Bertie Ahern was in a nostalgic mood on Thursday night when he launched Charlie Bird’s new book, Time and Tide, at a packed event in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel.
“I remember the happy days on campaign trails, or, what some might call it, being chased around the bloody country by Charlie Bird,” recalled the Bert, who might not have been so happy about Charlie’s niggling presence at the time. The pair of them, in different roles, covered the same beat for decades, he said. “And it’s terrible, when you look at Reeling in the Years and you see all the things we were involved in. Sometimes you’d have to hide behind the sofa — I mean, when you look at the haircuts, the clothes and the anoraks. And you think: Oh my God!”
The crowd chuckled, and then Bertie delivered the punchline.
“And that was only Charlie!”
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RTÉ’s former chief correspondent, who has motor neuron disease, wrote the book in collaboration with his great friend and former news editor Ray Burke. Using a digital voice box, he told the crowd he won the Lotto when he got his start as an RTÉ reporter in 1980. And never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that the former taoiseach would be launching “my last book”.
Charlie and Bertie criss-crossed the country many times on the hustings, the journalist often arriving at events before the taoiseach, even though the exact schedules were often kept secret.
“He also broke one of the most important stories in my life on one of those trips. It was on the trail in 2007 that the scoop of scoops was to come one day,” said Bertie. “I got out of the car — I was in the car — we were faffing around the southeast and I was on the next stop and up pops Charlie to tell me I’d become a grandfather with twins.”
The book chronicles Charlie’s time in the news business and also charts his struggle with MND.
“I admire you so much Charlie,” Bertie told him. “Your style of journalism, your commitment to being present for every story… You’re regarded so highly by everybody. You know that. You have seen that this year. You have made a huge contribution to help others.
“You have been extraordinary in not laying down. Today, in the most challenging of times, your energy is unmatched and your truth remains uncompromised. You have been an outstanding journalist. Whatever happens from here on in, rest assured you will not be forgotten.”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house, but for all that, with Charlie, his family and friends packing out the room, it was the most enjoyable, uplifting and happy evening.
Taking steps to restore Irish dancing’s reputation
As the worldwide Irish dancing community reels in the wake of the so-called Feis-fixing “Céilígate” scandal, allegations of cheating in competitions has put Irish dancing in the international spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
The world championships are due to take place in Canada next year, and one of the dancers who will be representing Ireland in Montreal in April is Caelainn McGrath, the 20-year-old daughter of Tipperary Independent TD Mattie.
Mattie McGrath was an All-Ireland set dancing champion in his youth, and his family is immersed in the tradition. Caelainn’s dance teacher is her cousin Kathy McGrath Coleman, who runs a successful Irish dance school in Newcastle, Co Tipperary.
Deputy McGrath believes there is “no doubt” that there is “politics” involved in judging at some events, and says the competition scene must not be tainted by alleged interference in the judging process.
“This thing has been going on for years,” he told us, adding that his daughter has danced in many competitions “here and abroad”.
She danced in Leinster House last month for Culture Night and managed to get her photograph taken in the Dáil chamber sitting in her dad’s designated seat. She was also part of the Irish dancing group at Brú Ború in Cashel which danced for, and with, the then prince Charles and his wife Camilla when they visited Tipperary in March.
Mattie is extremely proud of his daughter, who qualified once before for the world championships, but the competition was cancelled when Covid struck. He is not worried about the alleged political aspect of the judging. “She’s a fighter like her father. She persevered and now she’s going to the worlds, which is a great achievement.”
He is a member of the Oireachtas arts and culture committee, which discussed the Céilígate controversy in private at a meeting on Wednesday. Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne joked: “I assume now, Mattie, you’ll be giving back your All-Ireland medal.”
Not a hope. “I told them I won it fair and square in a time when we had no make-up or false tan or mobile phones. There will be no medals going back from Tipperary.”
He won in 1974 as a member of an eight-strong set-dancing team from Newcastle in Tipp. “I was only a 16-year-old innocent chap. We just had black trousers and an amber shirt — our club colours and the Kilkenny colours, unfortunately. The girls just wore a plain black dress and an amber sash. There was no fancy dress in those days, just plain Irish country culture.”
They were a good team, winning all over the country, including the GAA’s Scór competition. The young Mattie noticed that the trophies were made in Italy, so he travelled one Sunday to a county board meeting and tabled a motion calling for the GAA to use Irish-manufactured trophies. His proposal went all the way to Congress and it was adopted.
A reboot for Leo’s trainers
To say that Leo Varadkar is thrilled with his revamped training shoes would be an understatement.
He first mentioned them in February during a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Members were examining the department’s estimates for 2022 when the Tánaiste mentioned the circular economy and how had started to learn more about it.
“I dipped into it myself by getting two pairs of runners that I was going to throw out renovated. They’re great. They look like new although they’re seven years old. In the past I would have thrown them out and bought a new pair but instead I got them renovated by an Irish small business for around €60,″ declared Leo. “I was very impressed with that.”
We buy too much clothing from abroad and then discard it, he said. “Let’s think about the number of Irish jobs that could be created by people repairing, reusing and renovating clothes, suits, footwear and so forth. It is only a small part of the circular economy but there are big opportunities to create employment.”
Seven months later and the Minister for Enterprise has progressed beyond the learning stage. “I am a big fan of the circular economy,” he tells a recent meeting of the committee.
“I have been trying to embrace it myself a bit. I got my runners refitted and redone a few months ago. It didn’t go so well for leather shoes but I got two sets of runners renovated instead of buying a new pair. They came back — cost about €40 or €50 — and they’re as good as new. Anyone would think they’re new and I would have just thrown them out before.”
And he reiterated that there are many ways to reuse and recycle materials and create new jobs in the process.
For example, he was in Limerick’s Milk Market recently and the lady who runs a vintage shop there told him that little girls making their Communion are now looking for vintage dresses because they know all about fast fashion and don’t want it.
So where did Leo get his trainers rebooted?
“The Sneaker Surgery,” he tells us. “Relaced, thoroughly cleaned and then painted them up.”
Delighted with himself. He’s getting great wear out of those runners, all the same.
Silver cufflinks, an ashtray and a €310 bottle of whiskey were among the items given by Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney over the past two years.
No grubby gifts here
Ken Foxe, journalist and data sifter extraordinaire, keeps a regular eye on gifts handed out to bigwigs by the Government on our behalf.
And the returns for the last two years are in from Iveagh House, where they don’t tend to lose the run of themselves too often except on occasions such as winning a temporary seat on the UN Security Council.
According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, gifts are either sourced in Ireland or of Irish interest and they are bought at the most “economically advantageous cost” while emphasising high quality. “The nature of the gift is given particular care to ensure that it respects the culture and relevant requirements of the recipient. The exchange of gifts provides a platform to promote Irish craftsmanship and goods internationally and helps to strengthen the economic and cultural links between the countries involved.”
Silver cufflinks, an ashtray and a €310 bottle of whiskey were among the items given by Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney over the past two years.
However, a €33.50 bog oak pen from Donegal was the department’s gift of choice. Thirty different visitors received one, including the president of Somalia, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the high commissioner of the Kingdom of Tonga.
Simon’s souvenirs won’t break the bank. In two years he handed out a total of €2,150 worth of presents to visiting dignitaries, foreign ministers and heads of state during official visits to Ireland and on his travels abroad.
Unfortunately, we don’t know what sort of trinkets and gee-gaws he got in return as gifts are only recorded if they are worth more than €650 and he didn’t get any.
Small teardrop bowls from the ceramic artist Michele Hannan were also a popular choice with the €65 items presented on nine separate occasions.
The Belarusian politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya was given an engraved vase from Jerpoint Glass, worth €55.
But Japan’s minister for foreign affairs did quite well, bagging a bottle of Midleton Dair Ghaelach whiskey from the Midleton Distillery in Co Cork. It cost €310 from the Celtic Whiskey Shop and was the most expensive item on the list.
Brooches from Alwright & Marshall silversmiths worth €50 each were given to the president of Iran Ebrahim Raisi and Iran’s minister for foreign affairs, while the first lady of New Jersey got a new scarf. A very nice silk scarf by artist Bernadette Madden, worth €35.
Romania’s foreign minister, Bogdan Aurescu, received a Mullingar Pewter whiskey set (€49.20) along with a Sceilg crystal ashtray (€15). He obviously likes a ciggie with his ball of malt.
The president of Moldova was given a €35 Donegal scarf from the Kilkenny Group. Two sets of Newgrange design cufflinks were bought for €75 each and presented to the foreign minister and the governor of Hatay from Turkey.
Iveagh House points out that you can’t go meeting these important people with one arm as long as the other. “It is standard international practice to exchange modest gifts between ministers and visiting dignitaries during ministerial and other high-level visits.”
