RUN TO THE DÁIL day one 2nd update

BLOG:                                      http://thechatteringmagpie14.blogspot.com/

ONLINE PETITION: http://www.petitiononline.com/isntbb11

TWITTER:         @ballyhea14

FACEBOOK PAGE:   Ballyhea bondholder bailout protest

June 1st 2011

BALLYHEA BONDHOLDER BAILOUT PROTEST – RUN TO THE DÁIL day one

This is not how it was meant to be.  Started typing this while nailed to the bed in a hotel in Nenagh, awaiting physio, at a time when I was meant to be on the road to Toomevara.

Started out well.  My son Niall (22), who also feels very strongly about this, came with me, and as we ran down the mountain in Ballyhea all was well – sun coming out, not too cold.  A few people had got out of their beds to meet us in the village and we had our first march of the day.  Thence into Charleville, and the next march - Charleville’s first but hopefully, not the last - several locals carrying the Ballyhea protest banner, albeit under protest (local GAA rivalry)!

From there on to Banogue and I was now into alien territory, had never run that far in my life.  Got there, met a few locals, and those who had gone ahead (Noel O'Riordan and Mick Ryan) got a few more signatures for our petition, and the guy in the shop wouldn't take any money for the bottles of water.  That was it though, no-one willing to join us on the actual protest march.  That would turn out to be one story of the day; lots of support, blowing of horns, thumbs up, signatures, but no-one willing to actually join the march.

About 100 yards after Banogue, 14.3 miles run, the trouble started, major cramps on both calves.  I’ve had trouble with cramps in the legs since my second back operation seven years ago anyway, but this was serious – I'm some fool anyway for attempting this, but stopped dead in Banogue?  Kept going, Niall running very easily behind me, changed the running style to land on the heels rather than the toes, tried to run through it and eventually did; wasn’t going away, however, and my gait had become sloppy.  Into Croom, taking a short-cut down the old road, another march, second drink stop, took a bottle of water on board.  Started off running, and couldn't, legs seized.  Started walking, and from that point forward the RUN TO THE DÁIL became the WALK TO THE DÁIL.

Got to Patrickswell and at that stage – even walking - the legs were in serious trouble.  Made a phonecall to Stephen Lucey, Limerick hurler and an MD, and he put me in touch with former Limerick physio Barry Heffernan who – very conveniently – has a practice in the Groody Centre, just off the Dublin road at the UL roundabout.

Limerick was a bit chaotic.  Met a couple of very committed lads from the Repudiate The Debt campaign who had driven down from Dublin to give us some leaflets, marched with us down O'Connell Street.  Because we were going against the traffic, and there were so few of us, decided it was safer to keep to the footpath, but, small successes, another march down, Limerick’s first.

Got the physio, and it made a huge difference; still a lot of pain, and discovered I had two black nails and a nice blister forming from wearing footwear too tight; discovered also that I had been doing everything wrong.  Not drinking enough, not drinking any sport drinks to replace the lost tribe of electrolytes, not eating energy bars (a bit of salad had been my only sustenance), not eating sweets for energy boost.  Again, met generosity, Barry refusing payment of any kind, wishing us well in our campaign.

Out of Limerick, and this was always the part I most dreaded in drawing up the schedule; only one village left, Birdhill, two long stretches to finish, 12.3 miles and 12.5 miles.  At this stage I was supported by Philly Ryan, Denis McNamara, two Ballyhea hardies, and Dave Donnellan, a cameraman/documentary-maker who had asked to join us.  Fair dues to the lads they could see I was in serious trouble, and for the last 15 miles or so, dressed in their civvies, they took it in turns to walk with me – massive difference. 

I had made a call to former Tipperary hurler Michael Cleary to enquire about an ice-bath in the GAA club there, but wires had got crossed and he thought I had said ‘ice-pack’; didn’t matter, turned out there was a bath in the room, Michael sent over a bag of ice, and I had my bath.  He also sent over a takeout chicken and pasta meal, which had been recommended by Barry Heffernan for recovery purposes, and paid for same – gent, was in total support of our cause.

According to schedule we were meant to be arriving in Nenagh at 6.15pm – it was 10.20 when we got to the hotel, having had our march down the town, last one of the day.  Fifteen hours twenty minutes on the road.  Got to the room and with great difficulty (in and out of the bath) had the ice-bath, followed by a hot shower.  Went to eat the food, couldn't, went to put a few words on paper, couldn't; drank a bottle of water, lay on the bed, woke at 3am in serious pain, body locked up from the hips down.  Took about five minutes to make it to the bathroom, the same to get back.  It isn’t engine failure, the heart, lungs and spirit are all fine, just that the gears seized.  Couldn't even get into first – what can you do?  And that’s where I'm at right now, body locked down, awaiting physio, when I should be on the road.

I was utterly determined to do this run/walk (always knew I wouldn't run the whole way), remain so; now 9 o’clock, going to see if I can get more physio to enable me to at least get started on day two.  As I kept saying to the lads yesterday, it’s not how I am it’s where I am, and we did the 55.5 miles.  Believe me, that .5 is important, and those last miles into Nenagh are seared into even this very dense brain.

Regardless of how I eventually get to Dublin - and if I can’t walk it I’ll bike it (and with as much preparation!) - at 12 noon this Friday we will have our final march of this RUN/WALK/BIKE TO THE DÁIL (you've got to be able to adjust to your situation!), from the Garden of Remembrance to Kildare Street, and hand in this petition.  Please, sign it, not for us but for yourself.

Since writing that, have been in and out of hospital in Nenagh, several hours on the drip.  Physio wasn’t what was required, it was rehydration, an oil-change, NCT, and we’re back live, in the game (many thanks to Pat and Frances O'Brien and my daughter Sadhbh for their patience on the day).  The schedule has changed, as has the format – scratch day two below, and everything will now be done on day three, Thursday; bike relays, still going from town to town, still collecting signatures, still holding our march down every main street, finally down along the docks in Dublin on Thursday evening.  Time?  We’ll be playing that by ear.  If you want to join us at any stage, please do, and welcome.

On Friday morning, back on schedule, noon meeting at the Garden of Remembrance then march to the Dáil.  And this is one march you should not miss.

DAY 1 – TUESDAY MAY 31^st

START  FROM – TO                   DISTANCE (m) ARRIVAL

07.00  Ballyhea/Charleville            5.5            08.00

08.15  Charleville/Banogue             8.8            09.45

10.00  Banogue/Croom                   3.1            10.30

10.45  Croom/Patrickswell              6.7            12.00

12.15  Patrickswell/Limerick           6.6            13.30

14.00  Limerick/Birdhill               12.3           16.00

16.15  Birdhill/Nenagh                 12.5           18.15

                                       55.5               

DAY 2 – WEDNESDAY JUNE 1^st

08.00  Nenagh/Toomevara                7.3            09.30

09.45  Toomevara/Moneygall             4.1            10.30

10.45  Moneygall/Dunkerrin             3.2            11.30

11.45  Dunkerrin/Roscrea               5.5            12.45

13.00  Roscrea/Borris-in-Ossory        7.4            14.30

14.45  Borris-in-Ossory/Mountrath      8.5            16.15

16.30  Mountrath/Portlaoise            8.4            18.00

                                       43.5               

DAY 3 – THURSDAY JUNE 2^nd

08.00  Portlaoise/Ballybrittas         9.0            09.30

09.45  Ballybrittas/Monasterevin       3.9            10.30

10.45  Monasterevin/Kildare            6.6            12.00

12.30  Kildare/Newbridge               5.6            13.30

13.45  Newbridge/Naas                  6.7            15.00

15.15  Naas/Rathcoole                  10.4           17.15

17.30  Rathcoole/Dublin                10.3           19.16

                                       52.5               

DAY 4 – FRIDAY JUNE 3^rd

12.00  Parnell Square/Kildare Street   1.3            13.00

                                       152.8 miles total  

Regards,

Diarmuid O'Flynn.

Run to the Dáil, day one

BLOG:                                      http://thechatteringmagpie14.blogspot.com/

ONLINE PETITION: http://www.petitiononline.com/isntbb11

TWITTER:         @ballyhea14

FACEBOOK PAGE:   Ballyhea bondholder bailout protest

May 29th 2011

BALLYHEA BONDHOLDER BAILOUT PROTEST – RUN TO THE DÁIL day one

This is not how it was meant to be.  Typing this while nailed to the bed in a hotel in Nenagh, awaiting physio, at a time when I am meant to be on the road to Toomevara.

Started out well.  My son Niall (22), who also feels very strongly about this, came with me, and as we ran down the mountain in Ballyhea, all was well – sun coming out, not too cold.  A few people had got out of their beds to meet us in the village, and we had our first march.  Thence into Charleville, and the next march, Charleville’s first, but hopefully, not the last, several locals carrying the Ballyhea protest banner, albeit under protest (local GAA rivalry)!

From there on to Banogue, and I was now into alien territory, had never run that far in my life.  Got there, met a few locals, and those who had gone ahead got a few more signatures for our petition.  That was it though, no-one willing to join us as had our next protest march.  That would turn out to be one story of the day; lots of support, blowing of horns, thumbs up, signatures, but no-one willing to actually join the march.

About 100 yards after Banogue, 14.3 miles run, the trouble started, major cramps on both calves.  I’ve had trouble with cramps in the legs since my second back operation seven years ago anyway, but this was serious – I'm some fool anyway for attempting this, but Banogue?  Kept going, Niall running very easily behind me, changed the style to land on the heels rather than the toes, tried to run through it, and eventually, did; wasn’t going away however, and my gait had become sloppy.  Into Croom, taking a short-cut down the old road, another march, drink stop, took a bottle of water on board.  Started off running, and couldn't, legs seized.  Started walking, and from that point forward the RUN TO THE DÁIL became the WALK TO THE DÁIL.

Got to Patrickswell, and at that stage – even walking - the legs were in serious trouble.  Made a phonecall to Stephen Lucey, Limerick hurler and an MD, and he put me in touch with former Limerick physio Barry Heffernan who – very conveniently – as a practice in the Groody Centre, just off the Dublin road at the UL roundabout.

Limerick was a bit chaotic.  Met a couple of very committed lads from the Repudiate The Debt campaign, who had driven down from Dublin to give us some leaflets, marched with us down O'Connell Street.  Because we were going against the traffic, and there were so few of us, decided it was safer to keep to the footpath, but, another march down, Limerick’s first.

Got the physio, and it made a huge difference; still a lot of pain, and discovered I had two black nails and a nice blister forming from footwear too tight; discovered also that I had been doing everything wrong.  Not drinking enough, not drinking any sport drinks to replace the lost tribe of electrolytes, not eating energy bars (a bit of salad had been my only sustenance), not eating sweets for energy boost.

Off from Limerick, and this was always the stretch I dreaded; only one village left, Birdhill, two long stretches to finish, 12.3 miles and 12.5 miles.  At this stage I was supported by Philly Ryan, Denis McNamara, two Ballyhea hardies, and Dave Donnellan, a cameraman/documentary-maker who had asked to join us.  And fair dues to the lads, they could see I was in serious trouble, and for the last 15 miles or so they took it in turns to walk with me – massive difference. 

I had made a call to former Tipperary hurler Michael Cleary to enquire about an ice-bath in the GAA club there, but wires had got crossed and he thought I had said ‘ice-pack’; didn’t matter, turned out there was a bath in the room, Michael sent over a bag of ice, and I had my bath.  He also sent over a takeout chicken and pasta meal, which had been recommended by Barry Heffernan for recovery purposes, and paid for same – gent, was in total support of our cause.

According to schedule we were meant to be arriving in Nenagh at quarter-past-six – it was 10.20 when I got to the hotel, having had our final march down the town.  Fifteen hours twenty minutes.  Got to the room, and with great difficulty (in and out of the bath) had the ice-bath, followed by a hot shower.  Went to eat the food, couldn't, went to put a few words on paper, couldn't; drank a bottle of water, lay on the bed, woke at 3am, in serious pain, body locked up from the hips down.  Took about five minutes to make it to the bathroom, the same to get back.  And that’s where I'm at right now, body locked down, awaiting physio, when I should be on the road.

I was utterly determined to do this run/walk (always knew I wouldn't run the whole way), remain so; now 9 o’clock, going to see if I can get more physio to enable me to at least get started on day two.  As I kept saying to the lads yesterday, it’s not how I am, it’s where I am, and we did the 55.5 miles.  Believe me, that .5 is important, and those last miles into Nenagh are seared into even this very dense brain.

Regardless of how I eventually get to Dublin, and if I can’t walk it, I’ll bike it (and with as much preparation!), but 12 noon this Friday, the final march, from the Garden of Remembrance to Kildare Street, and hand in this petition.  Please, sign it, not for us but for yourself.

DAY 1 – TUESDAY MAY 31^st

START  FROM – TO                   DISTANCE (m) ARRIVAL

07.00  Ballyhea/Charleville            5.5            08.00

08.15  Charleville/Banogue             8.8            09.45

10.00  Banogue/Croom                   3.1            10.30

10.45  Croom/Patrickswell              6.7            12.00

12.15  Patrickswell/Limerick           6.6            13.30

14.00  Limerick/Birdhill               12.3           16.00

16.15  Birdhill/Nenagh                 12.5           18.15

                                       55.5               

DAY 2 – WEDNESDAY JUNE 1^st

08.00  Nenagh/Toomevara                7.3            09.30

09.45  Toomevara/Moneygall             4.1            10.30

10.45  Moneygall/Dunkerrin             3.2            11.30

11.45  Dunkerrin/Roscrea               5.5            12.45

13.00  Roscrea/Borris-in-Ossory        7.4            14.30

14.45  Borris-in-Ossory/Mountrath      8.5            16.15

16.30  Mountrath/Portlaoise            8.4            18.00

                                       43.5               

DAY 3 – THURSDAY JUNE 2^nd

08.00  Portlaoise/Ballybrittas         9.0            09.30

09.45  Ballybrittas/Monasterevin       3.9            10.30

10.45  Monasterevin/Kildare            6.6            12.00

12.30  Kildare/Newbridge               5.6            13.30

13.45  Newbridge/Naas                  6.7            15.00

15.15  Naas/Rathcoole                  10.4           17.15

17.30  Rathcoole/Dublin                10.3           19.16

                                       52.5               

DAY 4 – FRIDAY JUNE 3^rd

12.00  Parnell Square/Kildare Street   1.3            13.00

                                       152.8 miles total  

Regards,

Diarmuid O'Flynn.

Letter to Enda

A LETTER TO THE TAOISEACH - by a mystery author, as e-mailed to me.

 Dear Mr. Kenny,

Herewith, a few suggestions for fixing Ireland's economy.

THE ECONOMY:

Instead of giving billions of Euro to banks that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, implement the following – you can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:

There are about 400,000 people over 50 in the work force.  Pay them €1 million each severance pay/redundancy for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1) They MUST retire – 400,000 job openings, unemployment fixed

2) They MUST buy a new car – 400,000 cars ordered, motor industry fixed

3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage – housing crisis fixed, banks back in clover (most of those mortgages are probably tracker).

4) They MUST send their kids to school/college/university - crime rate fixed

5) They MUST buy €100 WORTH of alcohol/tobacco a week - and there's your money back in duty/tax etc.

6) Instead of farting around with the carbon emissions trading scheme (pardon the pun) that makes us pay for the major polluters, tell the greedy bastards to reduce their pollution emissions by 75% within 5 years or we shut them down.

It can't get any easier than that!

P.S. If more money is needed, have all members of Dail pay back their falsely claimed expenses and second home allowances.

Also, while we’re in the mood:

 Let's put the pensioners in jail and the criminals in a nursing home.  This way the pensioners would

·         have access to showers, hobbies and walks

·         receive unlimited free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment, wheel chairs etc and they'd receive money instead of paying it out

·    would have constant video monitoring, so they could be helped instantly, if they fell, or needed assistance

·         bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them

·         a guard would check on them every 20 minutes and bring their meals and snacks to their cell.

·         They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose.

·         They would have access to a library, weight room, spiritual counseling, pool and education.

·         Simple clothing, shoes, slippers, PJ's and legal aid would be free, on request.

·         Private, secure rooms for all, with an exercise outdoor yard, with gardens.

·         Each senior could have a PC a TV radio and daily phone calls.

·     There would be a board of directors to hear complaints, and the guards would have a code of conduct that would be strictly adhered to.

The criminals would get the Nursing Home, would get cold food, be left all alone and unsupervised, lights off at 8pm, and showers once a week, live in a tiny room and for all this luxury pay €600.00 per week and have no hope of ever getting out – THINK about this

And there’s more:

COWS

Is it just me or does anyone else find it amazing that during the ‘mad cow’ epidemic the UK the government could track a single cow, born in Appleby almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the county of Cumbria?  And, they even tracked her calves to their stalls. And yet, they are unable to locate 125,000 illegal immigrants wandering around the country.  Maybe we should give each of them a cow.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse or the Dáil, is this  - you cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal', 'Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians; it creates a hostile work environment.

Is Feidir Linn

BLOG: http://thechatteringmagpie14.blogspot.com/

ONLINE PETITION: http://www.petitiononline.com/isntbb11

TWITTER: @ballyhea14

May 25th 2011

BALLYHEA BONDHOLDER BAILOUT PROTEST  - is feidir linn

It’s half-time, you're in the dressing-room with the rest of your battered and bruised teammates, your little parish team is ten goals behind and fighting for its championship life against a team of All-Stars, when one of the highest-profile managers in the game sticks his head in the door – ‘IS FEIDIR LINN!’, he shouts, ‘Yes we can!’

Yes we can alight, I'm thinking, yes we can – in my arris we can.  Perhaps if one of your own star players, Timmy Geithner, ‘guesting’ for them, hadn't slam-dunked us very early on in the game (he’s the US Treasury Secretary, and according to Professor Morgan Kelly’s recent well-publicised Irish Times article, Timmy was the man who vetoed an IMF plan at a G7 summit to force the bondholders into a two-thirds haircut on €30bn – would have saved us €20bn), perhaps if you could use some of your muscle to persuade the ECB referee and his officials to at least give us a fair break, then yes, we can still turn this mess around. 

A catchy slogan, a pat on the back, a bit of roaring and shouting at half-time – those days are gone.  Leinster turned their fortunes around in the Heineken Cup final with a lot of cold analysis of what was going wrong, of what had got them into the situation where they were 22-6 behind at the break; the coaching staff came to their conclusions, made the decisions on what needed to be done, explained it to the players; only then was the catch-cry introduced, the Jonny Sexton speech – yes we can, is feidir linn.

Any independent cold-blooded analysis of our situation will state that the only way we can turn this situation around is for the existing bondholders to take a serious haircut, and for the previous ECB-decreed payouts to be assumed by them, and that should happen NOW.  The private debt is what’s killing us; we should not pay another cent to the bondholders, not another cent taken from our Pension Fund - our last few bob - and we should be working like hell to cut ourselves loose from the billions already paid out, on the insistence of the ECB.  Then, yes yes yes, we damned well can.  Otherwise, we’re just damned.

Regards,

Diarmuid O'Flynn.

RUN TO THE DÁIL

BLOG:             http://thechatteringmagpie14.blogspot.com/

ONLINE PETITION: http://www.petitiononline.com/isntbb11

TWITTER:         @ballyhea14

FACEBOOK PAGE:   Ballyhea bondholder bailout protest

May 23^rd 2011

BALLYHEA BONDHOLDER BAILOUT PROTEST – RUN TO THE DÁIL

I hate running, absolutely hate running, and a few weeks off 57, after decades of abuse on various hurling/rugby fields and even more various construction sites, the body is in poor repair, the joints badly rusted, bits falling off here and there.  But I said I’d do it, I will do it, hand-deliver the anti-bondholder-bailout petition to the Dáil, on foot from Ballyhea to Dublin, running from town to town but with a protest march down every main street along the way, culminating in Dublin on the Friday morning.

DAY 1 – TUESDAY MAY 31^st

START  FROM – TO        DISTANCE (m) ARRIVAL

07.00  Ballyhea/Charleville            5.5            08.00

08.15  Charleville/Banogue             8.8            09.45

10.00  Banogue/Croom                   3.1            10.30

10.45  Croom/Patrickswell              6.7            12.00

12.15  Patrickswell/Limerick           6.6            13.30

14.00  Limerick/Birdhill               12.3           16.00

16.15  Birdhill/Nenagh                 12.5           18.15

                                       55.5               

DAY 2 – WEDNESDAY JUNE 1^st

08.00  Nenagh/Toomevara                7.3            09.30

09.45  Toomevara/Moneygall             4.1            10.30

10.45  Moneygall/Dunkerrin             3.2            11.30

11.45  Dunkerrin/Roscrea               5.5            12.45

13.00  Roscrea/Borris-in-Ossory        7.4            14.30

14.45  Borris-in-Ossory/Mountrath      8.5            16.15

16.30  Mountrath/Portlaoise            8.4            18.00

                                       43.5               

DAY 3 – THURSDAY JUNE 2^nd

08.00  Portlaoise/Ballybrittas         9.0            09.30

09.45  Ballybrittas/Monasterevin       3.9            10.30

10.45  Monasterevin/Kildare            6.6            12.00

12.30  Kildare/Newbridge               5.6            13.30

13.45  Newbridge/Naas                  6.7            15.00

15.15  Naas/Rathcoole                  10.4           17.15

17.30  Rathcoole/Dublin                10.3           19.16

                                       52.5               

DAY 4 – FRIDAY JUNE 3^rd

12.00  Parnell Square/Kildare Street   1.3            13.00

                                       152.8 miles total  

Regards,

Diarmuid O'Flynn.

Ballyhea protest - our 12th march

ONLINE PETITION: http://www.petitiononline.com/isntbb11

FACEBOOK PAGE: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ballyhea-bondholder-bailout-protest/162154057174719

TWITTER:        @ballyhea14

May 22nd 2011

BALLYHEA BONDHOLDER BAILOUT PROTEST – OUR 12^th WEEKLY MARCH

And then the rains came down.  Storm clouds over the parish all morning, high winds, heavy rain, and yet, just after 10am and just before we were to meet – as usual – at around 10.15 in the church car-park, a break in the weahter that lasted just long enough for our little protest march to follow its usual route up to the speed-limit sign and back.  And then, yes…

Almost three full months we’ve been marching now, 12 weeks, and we wonder – are we making any impression?  Why is it that even as the protests in Spain are – finally – making headlines here, this long-running protest by one community against the ECB-decreed bondholder bailout, our attempts to spread that protest nation-wide, are ignored?

Next Sunday we go on tour, headed for Thurles and the Cork/Tipp Munster senior hurling championship opener; 12 noon, meet in the car-park around the corner from Lar Corbett’s/Coppingers (the road to Semple Square from the square), then once around the square, and off we go to the match.  Please, join us.  If you're with a GAA club in either county, pass this around, share it, march with us.

Regards,

Diarmuid O'Flynn.

SHEEPLE OR PEOPLE?

May 19th 2011

BALLYHEA BONDHOLDER BAILOUT PROTEST – our 12^th march this Sunday – SHEEPLE OR PEOPLE?

Just back after a few days in France with my brother Paddy and his partner Pilar, both grieving the loss of their baby daughter last week; gave me time to take stock of my own situation, my obsession for the past six months and more with the bondholder bailout protest, the time and energy devoted to it, and I considered the old Jesuit philosophy – God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

I’ve made a few daunting decisions over the years: Emigrate to London before my 17^th birthday, June 1970 (flee to England, more like, from the wrath of my oul' fella, knowing full well that in the days before ‘free’ education, I hadn’t got anything near the Leaving Cert results needed for the expected university scholarship); join the Irish Army in 1972, risk losing three years for the opportunity of getting into the Ordnance Survey; emigrate to New York in 1984 when the bottom fell out of the construction industry here; leave wife and kids to go back to New York in 1994 on my own for a couple of years when things still hadn’t picked up here and the savings from the first stint in the States were almost gone; switch careers in 1998 from construction to journalism, just when construction was taking off again.

All those decisions, however, were personal, affected only myself and my family; this bondholder protest is bigger than any of them, affects this entire nation now and for at least one generation to come.  To protest, to fight, wasn’t a decision at all really, it was in my nature.  I’ve never allowed myself to be bullied, have shipped some serious punishment over the years in standing up to individuals and groups bigger and stronger than myself.  In my nature also, however, is intelligence, and so, the Jesuit thinking.

I’ve done everything I can think of to do over the past several months to try and bring this issue to the people; letters to every media outlet print/radio/TV that I can access, mails likewise; texts to all my contacts, to my friends, to acquaintances; phonecalls, meetings, house-to-house pamphleting, and all the while reading – so much reading! – to try and inform myself of what was happening.  Set up a blog, a Twitter account (me, a bloody tweeter, @ballyhea14), a Facebook page (Ballyhea says no to bondholder bailout), an online petition (http://www.petitiononline.com/isntbb11), hours and hours of every day devoted to the protest, everything else bar my job taking a back seat.  But, I have a wife, I have kids, I have family, I have a life.  Everything I’ve done so far has failed miserably to spread this protest, to galvanise people into standing up for themselves.  Two more rolls of the dice and if that doesn’t work, that’s it, then I take a back seat myself.  We will continue to march every week in Ballyhea but I'll leave it to someone with a lot more clout, a lot more eloquence and a lot more energy to take up the cause nationally.

First, May 29^th, Ballyhea Bondholder Bailout Protest march goes on tour, to Thurles for the Cork/Tipp Munster championship match, 12 noon, once around the famous square; then, two days later, Tuesday May 31^st, start the run/walk from Ballyhea to the Dáil (town to town, via Limerick city, c. 150 miles on foot, going to be painful) to deliver whatever names we have on the petition, which looks to scrap the deal of November last, or to at least hold a referendum on the terms of that deal.

So, sheeple or people?  €35bn of bonds still to be fought for, do we continue to bow to the demands of the ECB or do we march?  Lord knows we’ve bleated – and are still bleating - to the heavens high but we’re also still being shepherded along by Frankfurt and its barking dogs, our own government ministers.  Penned in, do we wait to see where they’re going to herd us next, or do we move?  Sheeple or people, people?

Regards,

Diarmuid O'Flynn.