On the day of the All-Ireland Semi-Final in Gaelic Football between Mayo and Dublin (the women’s game first, the men’s afterwards, our group set up on the cobbles in Moore Street for our 359th Saturday (with the exception of the Covid19 Lockdown weeks). The team today was somewhat reduced – Bróna, Daniel agus Diarmuid.
Was it last year we were here when Dublin and Mayo faced one another then too? And Diarmuid sang a song for each team? We’ll have a dig in our archives and see if we can bring them out again for the day that’s in it.
Allegedly Mayo footballers are suffering under a curse dating from 1951, the last time Mayo raised the Sam Maguire Cup. Apparently the winning team neglected to pay proper respect to a funeral while passing through Foxford on their victorious drive home and enraged, a local priest cursed the team and the county that while any member of the team of ’51 lived, Mayo would never win an All-Ireland final.
Since 1951 Mayo have reached the final in seven different seasons but lost every time. Two members of the team of ’51 are still alive. The curse seems to have avoided the female senior footballers, as Mayo have won six minor and four ladies titles since, not to mention the All-Ireland senior club trophy in 2001 and 2005. You can read more about some GAA curses here https://www.rte.ie/…/1052114-gaa-curses-myth-magic-or…/
As it was spitting rain we set up the table on the other side of the road, under the overhang but in fact the rain stopped and held off for the rest of our shift. And what about the flags? Yes, we had them and just – forgot to put them up!
THE PEOPLE
As usual, a lot of support from passers-by for the campaign and its objectives. We get support from different people, young, old, men, women, Irish-born and not – among the latter today were a couple from San Francisco and a man from Romania but 20 years living in Ireland, his little granddaughter on his shoulders, who answered Diarmuid in Irish. The San Francisco couple had read a bit about the 1916 Rising and had visited the GPO Museum but knew nothing of the Moore Street part of the history. They were very interested and set off directed by us to view the O’Rahilly Monument. “Why is not signposted?” they asked, as they had just come down Moore Street without noticing it. Yes, indeed, why not? And why doesn’t the GPO Museum promote the Moore Street part of the history, the destination of most of the GPO Garrison? Of course, promotion of the history runs counter to demolition plans of property speculator Hammerson, but that would not influence Dublin City Council and the GPO Museum managers ………. would it?
Descendants of some who had fought in the Rising were among those who came to sign our petition, including those of Volunteer O’Neill and Volunteer Mee who they told us were in the GPO.
UPDATE
We have none this week, no news yet from Dublin City Council in their response to Hammerson’s three planning applications. And how is the historical preservation status examination of a number of buildings going? Have the buildings been examined and, if so, have the reports gone in and been considered? We wait to see.
YOU CAN HELP as always by sharing our posts from time to time and promoting our NEW WEBSITE https://smsfd.ie/ to inform your contacts about the campaign which they probably won’t get to hear from the mass media.
