Mick Clifford's A to Z of 2022

From war to Wagatha Christie, what a year it's been

A year of great loss and several controversies, but also of achievement.

A – An Bord Pleanála

In early April, The Ditch website began publishing stories about the deputy chair of An Bord Pleanála, Paul Hyde. All the reports raised issues around conflicts of interest.

It was the first whiff of scandal from the planning board, one of the few institutions that had risen above all controversies as others came tumbling down over the last 30 years. One thread led to another.

The Irish Examiner revealed details of inspectors’ reports being ignored, and decision making bodies on the board displaying unusual features.

Mr Hyde resigned, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien announced a new way forward, and everybody was told, no more to see here, folks, move along.

Mr Hyde denies any wrongdoing, but a file on his case is with the DPP.

In October, the Irish Examiner published details of a confidential report compiled internally that laid out shocking malpractice. Within a week, the trade union representing many of the employees wrote to the chairperson, Dave Walsh, expressing no confidence in management. The next day, Mr Walsh resigned.

A new era of transparency is being promised, and is badly required in order to facilitate homebuilding in a time of crisis.

B – Blackmore, Rachael

Rachael Blackmore became the first female to win the Grand National.

There is no stopping this woman. In 2021, the Tipperary born jockey became the first female to win the Grand National. This year she followed it up setting another record, the first woman to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Horse racing isn’t for everybody, but the achievements of Ms Blackmore ensure that she is now one of the most prominent female athletes in the world. Giddy up down that road to immortality, Rachael.

C – Cresslough

At 3.17pm on October 7, an explosion ripped through an Applegreen service station and adjacent building in the Co Donegal village, killing 10 people and leaving another eight badly injured.

The shocking nature of the event, its suddenness, and impact on a tiny community, reverberated around the island of Ireland and beyond.

The dead were Leona Harper (14), James Monaghan (13), his mother Catherine O’Donnell (39), Martin McGill (49), Robert Garwe (50), his 5-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Gawre, Jessie Gallagher (24), James O’Flaherty (48), Martina Martin (49), and Hugh Kelly (59).

President Michael D Higgins attended the funerals and spoke afterwards of the big challenges that now lay ahead for the bereaved and the local community.

He said there will be “all the vacant spaces there, all the loss being experienced” and that “something new will have to take its place, new relationships, new connections, new functions”. The actual cause of the blast is yet to be fully determined by the gardaí.

D – Declaration of interests

Political scandals were low grade this year, but one of the more entertaining involved junior Fianna Fáil minister Robert Troy. In August, it was reported that Mr Troy had failed to declare all his business interests in the Register of members’ interests in the Oireachtas.

There was an oul’ house he’d sold to Westmeath County Council and another oul’ house in Mullingar he’d forgot to mention.

When he stepped forward for the standard confession/valedictory interview on RTÉ it turned out that he owned 11 properties, nine of which were rented out. Then it turned out that there was another oul’ house in which there was once an issue with a fire certificate. On August 23, Mr Troy resigned his ministerial role, citing the distraction that the issue had become.

He blamed the media for some of his travails, and had this to say as he walked out the door.

“I personally will not apologise for being a landlord. I bought my first house at the age of 20 as I went straight into a job after school, so I was in a position to purchase my first property then. I am not a person of privilege and I have not been brought up with a silver spoon in my mouth. I have worked for all I have.”

All of which is entirely fair enough, but for a politician, he showed a lack of awareness that for people leaving school or college today the idea of owning one, not to mind 11, properties, is fantasy land.

E – Elon Musk

Elon Musk: Controversial takeover of Twitter.

They don’t make billionaires like they used to. On April 13, Elon Musk made a bid of $43bn for Twitter, as you would.

Within a few days, the value of Twitter stock sank by $100m in reaction to the bid, inferring that fabled entity, the market, didn’t have much time for the man with the exponentially inflated ego.

Mr Musk stepped back and things settled down for a while, but in October, he came forth and put somebody else’s money where his mouth was once again. The deal was completed on October 27.

Immediately he began firing staff and firing off tweets to his heart’s content, now that he owned the joint. Staff, including those in the Dublin hub, were locked out of their offices and told to reapply for jobs.

He’s still going, the exodus from the platform has not happened, and it will be interesting to see what exactly develops.

Various studies carried out since the takeover suggest that hate speech on Twitter has become “more visible”, which indicates that Mr Musk’s buffoonery about being a champion of free speech is a code for pumping up the volume and counting the money which he hopes will roll in.

F – Football

On October 11, the Republic of Ireland’s women’s football team took its place among the nations of the world by qualifying for its first World Cup finals. The achievement occurred in Glasgow with a 1-0 victory over Scotland in a play-off match.

The victory was slightly marred by the release of a video from the winning dressing room, in which the team had broken into a chant of ‘Ooh Ah, Up the ‘RA’. 

All hell broke loose for a while as a nation conversed with itself over whether this meant that young people today retrospectively supported the killing for a united Ireland agenda run by the Provos for twenty five years.

In time, the hullabaloo died down, but the team was fined €20,000 by UEFA over the incident.

Far more important was the leap forward for the women’s game in qualifying for a major tournament. It will be the first World Cup a national side will attend since the men’s participation in the 2002 finals in Japan and South Korea. That was better known round these parts as the Saipan World Cup.

Speaking of Roy Keane, he emerged as the big winner in from the Qatar tournament held in November and December. The controversial decision to award the finals to a dictatorship with an appalling record for human rights was parked, and the quality of football was fair to middling. Everybody agreed on one thing thing — Roy was box office.

G – Gaslighting

This is the Merriam-Webster dictionary word of the year. It is defined as “a word that describes behaviour that manipulates the mind, is misleading, and downright deceitful”.

The word was chosen based on the number of online searches, rising 1,740% on 2021.

Apart from reflecting the popularity of the word, the searches indicated widespread confusion as to its meaning.

In this sense, gaslighting has entered the popular vernacular as a word that many deem cool to throw into conversation as a signal that they are with the programme, irrespective of whether or not they know what they’re talking about.

H – Hurling

Limerick completed three in a row All Ireland senior titles on July 17, when they beat Kilkenny by two points. This was also the county’s fourth success in five years. The gap is closing, but not unlike Dublin in the big ball code during the 2010s, Limerick appear to have the edge when it really matters.

Limerick captain Declan Hannon, left, and injured Limerick hurler Cian Lynch lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup. Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

The pundits suggest there is no end in sight to their dominance. For those of us who like to see the titles in the beautiful game spread around a bit, this is not good news. Up until 2018, neutrals would have been willing Limerick to close a gap that had opened up since 1973, the last occasion prior to then on which they won the Liam McCarthy.

Now, however, we’ve had enough of it. They’re back, no doubt about it. In the land of neutrals, however, they’ve outstayed their welcome. Not that anybody in Limerick gives a fig about that, and right they are too.

I – International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC)

On February 28 the IPCC published the second of what will be three reviews on the future of the planet, and whether it will be around in any recognisable sense for tomorrow’s children. It found that many elements of global warning are “irreversible” but that there is still a brief window of time to alleviate the very worst effects.

Over 40% of the world’s population are “highly vulnerable” to climate change, the study found, an example of which was extensive flooding in Paksitan later in the year, that left a huge portion of the country under water for weeks.

“Our report clearly indicates that places where people live and work may cease to exist, that ecosystems and species that we’ve all grown up with and that are central to our cultures and inform our languages may disappear,”

Prof Debra Roberts, co-chair of the IPCC said at the publication: “So this is really a key moment. Our report points out very clearly this is the decade of action if we are going to turn things around.”

In November, COP27 took place in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt. There was much breast beating and ultimately more promises. Unfortunately, form suggests it’s all being placed on the never never.

J – Journalism

Yes, it does matter. This year the Irish Examiner swept the boards at the Newsbrand Journalism awards, taking home six of the biggest on offer. Political editor Daniel McConnell won three awards, including political journalist of the year, scoop of the year, and the coveted overall journalist of the year.

The paper’s Ann Murphy won the campaigning journalism award for her work on a sex for rent series. The stories and the deficiencies in the law exposed in Ann’s reporting led to an urgent change of the law in the Oireachtas. Podcast of the year went to Noel Baker for his innovative work on The Lost American with journalist Mostafa Darwish. 

Ciara Phelan collected the award for Young Journalist of the Year.

The successes were built on the back of hard work and dedication to a craft that is under serious pressure due to changed habits in the public’s reading and expectations. Expect more of the same from the Irish Examiner in 2023.

K – Kerry

In a year in which the world was revealed as existing in a ‘terrible state of chassis’, at least order was restored in one department. On July 24 the Kingdom was crowned All Ireland champions after a good, but not great, final against Galway.

The real win of the year, however, happened two weeks earlier with a last minute score from the boot of Sean O’Shea to dispatch Dublin.

At last sanity had been restored, the eight year famine was at an end. I could go on, but I’d better not.

L – Lost leader

On August 21, a gathering estimated at 10,000 people came to Béal na Bláth to remember the death of Michael Collins, a century on from the event.

The actual anniversary fell the following day, but the occasion was notable for the symbolism it projected.

Micheál Martin at the Béal na Bláth commemorations.

The leaders of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the parties formed out of the Civil War in which Collins was killed, were for the first time jointly remembering the lost leader at this place revered in Irish history.

The pity was that the occasion was not a national one to which the president, all political parties, and civic leaders were invited, but some things have yet to change.

Micheál Martin noted that Collins and the site of his death had always been an important place for the Fine Gael tradition.

“However, it is also an important site for all who honour and respect our independence struggle and our democracy,” he said.

Leo Varadkar was in his element. “On the centenary of his death, we pay tribute on behalf of a grateful nation and join together in this place to say, ‘thank you’. Michael Collins’ life was Ireland and his legacy is Ireland too.”

The day in question was stifling hot, and that contributed to the one moment of drama which punctuated the solemnity.

In the middle of the Taoiseach’s speech, one of the colour party of soldiers standing next to him collapsed. In the immediate confusion, the possibility arose that Micheal Martin would be the next leader to come under fire at Béal na Bláth, but things quickly calmed down.

Notably, the minute the ceremonies concluded, Martin sought out the stricken solider to comfort him, which said plenty of his awareness of others. Martin ended his tenure as Taoiseach on a high in December.

M – Movie of the year

The Banshees of Inisherin was the Irish movie shimmering with glitter. It had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, and opened in this country a month later.

Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell in the film 'The Banshees of Inisherin'. Picture: Jonathan Hession

Martin McDonagh wrote and directed. Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell acted their socks off, but were probably outshone by Kerry Condon. The setting, an island off the west coast during the Civil War, was fantastic. What’s not to like?

Here’s a snippet of the review in the Irish Examiner: “A smart blend of JM Synge and Samuel Beckett, with its apparently innocuous feud (and backdrop of civil war) hinting at something much darker and primeval than a spat between friends, The Banshees of Inisherin is as thought-provoking as it is laugh-out-loud.”

The New York Times put it this way: The Banshees of Inisherin might feel a little thin if you hold it to conventional standards of comedy or drama. It’s better thought of as a piece of village gossip, given a bit of literary polish, and a handsome pastoral finish.”

In December, it was announced that the Banshee was nominated for eight Golden Globe awards, shortening the odds that an Oscar or two may be on the horizon.

N – North Country, Girl From

‘Girl From the North Country’ is the title of a Bob Dylan song, but here it represents the name of the musical play written by Conor McPherson around the great man’s songbook.

McPherson was approached a few years ago by Dylan’s manager with the idea for such a play. He took a walk on Dun Laoighaire pier and came up with the concept, a narrative built around a boarding house in the USA’s mid west during the 1930s depression. The result was a run at the Olympia Theatre in July. All that can be said about it is that it was magic.

O – Oscars

The 94th Oscar ceremony in LA on March 28 was heading down the same route as the previous 93 towards a backslapping snooze fest, when Will Smith got up out of his front row seat.

The presenter, Chris Rock, had just made a joke about the appearance of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Will was having none of it. He mounted the stage, strode over to Rock and slapped him across the face. In the process he made a few comments to Rock about taking care with what came out of his mouth.

Then, Will returned to his seat. The luvvies and the watching world went into momentary shock. Did that just happen?

It sure did. The film world went into meltdown. Some minutes after the incident, Smith picked up the best actor award for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father to tennis stars, Venus and Serena. His career might well need the boost of that Oscar, as his other Oscar ‘hit’ is set to haunt him for some time. He has now been banned from the Academy Awards for 10 years, which sounds more like respite than a sentence.

The smart money says that in order to keep up interest in the ceremony, Roy Keane is being booked to present next year.

P – Phelan, Vicky

Vicky Phelan: A light went out when she died in November. Picture: Naomi Gaffey

A light went out when the death of Vicky Phelan was announced on November 14. She was 48. She had been a warrior and advocate, the best of what we are and the bravest.

In 2011, an error was made in her cervical cancer screening and as a result her cancer went untreated. She took the state to court and in 2018 settled an action with Clinical Pathologiy Laboratories, which included an award of €2.5m. Crucially, and contrary to normal practice, she refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Thereafter she campaigned long and hard over the screening system that had let her down, resulting in an investigation carried out by Gabriel Scally. She also founded the 221+ CervicalCheck patient group for women who had mistakenly received negative tests. In 2018, she was given a year to live, but true to character she defied the odds.

In October 2021, after extended treatment in the US, the mother of two announced she was coming home to receive palliative care.

Leading the tributes on her death, President Higgins said she had made an enormous contribution to Irish society.

“All of us who had the privilege of meeting Vicky will have been struck by the powerful inner strength and dignity with which she not only faced her own illness, but with the sense of commitment to the public good and the rights of others with which she campaigned,” he said.

“Thanks to her tireless efforts, despite the terrible personal toll she herself had to carry, so many women’s lives have been protected, and will be protected in the future.”

Q – Queen

On September 8, Queen Elizabeth died at the age of 96. Her longevity ensured that her death could not be a surprise, but it still came as something of a shock. She had been on the throne for 70 years.

The Royal Hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II at Wellington Arch on September 19. Picture: David Ramos/Getty Images

In the UK, there was an outpouring of grief not seen since the queen’s daughter-in-law Diana Spencer died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

It was as if the occasion had provided the relief of nostalgia at a time when the country is in an awful state as a result of Brexit and all that has flowed from it.

In this country, there was respectful and somewhat affectionate sympathy for our neighbours, on the death of an inoffensive woman.

Cork’s most famous fishmonger Pat O’Connell was all over the airwaves talking about how he and Lizzie had kept up contact since the famous occasion when she visited the city in 2011 and he broke convention and gave her a giggle or two in the English Market. Dowtcha boy.

R – Rugby

Ireland’s men’s team began the year in pretty good nick and ended it in rude health. In the summer, the team went to New Zealand and did what has never been done before.

Victory for the Irish rugby team. Picture: Sportsfile

They won a test and then they won two, to claim the series. Truly, we are living in extraordinary times, a long way from the days when the late Mick Dolye declared that the outlook in this country for the game was “desperate, but not serious”.

The Autumn internationals broke records with wins against world champions South Africa, Fiji, and Australia. Ireland is now the Number One team in the world and one of the favourites for the next World Cup. That inevitably means we’re screwed.

S – Surrender

Name of Bono’s book. Three chords and the truth, mister.

Bono’s memoir was all that was expected, honest, well written, and full of himself in the most self-aware manner possible.

He embarked on a tour for the publication on November 1, offering more insights into a life that has been lived to the full. He brought it all back home for a final gig of the tour in the Olympia where the great and good, including the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, and President Higgins, sat at his feet to inhale the wisdom of the great one.

The book is stuffed with anecdotes, one of which involves the great Johnny Cash. Bono met Johnny at the latter’s home one time where they had some grub, and Bono relates that he listened as the devout Christian and reformed hellraiser Johnny delivered “the most poetic grace I’ve ever heard”. 

Then Cash, “smiling under his breath as if June [his wife] couldn’t hear or see,” ended his grace with, “Sure miss the drugs, though”.

“For all is deep faith and conviction, he could never be the pious type,” Bono writes. “and maybe that’s why so many are drawn to him. Johnny didn’t sing to the damned; he sang with the damned, and sometimes you sensed he might prefer their company.”

In fairness to Bono, he knows his onions.

T – Twomey, Caitriona

In September, Ms Twomey, who for decades has done trojan work with Cork Penny Dinners, opened the door on a new Wellness Centre, a place where “lives broken by poverty, addiction or neglect can be built back again, using practical supports ina safe space with love, compassion and community.”

Caitriona Twomey: Trojan work with Cork Penny Dinners.

In a year in which the cost of living crisis has hurtled more people towards poverty, Caitriona Twomey is one of those who always have an eye and ear out for the people who are furthest out on the margins. Of the new centre, she said “there are people unable to do the basics, like cooking a full meal, what to use, how to make it efficient. We help them to learn. It’s a place for them to belong, a sense of community.”

You can have your Elon Musks, but it is the Caitriona Twomeys who ensure that basic aspects of humanity are what ultimately makes the world go round.

U - Ukraine

On February 24, Vladamir Putin announced a “special military operation” in Ukraine which kicked off the invasion of the country. The war turned back time and also served to bring many western powers together in their opposition. It has been devastating for the people of Ukraine and the impact was felt right across the globe. More than 70,000 Ukrainians fled here seeking sanctuary. The housing system has been put under enormous pressure.

Things did not go as Putin wanted or imagined. The Ukrainian resistance has been fierce to an extent that Putin has pulled back many of his troops. In the last two months of the conflict the trajectory has changed with the launching of rockets rather than boots on the ground. There is no end in sight.

V – Varadkar, Leo

On December 17, Leo Varadkar was elected Taoiseach for the second time. His record in this respect is unique. He was first elected on winning leadership of his party in 2017 following the resignation of Enda Kenny, so did not win by popular vote in a general election. This time he was elected as part of the novel rotation arrangement with Fine Gael’s coalition party, Fianna Fail.

So here he is, Taosieach once more, still reaching to fulfil his potential. While his career highlight this year may have been ascending to the top job again, a far more relevant occurrence for him came on July 6 last.

After a protracted garda investigation into the leaking of a document to a friend of his, the DPP dealt with the manner relatively quickly. The evidence gathered apparently fell short of the threshold required to pursue a prosecution. In November, the Standards In Public Office announced it would not be pursuing an investigation into the leak, following a majority 3-2 decision of its five commissioners. So the way is clear once more for Mr Varadkar to spread his wings and show us what he can do. He has two years at the most to make his mark this time around.

W – Wagatha Christie

Rebekah Vardy leaves the Royal Courts Of Justice during the high-profile libel battle between her and Coleen Rooney.

Oh what fun we had - It’s always a time of distracted joy when very wealthy people lose the run of themselves, allowing their base egos and inanities to fill the coffers of lawyers. On May 10, a libel action got underway in the English High Court as Rebecca Vardy sued for Colleen Rooney for defamation. Rebecca is married to millionaire footballer James Vardy, while Colleen is married to her childhood sweetheart, who became a millionaire footballer, Wayne Rooney.

In 2019, Colleen Rooney conducted a sting operation to find out who was leaking stories from her private Instagram account to journalists. She claimed it was Vardy, who denied it and sued for defamation.

The trial was a hoot, with evidence spilling out of leaks and agendas and spinning various stories to the media in a milieu where the phrase “more money than sense” would certainly appear to have applied. Before long most of the world was on ‘Team Colleen’ as she came across as more reasonable and relatively grounded. The action failed in the end and the lawyers toddled off with costs estimated to have tipped €3m, but for the great unwashed who don’t inhabit this pair’s rarefied world, it was well worth the money.

X – Xmas crib

In late November, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Green party councillor Caroline Conroy, announced there would be no live animals in the crib at the Mansion House this year. The sky fell in. Some opportunistic politicians were appalled that city kids would never know what a donkey looks like if they don’t see it on the street, next to the Luas, full of hustle and bustle?

Conroy wasn’t backing down, reasonably positing the view that the city centre was no place for live animals to be on display in this manner.

“Since the 1990s, there have been live animals in front of the Mansion House … the lord mayors of the past decided to stick to this format, I decided that it was time for a revamp and letting go of the live animals involved [to] create a more attractive and hands-on experience,” she said.

Fine Gael couldn’t let it go. Minister for the Office of Public Works Patrick Donovan organised for another live crib, a continuity one perhaps, to be established on Stephen’s Green complete with animals on view for the delectation of city folk. Mr Donovan had a face on him as if he’d just pulled off a political masterstroke. Housing? Health? Bah humbug. Look over here. Hey, children, that’s a donkey, D-O-N-K-E-Y.

Y – Your book of the year

Mine is a little gem, Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These. The author literally lifts the reader from the page and plants them right onto a street in Co Wexford in the run up to Christmas in the 1980s. At the heart of the book is the outrage that was institutions in which women in particular were detained and treated, in some instances, like sub humans.

But Ms Keegan doesn’t hammer you over the head with the political or social dimension. Her tome, which was shortlisted for this year’s Booker prize, is just a terrifically told story that makes you feel.

Apart from that you might want to check out Unlocked, An Irish Prison Officer’s Story. It is what it says on the tin, an account of prison officer David McDonald’s 30 years in the service, packed with insights and anecdotes. Oh, and it was co-authored by a gurrier who compiles an A-Z when December comes round.

Z – Zelenskyy, Volodymyr

Volodymyr Zelenskyy: A leader of the ages.

Time man of the year, and why wouldn’t he be? Some have greatness thrust on them. Mr Zelenskky has all the appearance of a latter day Churchill. When first elected this former comedian didn’t look to be up to the job, surfing on a wave of populism. Then Putin invaded and suddenly our man transmogrified into a leader for the ages. He has done his people a huge service, with a dogged resilience and a great facility for communication.

The smart money says that this is his time and when the war ends, hopefully sooner than later, he, and probably his people, will be better off if he heads onto the international lecture circuit, or even back to the stage. But for now, he has managed to personify the resistance and courage of a people who refused to bow down to a bullying dictator. As such, he is an uplifting figure on which to complete this year’s A–Z.