Is there anything more depressing than hearing someone who works in education argue passionately that there is “no community benefit” in a planned Irish-medium school?
Moore Holmes, who a wag on Twitter suggested sounds more like a Glasgow housing campaign than a teacher, is also a loyalist activist and the leading light in the campaign that’s recently grown up to oppose the opening of Scoil na Seolta (’School of the Sails’) off the Montgomery Road in east Belfast.
A public meeting to voice “concerns” was held by residents in the nearby Clonduff estate, who claim they weren’t consulted, even though the proposal went through the normal public planning procedures, where only two objections were raised – one of them from a DUP councillor worried about the impact on bats.
Holmes told The Nolan Show, without a hint of irony, that the Irish language had been politicised, and there was certainly no demand for it – even though the school is moving premises because of growing numbers wanting to learn through Irish in an integrated school setting.
He was aided and abetted by another concerned loyalist, all the way from Donaghadee, who claims the school is “part of a wider nationalist cultural insurgency trying to impose Irish identity on unionist areas”.
And evidence for this was the fact that the school received funding from the Irish government. They also give funding to loyalist-based “community projects”, but that kind of money is apparently OK.
Linda Ervine, the Irish language champion who is behind the school project, was unable to attend the meeting because she was picking up the Creative Arts Award at the Fiddlers Green festival. Tommy Sands had it right when he told her she had ”created a space for the Irish language which we can all inhabit”.
Well said. And maybe Holmes could learn from the Silver Band in Poyntzpass, who helped the local GAA put up Armagh bunting after removing the red, white and blue that had been up for the Twelfth.
That’s the kind of respect for each other’s culture that we could do with more of.
*********
It’s strange the things that people get preoccupied about. Height, for example.
I never appreciated that only being 5ft 2in was much of a problem. In fact, I didn’t realise I was small until I left school, because we were mostly similarly vertically-challenged there.
But when I went to study journalism at the College of Business Studies, they didn’t have height-adjustable chairs for typing class. I had to sit on Who’s Who and the Belfast Street Directory to get a proper position on the keys.
I’m never going to play basketball, and I have steps for high shelves in the kitchen, but so what? Maybe someone should have a word with the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who’s been awarded €5,000 in damages after a journalist joked on social media about her being a “little woman” that she “can’t even see”.
The journalist in question also drew a comparison with Mussolini, but Meloni appeared to be just as offended by a jibe about her being 4ft tall, when she is actually all of 5ft 3in. A judge agreed that it was “body shaming” and awarded the damages.
Then there was the investment banker who sued her surgeon for £1 million over a “leg lengthening” procedure that she claimed left her with one limb longer than the other.
The woman, who was originally 5ft 2in, had gone for surgery after complaining she was “bullied” at her work because she was short.
The surgeon denied all fault but agreed what was described as a substantial out-of-court settlement. The problems were resolved and the woman is now four inches taller.
I wonder would it not have been easier to change jobs?
******
Finally, comedy highlight of the week was The Nolan Show caller who said people aren’t stupid, suggesting that if Casement Park is rebuilt, the name will be changed to honour a republican...
