Generous response to Haiti
The generosity of the Irish people knows no bounds. Over the past few weeks Mid West Radio have been advertising and promoting a car boot sale that they ran as a fundraiser for the people of Haiti last Saturday in Knock.
They had people from all over the region, including Ballaghaderreen, Castlerea, Glenamaddy, Williamstown, Creggs etc. supervising and selling at tables on the day and there were several drop off points all over the region that people could leave their stuff for sale. I would have thought that to have raised €25,000 would have been an enormous total. Well on Wednesday of this week the official total was heading for €120,000!
It is simply a phenomenal figure. In fact, they had so much stuff donated by the public that they had to start the sale on Saturday evening instead of Sunday and there were thousands of people there over the two days. Well done to all concerned!
Terry ‘tragedy’
On Monday morning last as I brought the kids to school, I heard Claire Byrne who is the co-presenter on the morning programme on Newstalk. She was talking about “a tragedy”. So when I heard those words I turned up the radio. What was she talking about? Wait for it, the ‘tragedy’ was the kids affected by the carry-on of John Terry and his lover! The ’tragedy’ concerned a footballer (Terry) who earns £160,000 sterling per week and his carry on with the girlfriend of another footballer (Bridge) who earns £100,000 sterling per week.
It’s sad, but I think the kids involved will be ok, don’t you? A tragedy is what has happened to the kids who were orphaned in Haiti, or what happened to the kids who were sexually abused by religious orders and others throughout the country over the years, or kids who are starving in their hundreds of thousands every day of the week in Africa. Those are tragedies. We have taken the whole celebrity thing too far and it’s even creeping into the national airwaves now.
‘Head shop racket is stupid’
Dear Seamus
I love your ‘Straight Talking’ column in the Roscommon People. Keep up the good work.
If you happen to print this email in the paper, please do not publish my name.
I think all the racket about the head shop in Roscommon is stupid. Where are all these people who are picketing when certain individuals are at all the school gates selling illegal and dangerous drugs to children? Why do they not picket the school gates and drive this scum out of town?
The kind of products that this shop is selling is not dangerous. I know this Seamus because I know someone who travels to Athlone to purchase the same goods. I speak with this person daily and you would not think he/she was using anything at all. Minister Finneran and other officials’ time would be better spent fighting for the likes of the carers and other needy causes.
I am not used to writing to newspapers, but I hope you get the gist of my email.
Thank you Seamus and keep up your style of writing.
(Name and address and telephone number was supplied with this email).
Comment: Thank you for your letter, but the advent of these Head Shops are unwelcome in my view. I’m sure that any of the products sold in these shops could be sold in supermarkets if there was no question mark over their safety. The point about drugs (and even pubs who serve young kids) is well made. As a parent I would not be in favour of the growth of these head shops. Even if only one person is affected, it is one too many. SD.
Corner is still a long way off
Brian Lenihan rightly got lot of praise for the way he has faced up to the economic problems of the country over the past few months, especially as he is also receiving treatment for cancer, but I’m afraid that his assertion that we have turned the corner with regard to the economy is way off the mark and is wishful thinking on his part and that of the government.
Only today we find out that the tax take for January is almost 18 percent down on January 2009, which means that the collapse in retail sales in continuing. Worst of all is the fact that this morning we hear that 8,600 people lost their jobs in January alone. Just think about that figure for a minute. It is the population of every man, woman and child in Roscommon Town multiplied by two, out on the dole this month alone.
In addition we also heard this week that because of the chronic unemployment situation, thousands more people are now going back to college which will drive up the points for the young people who are doing their leaving cert and who are trying to get into third level this year. It means only one thing for a lot of young people who don’t get the required points this summer, the boat or the dole queue.
The Government has to announce some sort of jobs strategy to help people to get back to work. At least they should introduce support for small businesses to help them keep the people they have at work at the moment, but they are doing nothing in that regard at all. 40,000 Irish people have emigrated in the past six months and it’s hard to blame them. In fact I was with a prominent business man in Roscommon Town at the weekend and he listed out six businesses that closed in the town in the week up to Friday 29th. Six businesses in one week in a small town. Mr Lenihan, we haven’t even reached the corner yet.
Heartbreaking blow for Four Roads family
The cruel way that life can hit us when we are least expecting it was clear for all to see with the tragic death last week of Niall Coyle.
I didn’t know Niall, but I know his family and it is a terrible heartbreaking blow for them. I have seldom seen such an outpouring of genuine grief and Niall was certainly one of the most popular guys in the Four Roads area, according to all I have heard about him over the past week. To his heartbroken family, to all his friends and to everyone in the Four Roads area I extend my deepest sympathy on their tragic loss.
Ladies taking over the music business
The ladies are fairly taking over the music business if this week’s Grammy’s are anything to go by.
Beyoncé swept the boards with a record six wins, followed by Taylor Swift on four, and Lady Gaga on two. Black Eyed Peas and the Kings of Leon each got three, with Eminem getting two. There were also awards for Keith Urban and for Bruce Springsteen. The lifetime achievement award was given posthumously to Michael Jackson and his son Prince Michael was there to pick it up and he spoke very well. It was very enjoyable show and despite what some people might think there is still some great artists out there.
Spectre of ghost estates
Over the past week we have seen a lot of coverage of the problem on ghost estates around the country and not too many people will have been surprised to read that county Roscommon has 35 estates that fall into that category.
I suppose that there are a few of these estates that will eventually be finished but it is also a fact that many will never be finished and will be ‘NAMA’d’. Many of these houses will never be finished and a lot of them will have to be knocked to the ground and the land will have to be returned to agricultural use. These estates are in almost every town and village in the country and if anyone wants to know what happened to our the economy over the past two years, then all you have to do is visit any one of these estates. You won’t have to look too far to find one!
