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Tonight’s forthcoming Fine Gael tabling of a motion of ‘No Confidence’ in the office of Taoiseach of Ireland, currently held for the third successive and historic time by Bertie Ahern, TD, will no doubt be watched closely by the nation. It’s expected to follow the timeline outlined by BreakingNews.ie earlier:

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will have to wait until 9pm to know his fate following the first ever motion of no confidence being tabled against him in the Dáil.

The debate will begin around 5pm and votes will be cast at 8.30pm.

A long-awaited Labour Party motion on the decision by Aer Lingus to switch Heathrow slots from Shannon to Belfast has been put back until tomorrow afternoon.

Representatives of Mid-West business and tourism interests were holding a small protest outside the Dáil today.

Opposition leader Enda Kenny earlier revealed plans to move the motion of no confidence following a meeting of his front bench.

Labour TDs are expected to support Fine Gael in the motion.

All TDs from the Government benches will be summoned into the Dáil chamber for the late evening vote by chief whip Tom Kitt.

Minister for Enterprise Micheal Martin and Minister for Overseas Development Michael Kitt are currently away on business.

However they will be ’paired’ with Opposition TDs to balance numbers.

This vote however, I believe, will damage public confidence in politics and no doubt make a life in politics for those with talent and aspiration on the road to the Dáil very difficult. I do not believe that in accepting any monies in the 1990s, Bertie Ahern did any wrong. Ethically I suppose there is a question to be answered, however politically, I do not believe that Ahern has done any wrong either by political favours or any other political deviation.

Therefore it is my estimation that this action by Fine Gael this evening will no doubt curtail anyone with ambitions of seeking office in the near or distant future from doing so. Nobody’s perfect. And let he who is without sin, cast the first stone! (P.S. I doubt that person is Enda Kenny!)

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Kerry. The Kingdom. One of the most feared and revered teams in the Gaelic Athletic Association live there. It’s the land of ‘cute whoors’ and the most hotly contested political fighting grounds in Ireland. Kerry has history in everything from one of the largest collections of Early Christian settlements, to the two highest peaks in Ireland (Carrantuohill at 1054m and Mt. Brandon at 953m) and has also some of the most picturesque and beautiful landscapes in the country. It’s a county at the south-western tip of the island and the most westerly principality in Europe with the most westerly point of Dún Mór on the Dingle Peninsula being the closest point in the European Union to the United States.

Kerry has a strong sporting pedigree, but mainly in only one division - Gaelic Football. It’s a strange game. With posts that resemble those at rugby grounds and an odd mixture of soccer, rugby and volleyball, Gaelic Football is still Ireland’s most favored sport. Though it can be easily argued that the sister sport of Hurling (well regarded as the fastest ball sport in the world) is a more skilled game requiring a different type of man to play it well, Football (or ‘The GAA’ as it’s known) is still the king of sporting events in Ireland.

Rivalry between county teams is rife in the game with the colour of jerseys being the only visible form of the divisive game. It’s said that Kerry has one of the most detested and feared of these jerseys in football circles. Teams hate to see the Kerry team coming onto a pitch, but revel in the mortal combat that ensues for 70 minutes on the green fields, come rain or shine.

Historically, Kerry have been the most successful teams in the All-Ireland championships where football is concerned. With a tally of 34 victories at the highest level going into yesterday’s match, their only competition for the title in numerical terms are Dublin at 22. Yesterday further breached that divide with another emphatic win over bitter rivals Cork to claim the Sam Maguire trophy for the 35th time leaving a battered and bruised Cork team clutching their heads and their dignity all over the green field in Drumcondra, late in the afternoon. After a minor team (under 18s) match that saw the counties of Galway and Derry fight for their respective titles (Galway won), Kerry and Cork took to the field. Kerry allowed Cork the opening score, but proceeded to take the Leesiders apart, kick by kick from then on. With a 3-goal advantage after 3/4 of the game’s play, Cork resurrected a chance of victory by putting one goal behind the Kerry goalkeeper - only to reclaim some dignity in the face of adversity.

In the end, it was again the day for Kerry. In what has been an expensive year again for the Kerry county GAA board in bringing their players for the 6th successive time to Croke Park, the team is now preparing to leave the Dublin battleground to a hero’s welcome in the Kingdom this evening. What’s sad however is that this Kerry team, widely accredited with being the best in Ireland, will not receive their due acclaim from the ordinary public. Kerry’s claim to the Sam Maguire for the 35th time will go unnoticed in the next few days. The county as a whole takes for granted the will and determination of the 15 men who played Ireland’s most loved sport yesterday and this year, against teams that have bitterness in their blood when the green and gold appears. They are men without parallel and while they can hold their heads high this evening in Tralee, they will return to work tomorrow, bowing their heads to the customers and suppliers that pay their wages in the amateur sport of the GAA. They will not seek reverence in political circles, nor will they gloat to the opposition. They know their place in the hearts of Kerrymen and women is secure, but they take nothing for granted in the Kingdom. These are men who fought ferocious battles of will and pride throughout the year to secure a chance to play for their county. The substitue bench at Croke Park was filled with the caliber of players other counties could only dream to posses in their starting lines. But each of those players appreciate their position in the team and know that when the opportunity comes for them to play, they are doing so by the grace of God. They will not bemoan their managers or selectors for not receiving a starting chance, or a substitute chance. They know that at any one time, the team fielded for every match is the team with the most chance of success at that time. It’s a rare thing in a county of footballing pride and pedigree – the acceptance of greatness and the humility of reverence. I’ve seen many men try and fail to make the cut for Kerry, men who in other counties would be playing in the first team without hindrance of hesitation. It’s that hunger and dogged dedication that keeps the Sam Maguire heading for the county on Ireland’s south-west coast and nothing else.

If you want to know what it means to a Kerryman to win the Sam Maguire, look into the banks and schools and businesses around Kerry this week. That’s where you’ll find the men who won Sam for the 35th time. Men who know their place and do their duty. You won’t find mansions or flash cars. You won’t find trophy wives and celebrity reality TV stars. You won’t find salaries that would make you sick. In fact, you’ll find men who did their best, achieved what they set out to do, and for whom life returns to normal, as anything else is out of place.

Respect to you all.

diarmy

Here’s my take on the YFG poster campaign…

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I was approached by the hierarchy at IrishElection.com to post some of my articles to their site to further enliven political debate in the Free State of the Republic of Ireland with an added twist of being a Fianna Fáil realistic outlook on society and current affairs. I’ve posted my ‘The House The State Didn’t Build’ as my first at the website and hopefully many more will make the grade and be published on the popular site. I’m also in the process of being listed on various Irish blog directories.

I will of course continue to give more in-depth articles on DDN for the American and Canadian audiences out there who’re enjoying the realistic approach to the Emerald Isle. Thanks for all your support and reading, and don’t be afraid to comment now and again!

Thanks to all

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Welcome to the new-look Diarmy.net. This update takes advantage of more AJAX programming and brings a brighter image of DDN to the wider audience. Gone is the K2 theme which had founded and later rejuvenated this now globally-popular blog. Updated since I last provided a structural update, is this theme, based on the iTheme from nDesign studio. The theme itself started with a Mac OSX blue hue, which I altered to reflect the green of Irish politics - yes, that party everyone hates so much, Fianna Fáil.

Anyway, all of the themes and resources for DDN are no secret, so if you see anything you like and are wondering how it came about, drop me a line, or comment this entry. Thanks to all my readers again, and I wish you all the very best in the near future in all your endeavours. As always, if you’ve any suggestions on anything ad DDN, please do not hesitate to let me know. Topics, design, focus, agenda, opinion, causes - anything!

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