A Break in the Rain

I went for a drive the other day and had to contend with how lucky I am. 

Read the Paper with Me

I look forward to reading the Tirconaill Tribune. It arrives at the local Centra every two weeks. Let's read the latest issue together. 

Tir Chonaill is the older name for this part of Ireland, "Land of Conail" Gulban, the first king and namesake of this place. He was also the first nobleman converted by St. Patrick, thus establishing not only Christianity in Ireland, but more importantly, the art of writing. The appetite for local news is eternal, so I'd guess whatever form newspapers took in 450 CE, the first one was probably in Tirconaill. 

The front page story this week is about something I'd never heard about. 

The Arms Crisis was a political scandal in the Republic of Ireland in 1970 in which Charles Haugheyand Neil Blaney were dismissed as cabinet ministers for alleged involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle arms to the Irish Republican Army in Northern Ireland. At the ensuing Arms Trial, charges against Blaney were dropped, and Haughey and the other alleged conspirators were found not guilty. Blaney claimed that the then government knew about the plan, while Haughey denied this. (wikipedia)

I tried to research what this is about, but, I can't understand it. It has to do with support for people in the North during the Troubles, and whether or not ministers in the Irish government tried to supply guns to the IRA. Someone wrote a book about it, and someone published a critical review in a newspaper I don't have a digital subscription to. 

 

Lough Keel is near Kilmacrennan about 30 minutes from us. A father and two sons were fishing from the shore and "got into difficulty." One son survived. Lough Keel looks pretty from the road, but mainly for the stark, steep cliffs that surround it. I didn't even know you could get to the shore. This family have a holiday home nearby and were renovating it. I hope they aren't blaming themselves for traveling from the Isle of Man to Ireland during a pandemic when non-essential travel is prohibited. People in Santa Cruz understand what I mean.  

I noticed that fishing in Ireland differs from what I'm used to in California. In Ireland, the fishing rights are still owned by private parties, and you buy memberships, or pay the property owner to fish. So poaching is a national pastime. 

Speaking of pastimes: SPORTS BALL! SPORTS BALL! SPORTS BALL! I don't care for it myself, but it brings in the readers, that makes advertisers happy, and that pays the bills of a small local paper. I think all the young people dressed in blue are boys so I really wonder what that girl in pink thinks about it all. 

The town of Letterkenny, the largest town in Ireland that is not a city is also the most racially diverse town I've been to, except for Dublin. There is a university there, and its students and instructors come everywhere. With this story we see Letterkenny celebrated Juneteenth, and I'm happy to see how that holiday has caught on this year. To tell you the truth, I'm so over "Pride" that I would be happy to give it up so I can celebrate other people. 

 "Scenes from the campaign to represent minority groups in Donegal on Sunday."

Over 120 people came together, socially distanced, to stand in solidarity as part of a campaign to represent minority groups in the county and all across Ireland.  ... "I thought the guards were amazing because they didn't come to police, but to participate in the event. " ... Ann Friel, Primary healthcare Coordinator for Donegal Travellers Project said that the event was "the first time Traveller, Roma and Black Ethnic Minority communities have come together in the county to build positive relationships and promote Diversity Aware training."

Letterkenny won Tidiest Town 2015, but the national Tidy Town competition is cancelled this year. I know people make fun of it, but I think it has made a difference in inspiring people to do small things to make their towns and villages more liveable, and force derelict landlords to shape up. I'm glad the garden competition is going ahead. 

As I've mentioned before, this area is the birthplace of Ireland's Saint Colmcille (Columba). This article tells us that next year is his 1500th birthday. The Cathach "is the oldest surviving Irish manuscript of the Psalter and the earliest example of Irish writing. It is written on vellum and in Latin. It is traditionally ascribed to Colmcille as the copy made at night, in haste, with the aid of a miraculous light in the monastery of St. Finian of Movilla in County Down."

The Cathach is the actual physical book that was the subject of history's first copyright dispute and I'd love to see it. I wrote about this elsewhere, with my interpretation of the story. 

This is the kind of story that you rarely see here. It would probably not be reported in Santa Cruz. 

An investigation is underway in Letterkenny after a woman was attacked by an intruder at her home in the early hours of the morning. The incident occurred at Glenwood Park, Letterkenny just before 5 am on Thursday July 16th. The victim claims she was struck with a weapon before the attacker fled the scene. Garda explained: "The resident of the house was in bed when she heard knocking at her front door. The knocking then started at the bedroom window at the rear of the house. She looked out and observed a male in his early 20's, wearing dark tracksuit bottoms and a navy and blue two-toned jacket. he had dark short hair. The male in question was calling the lady by her first name. She opened the window slightly and the male struck her on the arm with a stick causing a slight injury only. She closed the window, and the male left the area. She did not know the male involved. CCTV has been viewed, and it has been established the male in question initially climbed the front wall of the property.

A new mural! It should be ready by September's Culture Night, which I missed last year because I was in the fucking hospital. I can't wait. 

The story is about a guy who owns a racehorse that won in Killarney, but I'm excited to see that nice color photo of donkeys. No information other than "Taking it easy watching the tourists go by in Bleann Úrai, Downings." If I were standing next to the donkeys, I would be looking across Sheephaven Bay to where we live. 

Kids surfing and kayaking with face masks. Shit. I can't wait until this is behind us. Will it ever be? 

Tory is one of the last inhabited islands, and only recently did the last King of Tory Island pass away. His successor has not yet been appointed. When we first arrived here a few years ago I learned that the residents of Tory had won a political battle to get state funding for a new ferry. Even though the Tory Islanders won the battle, this story says: "In responding to a Dáil question from TD Thomas Pringle, the new Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport, and the Gaeltacht, Catherine Martin TD, pointed out that approval had not been given to appoint consultants to lay out the design of the new boat."  I've heard this described as "putting it on the long finger." Tory is a popular tourist area, home to a few hundred people, and the inspiration for a mid-century artistic movement. This sort of quirky suis generis government expense finds few champions among fiscal conservatives in Dublin. 

Here's the five stage plan to re-open after the covid shutdown. Is "covid yellow" adopted everywhere or just here? 

OMG the weekly quiz! Such a fun mix of trivial questions about local history, Irish politics, and popular culture.

Land's End and John O'Groats are two headlands that are located on the most southerly and northerly points in what country? What word can be placed before bottle, bird, and bell? In the films "True Grit" and "Rooster Cockburn" who or what was General Sterling Price? Which new political party won 29 seats in the UK for the EU elections in 2019? What does the Spanish term "a pie" mean? I have a cake and a table named after me and I am used all over the world. What am I? 

In the popular song, who is the Rose of Mooncoin? In betting terms, how much in pounds is a 'monkey'? In which Donegal town would you find Slavery Road? What does the term "Tokyo" refer to in The Peaky Blinders?

Except for the sports questions, I want to know all this random stuff. 

Car park bingo. Color photo, half a page. Obviously, bingo is essential. 

Full page devoted to the ten-year volunteer career of a woman who started a gospel choir. So many local arts efforts go on for years without coverage like this. I hope they can find someone to continue the choir, even though I'm sure I'd hate the music. 

Every week we get a "twenty years ago today" feature. This story is about how that summer the Tribune wrote how tourism wasn't doing well, and Dr. James McDaid went on Highland Radio (Donegal's local station) arguing against that opinion. More than "two hundred angry and disappointed people" called the paper, and this story reports what most of them said. 

McDaid reacted with hostility to last week's report in this paper commenting on the absence of visitor numbers in northwest Donegal. Well, he would say that. Wouldn't he? Reacting to the report on Shaun Doherty's Show on Friday, McDaid said the Tribune story was "utter rubbish" and he claimed we are enjoying record figures in the industry. Not one caller agreed with his observations and since the broadcast we have again received a litany of complaints about targets being missed by a mile along with cancellations and no return for marketing budgets over the past three years. Complaints have come from Malin to Malinmore and across Gweedore and the Rosses and into the traditional seaside resorts where some establishments are claiming the season has been a total washout.

I don't know about you, but I love an indignant voice in a newspaper.

You can listen to Irish radio stations on RadioPlayer app, wherever you are in the world. I listen to Highland, RTÉ Lyric, RTÉ Raidó na Gaeltachta, and Radio Kerry.

An iceberg-like story about police corruption but not these guys. "The Garda Press Office stressed the move is in both the public and garda interests and should not be seen as an indication of any wrongdoing by those directed in the transfers." I'm sure people around here remember what this was actually all about.  

Two stories that exist in a context I don't understand. The first is about changing the name of Letterkenny Town Park to Bernard McGlinchey Peace Park. "Cllr. Malong said the original name had found universal favour with most Donegal people and it was now despicable to see this issue relegated to the status of a political football to suit one party." Bernard McGlinchey was a Fianna Fail politician, and his wikipedia page raises more questions than it answers. We've been to the park, and it still has his name. 

The other story is about five people at the Aldi supermarket who were fired after joining a trade union. 

Meanwhile, in the present: I'm very bummed that covid crushed the summer arts festival. 

The very worst kind of country music is popular in Donegal, and many other parts of Ireland. City people make fun of it, as they do. If you listened to the Dolly Pardon's America podcast, you will know why. 

The paper includes reports from the villages outside of Letterkenny: Fanad, Rathmullan, Ray, Dunfanaghy, Creeslough, and Cloughaneely (aka Falcarragh). We now live between Dunfanaghy and Creeslough. I wrote about why Falcarragh has two names earlier. 

And five more pages of sports ball. 

The Whorisky's Ramelton grocery, cafe, and off-license (liquor store). A full back page ad, in color, which pays for the other color pages. In addition to promoting themselves as the place for great value and Irish products, they also have adapted to the covid-world. They do home deliveries; we're still getting deliveries from our shop in Dunfanaghy. 

That was fun. Can't wait for the next issue.