We’re approaching that time of the year when dozens of politicians and officials are gearing up for their annual St Patrick’s Day exodus to the US and other far-flung lands. For the first time, every single Government minister will be going abroad on trips to 50 countries around the world, with eight travelling to the US.
Imagine 15 Cabinet and 23 junior ministers will take themselves off on what many believe are totally unnecessary trips leaving the country without a government. The fact that these flights to the four corners of the planet will add many tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere comes at a time when the public is being urged daily to get out of their cars and retrofit their homes to reduce emissions. That’s an awful lot of carbon but who’s counting when it can be made up for with increased taxes on fuel for worker’s cars and family homes?
As well as ministers, dozens, if not hundreds, of local councillors and officials will also be going abroad, mostly to the US, at the taxpayer’s expense to celebrate our national holiday. On a local level Independent Dundalk Councillor Maeve Yore has claimed that Louth County Council should not send a delegation to take part in the New York St Patrick’s parade.
She has gone further saying that all local authorities in the country should boycott America over what she calls its “fascist administration”. While I agree with Cllr Yore that such trips are a waste of taxpayers money, there’s little point in boycotting one country because of its government’s policies when others have even more ruthless administrations.
Isn’t Minister of State Jerry Buttimer heading for China, which is hardly a bastion of democracy, for the St Patrick’s Day celebrations, although it’s unlikely the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang province will join the festivities unless they escape from their concentration camps.
The US declared China’s actions against the Uyghur people a genocide in 2021 yet Taoiseach Micheal Martin visited that country on a four-day trade mission earlier this month. It would appear that when it comes to genocides some are more equal than others and Mr Martin might still have to explain to Donald Trump why he believes one is taking place in Gaza and not in China when he brings his bowl of shamrock to the White House in March.
Officials who travel on St Patrick’s Day trips often argue they are promoting their locality and highlighting the opportunities for economic investment. Yet there is precious little tangible evidence that any jobs have been created by these trips.
Unfortunately that’s not the way the world works and it is the Industrial Development Agency that has attracted the massive direct foreign investment that has fuelled the booming Irish economy.
Inversely, no amount of shamrock-wearing local councillors will persuade Jeff Bezos to row back on the planned Amazon job cuts, some feared in Drogheda, which were announced this week. Truth be told, ordinary folk are as likely to attract economic investment while on their holidays on the Costas as officials are on their St Patrick’s Day trips to the US.
A Question to Divide Drogheda: Where Are the Best Chips in Town?
This is a very controversial question and one that will divide opinion and may even expose the ancient faultline separating “dis side” from the “farr side” but here goes.
Which is the best chip shop in Drogheda? For me it has to be the Genoa in Shop Street, followed by Joe’s in Yellowbatter and Dominic’s in what was once George’s Square.
I’m sure others will have their own preferences as the area has no shortage of takeaways that serve traditional chips rather than the processed variety which is the norm in some of the international fast food outlets.
When Pete’s Was Open Late and James’s Street Was Still Standing
On the subject of chip shops there was once a famous one on James’s Street called Pete’s (The Marian) which opened late into the night and was a favourite of those coming from the pubs. Not only is Pete’s long gone, so is the entire street…that’s what they do in Drogheda
I once knew a guy who pulled up outside Pete’s around 3am but after buying a burger and chips fell asleep in this car and was only woken by the bells of St Mary’s Church and the sound of people going to mass on Sunday morning. He then drove home and had the takeaway for his dinner. Such was the 1970s.
An Untold History: Why Drogheda Port’s Story Deserves to Be Seen
I believeDrogheda Port Company has an amazing archive of photographs and documents gathered over the past century-and-a-half. I’ve seen some of it when I worked with the old Drogheda Harbour Commissioners in the 1980s and from the posts that DPC occasionally puts up on Facebook.
My only quibble is that there is never any captions on the photos to indicate the time and place when they appear on social media. With so much historical material it might be worth staging an exhibition to highlight the central role the port played in the life of Droghda.
