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Rev Paisley has left me lost for words
Monday, 19 January 2009
Reverend Ian Paisley launches Irish-language exhibition. Yes, it's Monday and you are tired so I will repeat that:
Reverend Ian Paisley launches Irish-language exhibition. Never, never, never did I expect to see the day when that would happen. In fact, were I to turn up for Sunday Mass and see the good Reverend serving as an altar boy, I don't think I would be more surprised.
Rev Paisley was at Cregagh Library in Belfast last week where he launched an art and poetry exhibition on St Colm Cille/Columba, the famed Donegal saint who left Ireland for the Scottish island of Iona.
The original art work is by Brian Ferran, former head of the Arts Council here and a great painter who, I hope by now, is making a few bob from all the drawing. Alongside Ferran's canvases is a poem from 600AD, commemorating Colm Cille in modern Irish, Scots Gaelic and English.
The exhibition (and very attractive accompanying book) are of themselves important but even more vital is the fact that the organisers managed to persuade the former First Minister to mark the occasion. Paisley gave a very gracious speech, saying: “I think that we have lost in Northern Ireland a very vital part of our history as far as Christianity is concerned, and I think it would do our country good if we could somehow change the flow and somehow say that this is not a history of Protestantism or Romanism; that this is a history of Christianity.
“I think that young people could get a great kick out of this. The places where these people spread their news are right at our feet, and this exhibition round these walls tonight brings from the dark ages some of the most delightful statements from that time. I believe that we have a lot of making up to do to get our people interested in what is a great and a glorious heritage.”
What a cultural coup for the organisers of the event: Colmcille, an organisation that aims to strengthen links between Irish-speaking Ireland and Gaelic-speaking Scotland and the ULTACH Trust, a group who promote Irish on a cross-community basis — and a group who have had to endure some vicious criticism from the Provo language brigade over the years. Still, what a victory. It was not the slabbers, the table-thumpers or the fantasists who brought Paisley into the language fold, it was the quiet, conscientious and dedicated workers of Colmcille and the ULTACH Trust.
Rev Ian Paisley launches Irish-language exhibition. I am going to have to lie down.
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I wish I was there,it must have been so wonderful,aegg I missed it.
Posted by selwyn marock | 13.07.09, 22:50 GMT
"Rev Paisley has left me lost for words ..." Thank God.
Posted by Frank | 23.01.09, 16:45 GMT
They obviously didn't see him shouting abuse at the European Parliament at an elderly man among other acts. Not the actions of an ambassador.
Tom, what language is this?
A word of advice, son. If you are attempting to land the "killer punch" with a sarcastic comment, make sure it makes sense.
Posted by Richard | 21.01.09, 09:36 GMT
While on holiday, two elderly american ladies told me that Mr Paisley helped them with their bags when they could not manage them
.Later on that evening one of the ladies said,I think the man that helped us is in television.About a year later they saw the Rev Ian on TV and the penny dropped.They said he was a true Northern Ireland ambassador.
They obviously didn't see him shouting abuse at the European an elderly man parliament among other acts. Not the actions of an ambassador.
Posted by Tom | 20.01.09, 11:15 GMT
While on holiday, two elderly american ladies told me that Mr Paisley helped them with their bags when they could not manage them
.Later on that evening one of the ladies said,I think the man that helped us is in television.About a year later they saw the Rev Ian on TV and the penny dropped.They said he was a true Northern Ireland ambassador.
Posted by jay | 19.01.09, 20:29 GMT
Pol, you have alluded to EXACTLY why the Protestant and Unionist community has not (except way back in the 18th century, yes I know that old trooted out sentence) and does not view the Irish Language as theirs as well. Nationalism has hijacked it, views it as their own and uses it as a political tool. Ergo the language is the thumping ground of the little Irelanders and will IMO continue to be so. The challenege for the "Irish Language community" is to make it less political, less about blurring the border even further and making it more appealing to the Unionist community, good luck with that one especially since you will have the rabid dogs of republicanism biting at your heels.
Posted by Gary | 19.01.09, 11:37 GMT