some acceptable reason to excuse Danny in the past whenever he lost the run of himself – even with his comments about Noah’s Ark. After all, Ireland is still a Danny Healy-rae Ireland, it f***ing rains for 40 days consecutively. Now, we didn’t need Noah’s Ark to get out of it. But, of course, it could be true.”
The Fianna Fail TD’S comments didn’t pick up much national media coverage simply because he isn’t yet a household name like Danny.
But Danny really takes the biscuit for saying the other day vegans wouldn’t be capable of doing a full day’s manual work!
He claimed non-meat eaters “never worked hard”.
Danny added: “If there was a shovel put into their hands they’d starve with the hunger because they won’t make it until dinner time.”
It was a comment that made me finally come to the conclusion Danny, as we Irish so eloquently put it, is away with the fairies.
I can tell you from first-hand experience Danny is talking total bull here.
I went on a strict vegetable and fruit diet last year to get my cholesterol and weight down.
And during this period I was running 10k four times a week on
Mr Higgins top of doing a hard day’s work. But credit where credit is due. The Healy-raes have done stellar work for their constituency.
It’s unfair how people like to make fun of them because of their thick accents or Michael Healyrae’s old-fashioned cap.
In fairness, the vast majority of what Michael says actually makes sense – even if you don’t necessarily agree with him.
But Danny is a different kettle of fish altogether.
I reckon even Michael sometimes is left scratching his head after hearing Danny’s occasional bizarre musings.
We may like to laugh at him but the joke is on us all at this stage.
I know many foreign journalists who see both Danny and Michael D Higgins as being the most famous Irish politicians.
I don’t think this is necessarily a good thing because, let’s be honest, they both, in different ways, present a silly Darby O’gill image of Ireland.
Ireland is supposed to be one of the most progressive countries in the world – but it is embarrassing whenever Danny opens his mouth and unintentionally contributes to this outdated image of us still dancing at the crossroads.
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It was a comment that made me finally come to the conclusion that Danny is in fact away wih the fairies