Born in Leeds to an Irish father, the acclaimed actor Peter O’Toole always considered himself an Irish citizen and remained proud of this heritage throughout his life.
Back in 1994, the Lawrence of Arabia star told American chat show host Charlie Rose that while he was “not a soil-reared Irish man”, being Irish was “almost the centre of my being”.
And just to emphasise the point, some years later in another interview in regard to his son Lorcan, he remarked: “The only thing I wanted more than life itself was to have him raised an Irishman.”
Earlier this week this paper carried a review of a book I have written, War, Peace and the Derry Journal, and one of the people I make frequent reference to was a man called Frank Curran.
Frank was the doyen of Derry journalists in that not only did he work for the Journal for his entire career, but he was also the local correspondent for both the BBC and the Daily Mirror for years. Highly intelligent and politically astute, he was an unofficial adviser to the leader of the Nationalist Party, the late Eddie McAteer, and was also very close to the SDLP’s John Hume.
The ongoing controversy surrounding the funding of Casement Park has again made it all too clear that we are back to the future
Like O’Toole, his sense of identity was a massive issue for him.
One morning – this would have been in the mid-1980s – we were talking about the political situation and he made an observation that I have never forgotten.
“You know something,” he stated. “I have never felt free in this town. I have never been able to feel fully Irish because they controlled everything when I was growing up.”
I should make clear this was coming from a man born in Derry, raised in Derry and who, not too long ago, died in Derry.
The ‘they’ Frank was referring to was the unionist regime in the City Corporation who gerrymandered every election for half a century so that in a 20-seat council chamber, 12 went to the Protestant/unionist community and eight to the Catholic/nationalist. Considering the fact that the city was almost 70% Catholic and nationalist, that was some achievement.
The influence of the small unionist clique was pervasive. In the Derry of the 1940s/50s/60s, the pubs didn’t open on a Sunday, the swings at the council-run play parks were literally locked up and, on one occasion, an athletics race had to be called off because a couple of runners from, if I recall, a Co Cavan club, were detained by the RUC because their singlets were green, white and gold.
The ongoing controversy surrounding the funding of Casement Park has again made it all too clear that we are back-to-the-future when it comes to some of the attitudes that my old mentor, Frank, alluded to all those years ago.
For starters, there is no doubt that some unionists are lobbying the British government to block the development. And, if contributors to Nolan and Talkback are anything to go by, it would appear a majority in unionism would prefer no games in Euro 2028 be played here if Casement is the venue.
It seems that something that could have long-term benefit for not only west Belfast but for the whole city and which could also boost the image and PR of the entire north to possible tourism and investment interests across the world is being impeded at every turn.
The newly-appointed GAA president, Jarlath Burns, was spot on when he said earlier this week that the Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris, needs to “make good” on his promise that money would be found to have Casement ready for 2028. And he will need to make good on it asap after a UEFA delegation arrived here to inspect ‘progress’.
Here’s the thing: rugby got monies for the development of Ravenhill and the IFA funding for Windsor Park, so why the big hoo-ha about Casement where both the Irish government and the GAA have indicated they will also help provide the cash required?
And one more thing – do you seriously think if the Tour de France was to start in Belfast or a new ice bowl erected in Ballymena or Portadown, there would be any outcry about funding from those currently leading the charge against funding for Casement?
Not a chance…
