Senator Andrew Bartlett
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
 
Dublin
On Sunday evening we arrived in Dublin. I’d managed to track down an old friend I went to school with, who I hadn’t seen for around 20 years. He was part of my ‘gang’ from High School – and the only one who lives away from South-East Queensland. He’s lived in Dublin for well over a decade and I was curious to meet up with him. I met up with him at the hotel we are staying at (although I actually didn’t recognise him when I first met him, even when he’d called out my name). He runs a pub out near the bay in a place called Dún Laoghaire.

We went out to a local pub in his part of town which was a great chance to meet up with and chat to a few people and just hear their unvarnished views about local issues and politics. My school friend’s partner turned out to be active with the Labour Party, (a minor party in Ireland, unlike Australia). Between them and one or two other people holding court at the bar, I got to hear views about just about every issue imaginable over hours and hours. Before I knew it, it was 2am and we walked out into the cold and rain so I could catch a taxi home. Listening to people in a pub hold forth on random issues for a few hours can sometimes be just as useful as a formal briefing.

Having said that, the formal briefing we got on Monday from the Science Foundation Ireland was very enlightening. This is a body set up and heavily funded by Government to encourage and enhance cutting edge research in biotechnology and Info & Communication Technologies. The Irish economy is widely acknowledged to have performed exceptionally well in recent years – some of it due to European Union money and some of it due to foreign investment – but they are certainly keen to keep building on that, which includes putting decent amounts of public money into education and research.

We had lunch at the Australian Embassy and heard the views of the Australian Ambassador, John Herron, who I know a bit from his previous occupation as a Government Senator for Queensland and Minister for Indigenous Affairs.

We then had the honour of meeting the Irish President, Mary McAleese, at her official residence. She is from Belfast and is someone who has a triple dose of the charm gene (might be where mine went to). Many of the Irish we are meeting are exceptionally warm and welcoming, but none more so than her. She also had some interesting things to say about the Irish economy and society – how it had developed and where it might be going to - and the prospects for full peace in the north of the country.

The President of Ireland is elected by direct popular vote for a seven year term – a good example for Australian republicans that direct election can work well. Mary McAleese must be doing a very good job, because when she ran for re-election she was unopposed.

We went off to another pub for dinner; a place called Johnnie Fox’s, which bills itself as the ‘highest pub in Ireland’, up on the hills outside Dublin. It was hard to judge how high it was in the dark, but it was a fascinating place. It was opened in 1798 – not coincidentally at the time of one of the Irish rebellions – and it has an amazing array of historic items all over its walls and roofs. Many of them are just everyday items from the time, plus historic posters, signs and newspapers clippings. Not much scope to talk Irish politics here, as most of the clientele seemed to be from other countries like ourselves, but there was a good traditional Irish band (who performed 'the Band Played Waltzing Matilda', possibly for our benefit) and a relaxing atmosphere.

posted by Andrew Bartlett @ Wednesday, October 26, 2005 Permalink
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