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8 March 2007 Edition

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Letter to the Taoiseach

BY BARRY McELDUFF



If you have a cold hand, it might be because you have a warm heart.  Anyway, that was my explanation on meeting and greeting the people outside the Sacred Heart Church last Sunday morning.  The last Sunday before the Assembly Elections.
Was the wind and rain as bad in the capital?  Do you know what one prospective voter said to our team of leafleters outside the church?  “Either youse are very committed or youse should be committed.”   
The previous day, Saturday, I found myself addressing a conference in Belfast of the Irish Association for Cultural, Economic and Social Relations.  George Bain, Bishop Donal McKeown and Professor Tom Collins addressed the same event.  I told them that I should perhaps have been in Dublin at the Ard Fheis or indeed at our Election Directorate meeting. That is elections for you.
I was canvassing in Killyclogher in the early evening and I was able to keep track of the Sigerson Cup Final on TG4 between the houses.  Did I ever tell you, Taoiseach, that I played football myself for Queen’s Freshers and that Henry Downey was our captain?  Did you play Colleges Football yourself?  
I received a text message from a deaf constituent who is refusing to vote because the Electoral Office have not employed any sign language interpreters to facilitate her in the exercise of her franchise.  Another reminder that social inclusion is an agenda that needs to be pursued across every sector of life and the public service.  To be honest, I would not have thought of this gap in provision if it had not been brought to my attention directly.
As I write to you, Bertie, I can hear the shifting of tables in our conference room upstairs in the Sinn Féin offices here at James Street in Omagh.  Declan McAleer is busy preparing an Operations Room for our Wednesday offensive. Operation First Minister.  
Do not be getting excited about the Operations Room. I hope that this does not appear in a future IMC Report.  It is really more of a soup kitchen with maps on the wall.  
Are you going to Croke Park on Saturday evening?  Greencastle are carrying the torch for Tyrone and Ulster into an All Ireland Junior Club Final and Coleraine are playing in the Intermediate Final.  Martin Ferris refused to co-operate with me when I tried to do some background research on the strengths and weaknesses of the two Kerry clubs that provide the opposition.  Some comradeship there.  
We had a great night in Greencastle Community Centre talking about the upcoming battle.  Myself, Noel McGinn, Mickey Harte and Tony Scullion.  It is great to see Tyrone and Derry uniting behind Greencastle and Coleraine.  Do you think Seán Teague’s men will be taking home the Cup back up the road with them?
Don’t posters take some battering during an election in the wind and rain?  And it the spring.  We’ll all be a bit wiser about the political landscape in the North come Thursday evening.  And then March 26 looms.  What do you reckon?  And after that, the big election that you are centrally involved in.   The tables have been shifted in Parnell Square a right while ago.   Operation Taoiseach.  Do you think that Dessie or Treasa might finance the soup?

Is mise le meas
Barry McElduff


NB: Bertie Ahern can be contacted on (00 353) 1 619 4020 or e-mail [email protected].  Address: Office of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Dublin 2.

An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland