Just not cricket
By Sean O Donaile
- Spotlight (BBC1)
- The Electric Chair (Channel 4)
- Comortas Péile na Gaeltachta (Teilifis na Gaeilge)
Nelson Mandela once said that there is ``no such thing as a normal
sport in an abnormal society''.
In fact sport reflects society, with the most glaring example
being South African rugby, with the six counties not far behind.
Nationalist soccer teams for decades have been treated in a
discriminatory manner by the Irish League - a glance at the
histories of Belfast Celtic, Donegal Celtic and Cliftonville is a
telling testimony.
Taigs simply weren't welcome at the golf club, the cricket ground
or where men played with the funny balls.
The GAA has long been a victim of the Orange state with grants
being continually refused, TV coverage only arriving recently
despite its hugh popularity, players and supporters harassed on a
regular basis, grounds occupied by the military, clubhouses
destroyed, goalposts cut down and in extreme cases supporters
such as Aidan McAnespie and Sean Browne murdered by British
troops and their agents.
Spotlight naively posed the question, ``was the GAA out of step
with the mood of compromise?'' and wheeled in the usual suspects
to lambast the `GA.
Chris McGimpsey warned the GAA that he was going to take them to
the European Court of Human Rights, which wouldn't be a bad idea
as it would expose the true nature of the Orange state.
Gay Mitchell (the man who wanted to bring the Olympics to Dublin)
uttered much nonsense about ``inclusiveness'' which was followed up
with more drivel from the Minister for Sport, Jim McDaid, who is
obviously well out of step with the GAA grassroots in Donegal.
Niall Farrell of the ``No'' camp put his finger on the button when
he pointed out that GAA president Joe McDonagh was ``under
pressure from political sources'' after receiving £20 million from
the government.
A repeal of Rule 21 would obviously have given brownie points to
Bertie Ahern in the eyes of the unionists, but both he and
McDonagh now appear to be ``not au fait with what's happening in
the north''.
McDonagh claims that this is the first step, but in fact it's a
fudge which was the only option following his misjudgement.
The RUC and Brits can harass us, torture us and even murder us,
but they can't take our culture from us.
Gearoid O Cearallain concluded the programme by stating that
``change will come in parallel with change in the RUC/RIR and the
removal of the British army''. Judging by the behaviour of the RUC
on the Garvaghy Road last Saturday that change won't be for some
time yet.
There was yet more sport to be seen on TnaG's Comortas Péile na
Gaeltachta last weekend, which is of almost equal importance in
the Gaeltachts to the All Ireland.
In another innovative move TnaG have moved into regional news and
sport and their camera lenses move well beyond the boundaries of
Croke Park and Landsdowne Road.
This coverage gives much needed oxygen to sports in isolated
areas and the comortas which was staged in Falcarragh (Cloich
Cheann Fhaola) produced some top class football from Corca
Dhuibhne in West Kerry to Carraroe in Connemara. Despite their
heroics the home side were pipped at the post by Ardara - béidh
lá eile ag an bPaorach.
Channel 4's Secret History covered the birth of the electric
chair in the 1880s which has since claimed over 4,000 lives and
is still looked on as a ``progressive'' manner of ``disposing of
murderers.''
Following this gruelling documentary, Thomas Edison has
plummetted in my rankings and is now firmly in the baddies corner
with Ronald Reagan and all those other ``American Heroes''.
Following his invention of electricity he was outpaced in the
Electricity War by the giant industrialist George Westinghouse,
whose alternating current (A/C) was superior to Edison's direct
current (D/C).
Unfortunately for Westinghouse, alternating current was more
dangerous and Edison used every means possible to smear his name
and protect his own ego. Americans of the time were not happy
with hanging as often victims took half an hour to die from
strangulation, the guillotine was too French and a firing squad
would associate firearms with execution, which wouldn't be good
for business! What better way to define themselves as
technologically advanced than the all American electric chair,
which Edison was commissioned to design, informing all and sundry
in the process that he was using Westinghouse A/C currents.
Following much courtroom wrangling and many frazzled cows and
sheep later a Mr Kemler was put in the hot seat. Despite his
calmness he was subject to the routine electric chair treatment -
vaporisation of the flesh and skull, followed by the horrible
smell of boiling faeces, urine and skin, followed by steam from
the ears and mouth and flames from his head.
The body took three hours to cool down and four doctors each got
a piece of the brain as souvenirs of the big day, after which one
of them stated, ``today we live in a higher civilisation''
The electric chair was invented by Edison as a temporary tactic
in a battle with Westinghouse, which he ultimately lost as direct
current has been completely replaced by Westinghouse's A/C.
The electric chair is still sizzling however, and casts a dark
shadow over the memory of Edison.
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