Our man Frank reflects on Galway’s dramatic Connacht final win over Mayo, the local pub scene, Hozier’s US success and the fellow Irish artists that paved the way for him, and, as elections draw near, the way politicians are treated…
I have to admit that I am not a fan of the new football championship set-up; I constantly state that the removal of the knock-out factor and subsequent entry through the back door takes away from the excitement of games like the Connacht final.
But today, I have to backtrack a bit, because the recent victory for Galway over arch-rivals Mayo gave me as much happiness and pleasure as any win back in the old days, and it was really good to see happy Galway supporters converge onto the pitch in Salthill after the game for the presentation of the Nestor Cup.
Obviously, and despite the fact that Mayo are still very much in the mix, the fact is that the rivalry between the two counties is very much alive and well, and a win over the other one is still to be savoured.
I was very reluctant to write about the game itself, because for the second game in a row the man whom I declared in Mikeen’s one night as being “not fit for our junior B team”, Robert Finnerty, once again made me eat my words by delivering another excellent performance. It wasn’t quite good enough to win the man of the match award, as just like Gibson-Park for Leinster in the rugby on Saturday, Damien Comer was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch – proving that when he’s fully fit he is capable of turning this Galway team into a pretty decent outfit.
Last week I told you about my fall from grace as a pundit with my assessment of Finnerty’s ability, and I also have to admit that in the same discussion I seriously questioned Connor Gleeson’s right to be on the team. Gleeson will now always be remembered for the last-minute free that proved to be the winner, and his place in Galway football history is assured, so from now on I will confine my opinions to the Creggs Junior Bs and leave the punditry to the Lee Keegans and Joe Brollys of this world!
Speaking of which, I wonder if he takes over from the Barstool Boyos on page 2 (that’s Brolly), could he soon be doing the GAA stuff in the People? And maybe even Brolly Speaking! We could all be on the way out!
Anyway, after all the excitement of last Sunday’s game, I decided to head out for a quiet drink to celebrate the Galway win. However, it didn’t turn out to be as quiet as I’d planned. I ran into the tail end of a hen and stag party in Creggs, so our local pub was absolutely hopping, and the truth is it was great to see!
The Boogiemen, a great local Ahascragh band, were in full swing, and both the stags and hens were flat out on the dance floor. Sadly I didn’t show off any of my renowned dance moves – as my two hips were acting up – but after all the negativity about Covid and that type of stuff, it was like old times to see so many people out enjoying themselves. Long may it last!
Leanne and Mark are due to celebrate their wedding at the end of June, and if Sunday night is anything to go by, it should be some craic!
I headed home early, as any old man should, but the music and dancing was still going strong as I left, and all I could think of was it must be great to be young!
‘Sweet’ success for Hozier abroad, but let’s not forget those who paved the way!
I fully admit that I know absolutely nothing about the singer Hozier, except that he comes from Bray in Co Wicklow, and that recently his song ‘Too Sweet’ shot up to Number 1 in the American Billboard Hot 100 Songs chart, making him the fourth Irish artist to have ever achieved that honour.
Apparently the song has also gone to number 1 in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, as well as at home here in Ireland, and Hozier himself has said the response to the hit has been staggering. In addition to ‘Too Sweet’, his album has also reached the top spot in the US, following in the footsteps of just three other Irish artists – U2, Sinead O’Connor, and Niall Horan, with Bono and the gang having reached the number 1 spot with eight different albums.
However, when I was asked to guess who were the three other Irish artists to have achieved number 1 hits (as opposed to albums) in America, I came a cropper. You could almost swear that U2 and Sinead would be there (and you would be right), but coming up with the other one proved a bit beyond me. I thought Dolores O’Riordan and the Cranberries would be a shoo-in, and if not them, maybe someone like Enya, Van Morrison, or Phil Lynott. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought of Waterford man Gilbert O’Sullivan. And yet he remains an artist who, in my opinion, never really got the credit he deserved.
It turns out he was number 1 in America for an amazing six weeks way back in 1971 with his very first record ‘Alone Again, Naturally’. Now aged 77, O’Sullivan went on to write some of the most memorable and recognisable songs of all time, like ‘Get Down’, ‘Matrimony’, ‘Nothing Rhymed’, ‘Clair’, and ‘What’s in a Kiss’, and during his career he had sixteen top 40 hits, including six number 1s. At one stage in the 1970s he was bigger than Elton John, but a legal battle with his manager Gordon Mills put his recording career on hold for five years, when O’Sullivan would have been at his peak. When he finally got back to the recording studio, he never had the same success as before.
He won the case against Mills, being awarded £7 million, but the case harmed O’Sullivan’s status in the music industry and he effectively became an unwanted performer. Nowadays he lives a quiet life in Jersey with his Norwegian wife Aase, but he still writes songs. In July 2022 he released his latest album, which features thirteen newly-written songs. He may never again have as big a hit as ‘Alone Again’, but as we acknowledge U2, Sinead O’Connor, and Hozier, let us not forget the flat-capped Waterford man, Gilbert O’Sullivan, who paved the way for them all.
Val Doonican and Brendan Bowyer were other proud sons of Waterford, but Gilbert O’Sullivan, while undoubtedly the most successful of all, in my mind seems to have been almost forgotten over the years.
And finally…
As we get ready for the local elections, and receive our once-every-five-years visit from our councillors, the thought crosses my mind that you’d want to be mad to have anything at all to do with politics.
No matter how much money politicians earn, they couldn’t be paid enough to put up with the abuse they get on all fronts. I see on today’s papers that former Taoisigh will get 24-hour armed protection, and that Government sources want new Taoiseach Simon Harris to leave his own family home in Wicklow and move into the Steward’s Lodge at Farmleigh, where it would be easier to protect him. The question must be – why do they do it?
It’s a sad reflection on our society that politicians’ homes are seen as fair game for all types of protests. Our law enforcers need to throw the book at the scumbags that engage in such abhorrent conduct. Spouses, kids, and other family members should never have to face such intimidation and terror, just because they are related to some politician, and it’s no wonder that so many of our TDs are getting out before the next General Election.
And so, because of all the problems that the ordinary Joe Soap is facing, do most certainly tell your local TD, Senator or county councillor about their deficiencies (you’ll probably never see your European candidates), but do it in a polite and respectful way. Don’t join the lowlifes who think they can abuse and intimidate politicians wherever they come across them.
