Madam, – Some of your correspondents have chosen to put a cynical twist to the words of Barack Obama. One correspondent calls his catch phrase “regretfully hollow”. Another cut him up further. “If this is Monday. it must be Ireland”. This is to misunderstand and underestimate the purpose and potency of oratory. The public came to hear Mr Obama in their droves to be inspired by his speech-making. He may have been vote-chasing as well but Mr Obama enjoyed addressing and impressing the audience to a high degree with his oratory.
The enjoyment was written all over him.
Think of Franklin Roosevelt in 1933: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”. It didn’t resolve the vast problems of the day but changed the tempo of America. Kennedy’s inauguration speech, and in our own history, the words of the 1916 proclamation, De Valera’s response to Churchill, to name but a few speeches could all be called “regretfully hollow”, if analysed and parsed in detail but they educated and inspired public opinion, speeding up the process of historical change.
Many other professionals, football managers, sales managers, educators and entertainers all hone their oratory to copperfasten and enhance their careers, as does anyone who attends a searching interview. We don’t scorn them for it. We expect it. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Reading your letters page these past few days has left me feeling we are a nation easily pleased. Mr Obama jets in, drinks a pint, shakes a few hands and translates his catchphrase into Irish and everyone goes weak at the knees! While there is no doubting his charisma and enthusiasm, his and Mr Kenny’s hyperbole at College Green on Monday count for little.
When Air Force One jetted out of Dublin, the many problems we have remained. A three-word catchphrase won’t solve the banking crisis, the abject failures that are our health, education and local government systems as well as the many other obstacles ahead of us as a nation.The only thing that left with Mr Obama on Air Force Once was the Irish American vote ahead of his next election. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The visits of the Queen and President Obama have made me proud to be an Irish teenager. However, it is with great frustration that I am writing to you.
As a great admirer of President Obama, I jumped at the opportunity to finally see my hero in the flesh. My friend and I began to queue in the pouring rain from 7.30am to see a man who has inspired us all. As the morning went on the excitement could be felt by all, and as we were at the top of the queue we were convinced we would be within touching distance, or at least very close to the president. As the gates opened at 2pm we proceeded through the security checkpoints and we moved swiftly towards the podium where Mr Obama would speak.
We took up our positions behind the barrier and watched with great anticipation. Two hours passed and soon an area began to fill up in front of us. We soon realised this was the VIP area. I wouldn’t have minded if these VIPs had won the tickets in a draw. But no, it was the same TDs and government officials jumping on the political bandwagon! The same ones who met the Queen the previous week and who appear at all public events like this. Even ex-TDs were in attendance.
How can this be fair? Shouldn’t the hard souls who queued in the pouring rain deserve the chance to shake Mr Obama’s hand? Isn’t it time the normal people of Ireland got a chance?
This is not a letter of jealousy but rather a request for change. Perhaps these high-profile public figures should step aside and let the hardworking people of Ireland get a chance for once. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – May I correct John Somers’ correction (May 26th) of John O’Connor (May 25th). It is a widely held myth that the soil underneath an embassy is considered to be part of that embassy’s country’s territory. The US embassy is on and in Irish territory. The property may have elements of diplomatic protection but it is just as “Irish” as any other property in this State. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Monique Bolger-Thys (May 26th) confesses to be “. . . perplexed and disappointed – by the absence of an EU flag on the top of the Bank of Ireland on College Green on Monday . . .” and asks “. . . was this a deliberate action or a faux-pas?” Good question.
I myself asked the same question of a noticeably remiss pronunciation in the course of the US presidential speech (which a replay will confirm or disprove) when what I took to be an intention to state that Ireland will succeed emerged as “. . .Ireland will secede . . .” It struck as anomalous for a college professor of the legal genre, where nuance of language is of such importance.
Am I the only one who noted this elision, and does it indicate the answer to Ms Bolger-Thys’s question to be: the former? – Yours, etc,