It would nearly drive you right back down the M50 to be asked if Ennis is near Killarney — with complete sincerity — by a group of some of Trinity’s brightest alumni, outside of Coppers after a long week in a new job. Picture the scene; a sunny Friday evening, a couple of cold pints in hand, and me (an alien, dare I say, from the faraway land of County Clare), rubbing shoulders with fellow corporate up-and-comings.
Internship season is well and truly under way across Dublin city. If you are so inclined, take a stroll down Grafton Street or around the Docklands; you’ll be sure to find a group of swaggering 20-something-year-olds in chinos and brown shoes, all vying to impress the top dogs of the corporate world and secure an all-important traineeship.
It’s one big culture shock, for sure. Maybe it’s the lazy, drawn-out vowels they employ (think ‘suuuuuuper’), or their easy, smart words on the government and the economy. Or perhaps it’s just a case of imposter syndrome, materialising itself in all the worst ways — the steady internal hum of ‘you don’t belong here, they’ll chew you up’, over and over, like some ghastly mantra.
Of course, I’m being dramatic. I mean, it’s the age-old tale of small fish in a big ol’ pond. My experience, thus far, is nothing ground-breaking. The wheel of fortune hasn’t exactly been reinvented. It’s almost a rite of passage, at this stage, to relocate to Dublin, however indefinitely. I suppose that’s the industry for you; if you want to be a top dog, you come to their kennel, not vice versa. Learn their ways, work upwards through the ranks and keep your best shirts ironed.
And, in case all of that disclaiming didn’t clarify it, all of this is tongue-in-cheek. It’s been more than ‘grand’ here; the people are lovely, sincere, and witty. Dublin has a good buzz about it, especially with the weather we’ve been having. It’s definitely not the worst way to spend June.
All that being said, it’s, like, a hundred and something kilometres from Ennis to Killarney, come on now. If nothing else comes of this internship experience, at least this country bumpkin can put his town on their maps.
Jack Power
Ennis
Clare
E-scooter usage must be regulated
The recent upsurge in people using e-bikes and scooters on our roadways and footpaths must be regulated before we have another death or serious injury. The riders whom I’ve observed do not heed rules of the road as they travel along at breakneck speeds on pavements and roadways, moving side to side without regards for pedestrians or motorists alike.
Even people on ordinary bikes have the decency to signal in advance their intentions and ensure they are aware of their surroundings without blatantly endangering other road users or pedestrians.
In Italy, it has finally been decided to introduce licensing, insuring, and compulsory wearing of helmets for cyclists and those who use e-bikes and scooters.
A bit excessive some would say, but before we have another reported death or serious injury, or another lunatic speeding on his e-scooter down the M50, it is something the Minister for Transport and Minister for Justice should give serious thought to.
As e-bikes and scooters become the norm rules, safety, and licensing should be made compulsory before purchase for the user and a need for strict law enforcement.
These simple regulatory measures could save a life.
Christy Galligan
Letterkenny
Co. Donegal
Diversion tactics backfire on bosses
These days, it seems that those who are nominally in control of various organisations seem to think that scapegoating someone in their company as the village idiot is the pinnacle of MBA management.
Then they compound their error by not treating them as human beings with the same amount of brains they have, and ordering them on fools errands that garners them even more transient kudos.
By the time they wake up and realise their mistake, everything around them is going down the Swanee by dint of the fact the aforementioned idiots have managed to overachieve on the useless tasks given to them using sheer effort.
Instead they could have used the talents available to get the most out of all their employees by doing something really useful.
Or maybe they thought that by employing the village idiot theory of management, it would divert the spotlight away from who the dummkopfs really are?
Liam Power
Dundalk
Co. Louth
Ireland should limit refugee numbers
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said we cannot limit the number of refugees. He said: “I know there are some people who would like us to put a limit on the number of people seeking international protection in Ireland, that’s not realistic, it’s not legal, and it’s not practical.”
What is not practical is to take in migrants when we do not have enough accommodation for our own people, which is thanks to the incompetence of your government.
Leo also said that nobody has a veto over who comes into their community. A community is a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. Our characteristic is we are Irish and to shove strangers into a settled community is criminal, in my humble opinion ... nobody has the right to upset the ambiance and harmony in these communities by inserting strangers.
Unless the Government bucks its ideas up and reduce the number of immigrants, I fear there will be very serious unrest.
It was also reported recently that almost 1,000 fines were issued to airlines who did not have official documentation last year: the Garda Immigration Bureau issued 958 fines of €1,500 to airlines last year. This is lunacy. In the first instance, the airline should have been fined €1m for each passenger without proper documentation and such passengers should be put back on the offending plane and sent out of the country.
I am not a racist nor am I anti-migrant, I was an emigrant to London myself in 1963 aged 16-and-a-half. I didn’t need a passport, visa, or work permit because of an agreement which allowed free travel between the two countries.
We have to decide what kind of Ireland we want for our grandchildren. It will not matter to me, I am 76, and I will be long gone. It will be a tragedy if our country changes the way I fear, just because we have governments that do not know or do not care what the effects of their incompetence will have on the future of our lovely country.
Talking about migrants, I cannot be two-faced. I have been in hospital several times over recent years and I was grateful to be treated by foreign nurses and doctors.
Talking about nurses, the Government seems to have plenty of cash at hand, pay the nurses the decent wage they deserve, we can afford it, the debt we owe them for their sacrifices during covid will never be repaid.
A new TD earns €108,000 yet a new nurse, after four hard years training starts at €35,000. Under no stretch of the imagination is a new TD with no qualifications or experience worth three times the value of a nurse.
By the way, any of my comments do not apply to our Ukrainian guests, they are most welcome.
The people of Ireland have to decide, are we to be ruled by the United Nations, Brussels, or our own democratically elected government.
It’s time we had a referendum and let the people, not incompetent politicians, decide the future of Ireland, the land of céad míle fáilte.
John Fair
Castlebar
Co. Mayo
