Fergus Finlay: Meeting inspiring Cork people keeps bizarre world events at bay

After I was added to the Cork Person of the Year Hall of Fame, I got to meet some real genuine Cork heroes, but I was brought crashing back down to earth by events in America

Garry McCarthy was awarded Cork Person of the Year 2026 for his work with the Kabin Studio in Knocknaheeny at the Cork Person of the Year Awards in the Metropole Hotel. He turned the youngsters into confident young superstars. Photo. Darragh Kane

The last thing I wanted to write about today was the orange monstrosity, and what he and the appalling crowd around him have done to their own country and what they are trying to do to the world. 

It’s unavoidable though, isn’t it. America is drifting closer, day by day, to an existential choice. Submit to a fascist-style dictatorship or prepare for the second civil war in its history.

Before I go there, I do want to tell you what I was determined to write about — one of the greatest days ever. Last Friday.

A couple of months ago I received a call from Manus O’Callaghan in Cork. What a man, what a hero, a virtual saint. He told me it had been decided that I was to be added to the Cork Person of the Year Hall of Fame and wanted to know would I accept.

Would I what! I was absolutely thrilled, and then I lay awake all night, covered in guilt, confusion and mortification. I had to ring him back the following day.

“Manus,” says I, “I went to school in Cork at the age of 13, and then again at 16. I did my Leaving in Cork and my degree in Cork. I met the love of my life in Cork — and she was born in Cork — and we’ve been married for more than 50 years. 

"Three of my four children were born in Cork, years of my working life were spent in Cork, and I have never gone a summer in more than 60 years without at least one swim in the sea in Rosscarbery. I love Cork with every fibre of my being.” 

“But”, I added, before he could get a word in edgeways, “I wasn’t actually born in Cork, despite my best efforts. Am I disqualified?” I’ll never forget Manus’s reply (did I mention he was a saint and a hero?).

He said: 

Yerrah boy, there’s only a few of us lucky enough to be born here. Of course we’ll let you in! 

So I had the inestimable honour of standing on a stage in the Metropole Hotel in Cork and telling a large audience that I was now unique. For years I’ve been telling my Cork friends that I am a better class of Cork person because I’m a Cork person by choice, whereas they’ve suffered an accident of birth. 

Now at last I can claim both, and I have a fabulous Cork Crystal vase to prove it.

But more to the point I met real genuine Cork heroes, people who’ve made an enormous contribution. All the monthly winners were there — people like Professor Gary Murphy of DCU, and Rónán Collins, a brilliant specialist in geriatric medicine. 

I was especially thrilled to meet a man who has done something I can only dream of, Michael Kiely, who won two athletic world championships last year — and he is 80 years of age! You’ll find them all on corkpersonoftheyear.ie.

One of the most inspirational people you’ll ever meet is Garry McCarthy, who was named overall Cork Person of the year. 

Garry McCarthy has transformed the lives of dozens, maybe hundreds, of young people through rap. Photo: Darragh Kane

Garry has transformed the lives of dozens, maybe hundreds, of young people, through rap, of all things. 

He got them involved in his kind of music and turned them into confident young superstars. If you don’t believe me, look for The Kabin (the organisation he started) on YouTube, and prepare to be blown away.

Donald Trump

But all the way down to Cork on Friday morning (in driving rain), and all the way back on Saturday (in driving rain) we listened to podcasts from and about America, what was happening within, and its relations with the world. It’s hard to know what was more frightening.

A couple of months ago, if you suggested that Donald Trump was trying to find a way to abandon the American mid-term elections, you’d be accused of some crazy conspiracy theory. Not anymore. 

Day after day brutally repressive tactics are being deployed by federally employed storm troopers on the streets of American cities. As I write this, two American citizens have been murdered by these storm troopers, and immediately the victims of those murders have been branded as domestic terrorists. 

Unless there is a rebellion in the Republican Party, and the Democrats finally find some semblance of political leadership, the murders in Minneapolis will be followed by more, rather than less, repression. It’s surely only a matter of time before peaceful protest becomes squabble, then riots, then violence on both sides.

Alex Pretti was shot dead by a federal officer in Minneapolis on Saturday as he tried to help a woman who was being pepper-sprayed in the face. Photo: Michael Pretti via AP

Over here, we’re seeing one side of it — a man called Alex Pretti tries to help a woman who has been pepper-sprayed in the face, and then he’s dragged to the ground and pistol-whipped by a group of storm troopers. 

They find a gun (for which he had a permit) in his belt and take it off him. Then one of the storm troopers shoots him at least five times as he lies on the ground.

That’s what we’re seeing. But it’s not what a lot of Americans are seeing. They’re seeing a completely different story, being told relentlessly, day after day, about crazy left-wing fanatics trying to prevent decent law enforcement officers doing their jobs. I could give you dozens of examples, but here’s just one.

Go to YouTube. In its search engine type in “Karoline Leavitt Clashes With 'Left Wing' Reporter In Heated Exchange Over Minnesota ICE Shooting”. You’ll see the president’s press secretary attack a well-known Irish journalist (also well-known as not a crazy left-winger!). 

Then read the 1,300 comments under the clip, and you’ll begin to get a sense of how bitterly divided America has become. That’s the real damage Trump has done. 

America is now a country where it is impossible to arrive at a universally-accepted definition of truth. Everything is approached on the basis of extremes. And this will get worse in the determination to “get the story out first”. 

Day after day brutally repressive tactics are being deployed by federally employed storm troopers on the streets of American cities. Photo: AP/Adam Gray

Renee Good, and then Alex Pretti, had barely stopped breathing before they were described as domestic terrorists whose objective was to assassinate law enforcement officers.

I used to think that the thing that might save us all was Trump’s bottomless desire to be popular. He’d go so far and then when the polls dipped he’d reverse course. He is now almost totally brainwashed by the fascists around him. 

It seems almost tragic to say it, but the only thing that can stop, or at least pause, the downward spiral of America is some kind of parliamentary revolt. And heaven only knows who would lead that.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

There is, I suppose, the possibility that military leadership might conclude that all of this has gone far enough. If they were to issue a statement condemning the murders of civilians, and refusing to co-operate with the unlawful paramilitary war Trump is waging against his own people, that would change things.

It doesn’t get any weirder, does it? The only thing that might save American democracy might be the threat of a military coup? How likely is that? And yet, in the crazy world of Donald Trump, you can’t rule anything out. 

All we know for sure is that things are going to get worse before they get better.

CORK

Your home for the latest news, views, sports and business reporting from Cork.