The Famous Gillian Kavanagh and First Class Women

There is a class act in Fine Gael. Gillian Kavanagh. I have had the good
fortune to be surrounded by good women in my life. Leaving aside Kitty
O’Sheas, the list is pretty long which is why I find the attitude to women in some golf clubs particularly odious. Will Carling used to refer to some of the committeemen in the RFU at twickenham as old farts. Well the sulphorous methane emissions from the bowels of the “men – only” golf clubs has to be the most offensive of the remaining redoubts of misogynists and self satisfied pathetic old fogeys.

The Portmarnock case at the Supreme Court was not this state’s finest hour. I have been fortunate at work by being guarded by formidable women – Maria Ennis/Alberici, Mary Early, Irene Lawlor and in politics by Gillian Kavanagh. In the Labour Party, Ita McAuliffe and Sally Clarke were something else. It was only in the Tribunals that the loyalty and formidable nature of the staff around Charlie Haughey and Bertie Ahern became manifest. In Biochemisty, Paula O’Shea was a Tina Turner – simply the best. No man is an island – psychopaths excluded – My wives the late Helen Miliffe and current Mary Chambers are first class people. It is difficult to put up with me but they have made the effort.

The reason for this diversion is that I listened to some views of life from
alikadoos in a men-only golf club recently that were simply pathetic if
offensive. Poor emotionally stunted “bastards” in the Australian sense. It is not so long since the suffragettes. Just as well these “boys” don’t run the country otherwise women would be unable to vote and maybe might have to stay at the back of the bus!

Some of these guys have so little insight that a fair minded man might ask them to leave the lights on so that their blindness might be mitigated.