Greetings loyal blog readers. I thought I'd share a quick story that struck me as quintessentially Irish. Pre-Tiger Ireland is not gone, just hiding behind some shiny cars, Thai takeaway boxes, and 72 inch televisions.
The radio jocks on one of the national stations were going on this morning about how the singer from Clannad had recently slagged Bono for his inability to hit high notes. When one national hero gives out about another, it's worthy of comment.
Bono heard the show while driving his daughter to school and called in to defend himself. No lawsuits. No war of words in the papers. Not even any harsh words. Just a couple of lads having a laugh on national radio. Bono even went on how his father always said he was a baritone who thought he was a tenor. The fact that he'd called in was not worthy of comment.
The call-in radio show has been a way of life here for decades. A favourite on the local station here is the daily announcement of who's died, who's being removed, who's being buried. Sales, pee-wee sports, graduations: everything is announced and discussed on the national radio waves. Every station devotes prime time slots to the call-in show; and it's not uncommon for the powers-that-be to join in too: unannounced, unrehearsed, and unscripted. Even on the way to drop your daughter off at school.
Slainte.
