Barrtalk: Is Jim Gavin more likely to win now that he’s out of the race?

Just when you thought the already irrelevant presidential race here in Ireland couldn’t sink any deeper into irrelevancy or farce . . . cue Jim Gavin and his bolt-from-the-blue landlord woes, which have returned from 2009 to bite him in the biggest and most public way imaginable.

Little did Jim know back then that his financial dealings would become front-page news sixteen years later. The former Dubs' GAA manager now becomes a cautionary tale for those thinking of suddenly thrusting themselves into public life. Don’t do it; for the love of god, no!

Interestingly, I wonder if Gavin dropping out could actually make him more likely to win the race for the Aras! Let’s face it, he had no chance of winning had he stayed in the race anyway, long before the out-of-pocket tenant revelations.

Remember, Gavin's name will remain on the ballot paper on October 24 despite his dropping out, and I’ve heard more than a few people signalling their intention to put an X for Jim, just to give the government another poke in the eye over the whole debacle.

What would happen if he actually won? How embarrassing would that be? One bookmaker still has him at 40/1; and stranger things have happened in politics!

The whole thing has been utterly shambolic from the point of view of An Taoiseach Micheal Martin and the Fianna Fail party, who must be counting down the days until the election is over and forgotten about for another seven years. Nothing to see here.

Isn’t it great, though, to have a ballot paper with just a few names on it for a change, after the reams and rolls of paper that were required for some of our most recent elections.

As for me, having not really followed any debates to be honest, I’m still undecided between Humphreys and Connolly, as I suspect many are.

I predict a low and largely apathetic turnout on the day.

If I had to pick a winner, I’d say Connolly looks the part more than her rival. Plus she has the more presidential-sounding surname. On lesser such things, elections have been decided.

As for poor old Jim Gavin, he’ll be the butt of jokes for many a year to come yet, before sliding onto ‘Reeling in the Years’ circa 2040, by which time RTE will be on Netflix.

He sealed his own fate in the end. I mean, come on, Jim, who wears crystal white trousers to a farm and then has the audacity to leave the gate to the field open after them?

Not the next president of Ireland, that’s for sure.

New Inishowen History podcast is superb

I must say I’ve been thoroughly impressed by the new Inishowen History podcast, which has just launched and is currently releasing its inaugural episodes.

The series takes us right back, focusing on the early Christian and medieval period as it relates to Inishowen.

I listened to the first few episodes with illuminating archaeologists Max Adams and Colm O’Brien on the Carrowmore High Crosses and Cooley Graveyard, which, as a Moville man, I particularly enjoyed.

It has been a deep source of shame for many in Moville down the years, the way the ancient monastic site at Cooley, which is at least as old as the fifth century, has been allowed to fall into a state of chronic neglect, despite the best efforts and hard work of Martin Hopkins and others.

In fact, that’s the very point that Hopkins makes on the new podcast episode two – that Cooley could, and should, be celebrated as one of Inishowen’s most important historical landmarks; one that could attract thousands of visitors annually.

Inishowen is teaming with such historical sites, many of which remain largely forgotten and relatively unknown. The new podcast will help shine a light on them.

The wonderfully well-produced and professionally-sounding series is presented by local historian Neil McGrory – and, as a podcast listener of many years, I have to say it’s genuinely right up there with the very best you could listen to.

Plus, it’s always nice to hear some local voices on the airwaves for a change, not to mention gain a new insight into the remnants of the ancient world which are all around us.

It’s fascinating too to hear how well Inishowen actually sounds on tape!

I look forward to the next episode with renewed interest for my local history.

Pope Leo impresses on climate

I haven’t heard much from the new Pope – he rarely seems to feature in the press or TV here – but I have to confess [!], I like much of what he says.

I particularly admire the way Pope Leo XIV has railed against the climate change deniers, including the leader of his native United States.

Recently, the new pontiff tore into critics who “ridicule those who speak of global warming”.

Speaking at an environmental conference, he said: “Some have chosen to deride the increasingly evident signs of climate change, to ridicule those who speak of global warming, and even to blame the poor for the very thing that affects them the most.”

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Continuing the positive and progressive work of his predecessor Pope Francis in the climate arena, Pope Leo has called on ordinary people to put more pressure on politicians over climate change, and to take a more active role to help “mitigate the damage done to the environment".

The Catholic leader’s wise words are in stark contrast to Trump, who continues to blast the climate movement as a “hoax” and “the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world”.

The world’s greatest huckster has some cheek to talk about con jobs.