Mary’s Musings

Mary is back with her reviews of Shane Ross’s book on Mary Lou McDonald as well as Tommie Gorman’s recent autobiography. She also finds time to criticise Education Minister Norma Foley ‘recalcitrant’ attitude towards the Junior Cert controversy

Shane Ross: I was in hospital when he arrived to visit me with the Mary Lou book. It makes for great reading, bright, gay and full of fun and facts, but he is very clear about his facts and he has done some excellent research heretofore not explained fully. When I was laid up in the nursing home, I had a lovely visit from Mary and Martin McAleese. We had a great conversation together, a great exchange of gifts and a lovely book 17 Irish Martyrs. Mary launched it in Rome last week.

I am very pleased to be writing again for the this lovely magazine – Senior Times In particular as this features three seasons, November, December and January

Let’s deal with the November issue first. The month is full of anticipation – children saving up and thinking all they hope for will come for the 25th of December. Yes, they already have earmarked in the shops what will be their favourite buy or purchase not just for themselves, but for their Grandma or Grandpa, or for several other relations and friends.

Yes, they are full of ‘the glow to come’. Now, of course every day is glorious when you are that age, full of hope and anticipation, waking up each day with a fresh plot or idea in your mind. Of course, if you are preparing for Christmas I is something else entirely. Money has to be saved, plans for meals for visitors coming, plans for meals for those at home etc.

But what I am painting for December is really a fairy-tale, but a good one. Somehow, books seem to overhang those three months. I have been in hospital for a good measure of that time, and I have had an opportunity to not just do a bit of browsing but a really good read.

Shane Ross

I’ll start off with Shane Ross’s book on Mary Lou McDonald. I have known and like Shane for a good number of years. When I was leader of the Seanad, Shane Ross was the Trinity Senator. He was always great to be in a battle with. I constantly enjoyed our jousts.

I was in hospital when he arrived to visit me with the Mary Lou book. It makes for great reading, bright, gay and full of fun and facts, but he is very clear about his facts and he has done some excellent research heretofore not explained fully.

I am conducting a review of the book for a local paper, so I will disclose more in the next four weeks. This book will be a sell out and I strongly recommend it. I am sure that manty readers of Senior Times have read another best seller which is No 2 on the bestseller list. It’s by the famous author and TV pundit, Tommie Gorman, Never Better – My Life in our Times It’s a marvellous read for anyone who wants to follow Europe’s growth. Tommie in his job, is the centre of it all, and we get very faithful accounts of all who came and went in Europe. Tommie got struck with a very violent form of cancer. I received a very difficult call in Uppsala and he surmounted so many cases of it, when he would come home after a very bad dose, when asked how he was, he always said, ‘never better’. We are already missing Tommie from our screens, we miss his knowledge, good humour and his full view of the comings and goings in Europe. His book is a delight to read, and would make a wonderful Christmas gift.

And finally all good things come to an end. We have all heard of Valerie Cox, she was years with Pat Kenny and Sean O’Rourke. She was an excellent TV presenter and has written a truly delightful book When I was your age. The pages detail memories and wisdom of Ireland’s grandparents. This is a truly delightful read, and will be enjoyed by so many. Well done Valerie Cox.

Simon Harris, who is the Minister for dealing with further education has made a great job of it and in particular his emphasis on apprenticeships.

You may say Junior Cert doesn’t matter, it does matter and there are girls and boys all over Ireland who are wondering and waiting and particularly with the situation that they don’t know what they are going to be doing with themselves and I think it’s very recalcitrant of Norma Foley that no matter what is the outcome.

from Mary and Martin McAleese. We had a great conversation together, a great exchange of gifts and a lovely book 17 Irish Martyrs. Mary launched it in Rome last week.

Junior Certificate

All this talk of books and scholarly works hassled me on to what I call a disgraceful situation now where the results of the Junior Cert are not coming out for another 3 or 4 weeks. Now this is a terrible situation, you may say Junior Cert doesn’t matter, it does matter and there are girls and boys all over Ireland who are wondering and waiting and particularly with the situation that they don’t know what they are going to be doing with themselves and I think it’s very recalcitrant of Norma Foley that no matter what is the outcome – it is now running into Christmas before there will be the Junior Cert results for boys and girls all over Ireland. I hope this never happens again.

While we are talking about the Junior Cert, I have to extend my full praise to Simon Harris, who is the Minister for dealing with further education. He has made a great job of it and in particular his emphasis on apprenticeships. Apprenticeships have been the back number if you like of education, but not so when Simon got hold of it. Now there are apprenticeships for everything under his watch and it is marvellous because you can ‘earn as you learn’ as they say and finding the right way of doing things has become the norm. I know apprentices who have gone on to be executives of big companies, and why wouldn’t they? They are far more knowledgeable about their subject and about their trade than anyone else.

As well as that Simon Harris ensured that they would be a bonus payment for college students which greatly alleviated those who are beginning their studies.

University of Limerick

I see that recently the University of Limerick had their 50th birthday. I know well about this as my lovely niece Sarah went down with a crowd of girls that are friendly with her. They went down to celebrate the 50th anniversary. There were some lovely photographs of Charlie Haughey and myself, a founder of the college which turned out to be a huge success. I well remember bringing up the idea that we should make Limerick a University. It had been a centre for outstanding education and moving forward to university status. Being on the river Shannon as well as the college of the Shannon here in Athlone shows that the Shannon River has been a unifier, and has been throughout history. The fast flowing natural phenomenal a conveyor of education at all levels in Irish society. a very strong Clare man, was chair of the body which set up the University of Limerick and I always think of him with great fondness.

So now we have a very strong essay in this edition of Senior Times about November, December and January, and I think it is hugely appropriate that we end in the month of January, when the University of Limerick celebrates its 50th anniversary. There can be no better way of doing so than having young people of Ireland flood down to Limerick and taste the delights, look at the subjects on offer and think the long thoughts of what they want to do when they get the Leaving Certificate. It really is the time for universities and for higher education, when you look around there isn’t a town in Ireland that hasn’t got a cohort of young people who are keen to go forward to the next step where they can learn more.

This has been a very heavy period but there has been much to say and much to think about and ponder. I hope many of you readers will think about some of the books I have mentioned and will go out to their nearest library and put their name down for them or buy them in their bookstore.

So to the readers of Senior Times, I say get enjoyment out of what you taste, see and read and think about it . These books will give you plenty of room for thought.