President Higgins spoke for me and many others with his Fidel Castro lament

Fidel developed a country which had the best living conditions in Central America, writes Victoria White

“LIFE isn’t all about having two cars,” announced a Cuban man to me after a long visit to Ireland.

“Godammit,” I replied, “Have we taught you nothing?” When my friend married him he didn’t want to move to Ireland so she moved to Cuba. She explained why she loved it from her porch in the countryside: “Think of the Ring of Kerry fused with Monument Valley in technicolour… People are well mannered and respectful. Education is valued and people are proud of their country. They are resilent and good-natured as a whole. There is a low crime rate, a low infant mortality rate, and human life is valued above all else. I love how everybody still loves and admires Fidel. I love how the revolution has brought a sense of pride to Cubans.” I listen to her more than to commentators, even those as esteemed as Michael Clifford and Gerard Howlin, because she has lived in Cuba, as a Cuban, for several years. And also because she is apolitical, or at least not “parti-pris” like most visitors to Cuba.