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Joe Duffy: ‘I am sick of being marooned on an island of vegans and Greta Thunberg fanatics’

The broadcaster is looking forward to a meat-laden table at home in Clontarf this Christmas

Joe Duffy

Arlene Harris's face
Arlene Harris
Wed Dec 1 2021 - 00:00

What will you be doing this Christmas?
"Given the (great) weather of 2021, on December 25th we may be having turkey and my beloved Brussels sprouts near Dollymount beach in the shadow of the renamed Murro Del Torres (Bull Wall).

But we will most likely be home in Clontarf, with family and friends, who will know they are invited because they are carnivores – I am sick and tired of being marooned on an island of vegans, vegetarians and Greta Thunberg fanatics.

My three children have turned into very competent chefs under the tutelage of June Meehan and Colm O’Gorman, so I’m in charge of batteries and quizzes.

With regard to a gift, I’m still dropping hints about a real fire engine. I’ve even begged my good friend Dennis Keeley, Dublin’s chief fire officer, to let me answer false alarms if I got one.

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Will this Christmas be different?
It will be a massive event with so many memories of joy and regret which are getting deeper by the year – and this Christmas we, and so many others in Clontarf and beyond, will miss Myrna Russell, our best family friend, who died suddenly on March 25th. She was a force of goodness to humans and animals alike and had been a daily part of our lives for three decades, so we will miss her terribly.

Of course, this Christmas is like no other. Over five million of our fellow world citizens have died from Covid-19, not to mention the other great ills of our society. We are now global citizens, in it together. So I’m simply looking forward to 2022 and will feel lucky and blessed to get there.

Christmas