G’Day
from Melbourne BY MIKE BOWEN
AS A WRITER IN THIS COVID-19 ENVIRONMENT, IT HAS BEEN VERY DIFFICULT TO ASSESS WHAT YOU THE READER WOULD LIKE TO READ ABOUT THESE DAYS. THERE APPEARS TO BE ONLY ONE SUBJECT OF CONVERSATION ON EVERYONE’S LIPS AND THAT IS COVID-19, EVEN THOUGH WE’RE LIVING IN A WORLD OF MULTI HIGHWAYS OF TECHNOLOGY AND CONSTANT NEWS UPDATES.
52 | THE IRISH SCENE
Image: independent.ie
In normal times (if anyone still remembers those days) a writer had so much more to write about that would hold your attention and interest. Now there is fear among us writers as to what to write about. Do I write about Covid-19 and add more fuel to the depression that has already imprisoned your mind, or do I write about other matters. If I go with the flow of more comparison stories of Covid-19 – of which you are already overdosed in – I might be accused of boring you to death. So today I thought, I’d give you some good news and somethings to laugh about for a change. Let’s start with the joy of seeing Ireland’s Olympic medal winners on the front page of all the papers in Ireland and also on this paper. They did amazingly well for such a small nation with a budget that wouldn’t cover a night out at a pub for myself and a few friends. OK so Ireland didn’t reach the top ten in the medal count but all those who wore green on their backs and pride in their heart brought pride and joy to us all. I was receiving constant update phone calls of excitement from this magazine’s correspondent in Tokyo, who just happens to be my son Emmett. Had we in Australia not been locked down with this horrible virus, I would have been at Emmett’s side, cheering on our Irish team. As a true Corkonian, it was great to see the Cork Under 20’s and the minors win their All Ireland. Their win should give hope for the future, knowing that there is great talent waiting in the wings to step up over the next few years. I was waiting with baited breath for Sunday’s Seniors All Ireland Hurling Final against Limerick. I was prepared to be up all night to watch it with the time difference, I was wrapped in my red pajamas with my Cork jersey and had a few cold beers to keep my temperature down, instead of having a couple of warm pints of Guinness in Pa Johnsons, my first place of call every time I land in Cork. To add a bit of atmosphere before the ball was thrown in, I thought I should put on a few CD’s of my good mates the Furey’s to cheer myself up. It’s heart wrenching at times like this when one is so far away in lockdown and not being able to be there to share in the excitement with lifelong friends. I had no doubt the game was going to be a cracker and if Cork won, the city
