This assault has not only shocked me, it has (quite rightly) shocked our entire country. And because some voyeuristic individual chose to video the entire attack and then share it online, as opposed to stepping in and stopping it, the horrific scene has made world headlines.

Five teenagers who were arrested by Gardaí as part of an investigation into this alleged ‘hate crime’ – which,  according to reports left the victim with broken teeth, concussion, and extensive bruising – were released without charge.

Last October, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee published the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022. This piece of legislation criminalises any intentional or reckless communication or behaviour which is likely to incite violence or hatred against another person, the penalty being up to five years’ in prison. However, as those who were videoed perpetrating these heinous acts on this child are, due to their age, also classified as children, they’ll be provided with protections under the Children’s Act 2001, which regulates the treatment of minors found in breach of the law.

In short, if charged and found guilty, it’s likely that, in a move which prevents them entering the justice system, they’ll be assigned to a Juvenile Liaison Officer (JLO) who’ll ‘liaise’ with their families. This means, while the poor kid who was humiliated and battered bears the brunt of his attackers’ sickening behaviour, possibly carrying the emotional and physical scars for life, by contrast, the people responsible waltz away without any fear of retribution or punishment.

I don’t know about you readers, but as we live in a country which prides itself on being progressive and inclusive, in a country which was the first in the world to legalise same-sex marriage (by popular vote I might add), I find it very unsettling that such incidents are taking place. In fact, not only are these crimes happening, they’ve significantly increased, with figures from Gardaí showing a total of 582 hate-related incidents were reported in 2022 compared to 448 in 2021.

These statistics tell me that bias-related violence against those who are viewed as being ‘different’ or who live their lives outside of the so-called ‘norm’ are worryingly widespread.

As this is a family publication, I cannot share what I think of the people who carried out this assault, nor can I share what legal actions I’d like to see taken to make sure they never again raise their fists or their feet to another human being.

What I will do is applaud Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for saying the parents of those who assaulted this teen have a responsibility to deal with this, and I echo his slating of those who videoed the attack as being ‘sick individuals’.

It’s my belief as a mother, and as a relative of much-loved, much-cherished, much-respected and much-adored gay and lesbian family members, that hatred is an emotion clearly embedded in the psyche of the abhorrent individuals involved in last week’s attack.

I suspect (I could be wrong) that these aggressors are themselves clearly unsure of their own social positions, or by how they fit into this world. If this is the case, perhaps those who’re raising them could, as a matter of urgency, and in a bid to prevent this from happening to another child, get their parental act together and address the underlying cause before it’s too late.

While Leo said he ‘would have some insight into what it’s like not to be the popular kid in school’ I’d like to say, following his condemnation and his reaching out to the family of the child at the centre of this attack, he’s definitely gone up in my estimation.

My heart goes out to this child and their family. I wish them all a speedy recovery. If anyone needs help/support, please log on to belongto.org.

Royal rumpus… but I thought Matt’s review was hilarious!

The Taoiseach’s partner Dr Matt Barrett made what were described as ‘irreverent’ comments on his private Instagram platform, from inside Westminster Abbey on the occasion of the coronation of Britain’s King Charles, and said comments have raised the ire of prudish snowflakes both here and across the water. Would you all ever get a life – I thought his Harry Potter comparison to be hilarious and not at all ‘highly insulting’ as some mirthless minnies have sniffed!

For the record, while The Data Protection Acts 1988-2018 offers us protections regarding our personal data (remember Matt made his comments on his private account), there are limits to the reach of this law. What this means (as far as I believe) is that there are exemptions, as in Matt’s comments (again though privately expressed to around 350 followers), were able to enter the public arena because they were published on a social media site.

The result was open season on the good doctor, the consequences of which negatively affected his life partner’s (our country’s leader) standing, forcing him to publicly address the issue, saying he had ‘spoken’ to Matt about the posts. I’d love to have been a fly on the wall during that conversation! In turn, poor Matt had to ‘unreservedly apologise for any offence caused’.

I’m particularly annoyed at Irish designer Paul Costelloe (a gentleman I’ve interviewed in the past, finding him to be very nice on each occasion, and extremely funny and forthright when airing his own views on many subjects), for criticising Matt for ‘embarrassing’ the Irish, describing his actions as ‘unbelievable carry-on’.

Really Paul? If anyone should be red-faced regarding this coronation it should be the British royal family, whose own Prince Andrew’s nosedive from grace seems to have escaped the wrath of everyone involved in putting together this outlandish, pompous display of lavishness, all while royal subjects struggled to pay their bills.

I imagine Matt saw what I saw (when I dipped in and out of news items reporting on this ridiculous ceremony), which is that the Brits seem to use any occasion to express what they see as their supremacy over others – be that by conquest or colonisation. Hence, this spectacle was just one more example of their perceived dominance.

Our leader’s partner is human. He has a sense of fun. His remark was made in private and it was made in jest. Importantly, no tabernacles were trampled, no heritage was desecrated. Nay, a joke was merely made, and you know what? If some people in the UK (and Mr Costelloe) can’t cope with it, then that’s their problem. Move on, nothing to see here!

Parents: Do your research regarding popular energy drinks

Call me boring, but I can honestly say I’ve never, on any given weekday, consumed anything more energising than a cup of strong coffee or three. Even as a teenager, and despite alcohol and cigarettes being popular among my group of friends, as the boring nerd in my tribe I never felt the need to touch a cigarette or consume a drop of the hard stuff behind the school bike sheds.

However, today it seems if you’re a teenager, the ultimate social currency you can possess is not your top of the range phone, nor is it your designer kicks, rather it’s that can of over-priced must-have Prime Pandemonium drink clutched in your hand!

The drinks, which, according to reports were selling for €15 a pop (seriously, kids have way too much pocket money these days), have come with a warning following reports that a primary schoolchild in Wales  had a cardiac episode after consuming the popular beverage.

I have no doubt this news will come as a shock to those parents who’ve been buying these energy products for their tweens and teens. I’m no expert, nor have I ever tried (or ever intend to try) one of these caffeine-laden concoctions, but my advice to parents would be to do your research, and if in doubt, consult your family doctor – because your child’s health could be at serious risk.

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Yes readers, the country’s (and apparently the world’s) longest running – and in my opinion most boring – chat show is, at the time of writing, still searching for its new host! And while the entire nation obsesses about whether it’ll be frontrunners ‘Mr Monotonous’ Patrick Kielty (I’m sorry but I don’t find this ‘comedian’ funny), or worse, ‘Mr Banal’ Brendan O’Connor, I’ve got no doubt the decision-makers at RTÉ will get it wrong and licence fee payers will foot the massive salary bill!

Following Miriam O’Callaghan, Claire Byrne and Sarah McInerney ruling themselves out of the running, it seems everyone, including readers stopping me in the street, and some family members who think because I once worked at RTÉ I’ve got ‘inside info’ (I don’t, nor do I care), is speculating it’ll be the lacklustre Kielty.

In fact, if reports are correct, even my former colleague/former Late Late Show host Pat Kenny seems to think bookies’ favourite Kielty will get the job, explaining in an Irish Independent article how the so-called funnyman was ‘in the frame’ before Pat himself got signed up.

For the record, whether it’s Kielty, O’Connor, Dustin the Turkey or Bosco the freaky puppet who gets fitted with the Late Late Show halo, the thing is, not one of these individuals is talented or interesting enough to pull this colourless, lifeless, tedious show out of the doldrums.

However, while I’ve got no intention of adding my voice to the gaggle of contradictory opinions regarding who’s in/out, I will say that Pat Kenny’s belief (according to the article) that ‘it would be a more difficult experience for a woman’ due to her being judged on ‘what she’s wearing’ is spot on.

Yes ladies, it does not matter that as women, we can calculate the entire surface area of every room of every building we’ve ever entered, capable of knowing what and where each piece of furniture would be better placed. Nor does it matter that we are, to the exact dollop, able to calculate how long our make-up foundation will last us. It doesn’t even matter that we have the ability to locate a Penneys’ store hidden at the back end of a remote rural village, so remote that it’s not even mentioned on Google maps, we’ll always be, according to the lovely Mr Kenny, judged, not by our talent, but by how we look. The sad part is, he’s right!

Don’t believe me? Here are the stats. According to research carried out by aesthetics company Sinclair for its products, ’97 per cent’ of us believe we’re judged on how we ‘look’ with ’61 per cent’ of us ‘having received negative comments or abuse’ around our appearance’!

This research wasn’t actually carried out in Ireland, rather it was carried out in Germany, Spain, the UK and Mexico, etc. However, as only last week I was on the receiving end of another woman’s scathing comment regarding my body shape, dubbed as being ‘way too skinny for your age’, I believe these findings to be universal. For the record, even though this was a double-barrelled jibe, insulting both my body shape and my, er, maturity, the term ‘too skinny’ didn’t bother me half as much as this spiteful individual’s ‘for your age’ snipe! But hey, I was busy, therefore I simply smiled sweetly at the superficial shrew, tossed my hair, thanked her for the ‘lovely compliment’ and me and my skinny old ass walked away!

In fact, given my experience and the fact we’re a nation of judgemental, nit-picking, fault-finding begrudgers, tearing down anyone (mostly women) for their body shape, how they dress, how their hair looks, and how they’re ‘getting above’ themselves etc., I believe the survey’s findings to be highly relevant. To that end, I’m glad Pat Kenny (a male) had the good sense to raise this point.

When I worked in the big bad world of television production, my response to any guest who asked me for advice on what to wear in front of the camera was this… remember, men are judged from the neck up – as in, viewers will only ever see their head, maybe comment on how they have a ‘nice smile’, and will actually listen to what they’re saying. Disgracefully, it’s the opposite for us women… we’re judged from our feet up, with shallow viewers paying less heed to what we say or our wonderful personalities, and instead placing the focus on our age, hair style, and the size and shape of our bodies.

In short, ladies, we’re choked for ‘having d’nerve’ to ‘go on d’telly lookin’ like dat’. State of us!

The rise in Irish teens being diagnosed with STIs is shocking

I don’t know about other parents but, the HSE’s revelation regarding the amount of teenagers in this country being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) frightens me.

I find it extremely disturbing and shocking that figures are showing how so far this year (we’re only in May), 783 teens have tested positive for sexually transmitted infections, with two kids under fourteen years being ‘treated for chlamydia and one with genital herpes’.

In a world where teenagers are having their first sexual experience at a far earlier age than most of us did, and often without any form of protection against pregnancy or an STI, I believe it’s a parent’s job to educate them as a matter of urgency.

I also feel that given these figures (and I hate to add to a teacher’s workload), the school curriculum might consider prioritising raising awareness around risk behaviours and indeed towards preventative measures, such as pointing students in the direction of their family doctor/primary health care centres to avail of their services.

Mind you readers, this surge in STIs is not just happening across Ireland, nay it’s on the rise across the globe. I’ve done my research for you, and I can tell you that case numbers are currently showing at an all-time high, with (according to who.int/news) ‘more than one million STIs acquired every day worldwide’ – the majority of which are asymptomatic.

If you’re a parent/grandparent/guardian/caregiver of a teen who’s found the courage to disclose to you they believe they’ve got an STI, please bear in mind that losing the head and screaming, shouting and becoming verbally (or worse, physically) abusive to them is not going to solve anything.

Remember, this child who trusts you enough to reach out and confide in you, needs support, understanding, help, and above all, they need to be reassured of your love. I will, at this point, also ask parents to remember that while STIs can be contracted during consensual sex, they can also be contracted during a sexual assault… so tread very carefully and very sensitively when a teen asks for your help.

Your next step is to make sure your teen/child receives a diagnosis from an expert medical care practitioner who treats them with respect, civility and regard. Remember this poor kid probably feels sick, they may feel tired, and they may also feel pain when urinating… so now is not the time to add shame, condemnation or stigmatisation to their list of troubles. Good luck.

Anyone can be subjected to domestic abuse – and anyone can be a perpetrator

There have been a lot of discussions online and in the media this week regarding domestic violence and abuse, something which can affect people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels.

Domestic abuse/violence can be defined as a pattern of behaviour that can occur in any relationship to gain control or power over an intimate partner. This abuse can happen slowly over time. It can be physical, emotional, sexual and/or financial, etc., and can be used in an effort to intimidate, manipulate, injure and/or harm another person.

Anyone can be subjected to domestic violence. Anyone can be a perpetrator. Therefore, if you’re reading this, and you, a loved one, a neighbour, or a friend, etc., is experiencing any sort of coercive, degrading, violent behaviour in their relationship, can I urge you to please, please, be brave, and take the first step towards getting yourself/them some help.

Remember, the law is on your side and there are confidential, local support services available. Contact the Women’s Aid 24-hour national freephone helpline on 1800 341 900 for help and advice, and if you believe you’re in immediate danger, dial 999.

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Yes folks, according to our country’s epidemiological report, in week 16, which took into account dates between April 16^th and April 22^nd 2023, there were ‘614 new confirmed Covid-19 cases reported on CIDR’. In case anyone’s interested, CIDR is the national surveillance system used as the definitive source for validating data on Covid cases.

In addition, as of April 19^th, face masks have no longer been a requirement in hospitals, or in other healthcare settings, with online portals for booking PCR tests, or for ordering antigen tests now closed.

While this is of course comforting news, and while the world has more or less given us permission to cast aside public health regulations and guidelines, I for one refuse to allow apathy rear its ugly head; preferring instead to continue to employ what hubby calls my ‘ultra-obsessive measures’.

To tell you the truth readers, I become absolutely horrified when I see strangers clustering close to each other in supermarket queues, in pubs, and in restaurants, etc. In fact, despite being vaccinated and double-boosted, and despite the number of people catching Covid being on that downward spiral, I still stand two metres away from strangers, and my hand sanitiser still accompanies me everywhere. I even still carry a mask in my handbag, with spares in my car!

When, on the odd occasion, I get to eat out (and because I don’t believe the most deadly and economically devastating virus in modern history is really over), I find myself sizing up the table proximity, fretting if I’m seated near a large group of strangers!

Mind you, I’m not alone in my concerns; only last weekend while doing the weekly food shop, I noticed several people wearing masks. I also noticed how the HSE has been advertising the availability of what they’re calling the Spring Covid-booster vaccine programme for those aged 70 and older, and for those with a compromised immune system. If any readers fall into those categories, it might be worth having a chat with your family doctor or your local participating pharmacy.

Thanks to science and our healthcare professionals whose expertise and dedication helped us tackle this virus, and indeed to the public response in general – the dangerously deluded deniers aside – we’ve managed to find effective solutions to fight (not beat) this battle with Covid.

We must never forget, nor should we downplay, the impact this pandemic has had on society, and in particular on grieving families who’ve lost loved ones – because to them, the consequences have been crushing. We must also never forget that, as of the end of April, according to statista.com (a Health, Pharma and Medtech site), there have been over 764 million cases of Covid-19 worldwide. Therefore, as this dangerous virus has struck every single country across the world (and call me pedantic) I believe I’m perfectly right to be concerned that there still is, and there still will be for the foreseeable future, a sustained and abiding transmission occurring across all aspects of our society.

As contracting Covid is likely to cause illness and sadly, for some even death, it’s my humble opinion that for years to come, we should all be very careful not to become complacent. I will also add (for the sake of balance) that the fact we’re no longer dealing with a ‘pandemic’ situation is certainly encouraging – just don’t cough, sneeze or breathe near me anytime soon! Thanks.

Why is the uptake of paternity leave so low in this country?

Paternity benefit was introduced in this country in 2016 (and not before time I say)! However, as I was getting ready for work last week, according to a debate I dipped in and out of, which was happening in the background on my TV, it seems that less than half of dads entitled to paternity benefit didn’t avail of it.

Apparently, these statistics relate to the years between 2016-2019, but it got me wondering why this is the case? I mean, isn’t it very important that both parents invest time in their family’s life?

When I had my girls, the duration of maternity leave a working mother was entitled to take was just six weeks. As my first-born was actually six weeks’ premature, I didn’t even manage to get my entitlement, for the simple reason motherhood and earning a living didn’t exactly go hand in hand with the government of that time. But that was then and this is now, and thankfully things have changed.

As an employee, women who become pregnant have a right to take 26 weeks’ maternity leave with an additional (up to) 16 weeks’ if they choose. They can take this time off whether they work full-time, part-time or casual. In addition, with the introduction of paternity benefit, new parents (other than the baby’s mother) are entitled to take a period of leave from their employment (self-employment included) within six months of the birth (or the adoption) of their child for two weeks… so why aren’t more parents availing of it?

I know that when I was a new mother, I’d not just have wanted my husband/partner to take the two weeks off work (if it was available), I’d have insisted on it for the simple reason giving birth can prove to be overwhelming, painful, exhausting and hormonal. Therefore, in recognition of these challenges, I believe it’s not just extremely important, it’s absolutely crucial that all dads/partners avail of this leave so they can actually get to ‘parent’… as opposed to what a certain father recently told me he was doing!

He was, by his own admission, ‘allowing’ his baby’s mother to ‘go out with the girls’ while he ‘babysat for her for the night’. What a hero… not! I immediately put this dad straight, informing him that he was not actually ‘babysitting’ his ‘own child’, rather he was participating in the infant’s upbringing, as in he was ‘parenting’, and the sooner he took this role seriously the more his new family would benefit. The baby’s mother messaged me the next day to thank me.

Because I live in the real world, I do know that both parents taking this leave can be financially challenging for many families. However, as a mother who didn’t get to avail of either an extended maternity leave, or of my children’s father having paternity leave, I feel having that help in the early days would prove vitally important for many reasons; the main one being, it can bolster the wellbeing of the exhausted new mother.

Small gesture that can make a large impact…well done Minister O’Gorman

Staying in ‘new baby’ mode: by sheer coincidence to the debate on the ‘low’ paternity leave uptake, a new pilot scheme providing expectant parents with a ‘Little Baby Bundle’ was launched by the Department of Children earlier this week.

This initiative (the first of its kind in this country) will see participating parents receiving a range of useful items, the value of which is said to be approximately €300. Now isn’t that a nice gesture by our government!

From what I can gather, parents can expect to find dribblers (or bibs for those in the posh seats), a play mat, a thermometer, babygrows, a baby sling, and reusable nappies, etc. (er, I know it’s not environmentally friendly, but no way does a new mother have time to wash dirty nappies!). Well done to Minister Roderic O’Gorman on this progressive and welcome initiative – it’d almost make me wish I was starting out again… not!

The post The WHO might be done with Covid, but I’m still keeping my distance! appeared first on Roscommon People.

The Decision Support Service (DSS) will employ the progressive provisions of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act, and, as of last week (26th of April to be precise), has been accepting applications for ‘decision support arrangements’.

That’s all very well, but what exactly does all of the above mean?

Rather than being made wards of court – something which happened to anyone deemed unable to look after their own affairs under the horribly named Lunacy Regulations Act (1871) – this new Decision Making Act gives every citizen the right to have their own say in the way in which they are cared for.

The launch of this Act means that our nation is finally being dragged out of what was an archaic and mainly heavily paternalistic approach regarding legal interventions when it came to our senior citizens, our vulnerable, or those who require assistance when going about their day to day lives. In short, up until now (in my opinion anyway), our nation has effectively been disrespecting and disregarding the rights of those who have what is deemed to be a ‘diminished mental capacity’ – decreasing not only a person’s sense of self-worth, but also their self-trust, self-esteem and self-confidence.

Prior to last week, (as far as I understand), there was effectively no legislative framework in place in this country to govern how a decision about care and treatment should be made for human beings who lacked a capacity to make choices and decisions for themselves. But here’s the interesting thing, readers…legislation was (still is) in place to recognise the ‘absolute right’ in a ‘competent’ individual to refuse medical treatment ‘even if it leads to death’. What this basically means, (as far as I can interpret it) is that prior to April 26th, instead of there being one law for all – and no exceptions – there was, let’s say, classifications, which, in my opinion, oppressed and posed grave difficulties for certain members of our society.

I was absolutely sickened to read that, during the two years of the pandemic, the number of seniors over the age of 65 being referred to the HSE’s national safeguarding initiative for both financial and psychological abuse rose considerably. Those who reported the abuse (and thank God for these people) cited many of the abusers as coming from these individuals’ own loved ones and family members, with 2,560 cases reported in 2022 compared to 1,880 in 2020.

Nobody, no matter who they are, be they a spouse, a partner, a family member or a carer, etc., has the right to use, abuse or influence another human being’s bodily or emotional autonomy, their finances or their decision-making process, unless this authority is legally assigned to them by that individual.

Thankfully, under this new legislation, the medieval wards of court system will be replaced by a tiered support mechanism, allowing all citizens to weigh up the costs and the benefits of their choices to the best of their abilities. When I say the ‘best of their abilities’ what I mean is it’s my belief that, should a person be unsure as to the steps they wish to take which will personally benefit them in the future, it’s our duty as their loved ones to offer them assistance with the information-gathering process. (‘Offer’ being the key word here, as in not impose, not insist, and not bully or harass).

As someone who carries out extensive (hubby says obsessive) research before I come to any commitment, I know that for many, the decision-making process can prove quite stressful.

To that end, it’s absolutely vital if we have a much-loved and much-cherished family member, that we (if they request our help), do all in our power and our capacity to furnish them with every bit of information relevant to their process so they, and they alone, positively benefit from their choices.

We must never, ever push our own opinions on any other human being, even if we believe they have a diminished capacity to make decisions; rather we must support them to prepare a quality of life that serves them (and them alone, not us), for survival in the long-term.

Why I’ll pass on Euro-trash Eurovision and Charles’ extravagant coronation

Eurovision and coronation fever is taking the UK by storm, with commemoration mugs, keyrings, teaspoons, thimbles and every other manner of ‘tat’ being sold to mark both events.

As far as I’m concerned, both the coronation of our neighbour’s monarch (the first in 70 years) and the fact they’re also (rather smugly, I might add) hosting the Eurovision Song Contest for Ukraine – due to Putin’s invasion – holds no interest for me whatsoever.

Don’t even get me started on what I think of the jumped up hype surrounding the British media’s will-they-or-won’t-they (as in the public) ‘swear to pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law – so help me God’, idiocy! Who cares? I personally believe the great British public should be more concerned about the fact Charles and Camilla’s extravagant three-day jamboree is costing cash-strapped taxpayers a reported £100 million!

As for the Eurovision, I find the annual Euro-trash line-up of talentless, tone-deaf performers (many of which put me in mind of what former goody-two-shoes Blue Peter presenter Anthea Turner might look like on a drunken night out) to be both embarrassing and clichéd! Sorry Anthea!

I also hate the Eurovision’s side order of politics. Remember the Buranovskiye Babushki – a group of tone-deaf grannies from some far-flung area of Russia who (worryingly) looked more like a futuristic dystopian version of Little Mix – getting second place?

Mind you, Russian grannies and the publicity surrounding their twee ‘Party for Everybody’ performance pales in comparison to our own entry Wild Youth’s little am-dram surrounding the sacking of their creative director Ian Banham last week.

I won’t go into specifics, but it seems Banham’s opinions didn’t align with theirs and that perhaps the old ‘guilt by association’ axiom would scupper the chances of Irlande getting douze pointe! We’ll see. I wish them well, even though I’ll be busy watching paint dry and trimming my split ends!

Don’t allow a toxic parent to define your life

I must mention a very interesting article I read which addressed the issue of narcissistic parents.

I not only found this article interesting, I also found it strangely comforting – for the simple reason I’m relieved to know I’m not alone in my own disturbing  childhood experiences of being persecuted by a mother who made me her scapegoat for every single thing that went wrong in her life.

I wasn’t ‘pretty’ like my sister; therefore my mother refused point-blank to allow me wear my glasses which I needed for reading and school work – criticising me, saying they made me ‘look like a freak’ and ‘no child of mine is wearing ugly goggles’.

I also had ‘too many freckles’ and my hair was ‘too straight’. Oh, I was ‘too nerdy’ and ‘too skinny’ too – with her encore being how she wished I’d ‘never been born’. Lovely woman.

As a defenceless child, I remember doing everything in my power to not only please this woman, but to win even a smidgen of her love, an emotion she reserved exclusively for my younger siblings, constantly favouring them over me. In my teens, I came to my senses and cut her off in what others said was a drastic measure…it wasn’t, it protected me; no way was I allowing my own precious children to have a relationship with such a toxic individual.

If any reader has had a similar experience with a parent, may I try to reassure them that the problem lies not with you, but with that abusive, emotionally-stunted individual who has placed their irrational, narcissistic needs before that of yours…their defenceless child. Never forget, this is not your fault.  You are, without a doubt, a beautiful, independent survivor worthy of self-love and of being loved.

The post It’s about time we put legislation in place to protect our most vulnerable appeared first on Roscommon People.

It’s for this reason I have to ask what’s happening in the world that a 13-year-old boy, who, according to media reports, ‘has never been in trouble before’, finds himself being remanded for sentence after a jury found him ‘guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman’?

This child (now 15, but at 13 years old, he was, in essence, a child), pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court last week to ‘assault causing harm’ leaving his victim with injuries so horrific, the facial recognition on her phone failed to recognise her when she tried to call for help. I must state that this juvenile (for the sake of decency I’ll abstain from using stronger language to describe him), has denied ‘sexually assaulting’ this poor woman; however a jury took just two hours to find him guilty of this heinous crime which occurred in Cork City over a year ago.

I do know that growing up and reaching puberty can be both difficult and emotional for any child; I also know that, due to the physical and psychological changes which occur during those years, teenagers can sometimes develop sexual habits and behaviours that may be inappropriate. However, from reading the deeply disturbing factors reported around this particular incident, it’s my concern that, (even though the source of many behavioural traits derive from that timeless debate regarding ‘nature versus nurture’) such violent crimes may derive from the ‘nurture’ part – as in, life experiences are shaping our kids’ development.

When I say ‘life experiences’ I am not, for a moment, judging any parent or caregiver, nor am I judging the parents/caregivers of this particular teen, because our life experiences stem from society, social media and from our peers – as in, not just from our parental/home environment. However, I will say that, as a mother myself, my greatest fear when my girls were young was that I’d fail them. I was terrified I’d do something so wrong it’d force them to go through an experience so negative, it’d harm them or someone else, for the rest of their lives.

I felt the weight of that responsibility from the very moment I became pregnant as a 17-year-old teenager, and today, even though my girls are adults, that duty still bears heavily upon me. But hey, that’s just me! I’m the family member who takes on the mammoth responsibility of panicking.

At this stage of my life you could say when it comes to worrying, I’m a seasoned veteran who has perfected the intricacies of this art to such an extent, I now worry ahead, and not just for me, but for everyone. You could say I’m constantly living my life by the ‘OMG what if’ rule, something which leaves everyone else, (mainly hubby) to shoulder-shrug, head-shake and free himself from assuming what he calls a ‘useless task’. Well folks, ‘useless’ as worrying may seem, I have to comment that if perhaps some parents/guardians/caregivers worried and ‘fretted’ about the environment in which they raised their kids, and were more fearful of how they’d turn out, maybe there’d be less chance of some individuals failing to see others as human beings.

Parents, grandparents and the environment in which a child is raised holds tremendous sway over the way they’re moulded into adulthood; therefore, perhaps if the emphasis was placed more on building social skills, empathy, compassion, morality and self-control, etc., violent attacks like the one in Cork City wouldn’t happen so often.

Again readers, I’m no expert, I’m just putting the question out there; and I’m definitely not a perfect parent or a perfect human being, and I’m not judging anyone. In addition, I do know that there are perfectly horrible people in this world who’ve had a wonderful, happy upbringing, etc. However, when a child/teen gets so worked up and angry about something, believing the only way to deal with their feelings and frustration is to cause horrific harm to their fellow humans, I confess my ‘worry gene’ goes into overdrive and I start to fear for society.

Why are we preoccupied with our physical flaws?

Earlier this week, I saw an article highlighting the fact that some surgeons are ‘touring Ireland’ doing roadshows, if you like, ‘encouraging’ people to avail of ‘cheap cosmetic, dental and weight-loss procedures’ abroad. On the same day, I also read another story about a lady from County Kilkenny whose Turkish  ‘mummy-tuck’ package went so disastrously wrong, upon her return home she ended up being hospitalised for two weeks due to what she describes as ‘a severe infection’. The unfortunate woman says she’s now left ‘feeling depressed’ adding, ‘some days I don’t want to get out of bed’. She reports being terrified to ‘cough or sneeze in case I do damage’, adding that she’s afraid of the wound opening up again.

I don’t wish to be mean-spirited, but it beggars belief that anyone with a smidgen of cop on would place their lives in the hands of a ‘medical professional’ who plies their trade via a ‘Facebook advert’ and a ‘hospital’ which deals with vulnerable and prospective patients through WhatsApp. But, according to the article in the Irish Independent, place it she did, and she’s not alone.  Countless numbers of Irish people are, despite hearing horror stories, shelling out their life savings and travelling abroad for risky surgeries in the hope of achieving their desired look and shape.

This particular lady’s botch-job, sorry ‘package’, included a tummy-tuck, liposuction, a breast procedure, two nights in the hospital, five nights in a hotel, prescribed meds and flights – a snip (pardon the pun) at €4,950. However, as far as the psychological impact goes, I’d say she’ll be paying the cost for many more years to come. My heart goes out to her.

On a personal level, my own body image hate is my teeth – or rather the dental bridge I was forced to have put in place following a brutal sexual assault I suffered twenty years ago.

However, despite the fact I’m desperate to have this dental bridge replaced, and desperate to one day look in the mirror and not see a constant reminder of what a sick, perverted creep did to me, I’ve got enough cop on to listen to the advice of a dental professional. I’m told my bridge, due to being fitted twenty years ago is ‘now old’, but that a more modern version is unlikely to look any better. The dental professional has also tried to reassure me that what I perceive to be glaringly obvious is ‘not even noticeable’.

That said, as the lady from Kilkenny and every other person who’s travelled abroad for cosmetic surgery or who’s undergone it in Ireland may tell you – if our insecurities are fuelled by any aspect of our own personal perceptions regarding our poor body/self-image, nothing and nobody can ever change our minds. Yes readers, twenty years post-assault, I’m still yearning for my once perfectly tailored teeth.

Our Gardaí need more than a set of handcuffs and a baton for protection

According to the Garda Representative Association President Brendan O’Connor, assaults on Gardaí have continued to rise – therefore a call for Tasers to be issued to protect members, is, in my humble opinion, totally understandable.

Not only that, I believe all Gardaí should be issued with body cams for the simple reason they can prove key during the evidence-gathering process. (I could be wrong, but I believe body cams will be issued to all members of the force by the end of this year…and not before time).

Becoming a member of An Garda Síochána is a wonderful, worthwhile career move. Had I been taller than five feet, I’d have loved to have applied when I was younger (by the way, there is no longer a height precondition).

In any event, given the startling statistics released at the end of 2022 which show a shocking 2,411 officers had suffered an assault over the past ten years, (an average of 240 per year), I believe we should be arming these brave individuals with a bit more than a set of handcuffs and a baton.

The post Are life experiences shaping our kids’ development? appeared first on Roscommon People.

The brief was simple – showcase our little island on the world stage, reinforce our very important friendship and our political alliance with the superpower that is the US, and mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Oh, and for good measure, if the chance presents itself, cradle a cute baby in your arms. I don’t know about you folks, but my heart skipped a beat when Joe forgot his ‘powerful man’ persona and, wearing his heart on his sleeve, morphed into doting Irish granddad mode, carefully, tenderly cradling baby Margot in his arms!  What a wonderful, historical photo op for mammy, Senator Rebecca Moynihan to showcase at (for example) Margot’s 21st birthday party.

Much as that moment moved me, it paled in comparison (sorry baby Margot) to the chance meeting between Joe Biden and Fr Frank O’Grady, the priest who’d administered the last rites to his dying son, Beau Biden. Perhaps I’m being over-emotional, or perhaps I’m just being a typical Irish mammy, but I shed a few tears when I saw the Biden family’s moving, hand-clasped-over-mouth reaction as they viewed a plaque dedicated to Beau outside of the Mayo Roscommon Hospice and Palliative Care Centre. It was touching, it was tender, and it was warm; but above all, it was human. No matter what nonsense anyone tells you about ‘time healing all wounds’, it’s my experience that we grieve for our lost children/grandchildren until our very own last breath leaves our bodies. Anyone who has lost a precious child or grandchild will attest to this.

While all of the above made for great telly, it also proved energetic enough to be promoted as perfect 2024 campaign rallying fodder. However, nostalgia aside, for me, the best bit of Joe’s visit is how it really ticked off elements of the bitter British media! I’m not ‘Brit-bashing’ – I have huge respect for our nearest neighbours, so much so I married one! And no, it wasn’t because I wanted to ‘make him pay’ for his country’s 800 years of torture and misery; I do genuinely love this man; but, at the end of the day, I’m Irish; cut me in half and I’ll bleed the tricolour…but I digress.

I loved how we, (especially the Mayo people) practically handed over the keys of the country to Joe. In fact I loved how his visit virtually enshrined the Republic of Ireland as the 51st United State of America, and rattled the British media to such an extent, I’m nearly (not quite) willing to tolerate his ‘Mayo for Sam’ rally cry!

British media comments around the way the US President chose to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement; their sniping about how he made ‘an insulting decision to prioritise Ireland over the UK’ and criticism around him ‘not attending’ Charles’ coronation next month made me laugh out loud. Er, bitter much?

There was also the utter tripe being spewed about Joe ‘sticking two fingers up’ to ‘Great Britain and its illustrious history’! The ‘illustrious history’ bit being so funny, it made me convulse.

I think if these elements of the British media should only educate themselves, they’d realise that, when it comes to their nation’s history, there’s nothing whatsoever illustrious, respected or admired about what they once did to the people of this country. Joe Biden’s ancestors, along with one and a half million of our people, had to flee Ireland to escape dying in the great famine; a genocidal, social and economic holocaust caused by the so-called ‘illustrious’ British.

That very famine obliterated our proud little land, starved over one million of our ancestors, halved our population, and oppressed our culture and our language. Yet, despite it all, we emerged triumphant of those begrudging ‘illustrious’ British (the establishment).

As for Joe, well, he’s kind of a rock star, isn’t he? Mind you, his visit did come at a significant cost to the taxpayer, so let’s hope we recoup our ‘investment’ from American tourists visiting the ‘auld sod’.

In the meantime, if Joe shows the same energy and charisma as at last week’s Ballina (or Bawl-in-aw as he calls it) junket, I’d say his 2024 presidential campaign bid is in the bag!

The Stardust tragedy: A night I’ll never forget

They’ve spent 42 years fighting for justice, and this week the families of the 48 people killed in the Stardust tragedy finally got their chance to have their voices heard when a jury was selected and sworn in for the biggest inquest in the history of the State.

In what is known as The Stardust Inquest, a panel of 15 jurors (and some reserves) will examine the horrific and devastating events which took place in the small hours during a St Valentine’s Day disco in 1981. 48 young people (some of them my friends) lost their lives in a fire that raged through the Stardust Ballroom in Artane, Dublin 5.

I was meant to be there that night with my friends  (even though I was underage). However, a simple twist of fate relating to another friend being ‘inappropriately dressed’ (they wore jeans to what the bouncers/security personnel insisted was a ‘formal affair’), saw us being turned away at the door.

We decided not to make a fuss and instead opted to take a taxi into town and grab a bite to eat. It was on the way home in another taxi that we saw the flames rising from what is unquestionably the worst fire in the history of the Irish State.

The people of north Dublin, and, in particular, if I may say, the people of Coolock, have never, ever been the same since that fateful night when 48 innocent lives were lost.

To this day, whenever I head home to Dublin, I cannot bring myself to pass the place where The Stardust once stood; I cannot forget the funerals, and I cannot forget the anguish, the pain and the grief etched across the faces of my friends’ parents. May those 48 souls rest in peace, and may every single one of their family members (and the people of Coolock) finally get the justice they not only seek, but so richly deserve.

Well done to all at RosFM

Well done to all who work and volunteer at our local community radio station RosFM on their shortlisting for a Media Literacy Ireland award for 2023.

As someone who has worked across both print and broadcast media, (radio and TV), I have to say, when starting out on my career, there was nothing more exciting than finding stories and bringing them to the public in a factual, engaging and entertaining manner.

However, back then, as a fledgling hack, there was no such thing as community radio where I lived, nor was there a seasoned, experienced journalist to take me under their wing and train me up in an easygoing, supportive environment.

When I was offered a column in the Evening Herald (before I even left college), and when someone in the newsroom identified my natural ability to be nosey and mouthy added ‘investigative journalist’ to that brief, I had to literally wing it in a ‘sink or swim’ cut-throat, highly charged and very scary industry.

The participants who engage with RosFM’s media training are very lucky to have hands-on mentorship and guidance from the lovely people who work at and manage the station. Finding support on a one-to-one basis, framed in a professional context, will not only teach candidates about the overall workplace environment, it’ll also provide them with professional experience, skills and knowledge to benefit them for the rest of their lives. Maith sibh and comhghairdeas RosFM!

The post What did I like most about Joe’s visit? It ticked off elements of the British media! appeared first on Roscommon People.

Sensationally appearing in a Manhattan courtroom last week, former President Trump entered a plea of not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made in 2016, i.e. during the final days of the then presidential race. The recipient of said ‘hush’ money was adult entertainer Stormy Daniels, whose silence Trump was allegedly buying regarding an alleged affair.

While I’d love to see Trump led away in handcuffs and get his comeuppance, it’s my opinion he’ll never even see the inside of a prison cell. Why? Well folks, we only have to read the United States’ Sixth Amendment guaranteeing all citizens ‘the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed’ to know why.

The word ‘impartial’ is key here. Given that Trump is one of America’s – if not the world’s – most divisive individuals, I’m willing to bet it’d be almost impossible to get an unbiased, unprejudiced group of 12 right-thinking people to sit in judgement of him. To that end, it’s highly likely that Trump, despite spewing what I’d describe as a doomsday-style attack, framing his intention to return to the White House as an all-out war – even vowing he’d seek ‘retribution’ for the wrongs he’s suffered – may just get his chance to run again.

As there doesn’t appear to be another Republican candidate in place to topple Trump, we have to hope that current US President Joe Biden (a man whose advancing age appears to be the hot topic of conversation) not only runs against Trump, but beats him hands down! G’wan Joe!

Anyone who listened to Trump’s inflammatory language when summoning his baying mob (aka the ‘MAGA Martyrs’) to the Capitol on January 6^th 2021 will realise that retribution and revenge are the very platforms on which he is running. Sadly, this very manifesto may see those who’re delusional enough to share his extreme beliefs vote to return him to power. How scary is that?

When will the world ever get to wake from this recurring nightmare scenario whereby a fanatic who seeks to try and overturn another president’s election, mysteriously manages to emerge as his party’s frontrunner in the next one? All of the above makes me wonder what former First Lady Melania Trump, who gave birth to the couple’s baby son Barron while her husband allegedly enjoyed a dangerous liaison with Ms Daniels, is thinking about his salacious escapades?    She’s put up with a lot from her marriage to this man.

However, while many readers have told me this week how they feel sorry for Melania, I have to say I don’t… not for one minute!

Melania’s a beautiful, intelligent women who I’m sure is capable of living whatever kind of life she chooses… yet she chooses to spend her years devoted to a misogynistic lout who objectifies and disrespects women. She stayed with Trump when the contents of the now famous Washington Post’s tape were disclosed, revealing him bragging about how he pursues (and treats) women.

Melania Trump is no pushover, and while there’s no actual evidence (it’s only speculation) that the former fashion model renegotiated her pre-nup with Trump when he became President in 2016, it’s my thinking that this smart lady most likely did! I mean, other than financial gain, what would keep anyone married to this mean, disagreeable, soulless narcissist?

An Easter weekend filled with dental dramas!

Regular readers may know how I have odontophobia – a major fear of going to the dentist, avoiding visits at all costs. However, due to an infected, impacted wisdom tooth, which was shifting my other teeth and causing me intolerable agony, following several doses of antibiotics to clear up the contamination, I had no choice but to give in to my lovely dentist Dr Eleanor Keaveney’s request to have it removed by an oral surgeon.

Due to the level of damage to my tooth, extracting it in the normal manner proved impossible. Yep, it’s safe to say that wisdom teeth are not only a pain in the face, neck, shoulders and head, they’re also (as I found out due to the cost associated with their removal) a pain in the pocket! But hey, having been surgically removed by a procedure performed by a wonderful oral surgeon in Tipperary (recommended by Dr Keaveney – thank you Eleanor), it’s now out and sitting in a little pill bottle on my dressing table!

However, that wasn’t the end of the drama. Let me explain: even though he-who-minds-me-like-a-baby was, er, minding me like a baby following my ‘procedure’ and not allowing me to lift so much as a finger, I, in my panicked state, managed to fizz everything up.

When leaving my Tipperary appointment, I’m told that due to the combined effects of relief and the anaesthetic, I was ‘high as a kite’, spewing out a stream of non-stop, nonsensical words in a sing-songy voice only dogs could hear. So you could say all went well and I didn’t feel a thing!

However, due to me being a drama queen worthy of a Tony Award, I later experienced what I’m calling my ‘post-traumatic, dental stress disorder’ (PTDSD), and that night I actually ground my teeth so hard in my sleep, I damaged one of them, rendering me in need of emergency treatment.

Thank God for Eleanor and her lovely staff. A panicked, tearful phone call first thing Saturday morning had me in her chair that afternoon, and in her no-nonsense manner, I was prepped and numbed and my damaged tooth (on the opposite side of the surgical-extraction site) was expertly filled.

It’s safe to say our Easter weekend didn’t go the way we’d planned. Mind you, hubby’s delighted my wisdom tooth is finally out and says he’s looking forward to the day when I no longer have a reason to complain. Let me know how that works out for you darling!

As for Dr Eleanor, thank you so much for your patience and your professionalism.

Charles treated Diana like an expendable ‘hired womb’!

Despite the fact that ‘mummy’ decreed that on the occasion of her eldest son’s coronation as King Charles the third, his wife should be referred to as ‘queen consort’, Charles has reportedly gone against those wishes, paving the way for her to be known as Queen Camilla.

In a move I believe formally and finally signifies that the artist formerly known as Prince Charles might actually have grown a backbone, the future monarch is insisting that stiff-upper-lipped Brits accept Camilla as a so-called respected senior member of the royal family. As a proud Irish woman, I have to ask… is there such a thing as a ‘respected’ British royal?

As a woman, a wife, and a mother, I have to say it’s such a pity this whiny, over-privileged prat, sorry king, didn’t show the same level of respect for his first wife Diana, the mother of his two sons, as opposed to treacherously treating her as an expendable ‘hired womb’!

The post Is Biden the only one who can beat Trump? appeared first on Roscommon People.

However, it’s Easter, and I cannot help but be drawn to the important wording printed on my framed copy of Poblacht na hÉireann, our nation’s 1916 proclamation of independence.

This document holds pride of place on my wall; and this week, given the Independent Review Group’s (IRG) report detailing the raft of abuse within the Irish Defence Forces, I can’t help but compare our Proclamation’s ethos with that of the position of women serving in our armed forces today.

My copy of Poblacht na hÉireann, containing the images of its seven signatories – Thomas J Clarke, Sean Mac Diarmada, Thomas MacDonagh, P H Pearse, Eamonn Ceannt, James Connolly and Joseph Plunkett – forms part of my memorabilia from a time when Ireland was committed to freedom and equality for all men and women. How do I know these signatories cherished everyone equally? I only have to read the first three words of this hugely important document, which are ‘Irishmen and Irishwomen’, to understand that those who composed it were not simply forward-thinking soldiers, they were also individuals dedicated to the equality of women.

Not only that, these heroes were likely feminists who believed that we, the women of Ireland, should rightly have the freedom of choice to fight side by side with men (should we wish); as opposed to being forcibly (hypothetically speaking of course), manacled to a kitchen sink with a child hanging off each hip!

Again, how do I know this? Well readers, (and this is just an example of how the leaders of our Rising valued women), of the 220 members of James Connolly’s Irish Citizen Army (a signatory of that Proclamation) who fought in our 1916 Easter Rising, I’m proud to say 27 were women. This historical fact makes it clear to me, that 107 years ago, our ‘army’, i.e. our defence forces,  valued Irish women, whereby in contrast, given revelations regarding the ‘bullying and mistreatment of female members’ in the ranks of our present-day forces, women are now being belittled, disparaged and denigrated.

Don’t get me wrong, I have enormous respect for the Irish army, believing that anyone, (whatever their gender), who puts on a uniform and swears allegiance to the Republic of Ireland, its people and its government is, and always will be, a true hero.

However, it seems that despite gaining superiority in our army, the evidence gathered in the IRG’s damning report shows that some of those brave women who served us suffered horrific discrimination purely because of their gender. Indeed, with incidents of rape, sexual harassment and physical assault being experienced by many women of honour within our military, it would seem these warriors, (ignorant chauvinists may view them as being ‘soldiers of the weaker sex’), were evidently deemed too intelligent and hot to handle; therefore squashing and subduing them became widespread.

Well colour me surprised…not! You see readers, back when I was a mere teenager, upon hearing our defence forces had opened its, eh, ranks, allowing women to enlist, believing I’d make a great soldier, I decided to sign up. However, having gone through the application process, etc., I was informed by some high-ranking male officer that, due to my ‘impressive shorthand and typing skills’, I’d make for perfect ‘clerk material’. I looked straight into this smug sexist’s face and told him I was signing up ‘to become a soldier, not someone’s skivvy’. To this day I’m certain that was the main reason I never progressed to the next stage of the selection process! Ah well, their loss! By the way, I mean no disrespect to anyone who works as a ‘clerk’, it’s a noble profession, it just wasn’t why I’d decided to try and enlist.

Despite the toxic masculinity I experienced at that interview and the IRG’s findings showing how female soldiers were ‘barely tolerated’ in our armed forces, it’s obvious that the women of 1916 who fought for our freedom would be sickened.

When I read the potent words of Poblacht na hÉireann, and remember the selfless acts of bravery and martyrdom displayed by those amazing women who gave their lives for our freedom, it’s difficult to come to terms with the disparities between the then Irish Citizen Army of 1916 and today’s Defence Forces.

I don’t know about you ladies, but it seems that 107 years ago, the women of our rebellion were treated with better regard and held in greater esteem than the noble heroines who stand on the frontline today.

I salute every one of our ‘women warriors’ for their selfless acts of bravery. I applaud and commend these ladies for their valour and for their tenacity to not only speak their truth, but to strive to seek the justice they so richly deserve.

My lovely experience dealing with Roscommon County Council

I’ve always believed good service not only means meeting customers’ expectations, it also means being friendly, efficient and delivering a swift and reliable outcome.

Last Friday, the staff, or rather the lovely lady at Roscommon County Council’s motor tax office, delivered on all counts. Let me explain.

Having tried to pay for my car tax online – something I’ve been doing for as long as this service has been available – I found that the ‘verification code’ which the portal normally sends to my phone to allow my banking app to ‘verify’ the payment didn’t materialise. A call to my bank’s customer service rep confirmed that I was not the only person to experience this ‘failure’, and there appeared to be a ‘glitch’ in the system ‘between the motor tax online portal and the bank’. To be specific, the bank informed me that the motor tax office’s online service ‘hasn’t requested the payment’.

Being someone who has OCD about paying bills, I popped into Roscommon County Council’s offices – free parking right outside the building – and went straight to the counter where I was greeted by an efficient lady who processed my annual car tax application, printed my disc and my receipt, and handed me both. The entire process, from parking to printing and sending me on my way took ten minutes; i.e. considerably less time than it took me to get through to my bank’s customer service rep!

While online can of course be quick and convenient, for me, it’s all about accessibility and personal, face to face interaction, and last Friday, the lovely lady at Roscommon County Council’s motor tax counter proved to me why we need to deal with real people instead of faceless, online portals! Go raibh maith agat!

Paul O’Grady RIP: A devoted, iconic, champion of all dogs

I cannot let this week go by without mentioning that wonderful, caring, humane, compassionate gentleman who sadly passed away unexpectedly last week at the age of 67. Mr Paul O’Grady MBE, a comedian and presenter of TV show, ‘For the Love of Dogs’ – who readers may know had roots in Roscommon and Galway – was an amazing ambassador for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

I had the privilege and the absolute pleasure (many years ago) of inviting Mr O’Grady to be my guest on RTÉ’s The Afternoon Show.

Our series producer at the time wanted me to book Paul as his 1990s’ alter ego, the vivacious Lily Savage. Paul politely and hilariously, in his trademark no-holds-barred manner, declined, explaining how he’d retired the ‘gobby’ blonde bombshell!

As an animal rescuer, I believe that every single beloved and loyal fur baby whose precious life has been saved, and who has devastatingly passed on before us, will be waiting patiently for us to join them at Rainbow Bridge. I have no doubt whatsoever that Paul, the devoted, iconic champion of all dogs will be met by the hundreds of his beautiful canine companions whose lives he so admirably and so humanely saved. May his kind and caring soul rest in peace.

The post Were our women of honour deemed too intelligent and too hot to handle? appeared first on Roscommon People.

Last weekend, (following what has been described as an extensive Garda investigation, ongoing since 2018), a man and a woman were arrested and questioned regarding the infant’s death. I must stress at this point that they were released without charge. According to reports a file will now be prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Baby John, as this little infant was named, (also known as ‘the Kerry baby’) was only five days old when he, according to the results of a postmortem, died as a result of ‘a total of 28 stab wounds and a fractured spine’.

Today, this innocent little angel’s body lies resting in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Caherciveen. As someone who remembers this firestorm, I believe it’s fair to say that the sordid, sick and shameful saga surrounding baby John’s death not only forced this nation to grudgingly confront the truth about how it treated women; it also set off a chain of events which have brought shame on the entire State.

The hypocrisy, the institutional patriarchy and the misogyny which prevailed in Ireland at that time not only meant that fear was the norm for Irish women, it also led to an entirely innocent woman, Joanne Hayes, (a then 25-year-old ‘single mother’), being witch-hunted, arrested and wrongly accused of baby John’s murder.

Indeed, even when blood tests showed that Joanne – and Jeremiah Locke, the man she was in a relationship with – could not have been the parents of baby John, investigating Gardaí actually put forward an outlandish theory that she had bizarrely given birth to ‘twins’ who had ‘different fathers’.

Back then, the State, and the Catholic Church who, due to its oppressive and dictatorial weight (which bore down on all aspects of society, even going as far as crafting the curriculum for State schools), were firmly in control, rendering women little or no say over their bodies. It was this stifling and condemnatory environment in which Joanne Hayes was reviled, berated, belittled and wrongly accused of the murder most foul of a tiny, helpless, innocent newborn infant.

Nearly four decades on, Ireland, and indeed Joanne Hayes, the strong, resilient mother who, despite being isolated, marginalised and oppressed by hypocrites, chose to have two children on her own, are not only hoping for closure – we’re all hoping that justice will finally be delivered for a helpless, innocent infant.

I cannot let this week go by without also mentioning what is another dark, depressing and horrific chapter in our history; that of the devastating death of 15-year-old schoolgirl Ann Lovett and her beautiful baby boy at a lonely grotto in Granard, County Longford.

Ann and her infant died alone on 31st of January 1984, as the statue of the Virgin Mary looked down on her suffering, and as the State’s and the Catholic Church’s rallying cry culminated in their sanctimonious anti-choice ethos.

The stories of Baby John, Ann Lovett and her baby boy are just two chapters in the shocking horror story of how our nation once tried to cover up how we punished, neglected, abused and shunned our women; disgustingly undervaluing not just their lives, but the lives of their innocent children. To this day, Baby John remains ‘unclaimed’. May his beautiful, innocent soul, along with Ann Lovett’s and her infant son’s, rest in peace.

It’s spring – and I’m officially high on housework!

Spring has finally sprung, and, while I lament the lost hour spent in the leaba, I have to admit I just adore the longer evenings, for the simple reason they make me feel like a newly-released prisoner who’s spent the entire winter incarcerated in a dark and dreary cell.

Mind you readers, the onset of spring also tends to send my OCD’s-need-to-clean into overdrive, morphing me into a kind of  bargain-basement version of Marie Kondo as I declutter and feng shui everything from the bathroom to the dogs’ bedroom.

Yes folks, it’s fair to say, that this week, I’m officially high on housework…or perhaps that’s just the fumes from the stuff I used to clean my oven! Either way, I’m a ritualised spring-cleaner, gripped by the urge to purge everything that’s not nailed down.

In fact poor, long-suffering hubby, (a hoarder who leaves a trail of debris around the house…tools, phone chargers, useless pieces of junk he calls ‘treasure’) says that if there was any documented medical evidence that spring cleaning was an official ‘medical’ condition, he’d see about getting me ‘diagnosed, treated and cured’ ASAP! The cheek!

According to reports, murderer Graham Dwyer was so confident he’d win his appeal against his conviction for the 2012 murder of Elaine O’Hara, he’d actually ‘planned a new life abroad’, to ‘start afresh’. Wow, cocky or what?

Readers may remember how a great deal of the evidence against this sadistic individual was focused on text messages between a ‘master phone’ used by himself, and a ‘slave phone’ used by his vulnerable victim Ms O’Hara, who he murdered for his own sexual gratification.

Given the gruesome details which emerged about Dwyer during the trial, I for one hope this cold-blooded killer, (who, with a wife and family, a job as an architect and house in Dublin’s plush Foxrock, clearly once believed he ‘had it all’), remains behind bars.

However it seems not all people feel the same as me. Bizarrely, according to reports, Dwyer has been receiving plenty of support from individuals ‘on the outside’. To be precise, that support has been coming from women; or ‘certifiable prison groupies’ as I call them. I believe the term used by medical experts is the ‘Bonnie and Clyde Syndrome’.

In fact, one of these groupies has written to Dwyer, stating how she’d stand by him ‘no matter what’. Seriously love, how desperate do you have to be to actively pursue a man behind bars…and not just any man, but one who has callously, cold-bloodedly and deliberately murdered another woman? A bit of advice hon: if you’re that fame-hungry, why don’t you just apply to be on Gogglebox?

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He disclosed how it would be a ‘punishment’ for his family if he continues presenting the Late Late, given they didn’t exactly sign up to the high profile status that comes with being on d’telly. It’s my opinion that, due to this programme becoming a highly embarrassing cringe-fest, it’s also pretty painful for viewers!

Don’t get me wrong, there was a time when the Late Late Show was not just regarded as being a dependable and profitable project for RTÉ, with advertisers queuing to purchase premium slots during the programme’s peak-time viewing hours. This all happened when the Late Late was a show which  highlighted interesting topics, and explored heavyweight and often contentious social issues – the 1993 Annie Murphy interview disclosing her affair with Bishop Éamon Casey springs to mind. (However, I must add, I didn’t like what I believe to be then host Gay Byrne’s dismissive, hostile, and it must be said, highly prejudiced tone when addressing Ms Murphy).

To give him his due, when Gay was at the helm, the show did manage to attract guests so riveting, it made for ritualistic weekend viewing in many Irish households. Not so much these days. In fact I’d rather shove bamboo shoots up my nails than commit to watching an entire programme from beginning to end.

My reason for switching channels at 9.30 pm every Friday is due to the fact that these days, the Late Late’s running order reads more like a ‘who’s who’ of desperate-to-remain-relevant Z list has-beens flogging their books or plugging their podcasts while the  presenter salivates and fawns all over them! That said readers, even though I believe it’s time the Late Late Show left the arena along with its presenter, I’m still trying to be fair and balanced regarding my feelings about it for the simple reason I know there are those who really enjoy it.

With that in mind, perhaps it’s not the outgoing Director-General Dee Forbes’ fault that there’s a slackening interest and a serious haemorrhaging of viewers. Okay, it is really, and I think that she, along with her board, must bear the brunt of the blame. For the record, Ms Forbes’ seven-year term comes to a close in July, meaning she’ll not be long following Tubs out the door; and we can all hope her successor has the cop on and the vision needed to drag the crumbling relic that is RTÉ into the 21st century.

Then again, perhaps it’s all down to us, the viewers. Is it our gradual shift from linear TV towards what I see as being the more attractive immediacy of streaming that’s put the nail firmly in the coffin of the weekly gab-fest genre? Who knows? Who cares? Definitely not me, that’s for sure!

Let me make it clear, my dislike of the Late Late Show doesn’t extend to Ryan Tubridy. Quite the opposite, because I think Ryan is a highly intelligent gentleman who has a really nice way about him. In fact, during my own days working at the national broadcaster there was many a time where, whenever we’d both find ourselves in the RTÉ canteen (‘the canner’ as we all called it), I’d sit with him while I had my coffee and we’d chat about life and our girls, etc.

Therefore, this week, as bookies take bets on who’ll succeed Ryan, and predecessor Pat Kenny morphs into an astrologer like the recently departed Mystic Meg – predicting it is “almost inevitable” that the new host will be a woman – I want to ask two questions. One, how much of Tubs’ €440,000 salary is linked to hosting this drab, insipid show, and two, will RTÉ continue to try and scrounge money out of its bored and thoroughly fed up viewers to over-pay his successor?

Leo’s intern joke

Did anyone else feel a bit sorry for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar over his ‘off the cuff’ remark or ‘apparent joke’ as some of those stiff-upper-lipped British tabloids are calling it, allegedly referencing former US president Bill Clinton and his intern Monica Lewinsky?

For those who missed what I’m calling Leo’s ‘did you hear the one about the Irish intern?’ joke, let me explain. Last week, on the eve of our national saint’s day, Leo, possibly in a desperate attempt to be hilarious (bless him), told a US audience that he was once ‘an intern when some parents would have had cause for concern about what would happen to interns in Washington’. Ooops!

Apparently, ‘some of the audience laughed’ – which clearly means some didn’t. For the record, the ones who didn’t should all be hauled before a judge and charged with growing a vineyard full of sour grapes!

It was only last week that ‘comedians’ on US TV show Saturday Night Live mocked and jeered our Irish heritage with their offensive, racist, and bigoted Banshees of Inisherin ‘sketch’. But did we make a federal case out of it? Not a bit! Why? Because we’re Irish. We’ve survived 800 years of British rule and persecution, and, while our neighbours may have tried to kill our beloved language, they sure as hell couldn’t kill our sense of humour. In short, we’re made of sterner stuff – and we shook it off!

Besides, both Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky have, due to their ‘dalliance’, kind of morphed into eminently mockable characters with, dare I say, these off-the-cuff jokes kind of shaping the latter’s public persona down the decades.

Leave Leo alone – let him have his little joke. Besides, given this government’s failure to spend the whopping €999 million they’d ‘earmarked’ for housing over the past four years while the entire nation has been (and remains) in the grip of a housing crisis, I’d say he’s got bigger problems to face.

Who’s footing bill for President Biden’s visit to Ireland?

Manholes are being welded shut, security sweeps are already underway, and high-level talks are taking place between the White House, the US State Department, our Government, and the Irish Embassy in a bid to prepare for the ‘homecoming’ of the USA’s second most Oirish President (the first being JFK)…Joe Biden!

Reportedly coming here for a whistle-stop six-day trip at the end of April, (dates yet to be determined), to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, President Biden (apparently accompanied by Bill and Hilary Clinton; morto for you, Leo) is expected to spend two days visiting family in Mayo.

While I’m absolutely delighted for our neighbouring county, I have to ask who’s going to foot the massive bill for President Biden’s visit to his ancestral home? As an aside, this is a possible swansong visit, because Joe’s by no means certain of being re-elected.

I’m extremely proud of our nation’s historic Good Friday Agreement, believing that we should of course celebrate it. However, given that so many Irish people are eking out a living on the breadline, struggling to meet their bills (me included), the fact that our government can find the funds to host a fanfare for another country’s leader – and his entourage – leaves me with a bitterly sour taste in my mouth.

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