In 2018, almost 400 women staged a march to Cork Courthouse, where underwear was symbolically laid on the court steps in protest over comments made during a rape trial that the teenage complainant’s choice of underwear – a lace thong – implied consent.

“Does the evidence out-rule the possibility that she was attracted to the defendant and was open to meeting someone and being with someone?”, the accused’s senior counsel, Elizabeth O’Connell, asked during closing arguments.

“You have to look at the way she was dressed. She was wearing a thong with a lace front.”

This scandal was among the most infamous incidents to occur in recent memory regarding the treatment of sexual abuse victims in Irish courts, and caused outcry across the country. Under the hashtag #ThisIsNotConsent, Irish women posted photographs of their underwear in all shapes, colours, and materials to protest the use of such techniques in court. Supporters gathered at the Spire in Dublin, where a ‘washing line’ was strung between lampposts displaying women’s underwear, with others also gathering in protest in Limerick, Galway, and Waterford. In a now famous moment, Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger brandished lacy underwear in the Dáil to raise awareness of the controversy.

“It might seem embarrassing to show a pair of thongs here in this incongruous setting”, she said at the time. “How do you think a rape victim or a woman feels at the incongruous setting of her underwear being shown in a court?”

There was a twofold argument being made in protest of the incident. Principally, the egregiously unjust way in which the underwear had been treated as implied consent; it should go without saying that a person’s clothing can never overwrite their consent, and hence justify their abuse. But the outcry also sought to highlight a more general problem within the Irish court system; the relentless and systemic shaming of victims of sexual assault, and disrespecting of the privacies they should be entitled to – an issue which has been criticised for effectively retraumatising the victims the courts are (supposedly) there to provide justice to.

Many think of this controversy in 2018 as being a watershed moment or turning point, however, while it indeed caused a significant spike in conversation and awareness, the truth of the matter is that subsequent victims have not been saved from similar experiences.

Just last week, a young woman who was raped by her 62-year-old landlord described the showing of her underwear in court during the trial as being an “out of body experience.”

But beyond underwear, this shaming persists. In recent days, jurors in a rape trial taking place in the Central Criminal Court were shown video footage of a sexual encounter between the complainant and a man not on trial, in an attempt to evidence the defence’s claims that the complainant’s word was unreliable, and to imply promiscuity.

The complainant, who had taken issue with the footage being played and chosen not to be present in court for it, took to the witness stand to continue cross-examination afterwards.

Under questioning from the defence’s Padraig Dwyer, the complainant confirmed that she was saying that she had been raped by both the accused man and the second man seen in the video, which was taken on the same night.

“The reason I’m asking you about the second man is to show that your word is not reliable in relation to what is rape,” defence counsel said.

“There’s a big difference between the incident with the first man and the second man,” the woman replied. “One rape can be very different from another rape.”

The full picture when it comes to the systemic nature of victim blaming and shaming within Irish courts extends beyond these more publicised cases, but the patterns seen across them amount to a certain – if harrowing – indication of the overall situation.

Defence strategies frequently rely on discrediting the survivor’s character, focusing on their sexual history, appearance, or personal choices rather than the alleged actions of the accused. Survivors are often cross-examined in ways that leave them feeling violated once more, a process that can deter others from reporting sexual crimes altogether.

In addition to cultural attitudes, outdated legal structures continue to enable these practices at a systemic level. Calls for legislative reform have been made repeatedly, yet little has changed in practice, with there being perhaps no better example than the issue of victims’ counselling notes being used as evidence.

The admissibility of victims’ counselling records has been widely condemned for some time, further emboldened by the fact that those of the alleged perpetrator are not admissible. It is a particularly perverse invasion of privacy; to take the details shared in confidence to a professional about a traumatic experience, and then make those details public in a courtroom and open them up to possible misrepresentation and manipulation by defence counsel.

Survivors who go through with the trial process are effectively being forced to evaluate whether the treatment of their mental health and trauma is worth the ‘risk’ of having this counselling experience used against them. The start of the year saw Susan Lynch, a woman who was raped by her former partner, say in her victim impact statement that she did not receive any counselling because she thought the notes from the sessions would be used against her; she is one of a countless many.

And yet, it was reported last month that a previous government commitment to ban outright the use of rape survivors’ counselling records as evidence is likely to be rolled back.

With just a fraction of rape/assault cases being taken to court, and an even smaller fraction resulting in prosecutions, a substantial ‘justice gap’ already exists regarding the handling of sexual crime in Ireland. And the more we hear about how victims are allowed to be treated in court at a systemic level, the more it becomes evident that the barriers to justice extend far beyond social and cultural constraints, to the legal framework itself.

The post Let’s talk about… The punishment of SA victims in Irish courts appeared first on Roscommon People.

It’s Thursday morning, and I have to admit that my nerves are at me as I head into Roscommon to have something done that I haven’t had done professionally for more than 40 (nearer to 50) years.

The thought of sitting in the big black chair with my head held back fills me with dread, and I wonder how I will be when the job is done. The last time I sat in such a chair I was a very young man still playing rugby and football on the respective fields of Connacht and Roscommon, and the recently-retired Paddy Joe was just on the start of his journey to become, like Carlsberg, probably the best (certainly the best-known) barber in the country, if not the world.

By now you will have figured that I wasn’t going to the dentist, but rather to a barber, because over the last half-century or so Carol took on the mantle as my barber, and more importantly, my beard regulator.

Now we always agreed that my hair could more or less grow wild, but my beard needed to be kept relatively tidy. And so last week, after my adult children told me I looked like a monkey – with so much facial hair that you couldn’t see my face (not a bad thing) – I gave in and went to town to get the offensive beard trimmed.

Jose Mourinho, the famous soccer manager, recently got into bother for claiming some members of an opposition bench were jumping up and down like monkeys, so I hope I have not insulted any of the primate (monkeys are primates) family by comparing myself to one of them.

Anyway, off I went, with no idea as to which of the many town barbers I would go to. I simply decided that I would go to the first one I would see, and was on my way to ask my son Mark for his advice when I spotted A1 Barbers and went in.

There was a middle-aged man getting his hair cut when I walked in, which gave me a good feeling about the place, and he was so happy with the finished product that I lost all my fears and nerves. Mind you, when the very friendly proprietor asked me to take off my glasses, I wondered if he didn’t want me to see what he was doing.

But I needn’t have worried – he did a wonderful job, took loads of time with me, treated me to hot towels on my face (which I only ever saw in movies), and left me with the nearest thing to a designer beard that I have ever had.

Sunny, a native of Pakistan, had worked in Sligo for a number of years before taking the huge step of opening his own very impressive barber shop five months ago, and he tells me that things are going very well for him. He opens seven days a week, and Sunday is a really busy day.

Now I know there are lots of barber shops in Roscommon and I have no doubt they are all very professional and equally good, but I have to say that my experience of A1 Barbers was very positive and I can only hugely recommend it. I will be back when next I look like a monkey.

‘No cert, no cover’

As I looked up the phone number for the NCT centre to book a retest for my (mostly) trusty old Passat, I came across a post from a driver that I have to say surprised me.

He was unlucky enough to have an accident, and then when he made a claim his insurance company refused to pay because he didn’t have a valid NCT cert.

To clear matters up in my own head I rang Axa, whom I am insured with, to find out what the story is, and they confirmed that you are not insured if your car has no NCT cert. I asked them if that meant you were not covered from the time your car actually fails the test, but they said you are covered to drive home, and you will be covered to drive back to the test centre on the day of your retest. You are not covered any other time, so the ridiculous situation is if you have to go to a garage (as you almost certainly will) to get things sorted, you are not covered. You simply cannot drive your car except to bring it back to the test centre.

Oftentimes cars only fail the test on visuals, such as a missing bulb or something small, but according to Axa, it seems to make no difference what it fails for. It can be the most minor of things, but you are treated the same as if the car is falling apart and totally unroadworthy.

That seems unfair to me, and although it was said that Gardaí and insurance companies would take a more lenient look at things (mainly because people are experiencing long delays in getting dates for their tests), Axa were quite clear to me that “no cert, no cover” is the way it is.

I have to admit that I was unaware that that was the position, so in case other companies have different criteria, if you have an expired NCT cert, give your insurance company a ring – it might save you a lot of stress, and more importantly, money.

And finally…

Out here in Creggs, a new digital storyMap showcasing the heritage and history of the area will be launched at an event in the local National School on Friday, March 14th.

The event will feature material from the podcasts and films that were created as part of the digital storyMap as well as traditional music and song to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. There are three podcasts and two videos and it will be an opportunity to celebrate all who have contributed to the history and heritage of the area, and to introduce everyone to the 15 points of historical interest in the parish.

Two men who contributed greatly to the podcasts, Seamus Keane and Paddy Lohan, have sadly since passed away, and the event will celebrate their contributions to the podcast and the wider community on the night.

There is so much to write about regarding this event that my editor, Paul Healy, would have a seizure – so all I can say is get to the National School in Creggs at 8 pm on Friday, March 14th! Admission is free, and the areas of historical interest in the locality will be truly brought to life through the podcasts and short films. Don’t forget!

‘Til next week,

Bye for now!

The post My first visit to a barber in almost half a century wasn’t as hair-raising as I’d feared! appeared first on Roscommon People.

The genius of Gene

Gene Hackman was probably my favourite movie actor. He is unquestionably in the pantheon of greats, up there with Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, and many others, not forgetting the best of the stars of earlier eras such as James Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, etc.

Others, like Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, were great personal favourites of mine, but I can honestly say that Hackman was probably the actor who most captivated me. There was a period in the 1990s when he seemed to dominate our screens, producing consistently brilliant performances, often across varying genres.

Amongst his greatest roles were those in The French Connection, Unforgiven, and the chilling Mississippi Burning. I only discovered recently that he had a terrific cameo appearance (well worth checking out on YouTube) in the Mel Brooks comedy, Young Frankenstein.

A wonderful actor with an electrifying screen presence, Gene Hackman was undoubtedly one of the greatest figures in movie history.

Hackman (95) and his wife, Betsy Arakawa (65) were found dead at their home today. An investigation is underway. May they rest in peace.

FRIDAY

Oval and out

An otherwise normal Friday evening has just been hijacked by events ‘stateside’. Everyone’s talking about the row in the White House. President Trump and Vice-President Vance have humiliated Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky during extremely tense exchanges in the Oval Office. It made for very unpleasant viewing. Within minutes, Zelensky had departed.

I can recall seeing American presidents, going back to the era of the late Jimmy Carter, welcoming world leaders to the White House, and such events were always conducted with dignity and diplomacy, regardless of how strained relations might actually be.

What just happened in the Oval Office is unprecedented, not that I can agree with glum political commentator Larry Donnelly (reacting on Today FM’s The Last Word as I write), who seems to think it’s the end of civilisation (well, almost).

The meeting between Zelensky and Trump/Vance in front of the media was actually going fine for about half an hour. Then Zelensky to some degree ‘poked the bear’ in its own cave.

When the Ukrainian president started presenting his historical perspective of Russia’s treatment of Ukraine, and then challenged the vice-president on what he meant by diplomatic measures, it sparked a disproportionately fierce response from Vance. Trump took his cue from Vance’s outburst. The reservations – indeed personal enmity – both Trump and Vance have when it comes to Zelensky unleased a tirade of abuse.

It’s clear that Trump has lost patience with what he depicts as freeloading by Zelensky, while Vance unconvincingly implied that the Ukrainian president is not sufficiently grateful for US support (the evidence suggests otherwise).

These differences of opinion should have been articulated behind closed doors. Did they deliberately trap their guest in public? Perhaps. Zelensky was combative, but he was treated as no Head of State should be. This public dressing down was an example of low standards in high places.

SATURDAY

Pat Ingoldsby (RIP)

I was sorry to hear of the passing today of the unique poet/children’s TV presenter, Pat Ingoldsby. He was 82.

Known for his quirky writing style, he was a free spirit who often seemed to view the world through the eyes of a child. His poems and books were usually humorous, but many were poignant and moving too.

Growing up in Rooskey in the 1970s and ‘80s, I was always drawn to Pat Ingoldsby’s columns in the Evening Press, knowing that I would be reading some ‘off-centre’ view of the world. He lifted hearts and put smiles on faces.

At his peak, there was a heart-warming zaniness to his observations that was reminiscent of Spike Milligan. Here, in full, is an Ingoldsby three-liner on death:

DYING

‘If it was good enough
for Johnny Cash
it’ll do me’

SATURDAY 

The ego has landed

Former champion boxer Chris Eubank was a guest on The Tommy Tiernan Show tonight. It was a pretty extraordinary appearance.

Courteously told by the show host that he was coming across as egotistical, Eubank seemed startled, and huffed that he had been invited on to the show (“Your team asked me to come and see you”).

Always a bit on the eccentric side, Eubank appeared to be in full attention-seeking mode in this outing, regularly referring to himself in the third person as he spoke (at length) about spirituality (and what most viewers would consider his strange interpretation of it). Tiernan displayed commendable patience. Mind you, I still find Eubank likeable; people like him add variety to life.

While it felt like the most awkward chat show interview I’ve seen in years, somehow it managed to be only the second weirdest ‘TV moment’ of the week…

SUNDAY

The Oscar goes to…

The Oscars are a hard watch, so I can’t watch… all of the annual ceremony. No chance. But credit where it’s due, first-time host Conan O’Brien was excellent.

MONDAY

Rudest ratings

Reflecting further on Oval Officegate, it strikes me that an unquestionably rude Donald Trump was actually only the third rudest person in the room!

I’d give the runner-up spot to smug reporter Brian Glenn, who saw the way the wind was blowing and decided to have his own populist pop at President Zelensky.

Sneering Glenn had the cheek to pitch in with: “Why don’t you wear a suit? You’re at the highest level in this country’s office, and you refuse to wear a suit. Do you own a suit?”

Rudest person in the room on the day? That ‘accolade’ undoubtedly goes to the insufferably arrogant JD Vance. The vice-president was more annoying than President Trump, and much of the blame for the unseemly episode can be laid at his feet.

TUESDAY

Morning, Jim!

When I tuned into Morning Ireland (RTE Radio 1) midway through a discussion between Darren Frehill and Jim Gavin on the new Gaelic football rules, the atmosphere between them seemed ever so slightly strained.

At one point a polite but firm Jim said: “You’re the journalist”, following up with “You obviously haven’t read the data…”

Happily, they seemed to get back on track. Then Darren wrapped up the interview: “Our thanks to Jim… McGuinness.”

The post Paul Healy’s Week – 7/3/25 appeared first on Roscommon People.

  The series, which has enjoyed alternate rankings on the platform’s Top 10 list over the past few weeks, follows the aforementioned Belle Gibson – who amassed millions of Instagram followers in the early 2010s with her inspirational account of how she’d beaten a terminal brain cancer diagnosis with healthy diet. Gibson went on to kickstart a hugely successful career off the back of this following, launching a recipe app called ‘The Whole Pantry’ (which saw her enter talks with Apple to make the app a privileged pre-installed default third-party inclusion in the Apple Watch) and signing a book deal with Penguin. All the while, Gibson continued to post content promoting the efficacy of her healthy eating methods in battling cancer, also sharing that much of her profits – then reportedly in excess of A$1m – was going to various charities, cancer-related and otherwise.

  Then, in March 2015, investigative journalists who had noticed inconsistencies in Gibson’s cancer narrative and began researching the influencer, revealed there was no evidence of her purported donations. Under mounting pressure and public scrutiny, Gibson admitted in April 2015 that she had entirely fabricated both her cancer diagnosis and charitable contributions. She was fined A$410,000 for misleading consumers in 2017 – a penalty she has yet to pay as of 2025.

  While the revelation shocked people around the world – particularly in Gibson’s native Australia – undoubtedly the most insidious consequence of this years-long con was the impact it had for those of her followers who did actually have cancer, who had been encouraged to shirk conventional medicine in favour of Gibson’s alternative ‘treatments’.

  Now, a decade on from when this scandal first broke, comes Netflix’s ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’. And in many ways, given the shocking nature of Gibson’s story, it is unsurprising to see the platform release a series based on it. After all, the ‘based on a true story’ category of media has become a very reliable genre in modern entertainment in recent years.

  These ‘based on a true story’ narratives add an additional point of interest to a piece of media, tapping into the very human fascination with real-life deception, scandal, and intrigue that causes the true stories they’re based on to gain such exposure in the first place. In fact, ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ appears to form part of a growing sub-genre within this niche itself – the rise and fall of real-life, high profile con-women, with Hulu’s ‘The Dropout’ (based on infamous Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes) and Netflix’s ‘Inventing Anna’ (based on faux socialite Anna Sorokin) having enjoyed their own respective successes in recent years.

  However, media ‘based on a true story’ can be murky business; with each new adaptation comes the familiar ethical dilemmas. When does the dramatisation of a true story become exploitative rather than informative? How much fictionalisation is too much? And perhaps most importantly – who gets to benefit from telling these stories?

  For its part, ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ is quick to tack the line “Belle Gibson has not been paid for the recreation of her story” onto the end of its repeated disclaimer. Creator and writer Samantha Strauss has expressed she thought this an essential inclusion, after a friend, upon hearing she was doing the show, asked: “Why would you want to give this woman any more oxygen? Are they being paid for it?”

  It goes without saying that any version of ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ that did reimburse Gibson would’ve been met with unquellable outrage (and rightly so). And given that the latest reports on Gibson have her claiming to be “adopted” into Melbourne’s Ethiopian community, calling herself Sabontu, and speaking in broken English, she looks unlikely to try and profit off the show in other ways; to use it to re-ignite some sort of public attention or favour – as, for example, faux socialite Anna Sorokin has (in spite of her ongoing house arrest), appearing in interviews and on television, and building a substantial following since Netflix’s portrayal of her attempts to infiltrate New York’s elite social circles under false pretences in ‘Inventing Anna’ (due in no small part to Gen Z’s semi-ironic conclusion that her actions were more ‘iconic’ than insidious).

  In this respect, ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ appears to have steered clear of a major problem similar shows have fallen into – that is, benefiting the figure they’re meant to be criticising. And in the absence of Gibson being able to profit (metaphorically or monetarily) from ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ comes the opportunity for the show’s impact to be more about its message than its inspiration, which is perhaps more aligned with what we should expect from media ‘based on a true story’.

  After all, there is a distinction between a documentary and a show like this; a documentary should be about the facts, but when something is ‘based on a true story’, there’s an inherent understanding that some aspects have been dramatised and/or completely fictionalised.

  This understanding is made explicit in ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’s disclaimer: “Some names have been changed to protect the innocent”. Though of course, the show also takes creative liberties for less magnanimous reasons – that is, for the sake of a better/more cohesive narrative, with another disclaimer for the series to be found in its advertisement as a “true-ish story”.

  The show gets a bit tongue-in-cheek with this description; ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ is a true-ish story in that aspects of the Belle Gibson scandal have been made up for the show, but also in that it is “a true story based on a lie”; Gibson’s lie. The irony is not lost on Strauss, who noted, “It’s an interesting thing when you’re dealing with someone who has lied and you’re creating a work that is, in some respects, fiction as well.”

  This acknowledgement is important, not just for the sake of full disclosure, but also legally for Netflix – something they’ve been made particularly aware of in recent months with the aftermath of another of their real-life inspired shows, ‘Baby Reindeer’.

  ‘Baby Reindeer’ saw Scottish comedian Richard Gadd star in a retelling of his experience with a female stalker, and how it forced him to relive the past sexual trauma he had buried. The show became explosively popular for its effectiveness as a ‘comedy-thriller’, its cinematographic choices, and its enormous emotional impact, but amid the hype that greeted the show’s release, curiosity grew over the real identity of ‘Martha’ – the name given to Gadd’s stalker in the show. And because Netflix had changed very little in its depiction of this woman beyond her name, this growing curiosity eventually culminated in internet ‘sleuths’ exposing her actual identity.

  The woman went on to appear on a now infamous episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, in which she denied much of what the show had depicted. And in September, she was given the green light to proceed with a US$170m defamation lawsuit against Netflix after a judge ruled the series was wrongly billed as “a true story”, not ‘based on a true story’. As a result, for many, the name ‘Baby Reindeer’ conjures up memories of this chaotic aftermath, as opposed to the messages the show attempted to put across regarding trauma, obsession, male victims of assault, and the long-term effects of abuse.

  There is not just an appetite for media ‘based on a true story’, but a real place for it culturally, in terms of how it can reflect and comment meaningfully on societal issues. Similar to ‘Baby Reindeer’ being about more than Gadd, ‘Martha’, or anyone else, ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ is not just about Gibson; it explores the unchecked and pervasive influence of social media, the allure and false promises of modern ‘wellness’ culture, and most devastatingly, the true toll of a cancer diagnosis, and how those who feel unheard or let down by conventional medicine end up scrambling for alternative options.

  Ultimately, the challenge with ‘true-ish’ storytelling lies in striking the right balance – between authenticity and entertainment, between creative license and ethical responsibility. When done well, these stories can illuminate cultural issues, spark conversations, and even offer some form of validation for those who’ve experienced hardships. But when handled more carelessly, they risk becoming exploitative or misleading, or, for the creators behind them, legally problematic – something Netflix has quickly learned the ‘truth’ of.

The post Let’s talk about… Media… ‘based on a true story’ appeared first on Roscommon People.

Media “based on a true story”

Each episode of Netflix’s ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ begins with the same disclaimer: “This is a true story based on a lie. Some names have been changed to protect the innocent. Belle Gibson has not been paid for the recreation of her story.”

The series, which has enjoyed alternate rankings on the platform’s Top 10 list over the past few weeks, follows the aforementioned Belle Gibson – who amassed millions of Instagram followers in the early 2010s with her inspirational account of how she’d beaten a terminal brain cancer diagnosis with healthy diet. Gibson went on to kickstart a hugely successful career off the back of this following, launching a recipe app called ‘The Whole Pantry’ (which saw her enter talks with Apple to make the app a privileged pre-installed default third-party inclusion in the Apple Watch) and signing a book deal with Penguin. All the while, Gibson continued to post content promoting the efficacy of her healthy eating methods in battling cancer, also sharing that much of her profits – then reportedly in excess of A$1million – was going to various charities, cancer-related and otherwise.

Then, in March 2015, investigative journalists who had noticed inconsistencies in Gibson’s cancer narrative and began researching the influencer, revealed there was no evidence of her purported donations. Under mounting pressure and public scrutiny, Gibson admitted in April 2015 that she had entirely fabricated both her cancer diagnosis and charitable contributions. She was fined A$410,000 for misleading consumers in 2017 – a penalty she has yet to pay as of 2025.

While the revelation shocked people around the world – particularly in Gibson’s native Australia – undoubtably, the most insidious consequence of this years-long con was the impact it had for those of her followers who did actually have cancer, who had been encouraged to shirk conventional medicine in favour of Gibson’s alternative ‘treatments’.

Now, a decade on from when this scandal first broke, comes Netflix’s ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’. And in many ways, given the shocking nature of Gibson’s story, it is unsurprising to see the platform release a series based on it. After all, the “based on a true story” category of media has become a very reliable genre in modern entertainment in recent years.

These “based on a true story” narratives add an additional point of interest to a piece of media, tapping into the very human fascination with real-life deception, scandal, and intrigue that causes the true stories they’re based on to gain such exposure in the first place. In fact, ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ appears to form part of a growing sub-genre within this niche itself – the rise and fall of real-life high-profile con-women, with Hulu’s ‘The Dropout’ (based on infamous Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes) and Netflix’s ‘Inventing Anna’ (based on faux socialite Anna Sorokin) having enjoyed their own respective successes in recent years.

However, media “based on a true story” can be murky business; with each new adaptation comes the familiar ethical dilemmas. When does the dramatization of a true story become exploitative rather than informative? How much fictionalisation is too much? And perhaps most importantly – who gets to benefit from telling these stories?

For its part, ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ is quick to tack the line “Belle Gibson has not been paid for the recreation of her story” onto the end of its repeated disclaimer. Creator and writer Samantha Strauss has expressed she thought this an essential inclusion, after a friend, upon hearing she was doing the show, asked: “Why would you want to give this woman any more oxygen? Are they being paid for it?”

It goes without saying that any version of ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ that did reimburse Gibson would’ve been met with unquellable outrage (and rightly so). And given that the latest reports on Gibson have her claiming to be “adopted” into Melbourne’s Ethiopian community, calling herself Sabontu, and speaking in broken English, she looks unlikely to try and profit off the show in other ways; to use it to re-ignite some sort of public attention or favour – as, for example, faux socialite Anna Sorokin has (in spite of her ongoing house arrest), appearing in interviews and on television, and building a substantial following since Netflix’s portrayal of her attempts to infiltrate New York’s elite social circles under false pretences in ‘Inventing Anna’ (due in no small part to Gen Z’s semi-ironic conclusion that her actions were more ‘iconic’ than insidious).

In this respect, ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ appears to have steered clear of a major problem similar shows have fallen into – that is, benefiting the figure they’re meant to be criticising. And in the absence of Gibson being able to profit (metaphorically or monetarily) from ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ comes the opportunity for the show’s impact to be more about its message than its inspiration, which is perhaps more aligned with what we should expect from media “based on a true story”.

After all, there is a distinction between a documentary and a show like this; a documentary should be about the facts, but when something is “based on a true story”, there’s an inherent understanding that some aspects have been dramatized and/or completely fictionalised.

This understanding is made explicit in ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’s disclaimer: “Some names have been changed to protect the innocent”. Though of course, the show also takes creative liberties for less magnanimous reasons – that is, for the sake of a better/more cohesive narrative, with another disclaimer for the series to be found in its advertisement as a “true-ish story”.

The show gets a bit tongue-in-cheek with this description; ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ is a true-ish story in that aspects of the Belle Gibson scandal have been made up for the show, but also in that it is “a true story based on a lie”; Gibson’s lie. The irony is not lost on Strauss, who noted, “It’s an interesting thing when you’re dealing with someone who has lied and you’re creating a work that is, in some respects, fiction as well.”

This acknowledgement is important, not just for the sake of full disclosure, but also legally for Netflix – something they’ve been made particularly aware of in recent months with the aftermath of another of their real-life inspired shows, ‘Baby Reindeer’.

‘Baby Reindeer’ saw Scottish comedian Richard Gadd star in a retelling of his experience with a female stalker, and how it forced him to relive the past sexual trauma he had buried. The show became explosively popular  for its effectiveness as a ‘comedy-thriller’, its cinematographic choices, and its enormous emotional impact, but amid the hype that greeted the show’s release, curiosity grew over the real identity of ‘Martha’ – the name given to Gadd’s stalker in the show. And because Netflix had changed very little in its depiction of this woman beyond her name, this growing curiosity eventually culminated in internet ‘sleuths’ exposing her actual identity.

The woman went on to appear on a now infamous episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, in which she denied much of what the show had depicted. And in September, she given the green light to proceed with a US$170m defamation lawsuit against Netflix after a judge ruled the series was wrongly billed as “a true story”, not “based on a true story”. As a result, for many ,the name ‘Baby Reindeer’ conjures up memories of this chaotic aftermath, as opposed to the messages the show attempted to put across regarding trauma, obsession, male victims of assault, and the long-term effects of abuse.

There is not just an appetite for media “based on a true story”, but a real place for it culturally, in terms of how it can reflect and comment meaningfully on societal issues. Similar to ‘Baby Reindeer’ being about more than Gadd, ‘Martha’, or anyone else, ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ is not just about Gibson; it explores the unchecked and pervasive influence of social media, the allure and false promises of modern “wellness” culture, and most devastatingly, the true toll of a cancer diagnosis, and how those who feel unheard or let down by conventional medicine end up scrambling for alternative options.

Ultimately, the challenge with ‘true-ish’ storytelling lies in striking the right balance—between authenticity and entertainment, between creative license and ethical responsibility. When done well, these stories can illuminate cultural issues, spark conversations, and even offer some form of validation for those who’ve experienced hardships. But when handled more carelessly, they risk becoming exploitative or misleading, or, for the creators behind them, legally problematic – something Netflix has quickly learned the ‘truth’ of.

The post What should and shouldn’t be fictionalised in media based on real-life events?  appeared first on Roscommon People.

There is no doubt that the internet and Google and all that kind of stuff has changed our lives, mostly for the better. For the princely sum of €6 a month, I can get the Irish Independent, along with nine or ten other national and provincial papers, sent straight to my phone (that’s if it has service, which recently has been pretty spasmodic) and I can keep up to date with all the happenings in the world without having to even leave the house.

Among the papers that come to me by phone is the Sunday World, but the truth is I much prefer the actual physical experience of having the paper in my hand and reading it that way, and so every week I buy the Sunday World, and I also buy a Daily Mail each day. The reason I buy the Mail is to do the crossword (the simple one, not the cryptic option) because everyone says that as we get older we need to try to keep the old brain cells active (that’s if we have any) – and the reason I buy the Sunday World is to read the entertainments page and see what is happening in the worlds of Mike Denver and Nathan Carter and the few others who are dominating the music scene in this country.

And while there are some venues holding Sunday night and weeknight dances on this week’s paper, it is hard not to conclude that foreign tours are the really lucrative areas for the top Irish artists. All the big names have their own week (or so) away in Portugal or Spain, where apparently the craic is 90 and there is non-stop dancing on sun-kissed beaches. Doesn’t sound too bad to me!

For a few years during and after Covid, there was very little activity on the country music scene. But thankfully things seem to have improved, with the other big attraction being country music weekends in hotels all around the place, where you can have two or three bands playing Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, with hotels offering packages to guests to stay for the entire weekend.

All of this came into my head as I reflected on the recent deaths of Showband legends Dickie Rock and Paddy Cole. I thought to myself that no matter how nice it would be to go to some top hotel like the Shearwater in Ballinasloe to hear an artist (as it happens, Mike Denver was there last night, along with the supporting Jack Keogh, John Molloy and Sabrina Fallon), nothing could ever compare to the days of the local carnivals.

For two weeks in the summer, every village, hamlet, and crossroads had their own moment in the sun when the top showbands came to play in your own little town. The excitement of erecting the marquee and getting the whole place ready really was the highlight of the year.

Paddy Cole was one of the great survivors of the showband era, and even though he never got the adulation that the likes of Brendan Bowyer, Butch Moore, Joe Dolan, or Dickie Rock got, he had an outstanding career and had many years in Las Vegas with both the Capitol and the Big Eight bands. Having come back from Vegas because he wanted to raise his children in Ireland, he eventually formed his own band – the Paddy Cole Superstars – and a friend of Carol’s, Twink, was the singer with them.

Around that time, our neighbour Fr Brian Hanley, a priest with an entrepreneurial touch, was based in Ballinamore Bridge, and on a Friday night many years ago he had the Paddy Cole Band playing in the carnival that he was running for church funds. Myself and Carol went along, and after the dance was over we were invited, along with the band members, back to Fr Brian’s house for a cup of tea.

There must have been something in the tea, because before long the sing-song and the session started, and the local farmers were bringing in the cows to milk them as myself and Carol headed home. I can still hear Paddy playing the sax and Twink and the Hughes brothers singing their hearts out, and to think that it all happened in a house in the very small village of Ballinamore Bridge sums up to me what the showband era meant to rural Ireland.

Paddy Cole only passed away very recently after a hugely successful career, and he joins the long list of showband stars who have departed from life’s stage. There is a page on the internet detailing all those who have passed away, and it’s an education in itself to see the names of all the showbands that were playing around Ireland way back then.

Anyway, rest in peace Paddy. I will never forget the night of Ballinamore Bridge Carnival some time in the early 1980s or maybe even late 1970s.

Gardening by the book

For the last number of years my late wife Carol was very fond of her garden, and during that time she got her hands on quite a number of gardening books.

Among her collection were several Expert Guides – and today I see that the author of all of those books and many more (there are more than 50 books in the Expert series about vegetables, flowers, trees, and shrubs), David Hessayon, has died at the age of 96.

Hessayon earned more that £31 million from his gardening books, and is listed as the best-selling non-fiction author of all time.

Nowadays, every second show on telly is either a cookery, home improvement, or gardening one (there wasn’t a Garden Rescue programme over the last few years that Carol didn’t watch), but I see that the Expert author was critical of that type of show. In his opinion, gardens were being constructed way too quickly, and he reckoned shows like Alan Titchmarsh’s Ground Force did “a bloody lot of harm”.

As the spring is here (although with the weather the way it is, you’d never think it), I think I had better start thinking about trying to keep the garden even close to the way Carol had it. So I’m going to do a bit of a search and see can I find any of her Expert books. Wish me luck!

Titchmarsh himself said that “David Hessayon was a mould-breaker and his work, which started in the 1950s, has stood the test of time”. May he too rest in peace.

And finally…

After President Trump’s recent comments that Canada should become a US State, and his threat of tariffs, an ice hockey game between the two countries on Saturday week last seems to show that the Canadians are very angry at his suggestions.

Apparently the crowd of more than 21,000 fans in Montreal booed the American National Anthem and the American players as they were introduced, and there were three fights among players in the first nine seconds.

We often see fights in games that amount to no more than ‘handbags’, but these fights would have graced any boxing arena and were certainly full on – you can see them all on the internet.

As it happened, the US won the game by 3-1 (I’m not sure who won the fights) but as usual, Trump’s actions seem to have infuriated America’s nearest neighbours and there’s certainly currently no love lost between the two countries.

In the end, both teams qualified for the final of the 4 Nations Face-off tournament, and in that game (played on Thursday last in Boston) the Canadians won 3-2 after extra-time – this time it seems there was no outbreak of fisticuffs.

‘Til next week,

bye for now!

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Careful what you vote for

Catching up on last Sunday’s newspapers (now that our own publication is gone to bed), I see Jeremy Clarkson – a bit of a national treasure for millions of people – remains steadfastly gloomy about the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

Here’s Jeremy, writing in The Sunday Times of a recent trip abroad: “I have crossed many tricky borders over the years, and the paperwork always takes time. Iraq to Turkey took a moment, that’s for sure. And Rwanda into Tanzania was challenging as well. But nothing has ever taken as long as it took us to get from post-Brexit England into France.”

Lamenting that he and a film crew had to stand in a passport queue “behind three million Nigerians and a planeload of confused people from Japan”, he adds that this all unfolded while his partner was texting him “by the pool with a glass of wine because she’s Irish.”

Noting that Lord (Alan) Sugar has said if he was Prime Minister he’d crawl on his hands and knees over to EU HQ and “beg to be let back in”, Clarkson says he’d happily go with him – but is worried their knees mightn’t hold up well.

THURSDAY

EastEnders at 40 

One night about nine or ten years ago, I had a few pints in Roscommon town in the company of a Londoner who worked as a scriptwriter on EastEnders. A very pleasant man, he was visiting Roscommon with a cousin of mine.

Some of you will be aware of the much-hyped 40th anniversary celebrations of the BBC’s famous ‘soap’. The storylines over the past week or so have been building up towards tonight’s special live episode.

Now it would have been nice if the current residents of Albert Square had just gathered in ‘The Vic’ for a jolly knees-up tonight, but that’s not the EastEnders way.

Instead, the pub was destroyed by a gas explosion. Several patrons were trapped. They included pregnant Sonia, whose killer boyfriend caused the accident (by driving into some gas cylinders). As fate would have it, he died when a bathtub (loosened by the explosion) fell on top of him. Stoic Sonia, fresh out of jail herself (after being wrongly suspected of murder), overcame the trauma of the destruction of the pub – and witnessing her awful boyfriend’s death-by-bathtub – to give birth to her baby… all while surrounded by rubble, and her screeching, brandy-swigging half-sister (Bianca).

Meanwhile, Kathy Beale saves Cindy’s life, notwithstanding that Cindy was brandishing a gun at her hours earlier. While all this drama was unfolding, Grant Mitchell was back on Albert Square for the first time in nine years. Ross Kemp’s agent deserves a pay rise, because the actor did very little other than wander around his old Walford haunts while perfecting that ‘soap stare’ we are all familiar with.

The cast (and crews) were superb in tonight’s brilliantly delivered live episode, which sadly ended with the demise of one of the good guys, Albert Square veteran Martin Fowler, who died of kidney failure and cardiac arrest after being crushed under a girder (but not before proposing to his ex-wife Stacey).

Looking back, given all the drama at the Queen Vic, I probably should have lowered expectations when I took that member of the EastEnders team of writers to a couple of pubs in Roscommon all those years ago!

FRIDAY

Chris, Graham… and Boyle

On the always entertaining Graham Norton Show (BBC One) Roscommon-born actor Chris O’Dowd once again provided a promotion of his native Boyle that would cost a fortune in a formal marketing campaign.

Chris, long established as a terrific chat show guest, told the show’s millions of viewers – and guests including Ewan McGregor and Kate Hudson – of Boyle’s charm, highlighting the annual arts festival there, while adding that it’s the “UFO capital of the word”.

That latter claim related to the interest in UFOs of a number of Boyle residents, largely inspired by the late Betty Meyler, a resident of the town who was President of the UFO Society of Ireland.

O’Dowd, currently promoting Small Town, Big Story – his new six-part series which will debut on Sky from this Thursday, February 27^th – finished his unofficial Boyle promotion by telling Kate Hudson that her mother, the great Goldie Hawn, would be very welcome to the town any time!

SATURDAY

A French farce?

Sometimes, fact really is stranger than fiction…

It would have been an ideal sub-plot in a comedy caper on TV, but the following is apparently a true story. According to multiple news sources today, thieves in France stole a man’s credit card. One of the geniuses in the gang then used said stolen credit card to buy lottery scratch cards. One of those cards yielded the top prize… a tasty €500,000.

The gang, still obviously on the run, vanished before cashing in. Unfortunately for them, the owner of the stolen credit card – now aware of the lotto win – contacted the media.

Imagine how quiet the gang member who bought the lotto ticket must have gone when one of his associates explained the dilemma they were now in. How do the French fugitives cash in their €500,000 windfall… without their identity being traced?

Very helpfully, the man (Jean-David) whose card was stolen, has made an offer to the criminals: if they come forward, he will split the €500,000 with them. Nice one.

As a fan of puns (bad and otherwise), I was delighted to read that Jean-David is from… Toulouse. Yes, form an orderly queue with your puns… he has much Toulouse, the criminal gang stand Toulouse half a million, etc. Perhaps they’ll work out a compromise.

As of today, the French lottery folks say no one has claimed the prize yet. Quelle surprise…

SATURDAY/SUNDAY

Weekend sport

It was a busy weekend on the sporting front for local teams. In ladies football, Roscommon came so close to a great win, but Donegal’s late, late goal (a penalty) earned the visitors a draw in Johnstown.

Our senior football and hurling teams both lost, but there were great wins for Roscommon CBS (football), and for the county camogie team. For more, see our sports section.

MONDAY

Missing Matt

So, I turned on the radio twice today and Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy wasn’t talking on either occasion. I can only assume I need a new radio…

The post Paul Healy’s Week – 28/02/25 appeared first on Roscommon People.

I have often talked about sport, and how important it is to people like me. It has the ability to cheer me up, lift me to euphoric highs indeed, as well as the ability to do the opposite by plunging me into something akin to depression – all depending on the result or performance of an individual or team.

However, as a rule of thumb sport is something that shouldn’t be taken too seriously, and should be mostly used and appreciated for recreational purposes, and so on this Sunday evening (as I write) it’s desperately sad to reflect on the death in Ireland over the last week or so of two very talented and dedicated young sportsmen.

On Saturday of last week, 28-year-old Galway boxer, John Cooney, passed away a week after being injured in a super-featherweight fight up in Belfast. He was defending his Celtic super-featherweight title against Welshman, Nathan Howells, when the fight was stopped in the ninth round. Subsequently John was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital, where after surgery to relieve pressure on his brain, he died a week later. His funeral took place in Galway during the week, and his organs were donated to help save the lives of five different people.

Evidencing how hard it can be to make it as a professional boxer, Cooney worked as a barber three days a week in Galway and trained for his boxing career the other four. His dream was to settle down and have a family with his fiancee, Emmaleen. Sadly he will never realise what was a pretty simple and normal dream, and it was poignant that the Galway champion boxer was laid to rest on St Valentine’s Day.

Then today, Sunday, comes the news that jockey, Michael O’Sullivan, a native of County Cork, has also passed away after suffering serious injuries in a fall in Thurles on February 6th. The jockey, who was only 24 years of age, was already hugely successful, with several big winners to his name, including two successes at the Cheltenham Festival.

After coming to prominence in 2023, he was regularly called upon by the king of National Hunt racing, Willie Mullins, to partner some of his superstar horses. That in itself tells us how highly he was rated in the sport.

Mullins, paying tribute to the young jockey, said he will be much missed in Mullins’ Closutton yard and that Closutton will be a much poorer place without him. Everyone talked about how talented he was, and that he would have had a great career ahead of him, but sadly it wasn’t to be. His organs were also donated so both of those young men will have made a huge difference to other patients and their families.

I suppose the truth is that both of the sports they were involved in would be classed as high risk, but there are many other sports out there that could be considered dangerous – rugby, hurling, motorsport and cycling would spring to mind, but thankfully fatalities in any sport are very rare.

It’s almost unprecedented to lose one sportsman to injury. To lose two in little more than a week is terribly sad. My deepest sympathies go to the families of both hugely talented young sportsmen. May they rest in peace.

Crime without punishment

It’s Monday morning, and law and order is on my mind, as to all intents and purposes it seems to have almost completely broken down in this great land of (once upon a time) saints and scholars. In September 2024, to great fanfare, an order was brought in by then-Justice Minister, Helen McEntee, to increase the maximum sentences for four different knife-related offences. Ms McEntee said at the time that the changes to the law would “further help to keep knives and other offensive weapons off our streets”.

Now I have no doubt that the minister meant well, and that she really felt that the new punishments would make people think twice about carrying knives – and sadly being prepared to use them in the event of conflict – but from what I can see barely a day goes by without someone somewhere in Ireland suffering either very serious, or even fatal injuries as a result of a knife-related attack.

Among the high profile stabbings that have occurred on our island in the last while was the attack on an army chaplain in Galway, the terrible multi-stabbings on children in Parnell Square in Dublin – which led to a five-year-old girl being critically injured and spending almost a year in hospital – and in the last week or so we had three men injured after being randomly attacked in Stoneybatter. All three victims were totally innocent, one being slashed across the neck as he opened the front door to his home. All three were hospitalised, two with serious injuries.

Then on Friday night in Dublin City centre, we had a 30-year-old male being stabbed to death after some type of altercation, with shocking video footage showing a masked man brandishing a large kitchen knife more or less running wild prior to the incident on South Anne Street.

And so the evidence would suggest that the measures taken by our legislators are simply not working, and the punishments need to be much tougher for not only knife crime, but for crime in general.

I have said it many times before but some of our judges seem to go out of their way to be kind to some of our worst criminals, with often bizarrely lenient sentencing.

Then this week, in a totally different type of crime, but a crime nonetheless, we read where fake porn images of Grainne Seoige were circulated online prior to her election bid in November.

For Ms Seoige, the decision to enter the race for the Dáil, and a subsequent failed bid to get to the Seanad, seems to have had a detrimental effect on her life, and she now says she is unemployed for the first time.

The bigger picture tells us that nobody is safe from crime, be it online scams or fake pornographic images or physical attacks. All told, everything adds up to a society where law and order seems to me to have broken down. We are used to almost non-stop coverage of the problems in the HSE and of the housing crisis too. Let us hope our new Government don’t overlook the fact that crime is a huge concern to most law-abiding folk in the country.

Even though the knife crimes I highlighted happened mostly in the cities, rural Ireland feels very vulnerable and isolated, and many lonely older folk who are living on their own are terrified that criminals will target them and subject them to often horrific ordeals in their own homes.

And finally…

Of the many social changes that have taken place in my lifetime, one of the most rewarding has been the emergence of female sportspeople and their justified recognition as superstars in many different sports on the world stage.

In the past, the participation of women in contact sports was frowned upon, so much so that in 1947 (a few years before my time) the English FA banned a referee who was associated with a ladies team because “women’s football was bringing the game into disrepute”. Rugby and Gaelic football were around, but there were very few active clubs – it is only in later years that both of those sports have really taken off in Ireland.

On Sunday in Creggs, there were three rugby games involving Creggs teams: a hugely important game for the men’s senior team against Tuam, a big cup match for the 18.5s against Connemara/Oughterard, and finally, an U-14s girls cup match against Buccaneers. Now I had seen both of the earlier games (each of which, by the way, Creggs won), and I am the first to admit that I was on my way home when the girls took the field.

However, I decided to stay put and watch them for a while – and what I witnessed totally amazed me.

The quality of the play from both sides (but particularly Creggs) was quite brilliant, and these young girls played rugby as if they were at it all their lives! And maybe they have been – because being 60-odd years older than them, I (of course) didn’t know any of them. But they sure could play rugby, and they completed the hat-trick of wins on our home pitch.

Sometimes when I look around and see what a huge entity Creggs RFC has become, I don’t deny that I wonder can a little village like ours sustain it. Well, on Sunday on every front, but especially with regard to the U-14 girls, I was reassured. And while I will certainly not be around to see it all, I think the club will be on solid ground for the foreseeable future!

Roll on this Sunday, when the senior men’s team play Castlebar in another must-win game – I can’t wait!

‘Til next week,

Bye for now

The post Mourning the loss of two talented young sportstars appeared first on Roscommon People.

Cycle of life…

So I’m parking the car in Abbey Street this morning, unaware that I was about to witness a commendable attempt to break the world land speed record. Well, I exaggerate… a little.

Still, it was a bit much. As I emerged from my car, a young lad whizzed by at high speed along the footpath… peddling a bicycle.

What if someone had been emerging from any of the offices or houses on the street just as this cyclist was travelling past?

I don’t necessarily wish to be a party to dampening the exuberance of youth, but really, the moral of the story (for cyclists of all ages) is: footpaths are paths for people to walk on. They are not for bicycles.

Good morning. I will now have a cup of tea and google ‘Do people get grumpier as they get older?’

THURSDAY

Cycle of life (2)

In more bikes-on-footpaths news, after a meeting in Longford town this morning, I was walking… along a footpath. From behind came a slightly impatient demand: “Excuse me!”

I had moved aside before realising my fellow traveller was a man on a bicycle, complete with raingear and a bunch of flowers (Valentine’s Day).

Declining to acknowledge my prompt stepping aside, the romantic rider carried on… cycling along the footpath.

What is going on?

THURSDAY/FRIDAY

A communal sadness

A sense of lingering disbelief permeated the bitterly cold air in Ballintubber on Thursday evening. Disbelief that the village’s ‘Go to’ man has slipped away, that we are here, in huge, numbed numbers, for this reason. Hardly anyone spoke. A communal sadness and silence bonded the tapestry of mourners.

When we eventually reached the entrance to the old schoolhouse, it was immensely poignant. A montage of photos and newspaper/social media extracts reminded us of the remarkable breadth of Tony’s community work over the decades.

The late Anthony (Tony) Waldron touched lives far beyond Ballintubber, but there was a real sense in the village on Thursday evening of how personal his untimely passing is to the people there. It’s a beautiful village, lovingly maintained by a close-knit community. Over the years, I have observed the pride of place that is so evident in Ballintubber. This is a great community… and Tony Waldron, who died unexpectedly on Sunday, 9th of February last, was at the heart of everything positive there.

On Thursday, the photos really got to me… Tony’s central role in so many projects poignantly celebrated. There was one of Tony – as ever, the dapper dresser – chaperoning then-President Mary Robinson, many more of him with locals… images that evocatively linked milestones of a community’s ongoing development.

On Friday, the gifts brought up to the altar included Roscommon and Mayo jerseys, a Joe Dolan album, and the mobile phone that Tony always seemed to be on.

In his Homily, Fr Julian Lupot movingly highlighted what the late councillor meant to people locally. Referencing the Liveline promotional line – ‘Talk to Joe’ – the priest said that in the Ballintubber area, you talked to Tony if you needed help. He painted a picture of Tony which those who knew him could immediately identify with, that of him parked in his car, engaged in a phone call, slips of paper strewn around.

Bonnie Garvey delivered a lovely, heartfelt tribute. A niece of Tony’s sang a beautiful version of one of his favourite songs… ‘The Parting Glass’. David Waldron – his voice breaking at times – spoke of his brother’s “brilliant smile” and “contagious laugh”, while also thanking the people of Ballintubber for lovingly embracing their sibling.

Tony’s integrity, generosity of spirit, compassion, kindness and relentlessly selfless dedication to helping others throughout his life was celebrated. This was a fitting send-off to a local community’s departed champion.

So fill to me the parting glass
And drink a health whate’er befalls
Then gently rise and softly call
Good night and joy be to you all

(From ‘The Parting Glass’)

FRIDAY

Wrong host?

The most frustrating aspect of Patrick Kielty’s vapid interview with the brilliant Steve Coogan on the Late Late Show tonight was the fact that it wasn’t Tommy Tiernan’s interview with the brilliant Steve Coogan.

SATURDAY

Hitting right notes

Kerry v Dublin is ‘a dual that has gripped people for decades’ The Sunday Game tweeted by way of promoting this evening’s big game in Tralee.

I wasn’t quite as excited as the person looking after digital media for the RTE show, nor did I agree with their assessment; Kerry v Dublin is more a duel than a dual, I reckon.

Still, I dipped into RTE’s live coverage to see if this latest meeting between the two big beasts of the GAA would be in keeping with the spirit of the misspelt marketing. The early action from Tralee had Kerry threatening to humiliate the Dubs. 12 points ahead at one stage, by half-time the Kingdom were 11 clear. Even with a strong wind blowing, it looked like game over. I almost switched over to the final of The Masked Singer, where a Pufferfish was in a duel (not dual) with a Dressed Crab.

The second half saw Dessie Farrell’s Dubs slowly reel Kerry into view, before remarkably overhauling them with a flurry of great, late scores. It turns out that reports of Dublin’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. They won by a point, a pretty sensational turnaround, and a first win in 40 years in Tralee for the Dubs. Things may be looking up for Dublin football!

On nearby Virgin Media, Putterfish won its duel with the crab on The Masked Singer.

SUNDAY

Not bowled over

Some topical political commentary overheard in Roscommon town…

Man A: “I don’t think Trump wants a bowl of shamrock on St Patrick’s Day…”

Man B: “It’s another green he wants… (reference to Greenland)… then “I bet he’d take the bowl if it was full of dollars!”

MONDAY

Just a thought…

But seriously… there’s still no word of that traditional St Patrick’s Day invite to the White House for the Taoiseach.

Even if/when it does come, I note that radio commentators and doubters on social media are questioning if Micheál Martin would be brave enough to talk tough to Donald Trump… and tell him some blunt home truths.

Has anyone checked if Samantha Mumba’s available?

The post Paul Healy’s Week – 21/02/25 appeared first on Roscommon People.

I am the first to admit that when it comes to iPhones and iPads and broadband and apps and all those now everyday things, I haven’t a clue. When people discuss AI and the Internet and all the stuff that can happen on it, it more or less goes over my head.

  One thing I know is that there seems to be hundreds of scams out there – including one that saw a woman think she was in a relationship with Coldplay’s Chris Martin, in which she handed over €25,000 to her imaginary lover for some bogus charity!

  However last week when I opened an email that landed in both my junk and bin boxes, I have to admit that I got a bit of a fright. The gist of it was that they had very bad news for me because they had hacked everything that could be hacked about me, and they knew every detail about my bank accounts (they wouldn’t be much good to them), my PPS number, and information on all my family members. Furthermore, they informed me that I was very active on adult sites that I shouldn’t be on, and that if I didn’t pay $1500 by return they would expose me to the world as being that type of man.

  Now I had no idea how they would have got my email address and so I rang my daughter Tara, to see whether or not they could have actually got my account number and PPS number. She told me immediately that it’s possible to get anyone’s email address and that it was obviously a scam.

  Now I know it wasn’t the most sophisticated or elaborate scam of all time, but I suppose they might sometimes get lucky. If indeed I was a regular on those X-rated sites (which, by the way, I’m not), I might well have agreed to pay some money to keep things quiet.

  As it was, I simply deleted the emails but I can’t deny that when I read the line “we have very bad news for you” my heart skipped a beat. I suppose the message has to be to stay alert and watch out for any stuff that doesn’t seem right. There seems to be no length that scammers won’t go to!

Community spirit to the fore on memorable weekend

It’s Monday morning, and I am just home from my four laps of the beautiful walk around the rugby club, reflecting on a weekend that has to be among the very best, if not the best, in the 50-year history of Creggs RFC.

  Now I am conscious that some of my readers (at least two) have warned me not to write too much about sport, but this piece is not about sport – more about the positive impact sport can have on a tiny rural community.

  It all started on Saturday morning, when a number of us golden oldies like myself and Paddy Hannon (he claims he’s too young to be a golden oldie) and several more were summoned to be on duty from 9.30 am to act as stewards for the Connacht U-12 blitz that was due to take place in Creggs that morning.

  I had been out socialising on Friday night (won’t ever do it again), and so I was a tiny bit late in arriving for my duty, and was amazed to see that even though the action wasn’t due to start until 10 am, the rugby club car park was already almost full. By the time the blitz actually started, every part of the village was covered by parked cars – literally as far as the eye could see in every direction. The car park at Gannon’s pub was packed; as I’ve said before, if you were an alien from outer space who just landed on earth you would have thought that Creggs was the centre of this universe!

  There were several buses and 27 different groups had children there, and in total, 430 kids took part in a hugely enjoyable day’s rugby.

  The economic spin-off for the village was huge, with Mikeen’s, Gannon’s, and the new cafe in the club itself all benefitting from the huge influx of people. A lot of the 430 participating children had parents or other relatives with them, and on a cold but dry winter’s morning cups of coffee and little snacks (or even the full Irish) were an absolute must.

  As for us golden oldies, we helped with parking and keeping some order on the proceedings. On a personal level, I think it’s imperative that the proposed pedestrian crossing at the top of the village gets installed immediately. The traffic that comes in the Glenamaddy road is invariably coming in pretty fast, and as the children from the buses and cars in Gannon’s car park cross over at that corner, a pedestrian crossing would be a godsend. If anyone from Galway County Council reads this, please act quickly and get the crossing sorted out asap!

  It appears that we are going to host several Connacht Schools finals in the next few weeks, and upwards of 1000 people are expected to attend those games – there is no doubt that we need that pedestrian crossing as a matter of urgency, so please politicians, get it done.

  I travelled to Cortoon again after my spell of duty was up to see my grandchild Riley take part in another Little Kickers session (as mentioned here last week), which again was great craic and thoroughly enjoyable. I’m told that the Connacht Senior second row Joe Joyce turned up in Creggs after my departure and was a huge hit with everyone, posing for photos with the children, and even with some adults. He seemingly created a very positive impression!

  Anyway, everything went off very smoothly at the blitz, and so fast-forward to Sunday morning when, for a small club, the dilemma facing our supporters was huge.

  At 12.30 pm, our ladies team was to play a big league final in Castlebar – at the same time our first men’s team was to play a Connacht junior cup semi-final in Ballinrobe, and our men’s seconds had a Plate quarter-final in Headford.

  After much soul-searching, I decided that the ladies and the firsts would be well supported in their hugely important games, and so I headed off to Headford where I was rewarded with a performance full of commitment, grit, and determination, along with a large dose of skill, where our seconds brought off a win that ranks with our best victories of all time.

  As I headed to the Galway town, I have to admit that I was sceptical, at best, of our chances – particularly as our firsts had found the same team, Corrib (that’s what Headford are called), a tough nut to crack in the first round of the Junior Cup. So to come away with a 25-12 point win was bordering on the miraculous!

  Our firsts also won their semi-final in Ballinrobe to qualify for the cup final against Dunmore, who were surprise winners of their semi-final out in Clifden, where they downed the fancied All-Blacks. Sadly, the ladies lost out in Castlebar, but injuries played a huge part in that defeat, and they were right in the game until the closing stages when without some of their key players they conceded a couple of late scores.

  However both of the men’s teams did the business, and it’s ironic that ourselves and neighbouring Dunmore, both of whom are celebrating their 50th anniversary, should be going forward to meet in the final at the end of March. The seconds now have a semi-final at home against University of Galway’s first team (not yet fixed), and it is almost unbelievable to find ourselves in such a position. Throw in the fact that the firsts have a huge league game this weekend against Tuam in Creggs on Sunday at 2.30 pm, and that they could conceivably have a league final fixture in the coming few weeks – and the month of March could be hugely significant in our overall season.

  For now, Sunday’s achievements were just fantastic, and were properly celebrated in Creggs last night. Well done everyone – and here’s to some more stupendous victories!

And finally…

A couple of years ago, you may recall that I had to call on the services of AOK (Alan O’Keeffe) pest control to get rid of two large nests of wasps from my  garden: that wasn’t so bad looking back, as last week in Sydney 102 venomous snakes were removed from a suburban back garden.

  The garden owner, David Stein, called in pest control experts after seeing six snakes moving around in a pile of mulch, only for them to find another 96 baby snakes hidden inside. He has vowed to get rid of the mulch as it’s feared it could attract other snakes to move in again.

  As the summer is (hopefully) coming, it makes me think that a couple of nests of wasps aren’t so bad after all!

‘Till next week, 

Bye for now

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