The year I would turn nine
Charlie Kelly threw his pint over Paul Brennan
in the opening scenes of a new Irish drama
called Fair City. The 25th Dáil was dissolved.
Ireland got its 1st lotto millionaire.
There was talk of mining for gold in Mayo
and Christy O’Connor Jnr
won the Ryder Cup for Europe.

(Years later playing Trivial Pursuit
one of the questions wanted to know:
what profession gets the Ryder Cup? —
a cousin from Carlow answered; prostitutes.)

I was growing through 3rd class
St. Brendan’s National School; Loughrea —
on the other side of Tiananmen Square
another student stood up
as the Guildford Four walked free
after 14 years innocently incarcerated.

While in Germany, a wall
that had been built to divide: separate, fell.
Pushed over by people. While Hungry, Poland
and Czechoslovakia: all said: enough.
The Russians left Afghanistan and in South Africa
Apartheid began to crumble. Pity
it was allowed to even begin.
Iran was ******* about some book
and on Christmas Day in Romania
Mr and Mrs Ceausescu were executed.

In 1989, the Church of Ireland allowed female priests.
96 people died at Hillsborough.
Haughey was Taoiseach,
Mr. Heaney was conferred
as Professor of Poetry at Oxford
and we qualified for Italia 90.

I was 9 and the only thing I remember
about that year; I fell out of a tree
and broke my arm.

When I told my 96 year old
mother today, that my travel
card was cancelled by the
Fine Gael Government, she
reacted with a helpless sense
of hopelessness for all she had
done in her lifetime as a staunch
Fianna Fail member (currently
the life president of the Mallow
branch). It was many the time
Charley Haughey dined in our
house and now this, this is a
N.A.M.A, Government she insisted.

Don't worry she said, I will ring
Kevin O'Keeffe and he will get
it back for you, were her last words.

Don't be bothering him about it,
this is not something I am going to
pursue, I will make my feelings felt
before the next general election when
I publish " The NAMA Government "
thank you for furnishing the title.

                        <>

Foot note for readers.
I am a retired man with no
pension because I worked
all over the world for the
past 45 years since I left
Ireland, mostly seasonal
and never PAYE.
I did not apply for
a non contributory pension
out of the principal, that I felt
as though I never contributed
to Ireland. I applied for the
Travel Pass, because it was
Mr Haughey's gift to the state.
( I knew him personally )
The current Fine Gael Party has
Fascist DNA in its genes.
I will wait for the return of Fianna Fail
to apply for The Travel Pass.

Charles Haughey R.I.P.
the Irish prime minister
of the Fianna Fail Party
introduced Free Travel
for Old Age Pensioners.

The current government
Fine Gael, which has a
Fascist DNA, took away
my card without warning.
I was stranded in Dublin.

Ire - land has become an
evil country, laundering
***** money for America
& permitting them to use
Shannon Airport (arms) ?

At least with Ryan Air
they never cancel tickets,
the flight may be postponed
but as with Greyhound Busses
in America, there is always one
on the way.

This is not the case with the
Irish department of welfare,
which, should be called the
Department of Unwell Fare.

Pensioners were granted free
travel by Charles Haughey,
R.I.P. leader of Fianna Fail
Party.

The current Government is
Fine Gael (alias fascists) are
cancelling rail and bus passes
without warning the bearers.

Which means, one could go
to Dublin, from Cork 2 hours
30 minutes and while visiting
an eye surgeon, have your card
deleted and thus unable to board
the return train.

This happened to my wife and I,
we are old age pensioners.

5th May 2019.

Literally means end of bag,
where political juggernauts
try U Turns, ignoring GPS.
(general public support).

Fianna Fail, which already
steered the Irish economy
over a cliff, seems as if they
are advertising for a co-driver.

Fine Gael, who failed the
driving test twice, might yet
be accommodated with a
fake Charlie Haughey licence.

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein, who's
GPS is in perfect working order
and with a Female Chauffeur, are
hard shouldered by misogynists.