It Occurs To Me: Sleeveen politics alive and kicking!

Shane Lowry brought joy and celebration to a nation badly in need of it last weekend.

The disgusting abuse from some so-called USA supporters towards Shane, Rory McIlroy and his wife was an all-time low in the history of the Ryder Cup.

Present at Bethpage Black was our Minister for Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, who said: “Look, every circus has to have a clown. So I wouldn’t take it too seriously.  There are tens of thousands of people here, and you’ll always find a stooge somewhere.

“It’s not representative of the vast majority of fans, or anything like that. It’s a great atmosphere, a huge amount of people are here from Europe, and a huge amount of people, obviously, from the United States, are very respectful.

“The vast majority of people are really respectful of the players and the pressure that they’re under. But as I say, every circus has to have a clown, so I wouldn't take any notice.”

Tell that to Rory and Erika! Sleeveenism writ large.

Meanwhile, Toiseach Michéal Martin has said he would have “no issue” with US President Donald Trump addressing the Houses of the Oireachtas. Speaking in New York at the UN last week, the Taoiseach said he would have an “open mind” on Trump addressing TDs and senators, stating that it would be a matter for the Oireachtas to decide. “There’ll probably be different views in the Oireachtas. 

Personally, I have no issue with him addressing the Oireachtas,” said Martin. What about the voters, Taoiseach? The vast majority of Irish people despise Trump. 

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More sleeveenism! Then, to crown it all, Minister of State Robert Troy once again proves his Sleeveen credentials when he responded to a review into housing by Westmeath County Council.

Troy called on the local authority to prioritise workers when allocating social housing. He believes a message must be sent out that it pays to work at a time of full employment.

He wants people’s employment record to be factored in when they are seeking social housing. This from a man who had to resign as a Junior Minister in 2022 because he did not declare 11 properties he owned and sold on the Dáil register of members’ interests.

He had failed to list several homes that he owned, some of which he subsequently sold. He also neglected to register one of the properties with the Residential Tenancies Board.

He failed to tell the Dáil he was receiving payment from Westmeath County Council under the Rental Accommodation Scheme when he spoke in a Dáil debate calling for more money for landlords using the scheme.

One of Troy’s properties, which he co-owned, was 25a Rathdown Road in Dublin 7, which was divided into four flats. He also previously owned the adjoining land, which he sold.

It was reported at the time that local residents in the area had complained to the TD about “dangerous” conditions at the property and rubbish dumping which attracted rats.Residents from the Rathdown Road District Residents Association wrote to Troy in 2019, raising concerns about the “dangerous conditions of boundary walls of your property 25A Rathdown Road, both that to the pavement on Rathdown Road and that to the laneway off Rathdown Road.”

They added that the wall was constructed with breeze concrete and had serious crumbling, particularly towards its base.“It is in a dangerous condition and is likely to collapse at any minute. Buildings in this condition are not acceptable in our community.”

They also complained that rubbish was overflowing outside the property and said rats could be seen coming out of the rubbish bags.

Residents said if the wall issue wasn’t addressed, they would make a report to the dangerous building section of Dublin City Council. The walls were subsequently repaired and Troy sold the adjoining garden of the property in 2020, which has since been developed.

So, I award Troy the 2025 Sleeveen Gold medal, O’Donovan the Silver, and Michéal the Bronze. As regards the latter medal, hopefully the Mid-Terms will put a stop to Trump’s gallop and give him food for thought before he sullies the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor and the Oireachtas.

James Gallagher: the Donegal Dubliner!

Recently, I saw a show in the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin that literally blew me away. It ranks as one of the best two hours of entertainment I have ever had the privilege of attending.

The Dubliners - Encore celebrates the 50 amazing years of the legendary folk group, with background video contributions by the show’s creator and last surviving member, John Sheahan, and musical director, Phil Coulter.

Out front, the Dubliners are played by five brilliant Irish musicians. Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw and heard the peerless Luke Kelly, played by James Gallagher from Creeslough. When he sang The Town I Love So Well and Raglan Road, he got numerous and deserved ovations.

‘The Dubliners - Encore ‘ranks as one of the best two hours of entertainment I have ever had the privilege of attending’

Fittingly, they got encore after encore, and it was wonderful to witness it in one of our most historic and beloved theatres.I was intrigued to find that James was inspired to become a folk singer by the late Paddy Cullen. I have often written about Paddy in this column—singer, storyteller, and raconteur—and James is still a great friend of the equally talented Cullen family. James has been resident in Galway for many years and is well known in the folk and busking scene there. His repertoire included many Dubliners and Luke Kelly songs.

A few years ago, John Sheahan and Phil Coulter began searching for five musicians to star in their forthcoming Encore show. They spread the net wide, and imagine James’s delight when he received a call from Ceoladh Sheahan asking him to be a part of it.I asked him if he got slagged for being a Donegal Dub, and he laughed:

“Sure, they’ve adopted me and, anyway, I remind them how privileged they are to have a Donegal man on board to steady the ship!” As crucial as music was to the original Dubliners, the craic was equally part of their act, and each of the lads are equally adept at the ‘oul yarns’ which really engage the audience.

Even in these days of social media, it’s still word of mouth that helps get the punters in. The word is rapidly spreading about the tremendous show.

I hope to see them again in The Millennium Forum in Derry in April 2026. But should they come to a Donegal venue before that, don’t miss them.

Transport blues…again!

I’ve often written here about the debacle that is the Expressway Bus from Galway to Derry. On a couple of occasions, it was almost two hours late, not helped by the scandal that is Letterkenny traffic. Another major problem is the lack of co-ordination between our two transport outlets.

I was reminded of this by a letter from a Dublin man in the Irish Times:

Sir, – It would appear that the timetable developers at Irish Rail never talk to their counterparts at Bus Éireann, and vice versa. On a recent carless trip to the west coast, I discovered that:

1. The bus to Clifden leaves just seven minutes after the train, if it’s on time, arrives in Galway from Dublin (next bus two hours).
2. The bus from Clifden to Westport arrives 45 minutes after the train to Dublin leaves (next train 2½ hours). Not exactly an encouragement to use public transport across the country. – Yours, etc.

That problem is countrywide. Let’s say you’re a Donegal/Derry student in Maynooth. If you get the 9.37 am train to Sligo, it lands at 12.17 and you’ve missed the Expressway bus by half an hour. The next one is scheduled for 13.40, but it is invariably late too.

I use Translink quite a lot in the north, and Link is the important word… it’s not perfect, but at least there’s co-ordination between trains and buses.

Two years ago, a friend who was attending the All-Ireland Semi-Final in Croke Park got the train in Drumcondra (Connolly to Sligo line). When they reached Maynooth, there was an announcement: “This train terminates here!” When the passengers got off, the train went on ahead.

The announcement was from the day before, and Irish Rail had forgotten to take it down. There was nobody at the station to query it, and they had to wait a further two hours for the next train. Despite numerous tweets and e-mails since, nobody has gotten back to my friend. Darragh O’Brien, the Transport Minister, was the Housing Minister previously. No point writing to him then!