Top Issue 1-2024

27 August 2010

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Letter to the Taoiseach

ALL SPORT this month, Brian. We’ll ignore Tyrone’s premature exit, if you don’t mind. Let us talk hurling and boxing instead!

The big Poc Fada at Stormont was a huge success. Can you pass on our appreciation to your Tipperary colleague, Mattie McGrath TD, for standing in for you.

We are thinking of renaming The Royal Mile or Prince of Wales Avenue at Stormont as ‘POW Avenue’, instead. The acronym says it all, really. Such an array of hurling and camogie talent you never did see. 

On the boxing front, I wanted to tell you about my professional debut, fight fans.

Invited by Derrylaughan Kevin Barry’s GAC on the Loughshore, near Coalisland, I took part in ‘The Fight of the Night’. My opponent in the marquee was none other than Eamon Campbell from Derrytresk. 

Eamon is a prominent member of Comhaltas (CCE), music to my ears, and he is a Sinn Féiner to boot. Literally. I needed some back-up so I enlisted the help of Martin Rogan, Poc Fada contestant and champion heavyweight boxer from west Belfast, along with Red Hand Luke himself, from the BBC’s ‘Give My Head Peace’ fame.

Anyway, 700 people packed into the marquee on Friday the 13th. Campbell (nothing to Gregory) entered the ring to the loud background music of ‘The Sunday Game’ and I went to the red corner to the sound of The Wolf Tones, Rogie in front carrying my champion belt and Red Hand Luke behind carrying one of my old election posters. What a sight.

Campbell went down in the first round. He lay there for eight seconds. Four right-hand jabs followed by a left hook. Round 2 was very different: a brawl, some aficianados dubbed it delightedly, with Red Hand Luke dragging Francie Molloy into the ring for some exchanges. (Molloy deserved this because he defected to the Campbell camp at the eleventh hour.)

Rogie had stepped in as I had tagged him to take my place for a while to allow me to recover from a ‘blood injury’ from a ketchup bottle. You wanted to see the look on Campbell’s face when Rogan jumped in. Round 3 saw me hit the deck. For eight seconds. It was a bit slippery in that corner but Campbell did connect. Lucky for him that the final bell went, though.

Frank Girvan, a highly-respected referee and coach with international experience, called a draw only because the Derrytresk man had sold more tickets than me. I reckon that I should have shaded it on points.

Anyway, Tommy Corr handed us our boxing trophies and the large crowd left into the night.

Rogan and Red Hand Luke were asking about you, Taoiseach. You might need them to help you through the Budget proceedings up ahead because one thing is for sure: Sinn Féin will come out of the corner fighting.

 

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