Letter to the Taoiseach

The Queen of England sends congratulatory messages to Irish citizens in the Six Counties on the occasion of their 100th birthday. She repeats this exercise on the 105th birthday, too, and then every year thereafter.

Couples who celebrate their 60th wedding anniversaries or subsequently their 65th and 70th anniversaries and then every year thereafter also receive the special card sent special delivery through the Royal Mail in a distinctive envelope.

You deserve to know this kind of thing, Taoiseach, especially if someone from England is trying to usurp your authority or indeed to undermine the status of our own President over in Phoenix Park.

You will want to know, as well, that the Civil Service in the North is actively encouraging this state of affairs. I can even bring you to Room E4.15 of Stormont Castle Buildings, where there is a Centenarian and Anniversary Clerk checking birth and marriage certificates, morning, noon and night, rifling through files flat out for unsuspecting victims.

They have a list, Taoiseach, of all those whose milestone birthdays and anniversaries are coming up in the weeks and months ahead.

Here's my suggestion. Could your Department or perhaps President McAleese's staff secure possession of a copy of this list and then commission our own special card to be sent through An Post to the North's most senior citizens? Come to think of it, many of the prospective recipients would have been born before partition. Don't let them down.

I've told you that this list is kept in Room E4.15 of Stormont Castle Buildings. You take care of the rest, yourself. Maybe if you just asked?

To repeat the point, when you get this list, be sure to use it. You'll definitely raise a few smiles among our oldest citizens in this part of the country. They are as Irish as you are, Taoiseach. I know that you know this already.

On a separate note, I was over in England myself at the weekend. A lot of people were asking about you at the Annual Dinner of the Tyrone Association of London. The event was held in Cricklewood where I hear that the Irish community isn't as big as it used to be.

I wouldn't mind an update on what exactly the Irish Government is doing to help those Irish citizens who emigrated to England in 1950s and 1960s and who, perhaps, have fallen on hard times since.

I found it interesting to hear from people who emigrated to London over 40 years ago. Many have done well for themselves. Others, however, are in a much poorer situation and I understand that there are a number of hostels and homes where these Irish people tend to stay.

You might remember that the Mayor of Kerry Toiréasa Ferris, together with Chris Lawn and Paul Galvin brought great joy and cheer to the residents of Arlington House last year. Sam Maguire came along, too, as well as five hundred presents from the people of Kerry. You and I agreed at the time that this was a wonderful initiative and deserved follow-up action. Any thoughts?

Finally, are you going to lend your support to the call for an independent, international Investigation into what happened in Croke Park last Sunday? Only an international dimension to this Inquiry will command the confidence of the Australians and Sean Boylan alike.

BY 

BARRY McELDUFF

NB - Bertie Ahern can be contacted on (00353) 1 6194020 or email [email protected]. Address: Office of the Taoiseach, Government Buildings, Dublin 2