6 minute read
G’day From Melbourne
G’Day
from Melbourne
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BY MIKE BOWEN
Image: independent.ie
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.
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
would be more exciting than being in Rio for the Mardi Gras. To make matters worse on occasions like this, the Irish on this side of the world can only look on with envy at the joy of the Irish with their freedom. Unlike us misfortunates who have to live with the harsh restrictions that we’re shackled with. So there I was, all cuddled up and waiting in anticipation with my phone on, ready to share in all the excitement with friends in the red city. Well only minutes after the ball was thrown in, I began to see red and it wasn’t the Cork red. Soon the screen began to look more like a river of green, flowing faster than a tsunami. As Limericks scores began to soar, my heart began to sink. By half time I saw no sign of a miracle recovery by Cork. My dream night turned into a nightmare and the only consolation for me was seeing a Limerick team at its very best, winning by 3-32 to 1-22. The fact that every one of the Limerick players scored just shows the depth of talent. Sadly the Cork party turned into a wake but that was still good enough reason to celebrate into the early hours. No doubt Cork team will be licking their wounds after the shellacking they received and will come back next year to make amends (I hope). So like a good little boy I folded up my red pajamas and jersey and stored them for next year. Another sad occasion but none the less a reason to celebrate a passing. I well remember landing in Dublin only an hour before the 9-11 disaster. My wife and I had just dropped our bags at the hotel and watched in horror and disbelief at what was unfolding in front of our eyes. The following Friday Ireland closed for a day of respect for those who died and all others affected by the tragic event. All businesses closed except the back door of the local pubs, where wakes proceeded. The Irish have a healthy disrespect for orders and rules, especially when it comes to wakes and celebrations. In this case, the Irish public decided without government approval to hold a wake of their own which is part of the Irish tradition, and Mrs. Brown’s famous line of “we’re all going down to the pub and no one gives a #uck” was thrown into the ring just to snub the authorities. I love stories like this following one, as I can only imagine the joy it has brought to the fans and local community who waited so long for this day to be able to smile and shout out ‘you can’t keep a good team down’. Ever since I could kick a football I was fascinated with the English soccer league teams. When in school I was constantly being punished for drawing and colouring the jerseys of all the football clubs’ jerseys, it didn’t matter if they were in the fourth or the first division, the colours fascinated me. Maybe me being dyslexic had something to do with it? Why am I telling you this, you are probably asking yourself. Well don’t bother thinking why, as I will shine a light on it for you now. One of the teams I used to colour in was a team called Brentford, also nicknamed the Bees. I liked their colors of red and white stripes because it reminded me of the candy rock that was one of my favourite sweets. As history revealed, Brentford was last in the top flight in 1947, 74 years ago. In their very last match in the top flight in May of that year, they were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal. Sometimes it takes a long time to get back to the top. In this case it took 74 years for the Bees, who were promoted to the premier league this year, to get their revenge. Last week they played Arsenal in their first game of the season, at Arsenals home ground, and defeated them 2-0, to cherish sweet revenge after 74 years. The little boy in me also had a smile for the underdog Bees with the news of their arrival back in the big league and taking a major scalp on their first outing.
Image: Twitter @BrentfordFC
