Did I hear that right?

I think Lenihan said there that the property/land/assets/whatever only has to rise by 10% over the next 10 years in order for NAMA to break even...

Well... that doesn't sound too bad.

Still, 'though - I do not trust it.

A funny doomed feeling..

Watching the NAMA thing in the Dail on telly - stressful. Not able for it, but can't look away. Between this and Lisbon 2, I've got an awfully sickly sinking feeling - but all I can do is watch as it all goes to pot. A lot of talk going on, all quite hopeless to be honest.

Christ. Recessions happen! It's natural; crap, and tough, but natural. The economy ebbs and flows and none of this knee-jerk panic is going to help - this bizarre plan is insane, and too risky to justify. Yet I'm listening to the bastards try and fail at doing just that... and wondering how they sleep.

I s'pose Cowen probably drinks himself into a coma, his huge red nose swelling with saturation, and whatever guilt he SHOULD feel, numbed. My mum said she feels sorry for him - Bertie having landed him in this, and all. But, I'm sorry, who was the Finance Minister under Bertie, again? Rudolf himself.

Anyone else up for a sesh on Lisbon night? Either to celebrate or mourn - whichever.

"May you live in interesting times..."


Bollox.

Deireadh le Ré

Tá an Club chun dúnadh taobh istig de bhliain. Táimid ag druidim chun deireadh le Ré an Conartha ar 6 Sr. Fhearchair. Cé nach chreidim féin go foil é, tá sé fíor... :(

Fuair mé post (eile!) ann. Thosaigh mé Dé Luain ag obair taobh thiar den bar (Aisteach – cleachtaithe le bheith ar an taobh eile!) Bhí mé ag iaraidh níos mó am a chaitheamh ann sula nimionn sé…

Tá an “auction” le bheith ar siúl ar an 15ú la Iúl. Cé go mbeidh na daoine sna hoifigí thuas bogtha amach go háiteanna sealadacha gan rómhoill, ní bheidh an club dúnta láithreach. Tá daoine ag rá go bhfanfaidh sé ar oscailt go dtí am na Nollaig. Tá obair na hoifigi le leanúint ar aghaidh, ach ní thugann sé sin mórán sólás dúinn… domsa. Táim croíbhriste!!

Ní dóigh liom go bhfuil ‘fhios ag duine ar bith cé comh fhada is a mbeidh an club dúnta, imithe, marbh... 3 bhliaina? 10 mbliaina? Go deo? Thóg sé tamaill fada an áit a chur le chéile sa bhealach ina bhfuil sé anois… Tá cuma “charming” air, agus céard faoi na truscáin álainn? An bhfuil aon áit stóras ar fáil go dtí go bhfuil áit nua socraithe?

Tá neart luaidreáin ag eitilt thart… An mbeidh go leoir airgid chun an Ionad mhór nua seo a cheannach? I measc an fhaitíos ar fad faoin spealadh eacnamúil atá tar éis teacht ar an tír, an é seo an am is fearr le bogadh? An mbeidh an airgead céanna le fail ón rialtais? An gheobhaidh siad preighis mhaith don áit? Táim scanraithe, sin an méid... Táim cinnte go bhfuil fhios acu cad tá ar bun acu – tá an cuma orthu go bhfuil.

Thit mé i ngrá leis an cathair nuair a tháinig mé go Baile Átha Cliath dhá bhliain ó shin, ach ‘sé an conradh an áit is fearr liom sa cathair, agus sa tír! An méid de stair atá ag baint leis an áit .. Tá sé treascrach… Tá pictiúirí taobh thiar den barr ón tréimhse ina raibh an áit in úsáid mar banc Sinn Féin fadó. Is breá liom an fhoirgneamh í féin – na tolláin faoi Áras Móibhi; na sean-shimléir; na síleálacha airde... Tá draíocht éigin san áit, nach bhfuil? Gach uair a théim ann, agus é ciúin, suimhneach... breathnaím thart ag smaoineamh. Dearfainn go mbeadh na mballaí in ann an-chuid scéalta a insint! Samhlaigh é!

Idir óg agus aosta, is cuma sa chlub. Tá beagnach gach éinne cairdiúl, cainteach, ag baint sult as an cumarsáid trí mheán na Gaeilge le daoine leis an suim céanna. Gach éinne ag iarraidh ár dteanga a usáid, agus a chleachtadh. Cuireann sé Cheers i gcuimhne orm!

Bíonn sé ar nós go bhfuil tú tar éis éalú ón cathair ar feadh tréimhse. Uaireanta i mbliaina nuair a bhí rudaí ag éirí ró-deacair orm – an brú ag méadú agus an cathair gnóthach ag tabhairt tinneas cinn dhom – bhí mé comh sásta i ndiaigh cúpla uair a chloig a chaitheamh ann. Fiú nuair a bhí mé ag obair thuas staighre ag cabhrú ag an fáiltiú – tá aitmaisféir san áit nach gheobhfá in áit ar bith eile…

Bhí mé ag caint le fear amháin aréir atá ag teacht ann le daichead bhliain anúas… Tá daoine eile ann gach seachtain, bíonn na mic léinn ann gach Máirt… bhraitheann an-chuid daoine ar an áit. It’s one of a kind! Cheapas go mbeidh sé ann go deo. Actually, chun an fhírinne a rá, níor smaoinigh mé riamh ar sin. I suppose I took for granted that it’d always be there.

An grá atá agam don Gaeilge, thug an club dom é, agus na daoine a bhíonn ag crocadh thart ann. Chas mé le cairde iontach ann. Chonaic mé taobh do muintir BÁC, agus do Tír seo, nar fhaca mé riamh roimhe. Spreag sé mé agus anois sé mo bhrionglóid ná a bheith ag obair sna meáin cumáirsáide Gaeilge as seo amach i mo iriseóir, nó scríobhneoir. Gaeilge agus Béarla.

Chas mé le lucht Aisteoirí Bulfinn sa chonradh. D’fhoghlaim mé mo chuid gaeilge leo –agus aisteoireachta!

…ag cleachtadh drámaíochta, ag ól, ag caint, ag pleichíocht… ag cóisirí, ag ceiliúradh cibé rud… Is cuimhin liom an chéad oíche leo – an léamhscriopta. Oh holy God! Ní raibh mé ach cúpla mhí sa coláiste, agus ní raibh mé i mo Uachtarán an Cumann Gaelach ag an am sin, mise á rá leat!! Ní raibh mo chuid ghailge go han-mhaith (bhí sé HOPELESS) agus bhí mé go hIOMLÁN caillte! Hehe... Fiú nuair a fuair mé “grind” sa bhliain deireanach sa mheanscoil, ní fuair mé ach B2 nó rud éicint… Sa scoil, bhí Gaeilge ró-dheacair dhom. Nó, sin a cheap mé!

Bhíomar ag léimh an scriopt (well, bhí mé ag iarraigh – ag stopadh ag gach dara focail chun “sounding out” a dhéanamh leis… Náireach!) Níor thuig mé teideal an drama (let alone an chuid eile de!) Níor thuig mé rud ar bith a dúradh liom. Bhí mé ag cogar istig i cluas mo chara (What did he just say to me…?)

Fuair mé páirt – bhí an cuma ceart orm don charactar! D’fhás mo chuid Gaeilge go tapaigh – bhí mé tar éis léimt isteach sa “deep end” agus níorbh ann ach dhá rogha (“snámh” a roghnaigh mé!)

Oibríonn an tumoideachas. Fuair mé tumoideachas ó lucht Bulfinn, agus ó Club an Conartha. Is aoibhinn liom bheith ann leis an cumann gaelach (MO chumann anois! Sin cé comh fhada is a tháinig mé!)

Gan an conradh, níl fhios agam cá mbeadh mé anois. Beadh mo Gaeilge i bhfad níos laige – I bhfad ró lag le bheith dáiríre faoi obair sna méain Gaeilge. Ní bheadh an post seo agam san Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann don Samhraidh. Ní bheidh mé ag dul go Inis Oirr an deireadh seachtaine seo chugainn go dtí an Tionól Gaeltachta (le cairde ón conradh AGUS Bulfinn!)

Go bunúsach….. sé mo phointe ná, d’athraigh an Conradh (agus an Club faoi) mo shaol.

Beidh sé deacair slán a rá leis an áit, y’know?

Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows
your name.

We Said NO

No offence to any journalists out there but, when it comes to the Lisbon Treaty, the Irish media are missing the point completely. Their emphasis is on the fact that we didn't understand the importance of the vote; that we acted out simply because we don't trust our politicians, as if it was a childish attempt to get back at them or something.

Well! One thing we certainly DO understand is the crisis we are in now. Politicians in Europe - in Ireland, France, Spain, and others - are going over the heads of the people they are supposed to represent.

You know there were celebrations in the streets across Europe after Ireland's No vote? I don't see many reports of that in the media. The media are as eager to make us feel stupid and guilty as the politicians are; portraying us (as the Irish Independent's Lise Hand put it) as "a nation of ingrates" and an embarrassment to Europe. We were the only ones with a voice and We Said No. And we were under the impression that we had the right to say no. Seems not!

I think MOST people who voted No knew what they were doing. We may not trust our politicians, but that had little, if anything, to do with it. The problem was that we didn't trust the effin' Treaty! OR the direction in which Europe seems to be heading...

One good thing that came from the No vote is that it exposed the current reality of EU "democracy". No-compaigners were afraid the new EU would mean Ireland had less say and less of a voice. What better proof of those fears than Nicolas Sarkozy's respone to the result! He declared that Ireland's vote didn't matter, and would not stop what so many countries have already ratified.

This is not the EU we signed up to. This is an EU where we have no voice; where big countries change the rules when things don't go their way. The people of France's voting rights were taken away. It was originally agreed all 27 had to ratify the Treaty for it to be accepted, now it doesn't seem to matter.

With an approval rating of around 30% (on a good day), Sarkoze has some nerve to suggest he speaks for the French people.

The EU, and our politicians, only ever saw our vote as a formality; an empty formula. It seems our constitutional rights, and our opinions, only count when those in power agree (i.e. NICE) We made the "wrong" decision so they gave us a chance to redeem ourselves and, like naughty children rapped on the wrist by a government and media who insist we are ignorant, we obediently changed our minds. If we have another referendum, I pray we stick by our vote. We should not be pushed around by those who WE voted into power.

True, the EU has been good to us, but just because they helped fund our economy, does that mean they own us? Should we fall into line, blindly agreeing with whatever they put to us? It was advertised that the Treaty would make the EU more "democratic." We can already see what an absolute lie that was.