English Should Scram
NORMALLY when reading something negative about William Jefferson Clinton I rise to the bait, but Tom Deignan’s article in issue of October 1-7, “Book Alleges Clinton Blair Tension on North,” ruined for the time being my appetite for castrating the past president.
What does Ireland and England think we can do about Northern Ireland? First the Irish castigate us for our involvement around the world in matters that affect world peace, and then they condemn us for not getting involved in a petty civil war that closely resembles the conflict between the Hatfields and McCoys.
Simply put, we’ve got bigger fish to fry, and on top of that the solution is simple. As much as I like British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the burden is on his shoulders. He has to get out.
England has more than paid her debt to the Scots they transplanted in the 1700s. This crying out for help when they refuse to live with their Catholic neighbors is not our concern.
If the English would just go home two things could happen. Either the Protestants would realize the Irish Catholics were not going to kill and eat their children (which is what started all this) and shake hands, or the anti-treaty faction in the south would make believers of them. At any rate it would be a done deal.
Jerry Hoosier
Cypress, California
Heartbroken Fan
CAN I also put on the record how heartbroken I am at the decision by BBC America to cancel EastEnders. I have been keeping up to date on the soap via Irish newspaper reports since I left Ireland five years ago, and when BBC America came on our airwaves over here I was elated.
The network has pulled the plug at a particularly crucial time in the soap, with the imminent return of Dirty Den Watts to Walford. These episodes have pulled huge ratings back home, and would undoubtedly have done the same here, if the BBC had given them a chance.
EastEnders is a vital part of the Irish TV experience. I cannot for a minute believe that the ratings for the show over here were as poor as BBC America claims.
We need to keep hammering this point home if we’re to get one of the best shows on TV anywhere back on our screens. So please, everyone, let BBC America know that EastEnders fans won’t stay silent!
Ann Brennan
Boston, Massachusetts
No Lieberman Fan
udos to Joe Lieberman? He has been in the Senate for more than 10 years and he finally issues a paper related to the Northern Ireland peace process. How can you commend this phony?
If he wasn’t running for higher office, he wouldn’t give a hoot about Northern Ireland or any other Irish issue. In fact, he would be reaping political hay by condemning the IRA or Sinn Fein.
Lieberman speaks out of both sides of his mouth. He has condemned the IRA in the past, yet he ignores Israel’s murder of innocent Palestinian civilians. Lieberman also condemned Howard Dean for suggesting that the U.S. be balanced in its policy regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Gene Durkin
New Castle, Delaware
Disgust of the Dance
MY two daughters aged 10 and 11 years have been banned from participating in the Ulster Dance Championship in Derry next month because they refuse to wear a wig. Not only is this an equal opportunities issue, it addresses a much larger issue which is the exploitation of young girls and the demise of our cultural heritage.
Irish dancers as young as four years of age are being asked to wear make-up, false tan and sock glue, lest their socks should crease while dancing. Furthermore, it is reported that dancers in America are wearing back braces in order to enhance their posture, and are pinning the sleeves of their dresses to the side of their skirts to keep their arms straight.
Such messages of inadequacy are consistently being sent to our young girls. This surely begs the question of where is this all leading to.
Media images have bombarded young girls for years, and indeed may contribute to a lower self esteem, the development of eating disorders and in some cases ultimately death. Besides all this, troupes of dancers are often rendered to look like a gaggle of turkeys.
Since the publication of my story in the Irish media last week, I have been inundated with calls from concerned citizens across the world and a plethora of journalists. These include comments from parents who have succumbed under pressure to conform despite their principles and values, thereby presenting their children on stage bedecked in all the regalia that goes with Irish dancing.
A further issue to consider is cost, with a dress averaging around £800 to £1000, wigs which are upwards on £100, hard and soft shoes which together total around £150 and, depending on which brand of cosmetics or false tan, the cost will vary. Nowadays costumes are embellished with geometric patterns which are not representative of the traditional “princess cut” Irish peasant dresses worn 200 years ago.
These peasants were taught dancing during the 18th century by what were known as dance masters, wandering teachers who traveled from village to village in a district, teaching dance.
The worldwide success of Riverdance and more recently Lord of the Dance has placed Irish dance in the international stage. The world over is filled with young boys and girls keen to imitate and learn the dancing styles which brought Jean Butler and Michael Flatley international acclaim. Unfortunately, however, Irish dance has clearly become elitist.
The Irish Dancing Commission, commenting on the case of my two daughters being banned from participating in the Ulster Championship, said they neither condone or condemn the use of wigs in Irish dancing and state the final decision rests with the individual dancing school.
This neutral response from the regulating body in Dublin is hardly acceptable, in light of the fact that only a short number of months ago the commission distributed a circular soliciting the views of dancing teachers on the wearing of wigs.
It is possible that no general conclusions have yet been drawn, but while my two children remain disqualified from dancing, I eagerly await the outcome.
Patrick Mallon,
Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Stop the Ban
I AM not a smoker, and in fact I rarely visit pubs, one of the reasons being all the smoke wafting through the air, but I cannot see how the Irish government has a hope of implementing their proposed smoking ban next year.
Like it or not, smoking in pubs has been a tradition in Ireland for many a year. When I was young I used to visit the country with my Irish-born parents, and occasionally went into the local pub. My clothes used to stink of the smell of smoke, which is probably one of the reasons why I hate smoking so much today.
But I can’t understand why the government doesn’t reach out for some sort of compromise on the matter, given the prevalence of smoking in Ireland. Yes, we all know that smoking is bad for your health, but that doesn’t stop people from doing it. Alcohol isn’t exactly a great thing either, by the way.
I can see massive unrest in Ireland once this smoking ban comes into place. I don’t see what the government hopes to achieve by its implementation.
The smoking ban in New York hasn’t made me more inclined to visit bars. If I was a publican in Ireland I would be up in arms over the ban. Smoking isn’t against the law, after all, and enjoying a cigarette and a pint is a time-honored tradition in Ireland that won’t go away, ban or not.
Siobhan Ryan
Mineola, New York
|
