Leaning to the left

Citeógs of the world unite. There is nothing sinister about left handedness and to prove it the good folk of Mullingar, Co Westmeath are hosting a Left Hand Festival (August 8th – 13th) in celebration of those who must always do things with the "wrong hand".

According to the organisers, the literal meaning of the Gaelic name of Mullingar is “the town of the left hand mill”, which dates back to a 7th-century local monk, St Colman of Lynn, who performed a miracle by, eh, grinding corn on a mill on the left hand side. It’s a milling thing I guess.

But the Latin for left is sinistra , which, unfortunately for the left-handed, is where the word sinister comes from.

And, of course, no one is ever acclaimed as “my left-hand man”. This is despite the fact that one in 10 of the world’s population is left-handed – a statistic that hasn’t changed for thousands of years, apparently.

Famous south paws of the past include Leonardo da Vinci, Aristotle and Einstein.

In a bid to boost appreciation of this fact, and citeEogs in general, International Left Hand Day is celebrated each year on August 13th around the world, the number 13 being itself somewhat under-appreciated.

The celebrations at Belvedere House – tag line “celebrate your right to be a lefty” – will include a competition for the left-handed champion of Ireland, the signing of a Human Lefts convention, and Mullingar Welcomes Left Handers, with left hand hotel rooms, restaurants and, say organisers, the fervent hope that nothing goes “right” over the five days.

belvedere-house.ie