Christy Loftus: A week in the life of a newspaper columnist

Thursday in advance of Tuesday is the day when the column is sent to the boss. While there might be a few hours grace on Friday morning it is well to ensure that the considered article gets there on time. Deadlines, after all, are deadlines and are established to be observed, not ignored.

There are times when the contents of a column come easily to mind. The trials of a Taoiseach, the tribulations of the mothers and children of Gaza mourning their dead, the arming of Israel by the US and the EU so that Israel can impose even greater misery and destruction on a defeated enemy, the protests and the arson attacks on private property, the Far Left, the Far Right, the media suing the media (what a sorry sight!), the GAA sticking to their guns by ignoring the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste and keeping Cork v Limerick behind a pay wall, any or all of these could make an interesting column.

For this week’s column, I’m going to try something different, a column full of hopefully positive stories, and some minor gripes. Starting with a gripe obviously. People looking up death details are confronted with photos of election candidates, all decked out in their best finery and dickied up to the last looking for number 1s. I think it is gross. The living trading off the dead. Surely any election candidate with any bit of political acumen can see that there are standards that should be observed. The dead should be allowed to rest in peace.

Last week when Leinster rugby took over Croke Park there were those who suggested that the GAA should allow supporters bring pints into the stands, just in case anyone might die of thirst. It is important to note that this appeal did not come from the Leinster RFU but rather from the South Side twitterati. The Croke Park authorities quite rightly insisted, as they do for their own games, that the ban on drinking in the stands would remain. When you are in the army, you wear the boots. When you are in Croke Park you follow the rules. Nobody was discommoded. Leinster got over 80,000 fans into the game which was a big boost to their coffers and, more importantly, they got the right result over Northampton.

Way to go, GAAGO! One would think the Taoiseach would be somewhat reluctant to preach to the GAA. After all Simon is not making such a great job of building homes, not to mention keeping control of tents. It is interesting that the only time we hear criticism of the GAA pay wall is when Cork are playing and the Tánaiste gets up on his high horse and starts spluttering about things he clearly knows little about. Could the Tánaiste have suggested to the Taoiseach that he should get involved? I don’t know, but it seemed to me to be a strange intervention by Simon. And another thing, how come Limerick were not out whinging about the paywall? Obviously, they are more concerned about playing the game.

Jarlath Burns, Uachtaráin CLG, was properly forceful on Claire Byrne's RTE Radio show about the GAA’s need to raise much-needed funds by use of the paywall and by negotiating good commercial deals with TV companies for free to air terrestrial television. The GAA has been foremost among sporting organisations in allowing their major games to be televised live and free to the general public. They don’t have any need to concede to whinging politicians.

On Saturday morning people all across the country, young and old, assembled before dawn in a wonderful show of support for the Pieta House charity. Now in its fifteenth year, the event has become a national pilgrimage drawing attention to the family and the community despondency that follows a suicide.

Funds running into the tens of millions have been raised to support the work of Pieta and, perhaps just as important, the involvement of so many people in the Darkness Into Light movement has enabled a more understanding and sensitive attitude to the stigma of suicide and self-harm. The Darkness into Light walks/runs draws people together in another fine example of community engagement and support. The movement has spread beyond Ireland and fundraising walks now take place in many countries around the globe to underpin vital services such as suicide bereavement, professional counselling, awareness campaigns and specialist support for those who are self-harming. Buaileadh bos mór do chuile duine a bhí páirteach.

And what about Bambie Thug? Come on Ireland! I’d be the first to admit that I have not a clue about the song, what the lyrics are (if there are lyrics), whether Bambie Thug can sing, what the choreography is about (perhaps nothing!) or whether the performance has any meaning. And does it matter what the performance has to tell us? I would not be a fan of the Eurovision Song Contest but when there is an Irish interest one allows national pride takes precedence over any reservations one might have about the Eurovision.

I had seen excerpts of the Bambie Thug entry shown on RTÉ and admit to being highly unimpressed. But in the semi-final, in the heat of competition, Bambie Thug pulled out all the stops and was voted through to the final where he/she finished a creditable sixth. Cheers for Bambie and the team. The runaway winning entry was Nemo representing Switzerland. I have to admit I have difficulty with this binary/non-binary concept but having seen Nemo perform the song after he/she was crowned the winner, it became crystal clear why he/she won.

A wonderful celebration of community development and volunteerism was held in Hotel Newport on Sunday evening. The Newport and District Development Company (NADDCo) came together to celebrate 30 years of successful promotion of the town and to toast a number of significant projects that have greatly enhanced the area for locals and visitors alike.

High praise was heaped on NADDCo by Minister Alan Dillon who has responsibility for Local Government and Planning and by Dara Calleary whose responsibilities include Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The responsibilities of both men did not go unnoticed by the gathering. There are a number of local government and planning issues in the area - a bit of dereliction here and there and some planning stumbling blocks that will, no doubt, be brought to the Minister’s attention. When a community gets up off its backside and shows what can be achieved by community action, it attracts an appropriate response from people in government.

Dara Calleary can expect NADDCo chairman Martin Dillane to press home the need for some enterprise and job creation for the area. Newport has a proud work ethic and men and women of the area have displayed a wonderful capacity to find work where others would find excuses and to create work opportunities where others would just see problems.

The occasion was embellished by an array of local county councillors including Brendan Mulroy, Peter Flynn, Johno O’Malley and Christy Hyland all of whom were there to cheer on NADDCo and perhaps to do a little bit of canvassing. Nothing wrong with that. Also, there was Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh who was lending support to Sinn Fein’s aspiring councillor, Karen Gallagher. From a political perspective, it was all very civil and good-natured - just what one would expect at a Newport celebration.

Thought for the Day

Cast not a clout ‘til May is out