Weeks of debacles and U-turns leave us all trína chéile
- Published: 29 October 2008
Source : Irish Examiner
By Niall Murray, Education Correspondent
BATT O'KEEFFE could hardly have chosen a more ironic moment to speak about the longevity of people from the Sliabh Luachra region of north Cork from which he hails — just as chanting students outside the building in which he was speaking were closing in fast.
But for the intervention of security staff and gardaí, they might otherwise have had their noses and megaphones pressed against the window of the Lewis Glucksman Gallery at University College Cork, where the Education Minister was launching a seminar on great Cork writers as part of the Oireachtas na Gaeilge festival in the city.
Among those writers was SeánÓ Riordáin, whose famous poem Cúl an Tí is well remembered by most people who have sat Leaving Certificate Irish and opens with the line: "Tá Tír na nÓg ar cúl an tí, Tír álainn trína chéile."
Loosely translated, it says that the mythical land of youth Tír na nÓg is at the back of the house, that it's a lovely mixed-up country.
It might well be used to described our current situation in Ireland, but as the tumult of about 30 anti-fees protesters grew in volume outside, the minister quipped: "With the noise in the background, Tír na nÓg certainly is ar cúl an tí [at the back of the house]. And I'd like the week ahead of us to be ar cúl an tí as well."
He'll surely want to see the back of this week, with up to 10,000 teachers, parents and others are expected to protest outside the Dáil today about education cutbacks — having waited two weeks since the budget for the chance.
Mr O'Keeffe has spent most of that time selling Ireland Inc to the Chinese as part of a trade delegation during which he stood in for Brian Cowen while the Taoiseach tried to patch up the medical card debacle early last week. "Doubling up" is how the Education Minister described those stand-in duties yesterday.
But it might be nothing like the doubling back he could have to do if any of his backbenchers or the Green party decide not to support the Government cutbacks in education.
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