I had this in yesterday’s Times..

Madam,

What kind of mealy-mouthed begrudgery sparked letters to your pages over the past days denouncing the local celebrations of newly appointed Taoiseach and Tánaiste in Offaly and Donegal respectively.

Rather than pour scorn I believe we should rejoice in the confidence and pride of place so evidently demonstrated. In this era of increasing homogeneity, Atlantic accents and ‘Friends-speak’ is it not refreshing to find our new leader who is so obviously and easily in tune with his own origins.
Rather than the form of parochial triumphalism as was suggested, I believe this celebrates a complex tapestry of character and a comfortable awareness of same.

However for from being constrained by the parish pump, Taoiseach Cowen is evidently feted across Europe and beyond, hailed equally in Turin as in Tullamore, demonstrated for example by Economist magazine ranking him the premier finance minister in Europe not so long ago and again from the fulsome
and very real tributes from abroad on his accession.

Similarly Tánaiste Coughlan’s Donegal DNA appears no impediment to her success on the national and international stages, such as at the WTO talks where Mandelson and Co grudgingly acknowledged her negotiating nous.

We are told now our former leader was an oxymoron – a ‘Global Dub’ – and what a uniter he proved to be. It would seem his successor is indeed a ‘Global Gael’ and I wish him every success.

Yours,

James Lawless
Sallins Pier
Sallins
Co. Kildare