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Quotes of the week
'If the Irish government appeals this, then it needs its head examined': The week in quotes
Here’s who said what and what was said this week.
You hear of these things, but never think they’ll happen up the road.
One local on the death of a family of five in Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan.
I’m angry. If the Irish government appeals this, and says we don’t need this, then it needs its head examined. All it serves to do is play into the leprechaun economics meme.
Professor of Finance at Trinity College’s School of Business Brian Lucey on the landmark European Commission decision regarding Apple’s unpaid Irish taxes.
We never thought we would ever see this day.
The words of Liam Mac an tSaoi’s mother, Louise, on his first day at school. He was born premature in September 2010 and spent the first three years of his life in Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin, having undergone 15 surgeries.
I have five uncles who were police officers, two cousins who were, one who died in the line of duty. I ran the largest and best police department in the world, the New York City Police Department, and I saved more black lives than any of those people you saw on stage by reducing crime and particularly homicide by 75%. [There are] maybe four or five thousand African-American young people who are alive today because of the policies I put in effect that weren’t in effect for 35 years.
Former New York City mayor Rudi Giuliani said that he has saved more black lives than Beyoncé.
I have less colleagues. I have less money. I have more work, more box ticking, more oversight, more pressure, more chiefs, less indians – but less training. I have an obsolete uniform, I have antiquated equipment, I have sub-standard vehicles, my job is more dangerous due to all the other problems. I make more decisions on a daily basis then you, any Super or any Chief. I have more and more ways to be the subject of a disciplinary investigation. I am guilty until proven innocent.
An extract from an open letter to the garda commissioner highlighting frustrations of rank-and-file gardaí which was circulated online, with members planning to mail copies anonymously en masse to Nóirín O’Sullivan.
“Is that 18-year-old studying physiotherapy in UCD getting on a train on a Tuesday afternoon to get to Donegal? And getting back on the next morning like a zombie after getting his arse run off him on the training pitch? We’ve got to look at that and how could that affect the person. I played for many teams and put many jerseys on, but the Irish one always seemed to fit me best. For me, it was a comfort blanket to come back with the national team. It’s been my second home and I’ve had a lot of emotions during my career. You have all been there and grown up with me.
As he heads into his final few days as an international footballer, an emotional Robbie Keane spoke about the special feeling he gets every time he dons the green shirt.
All this bullshit you hear from the lads in the GAA ‘In my day we did it’. Bullshit. That’s just not good enough anymore. Look after the individual. Look after the human being and Gaelic football will thrive.
Niall Breslin spoke to The42.ie on the pressures and demands on inter-county minors, as they grapple with the Leaving Cert, college and travel, as well as high-performance training.
Going back 40 or 45 years ago, during the first 10 years over 90% of the people you’d introduce would get married. It’s a little different now, people are a little more fussier and women have got more independent… they are more confident, more secure with decent jobs.
Willie Daly, who has been matchmaking couples for years at the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival, on how the Irish have become more fussy when choosing a long-term partner.
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