by Terry Reilly
In Ireland we have a new president, seventy year old Michael D (Daniel) Higgins, a native of county Limerick, who emerged from a pack of seven contenders to romp to victory in a testing campaign which saw two of the early front-runners fall by the wayside.
A published poet, Mr. Higgins was confirmed as the ninth president of Ireland amidst scenes of great jubilation in Galway where he lives—or lived—for he has now taken up residence in Aras an Uachtarain, in succession to the very popular Mary McAleese. She and Mary Robinson had held onto the post for a total of twenty-one years of female domination in which the boundaries of the presidency were greatly explored and made much more meaningful.
An experienced politician, he has been a sociology professor, and published poet. Though born in Limerick he grew up in County Clare. He was the oldest of the seven candidates in the running. He will serve for a seven-year term, at the end of which he may seek another term.
Well known for his international humanitarian concerns, his election has been well received internationally. “Much of the commentary focused on Mr. Higgins’ humble background, his poetry and his intellect but there were also plenty of references to his short stature too,” wrote The Irish Times.
President Higgins collections of poetry is extensive and includes: Betrayal Poems (1990); The Season of Fire (1993); and his most recent book, Arid Season: New Poems (2004). He has much in common with former or current political or religious leaders around the world who are published poets, including Vaclav Havel who was the president of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003 (and of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992). And American readers will recall that former American president, Jimmy Carter, published collections of poetry after he left office.
President Higgins’ wife (he describes her as his ‘rock’) is Sabina Coyne, who is an accomplished stage actress. She grew up on a small farm near Ballindine, in rural Co. Mayo, in a house without electricity. She described her childhood as idyllic, recalling that her home was full of books. Her mother told them stories from Charles Dickens as she milked the cows. Sabina Coyne believes that her first interest in acting was sparked by hearing these stories. “It was the beginnings of identification with other lives,” she told the media.
The couple have four children: Alice Mary, twins John and Michael, and Daniel.
Exiles’ Newspaper Survives
Readers may recall me mentioning the Irish Post in Britain from time to time. It was the mouthpiece of the Irish community there since the 1970’s, and did great work in identifying and standing up for the Irish community, especially when the IRA was launching terrible bombing campaigns on the UK that put Irish people living and working there under enormous scrutiny.
Imagine the angst therefore when the paper was closed down without any advance warning in August. Economic reasons were cited for a newspaper that had a declining circulation of between 17,000 and 20,000 copies weekly.
Its closure, with the loss of over a dozen jobs, had sparked protests in the Irish community in Britain. Many Westminster MPs rallied to its support by backing a very active Save the Irish Post campaign.
Well, happy to relate, the Post was bought as a going concern by publisher Elgin Loane for an undisclosed sum, and is up and running again. In a statement, Fiona Audley, Chair of Save the Irish Post Campaign, said they all looked forward to a new and exciting future for paper. “The voice of the Irish in Britain is back,” she said.
Alcohol a Real Killer
Unfortunately, in Ireland our young people are known for their horrendous binge drinking. It is not of course today or yesterday that the Irish affinity to ‘the drop of the creature’ was recognised. The famous temperance crusader, Fr. Mathew, administered the pledge to many, many thousands before the Great Famine, and in one parish in the west of Ireland in a few days in 1840 an estimated 23,000 people gave up the drink after hearing him lecture on its evils.
While we might look back forgivingly, it is a sad fact that today in Ireland alcohol is estimated to be factor in 45 per cent of all suicides. Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to its influence, according to a leading expert on the subject. Indeed, Ireland has one of the highest rates of suicides in Europe in the 15- to 24-year-old age group, and according to Dr. John Connolly, co-founder of the Irish Association of Suicidology, young people are particularly at risk when alcohol is involved.
Dr. Connolly told a local newspaper, the Mayo News, that teenage suicide tends to be a more impulsive act, and that alcohol can lead to an increase in that impulsivity.
“Alcohol is implicated in up to 45 per cent of all suicides,” he explained. “It blinds people’s judgement and [causes them to] do things that are uncharacteristic and unusual for them.
It can increase a person’s depression, which is a big factor in suicide. Teenagers tend to be far more impulsive than older people, who tend to plan things more… Alcohol can increase that impulsiveness, there is no doubt about that,” he said.
Dr Connolly feels that parents and guardians should be aware of young people’s impulsive nature and try to support them. He also feels that the binge drinking culture in Ireland has more of an effect on teenagers than adults, and that access to alcohol is too easy for young people. “Alcohol is widely available to young people. I do know that a developing brain deals with alcohol in a different way to mature adult brains… There is a particular culture here to go out and get smashed rather than have a sociable drink.”
Sad, very sad, and a stark reminder that we should avoid the glamorising of drink (as seen during Barack Obama and the Queen’s visit to Ireland earlier this year) and treating it much more responsibly. The Government has indicated that it intends to raise the price of alcohol and curtail discounted promotions in a bid to get to drips with the scourge. We shall see.
Until next time, slan.
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