The Making of Modern Ireland – An Alternative History

A new book, but not one of mine; this one is written by my friend Geoff Robinson. Writing a book is challenging in all sorts of ways and the amazing thing about Geoff is you're never too old to take that challenge. He has just published The Making of Modern Ireland – An Alternative History and he's 88 years old. Geoff's book is both extremely well researched and written in such a way as to make history engaging and interesting without being in the slightest bit stuffy.


“The Ireland I now inhabit is one that these Irish contemporaries have helped to imagine.” – Seamus Heaney

The history of a nation all too often depends on an admixture of truths, half-truths and mythology; exemplified by the story of Britain and Ireland. Both countries were part of the Angevin Empire that controlled an area from the banks of the Shannon to the Centre of France until after its defeat by the French, in 1399. But Ireland did not experience English rule until her colonisation by Henry VIII in the 16th Century.

Basing their story on past ills which resulted in the 1798 Rising by the United Irishmen and the birth of republicanism, together with carefully selected facts, folklore and historically inaccurate assumptions, the Fenians produced a mythology which was in part responsible for the Rising of 1916. Few are aware that this would not have been possible but for the secret connivance of the enemies of Irish freedom, while Ireland gained her independence not by the Rising but as a result of British over-reaction which produced the War of Independence.

The Making of Modern Ireland looks at the broad sweep of the nation’s history from the 12th Century, when it was part of the Angevin Empire, right up to 2009 and the government of Brian Cowan. Geoff Robinson’s narrative offers an alternative view, stripped of the half-truths and mythology, that has passed for much of the country’s history.

Though born and educated in England, Geoff Robinson is an Irish citizen who has lived in Ireland for over fifty years. An unswerving believer in the rectitude of the Irish cause, he knew many who had been involved in the 1916 Rising and later came to meet others of such divergent political views as the daughter of a Redmondite MP and the editor of the “Bulletin”, a clandestine newssheet published during the War of Independence
Following his marriage in 1966 to Bernadette Tiernan, a national teacher, he developed an interest in Irish politics. His wife’s revelation that no critical examination of the events leading up to the 1916 Rising was contained in the schools curriculum, prompted him to make a re-evaluation of Irish history which has resulted in his book, The Making of Modern Ireland.

Buy it from Amazon UK

Buy it from Amazon US

MANAGEMENT BOLL**KS – How to talk your way to the top…

Just who is picking the low hanging fruit? Is brainstorming a thing of the past or do we now just do 'thought showers'? If you have ever spent time in a meeting contemplating yet another 'paradigm shift' then you will be the first to realise that at the end of the day it is all a load of. .

It's out now and it's the perfect stocking filler for all your executives friends (and even those in the family!)

What the publisher says – For some people Genghis Khan was the earliest example of an extremely competent manager; although it’s doubtful whether he ever wasted time on management speak – for him actions spoke louder than words. Management speak seems to have been gifted to the world by America. Chester Irving Edwards’ 1938 book Functions of the Executive has a lot to answer for. With statements like, “The line of communication should not be interrupted when the organization is functioning,” you could have guessed that it was only going to get worse.

Initially it was those on the cutting edge that talked the talk, soon middle, junior and even non-managers embraced this language as a means of getting ahead. Management speak is very seductive – the bottom line is we’re all trying to leverage our fair share of the intellectual capital. Even politicians, who look increasingly like middle managers in marketing departments, have hi-jacked management speak to ‘present’, or at least try to differentiate, their ever more similar ideas from those of the other parties.

It is now so pervasive that everyone in society at least grasps the basics of the language. It’s no different from the language as a whole; it’s evolving year by year as new words get added to the lexicon almost every week. It would be wonderful to know who dreams some of it up. Who was he first numpty that uttered the immortal phrase, ‘transferable skill set’? Who said ‘impactfulnesss?’ and managed to keep a straight face? Who decided it was a good idea to have hymn sheets in the office? But whatever the answer, who needs to walk the walk, when you can talk the talk?

While euphemisms have crept into management speak for just about every kind of business activity, recently one old fashioned piece of straight talk has come back into fashion. ‘You’re fired!’ Still, it’s better than if Genghis Khan had been your manager, in his case it would have been ‘You’re dead!’

Brilliant!

Lord Mandelson's Gardening Costs

Back in 2004, five days after Lord Mandelson accepted an offer from Tony Blair to become Britain’s European Commissioner his Lordship, although back then he was lain old Mr, received a bill from his gardener for £1,500 for work on his back garden. It covered “crown topping of overgrown trees, pruning of leggy shrubs, digging up and removal of rogue saplings (elderberry and sycamore), removal of weeds, all tree branches, leaves and green rubbish taken away”. If Sir Thomas Legg thinks £1,000 per annum is sufficient for gardening costs can we assume his Lordship will repay the £500. . .always assuming of course that was all he claimed for gardening that year.

The Beatles. . .Not

In honour of the Beatles remasters – I''ve bought four of them and cannot honestly see what all the fuss is about – and the fact that I am emerging from a welter of work. Two classic albums made up of alternative recordings

Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – Physic TV
With A Little Help From My Friends – Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds – Noel Harrison
Getting Better – Steve Hillage
Fixing a Hole – Big Daddy
She’s Leaving Home – Baja Marimba Band
Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite – Frank Sidebotham
Within You Without You – The Soulful Strings
When I’m Sixty-Four – Bernard Cribbins
Lovely Rita – Fats Domino
Good Morning, Good Morning – Critical Mass
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) – Jimi Hendrix
A Day in The Life – Ipanema Beach Orchestra

Revolver

Taxman – The Bollock Brothers
Eleanor Rigby – Dr. West’s Medicine Show & junk Band
I’m Only Sleeping – Roseanne Cash
Love You To - Bongwater
Here, There & Everywhere – Stephane Grapelli
Yellow Submarine – The Leningrad Cowboys
She Said She Said – Gov’t Mule
Good Day Sunshine – Jimmy James & The vagabonds
And Your Bird Can Sing – The Flamin’ Groovies
For No One – Liza Minnelli
Doctor Robert – Bozo Allegro
I Want To Tell You – The Lambrettas
Got To Get You Into My Life – Sonny & Cher
Tomorrow Never Knows – The Grateful Dead

Woodstock – New Book

Another reason for a distinct lack of posting is this new book I've done with my pal Richard Evans, a regular commentator. Richard has done the superb design you'll find inside this book that chronicles the now famous festival. There's 256 pages plus over 200 photographs & Images. It's out now and you can get it from Amazon and all good bookshops.

15 – 18 August 1969 – according to the song the people were half a million strong by the time they got to Woodstock. But in reality no one ever did get to Woodstock. Instead they made it to some alfalfa fields near Bethel – population 3,900 – a hundred miles north of New York City and 60 miles southwest of the town of Woodstock. The Aquarian Music and Art Fair was held at Max Yasgur’s farm in White Lake.

No one among the 500,000 people could have had any idea of just how important the festival would turn out to be. Given the size of the crowd it was all extremely peaceful, especially considering what they had to endure. There were rainstorms, people waited for long periods for something to happen; they also ran short of food, and water, but there seemed to be no shortage of drugs.

Woodstock was a cultural landmark waiting to happen. Ever afterwards people have tried to emulate it; just a few months later at another festival at Altamont Racetrack, near San Francisco it tragically ended with murder and the death of the 60’s dream. It just proves how thin the line between glory and failure can be. At Woodstock nobody kept notes, maybe because no one thought it was that important. It’s only as the telescope of history has gradually been extended that the cultural significance of the 3 days of peace and love has truly been recognised.

Woodstock tells the story of everything that made up that momentous August weekend. From Jimi Hendrix to Janis Joplin, The Who to Joan Baez and Crosby Stills Nash & Young to Joe Cocker. But Woodstock does much more than focus on the 60 odd hours during which events played out. It traces the history of every band that performed, what they performed, how they came to be there, and what effect it had on the careers. The book reveals how it all came to be, as well Woodstock’s lasting legacy.

Whoever it was that coined the phrase – ‘The Woodstock Nation’ – created the zeitgeist. It’s what spawned the ‘Woodstock Generation’. From the day that the festival ended until now, and probably forever, we keep polishing it, perpetuating the myth and reveling in the magic.

Owl Watch – The Two Ring Circus

A distinct lack of activity on the blog for only one reason. . .work! But everything stopped yesterday for the arrival of the owl men – Alan and Maurice. They were here to ring the owlets. Mrs H. has been worried that the owls had been too quiet and we had seen very little activity from the adults, apart from the pair of them roosting, somewhat appropriately, underneath our barn. The lack of activity during daylight hours was because they have had plenty of dry nights and they have been able to feed their brood. Last year we had 5 chicks so this year with better weather, and as it turns out only two chicks, it's all been a lot easier.

Alan went up the ladder and the whole process began.


Next came the job of weighing them. The are put in this soft cotton sacks to protect them and weighed. One weighed 415 grams the other 380 grams. Their wings were measured which showed they are 7 and a half weeks old – they fledge at 10 weeks.


In the bag they can be placed on their backs and left while the other owlet got weighed; next both of them were ringed with a unique number.
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It's even possible to take them out of the bag – they just lay still and 'play dead'. Did you know that owls have the biggest eyes of any bird?


Then it was time for them to go back in the box. . .these two men made Mrs. H. a very happy woman. . .

Go(Ed)Balls and Go Now!

The seriously delusional berk, Balls, has got himself embroiled in a fantastic spat with Fraser Nelson the Spectator columnist. You can read it HERE.

All I want is for Balls and his other loony Labour luvvies to bugger off. . .all they need to do is leave their offices tidy for the Conservative that will follow them.

Millionaire Blair at our Expense

Last year there was a good deal of controversy over the fact that Tony Blair shredded much of the information surrounding his parliamentary expense claims. Here is the heavily 'redacted' claim from September 2007 for £305.50. So not only did the spinmeister shred the evidence, but we paid for it! Really you could make none fo this up and of course nothing will happen to millionaire Blair. The whole thing is almost too amazing for words.

Update

I have found I'm late to the party. Mr Guido Fawkes got there yesterday, I should have known!

Owl Watch Update

At the weekend we had Alan and Maurice, two experts, come to look inside our owl box. Alan, the man up the ladder, is a bird-ringer who went and opened the lid – inside was the female and two, maybe three young. They were too small to ring and he'll come back in about a month to do it.

Just as he was finishing up the female tried to do a runner out of the front door. Calm as you like Alan just picked her up and held her so Mrs H could get some pictures. Apparently Barn Owls are not vicious like Tawney Owls! In future when Mrs H is putting a fallen bird back in the nest I will no longer need to stand guard with a broom!