EDITOR – I read Tom Lyons’ article titled ‘How blow-ins have played an important role in Clon’s story’ in the Star’s sports section of the Star on November 13th.
I found it to be a very informative and interesting article on the contribution blow-ins have made to Clonakilty GAA success over the last century. Indeed not only did they bring success to Clon Gaa but they also added greatly to the social fabric of the area in general.
The article brought to mind a very interesting motivational talk I had the privilege of attending seven or eight years ago delivered by the retired RTÉ GAA pundit Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh.
The theme of the talk was the most talented members of An Garda Siochana that had played GAA for their counties since the formation of An Garda Siochana in 1922.
Ó Muircheartaigh, in his inimitable style, went through each player’s strengths and achievements such as All-Ireland, Railway Cup and college medals.
He first went through the garda hurlers and included such names as Ken Hogan, Joachim Kelly and Eddie Brennan, amongst many others.
He then went through the footballers and included players such as John Egan, Jack Sheedy, Don Davis, Tony Davis and Aidan O’Mahony, among many others. He then said that he had kept the best till last and that in his opinion the finest garda Gaelic football player to don his county jersey was Pat Griffin from Clonakilty. He remarked that he was the most stylish and talented garda he had seen play. Great praise indeed from the high priest of GAA pundits.
Postscript: I’m a retired member of An Garda Siochana and I was stationed in Dublin for a decade in the 1980s.
A good friend and colleague of mine there at the time was a Kerryman from Castlemaine, John ‘Steve’ Counihan.
Shortly after I arrived there Steve informed me that he was in the same class as Pat Griffin in Templemore and that he had been meant to transfer to Clonakilty on completion of his training and Pat was meant to go to Dublin.
However, probably due to the ‘location prayer’ used by the Kerry county board, divine intervention switched the names and it was Clon GAA’s good fortune that they gained a Kerry intercounty player.
Steve was very happy in Dublin. In the course of my career I worked with both men and it was an honour as they were two true Kerry gentlemen.
Tony McCarthy,
Connonagh,
Leap.
Feeling ashamed to be part of Irish nation
EDITOR – As antigen testing was being promoted, I went to the chemist last weekend and bought two packs of tests, due to the fact that there are a few adults living in the house.
I was truly grateful for the fact that I was in a position to purchase same.
At the time, I was thinking of families who needed to check, but could not afford these tests.
Whoever came up with the idea of supplying the ‘staff of Leinster House’ with free antigen tests would want to stop, look and listen.
(They have said since this will not apply to TDs or senators.)
Our nation is being destroyed by self-serving individuals.
No wonder the European Court dismissed the case, taken by five Irish people, to have the wording of the presidential oath in the Constitution – which references ‘almighty God’ – removed or replaced with a secular alternative.
Perhaps it is a timely reminder to all politicians that they are not the ‘be all and end all’ of everything.
I would ask any member of Leinster House staff, who picks up a free antigen test, to make sure that they contribute the price of the test to some charity.
We have people in dire straits in our country who not deserve this continuous spectacle of nonsense by our politicians.
I feel ashamed to be a member of the Irish nation sometimes.
Elizabeth Harrington,
Derrigra,
Enniskeane.
We need to cap rents for three years at least
EDITOR – We need to cap rents for three years at least. They have gone sky high,resulting in mass evictions and emigration and the loss of Ireland’s skilled workers, who are the backbone of this country.
The government needs to clamp down on vulture funding and other international investors who are buying up land and houses which should be used for our own citizens.
They are driving people out of their own country. A huge clampdown is in need if we are to stem emigration.
We need to scrap investors’ tax breaks and impose 50% tax on investors’ profits and a freeze on rents is a must as they continue to rise.
We will see a generation locked out of home ownership andlocked out of affordable homes, and we can see the housing crisis getting worse under this government.
They are in power long enough to fix things.
As long as these institutional investors are allowed to play a big role in our housing market and people have to pay 40% of their salaries to the rental sector and it isunsustainable to save for a home under these conditions.
Noel Harrington,
Kinsale
