Pope’s children are still none the wiser
The American novelist lifted the title of his best-known book, A Confederacy of Dunces, from Alexander Pope, and ever since journalists of every description have plopped that book title into their copy as an indication of unearned erudition (the phrase is pretty irresistible, mind you: When a true genius appears in the world you may know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in confederacy against him).
No-one, however, has come up with an apposite quotation for the opposite scenario: the silence of the dunces when the obvious is apparent to all. We know some Pope here in this corner of the newspaper, but it’s doubtful the little genius ever came up with a neat couplet to encompass that eventuality.
If you find same, do let us know at the mail address below.
What has induced this dream of the Augustans? The situation in Cork relating to the appointment of a hurling manager, one causing a good deal of discussion on Leeside.
Readers are no doubt aware that a lengthy process is already in train whereby the Cork County Board has invited clubs to come up with a process for appointing said manager, the clubs have submitted their formulae, the board will now have a meeting to discuss those proposals, the clubs will review the results of that meeting and the favoured proposals, a proposal will be selected and that proposal will be the process duly used to make the appointment.
For the record, the post involved is that of the Cork hurling manager. Not the Supreme Pontiff.
The reasons for this lengthy, complex approach — talks about talks, for those of you with a historical cast of mind — are rooted in the recent controversies on Leeside (or the Great Unpleasantness, as we like to call it). So bitter and divisive were the strikes and stand-offs of the last decade that these intricate processes are necessary to give everyone a sense of involvement or, to be more precise, to let nobody free to claim they don’t have a sense of involvement. The two concepts are not exactly the same.
Even if you have a deep and abiding emotional connection to the affairs of the Cork hurling team all of the above may have you rolling your eyes and fanning your armpits, to use an exacting phrase of Martin Amis.
If you don’t then you could well end up issuing pious ejaculations along the lines of “Can’t they just appoint someone and have done with it?” The odd thing here is that the latter school of thought — dismissive, impatient — is correct. Intercounty management is a difficult job and not many people are suited to it. The reason the same names end up in the frame for any vacancy is because it’s known that those particular individuals can do the job involved, and by a circular logic, those are often presumed to be the only individuals who can do the job.
And yet, and yet.
One of those very individuals is available to Cork. An All-Ireland-winning manager who is familiar with the club situation within the county. A popular figure who would be a unifying influence within Cork, helping all concerned to move past the bitterness of the strikes and who would command instant respect beyond the county (a far stronger recommendation than it would be in any other county, by the way).
An individual with a unique understanding of the demands of the dual player, which is likely to be an issue in Cork in the coming seasons, and one with a proven track record in bringing through promising youngsters during a fallow period of senior success; not to mention a record of discarding senior players, even those he was friendly with, if they can’t aid the rebuilding process.
Finally, the individual concerned has the confidence of the Cork County Board itself, as that organisation was interested in his taking over the county’s U21 team very recently.
What more could you need as an imprimatur?
If Jimmy Barry-Murphy were in any way interested in becoming the Cork senior hurling manager again he would be the obvious choice.
There’s no need to thank this corner for pointing out the obvious, by the way. When Pope wasn’t talking about dunces, he also said that men must be taught as if you taught them not, and things unknown proposed as things forgot.
* Contact: michael.moynihan@examiner.ie Twitter: MikeMoynihanEx
