Galway Advertiser 1988/1988_09_08/GA_08091988_E1_006.pdf 

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Observations on Galway
Dear Sir, L E T T E R B O X As we have just re turned from a visit to The City o f the Tribes, we would like to take the opportunity afforded by your excellent newspaper to pass on some observa tions. (1) O n e of our favourite parts o f Galway is the Spanish Arch with its museum and public seating along the Corrib. In the past this was an area to relax in, enjoy the scenery and feed the swans, but the river-side has become a camp site, with the campers' tents blocking out the view and the area being used as an outdoor washroom. W e understand there is a fully serviced camp site at the end o f the golf course in Salthill. (2) W i t h all the new roads and development of Galway City, we had great difficulty finding our accommodation in L o w e r Salthill. Better signposting here would be a help. (3) Finally we would like t o congratulate Galway Corporation planners on the improve ment in the facades of the new buildings and shop fronts which w e have noticed in recent years. Other cities and towns could follow their example. Yours faithfully,
A. & M . HERNON, Drogheda, Co. Louth.

Gaillimh Abu !
They came out in their thousands o n M o n d a y night to c h e e r t h e t r i u m p h a n t G a l w a y t e a m . F r o m the m o m e n t they c r o s s e d the S h a n n o n , C y r i l F a r r e l T s b o y s w e r e t r e a t e d like collective r o y a l t y . T h e ecstatic scenes w i t n e s s e d in E y r e S q u a r e last y e a r w e r e s u r p a s s e d b y t h e w e l c o m e g i v e n t o C o n o r H a y e s a n d t h e t e a m as for the s e c o n d y e a r in a r o w the M c C a r t h y C u p w a s h o i s t e d u p f o r the c r o w d s to see. It w a s a t r e m e n d o u s l y exciting g a m e , f r o m t h e first m o m e n t s o f play figure and r i g h t t h r o u g h t o that marvellous point when Noel Lane

The Last Temptation
Galway A
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Dear Sir, I was struck by your editorial on thefilmT h
Last Temptation (Aug.

c l i n c h e d it f o r G a l w a y b y d e l i v e r i n g t h e c r u c i a l g o a l . I n a s e n s e , the o f N o e l L a n e illustrates t h e u n i q u e qualities o f h u r l i n g . A fierce fast-moving g a m e , he h a d been omitted f r o m the startingbrilliant p l a y e r b u t s e e n b y s o m e as g e t t i n g a little o l d f o r this

nniversaries Misses
J o y c e of M e r v u e

lineup, suffering f r o m a l e g injury. B u t he trained, exercised, a n d kept h i m s e l f in readiness i n case h e g o t t h e call. H e d i d . A n d h e d e l i v e r e d , just as h e d i d last y e a r . W e l l d o n e ! T h e r e w e r e t h o s e w h o after last year's v i c t o r y m u t t e r e d that it was a fluke. B u t this y e a r it w a s e v i d e n t t h a t G a l w a y i s , q u i t e s i m p l y , t h e b e s t h u r l i n g t e a m i n t h e c o u n t r y . A n d their e x c e l lence w a s t h r o w n into r e l i e f b y their w o r t h y o p p o n e n t s , t h e T i p p e r a r y t e a m . L e d b y N i c h o l a s E n g l i s h , they p l a y e d a fine g a m e , nibbling away at G a l w a y ' s lead a g a i n a n d a g a i n u n t i l K i n v a r a ' s a t e a m effort, t w o G a l w a y p l a y e r s p e r f o r m e d G e r r y M c l n e r n e y s c o r e d a decisive p o i n t i n t h e t e n s e s e c o n d half. A l t h o u g h entirely magnificently -- T o n y K e a d y , especially in t h e s e c o n d half, a n d

As students start their school year learning various subjects one is r e m i n d e d o f the study e m b a r k e d upon by the Misses Joyce of Mervue two centuries a g o . Eliza and Theresa Joyce were daughters o f W a l t e r Joyce and at that time e m b a r k e d on the study o f French. T h e i r textbook, " T h e
I d i o m s of t h e F r e n c h

J o h n C o m m i n s , w h o s e s u p e r b g o a l k e e p i n g w a s a n essential factor in G a l w a y ' s victory. H u r l i n g is a f a n t a s t i c g a m e . It seems to b r i n g o u t those that, to

qualities o f courage, co-operation, a n ddetermination

a s p e o p l e , w e p r i d e o u r s e l v e s o n . L o n g m a y it c o n t i n u e

inspire o u r youngsters a n d l o n g m a y w e h e a r the 'clash o f the ash' r e s o u n d t h r o u g h theland. A n d , o h y e s . . . three i n a r o w , Conor ?

Varieties of "Concern"
' C o n c e r n ' h a s b e c o m e o n e o f t h e k e y w o r d s in the t a n g l e d v o c a b u l a r y o f t h e N o r t h e r n I r e l a n d situation. M o s t recently, in the aftermath o f the O m a g h R o a d shootings, expressions o f 'concern' f r o m politicians, c h u r c h l e a d e r s , a n d the m e d i a h a v e d o m i n a t e d c o v e r a g e o f t h e incident. P a r a l l e l s , q u i t e r i g h t l y , h a v e b e e n d r a w n b e t w e e n this most recent S A S o p e r a t i o n a n d the G i b r a l t a r s h o o t i n g s o f a f e w m o n t h s a g o , especially as the i n q u i r y set u p t o e x a m i n e the circumstances o f the s h o o t i n g s is u n d e r w a y . But there are different varieties o f ' c o n c e r n ' . F o r e x a m p l e , s o m e o f s u p p o r t f o r the I R A , particularly w h e n ,

by C h a r l e s P r a v a l , w a s printed and p u b l i s h e d in D u b l i n in 1783. O n the title page the author stated his objective, "to instruct and amuse". Certainly to a r e a d e r of the present age the book is a quaint relic of a society long gone. T h e conversa tion lessons, in English on the left h a n d page and in French opposite, are clearly designed for those whose acquaintances moved in the big houses of the G e o r g i a n period.
L a n g u a g e "

o f the expressions o f ' c o n c e r n ' c o m i n g f r o m the S o u t h s e e m a l m o s t like c o d e d messages as E a m o n n D u n p h y a r g u e d in last S u n d a y ' s Independent, t h e s a m e d e g r e e o f ' c o n c e r n ' is not f o r t h c o m i n g f r o m certain q u a r t e r s o v e r the recent I R A o u t r a g e s . T h e o l d a m b i g u i t y a g a i n . T h e r e is g e n u i n e frustration b e g i n n i n g t o g r o w in t h e most unlikely q u a r t e r s that w h e n B r i t a i n chooses t o fight fire w i t h fire it is she w h o s e e m s t o b e in the w r o n g a n d n o t t h e I R A . W h a t is o f c o n s i d e r a b l e 'concern' at the m o m e n t is t h e w a y i n w h i c h the liberal c o n s e n s u s in B r i t a i n a p p e a r s t o b e shifting g r o u n d . W e expect t h e t a b l o i d s t o e x u l t o v e r t h e d e a t h s o f " I R A R a t s " . A s t h e S i m d i d after the O m a g h shootings. B u t w h e n a r e s p e c t e d political c o m m e n t a t o r like E d w a r d P e a r c e , w r i t i n g i n t h e Sunday

One in particular was introduced to show h o w English terms o f nobility a n d rank should b e used in French though one is taken aback at the instruction: " / / it is a n Earl who is spoken to one m u s t s a y Madame la Comtesse, etc". The gentleman's conversa tion with his hair dresser begins with a question, "Have you brought your curling irons?" a n d the complaint, "My hair does not curl, it is long since you have papered it". T h e whole opera tion is recorded in the conversation is laced with the perfume of lavendar water and p o w d e r f r o m the perfumery opposite St. John's C h u r c h .

C o n v e r s a t i o n s as laid d o w n w e r e incon sequential but in w e m a y w o n d e r h o w l o n g it w i l l b e b e f o r e a 'shoot-to-kilT policy c l u d e d lessons in b e c o m e s a m o r e o r less a c c e p t e d feature o f the B r i t i s h a p p r o a c h t o geography and history, the I R A . accomplishments which would have added to the understanding of T h e temptation t o strike b a c k after a n I R A o u t r a g e like B a l l y any young man setting g a w l e y is u n d e r s t a n d a b l e , b u t w o u l d b e disasterous w e r e it t o b e c o m e out on his European the n o r m a l response. I t is w o r t h p o n d e r i n g t h e w o r d s o f A u b e r o n tour. O n e abviously called for a sedan W a u g h , w h o s e sympathies are a n y t h i n g b u t l i b e r a l b u t w h o seems chair to be carried in to h a v e identified the central 'concern' v e r y d e a r l y : comfort over muddy streets and one learned "If we abandon the rule of lam and adopt the terrorists' own the answer to the weapons of murder gangs and assassination squads, we have no c a s u a l q u e s t i o n :

Times, concludes that h e sees "no alternative but to say that an IRA 'active service unit'is not owed long life by the British Army", t h e n

25), and I would like to make a few comments. Your arguments in favour o f showing the film here are that Scorsese (and Kazantzakis) meant well, that the film accepts Christ as the Son o f G o d , and so is basically religious, and that people should be allowed to make up their own minds about the film. I notice that you imply support for the banning o f The Life of Brian which you feel was not a serious or respectful treatment. As regards the inten tions o f the director (and the writer), I suppose that is a matter which must be left between them and God. What w e can reasonably assess is the effect o f the film on a large and basically uninformed audience. What they would see, among other things is a sequence in which the L o r d is seen grappling with Mary Magdalen. Whether this is presented as his fantasy, or Mary Magdalen's, or anybody else's, the context and juxtaposition is deeply offensive to Christian b e l i e v e r s , and can reasonably be seen as an assault on their sensi bilities and beliefs, an assault which they are entitled to reject and oppose. You argue that people should be allowed to see this film and judge for themselves. What that really means is that large crowds should be drawn to see this film; and make Mr. Scorsese an even richer man (box-office records have already been broken), see the Cruci fixion trivialised, and the name and reputation of Christ defiled, and his image corrupted in the minds of a mass audience. An analogy may help. Suppose a film is made about the fantasies of an editor, in which his rivals are depicted as engaged in indecent activities. Would you defend the film by saying that this is only a fantasy, that it doesn't imply the people in question do these things, and that people should be allowed to see and judge for themselves? Once the film was shown to an audience, the harm things that seem never to change. O n e of the topics which the Misses Joyce learned to speak of two hundred years a g o in both English and F r e n c h w a s their possible luck in the Lottery.

would be done, and the social image o f those people would be destroy ed. Would you not object if you were a victim o f that? e From a historical point of view, there have been far worse suggestions made about Christ than that o f Kazantzakis and Scorsese, in ancient times and later. Luther, for instance, in a notorious passage in his Table Talk, suggested that Christ had committed adultery a few times. This can be quietly aberrations, although it is bad enough. But it is much worse to publicly defile the image of Christ in the social mind, as this film does. You write, "What
appears troubled the film to have critics Scorsese a and really of has Christ selfreligious is that to to portray doubt

chosen subject

Y o u have completely missed the point. What we object to is that Scorsese has chosen to defile the image of Christ.
questioning".

Yours sincerely,
Colin Garvey, o.f.m.

An

Insult to People's

Intelligence Sir,
The of Christ: Last Temptation

SUDAN
Galway Advertiser T h i r d W o r l d Appeal Please give what you can to A / C 48995553 B A N K OF IRELAND, MAINGUARD S T . , GALWAY.

business to be there. General Sir John Glover, the former Commander-m-Chuf of British land forces, has said that the IRA

" H a v e

they

b r o u g h t to a n y

a g r i c u l t u r e p e r f e c t i o n in

C h i n a ? "

I n this article the writer tried to portray a Greek Author and a film Director, as spiritual and religious men. Both individuals were des cribed as being very sad and upset because o f the opposition and contro versy surrounding the book and film. The truth is both individuals thought to make a fortune out o f the concoction. They thought having the greatest Being who ever lived on Earth as the central figure, it just had to be a winner. Tampering with the Divine did not pay off, the book and film are both flops and rejects. The writer o f C o m ment in the Advertiser, strongly urges people to see the film i f given the chance, in order to judge for themselves. One has nothing to judge, everything one needs to know about the Son o f God one already knows, in full, through the proper source - the Gospels. The writer o f C o m ment might do himself or herself a big favour if they read all about the person of C h r i s t and H i s T e a c h i n g s , it w o u l d enable them to be careful in their suggestions in the future. Yours truly,
Rosaken Long ( M r s . ) , 40 Maunsclls Park, Taylor's Hill. Galway.

THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL
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10 for 50p
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I do not know how often * **y is that as soon that question is asked in Mervue today TM adopt them, we have conceded the point at issue". but there a r c some

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