"Who brings a tale takes two away. ~Irish Proverb"

I like that proverb, unfortunately it's a very true one in Ireland. We love to talk, we love have a bit of news to tell. It shows in many of our greetings - "Whats the story?" - Used as a general Hello, "An bhfuil án scéal agat?" - Have you any news, these are heard often in different sides of Ireland. The sad part of it is that many people are happy to spread rumour, usually false, just to have 'a bit of news'. In the Terry Pratchett book - "The Truth" one of 'bad guys' has a favourite quote I quite like, though it is a little depressing.. "A lie will travel around the world before the truth has got it's boots on".

In my locale a new Pharmaceutical company has begun construction a huge facility, that has and will create thousands of jobs, they announced a delay a month ago and straight away, it began, the inevitable rumour mill. As elections are approaching the usual conniving scumbags, oh I appologise, I believe the technical term is 'Politicians', have begun to try and use this to their electoral advantage. Opposition parties, who were furious that Amgen announced that they would open here, have now decided to spread the blatantly false and fictional rumour that Amgen are now pulling out, and it is of course the Governments fault, as someone who works in the industry and directly with the project I know that this is false, and merely a political manouvre made out of desperation to try to get a vote, how pathetic. I am no huge fan of our current government, however, at present there doesn't seem to be any real alternative. I mean even the idea of voting for the deceivers and liars who are causing great worry and strain to those depending on the Amgen project for their livelihood, would turn my stomach. If they would lie to us like this to 'trick' people into voting for them, what would they do given the power to run the country? I dread to think.

"Oh, where is the poet or bard who will compose an ode to Russian rumours? Thanks to the chronic shortage of truthful (or even false) information, our people live on rumours. " - Boris Yeltzen

Now that I've had my rant, I do appologise for inflicting it on you, but sometimes you just need to get that kind of thing off your chest, on to a more pleasant subject.


Summer is coming fast, it already feels like it here, clear skies everyday for the last two weeks, hot weather, cool breezes, blazing sunshine.. As a biker, naturally I love this weather, it's heaven on earth. As an Irish man I love this weather, it's so unusual for us here, if this is global warming, I'm going to buy a 4 litre V12 SUV. I am of course joking. Global warming is a very serious subject not to taken lightly, as such I'll not take it at all in this post. I'm feeling to light hearted today to be bothered with any soul searching and deep meaningful entries here. I'm in my office, even though I'm only wearing a light cotton shirt, I'm still absolutely roasting, I love it.

I used to work as a 'camp coordinator' for one of the tour groups that brings the many tens of thousands of Italian students here every summer. I loved that job, all summer I'd spend playing sports, singing songs, outdoors in the sun, It's the songs I remember most one that seems to epitomize summer for me ever since was one of those we tried to teach the students, it's actually not a song, it's a poem by W.B. Yeats, but it was put to an old Irish tune and now is known the world over as an Irish folk song. It's called 'The Sally Gardens'...


The Sally Gardens

It was down by the Sally Gardens my love and I did meet
She crossed the Sally Gardens with little snow-white feet
She bid me take love easy as the leaves grow on the tree
But I was young and foolish and with her did not agree

In a field down by the river my love and I did stand
And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand
She bid me take life easy as the grass grows on the weirs
But I was young and foolish and now am full of tears

Down by the Sally Gardens, my love and I did meet
She crossed the Sally Gardens with little snow-white feet
She bid me take love easy as the leaves grow on the tree
But I was young and foolish and with her did not agree


Well, not one of my more profound posts certainly, but a reflection of my mood at the moment. I feel lazy and peaceful, the sun does that to me here. I find few places I've ever visited abroad to be quite as beautiful as my native soil in the sun.

Slán Leat mo chara,
Concúbhair O'Nuamain