Geoffrey Wheatcroft had a scurrilous piece in the Observer newspaper last week entitled 'The evil legacy of the Easter Rising'. Great to see some superb replies in this week's copy of the paper including this one from Kevin Daly,
"...Wheatcroft needs to read a copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic and take a closer look at the beliefs and objectives of Irish republicanism from 1798 onwards before making cheap allegations against a group of determined and committed men and women who sought to free their nation from a foreign oppressor. This is a classic case of an English 'historian' patronising the people of a former colony".
Good on you Kevin!

Congatulations to Celtic on receiving the Scottish Championship trophy on Sunday after their match against Hibernian. Billy Connolly presented the trophy and said he'd heard enough of the 'bullshit' about sectarianism and that people should instead be congratulating the club and its supporters for their achievements over the last five years.
Well said Billy!

A study by University College Cork and Queen's University, Belfast reveals that a desire to have their children brought up in Ireland is the main driving force behind the majority of emigrants returning home.
This is a syndrome I have first had experience of. Every year we'd head over to Ireland for our summer holidays and part of the annual trip was for my Dad to look for work in Dublin so that we could leave Manchester and settle again in Ireland. Like so many emigrant families we never made it. In the 1950s and 1960s jobs were scarce and so while we dreamt of return, it never actually happened. The Celtic Tiger made it possible for emigrants of a certain age to go home.
However it is interesting to note just how many haven't returned to Ireland despite the boom. Between the 1991 and 2001 censuses the number of people in Britain born in the Irish Republic fell by just 16% - with much of that due to emigrants of the 1950s passing away. Presumably a desire to be near British-born children and grandchildren explains why so many of us have stayed.

Film star Joaquin Phoenix went to a Pogues concert in New York city and was so impressed that he said he'd love to play Shane Macgowan in the forthcoming film of Victoria Clarke's book. Keanu Reeves and Kate Moss were also at the Manhatten concert. Shane dedicated Sally MacLennane to Kate.

In an amazing verdict Uefa have found Rangers not guilty in relation to the sectarian chanting. Uefa's investigation centred on the song 'The Billy Boys' which includes the lyrics:
"We're up to our knees in Fenian blood - surrender or you'll die". And the reason for Uefa's curious decision? Well Rangers fans have got away with this sort of thing for a long time. A statement from Uefa reads:
"The control and disciplinary body conceded that supporters have been singing the songs for years during national and international matches without either the Scottish football or government authorities being able to intervene. The result is that this song is now somewhat tolerated. Given this social and historical context, the control and disciplinary body said they considered that Uefa cannot demand an end to behaviour which has been tolerated for years".
Can you imagine applying the same logic to anti-black racism in England or Spain?
Not surprisingly anti-racists in Scotland are very angry with a Scottish charity saying:
"This is a shaming judgement for the whole of Scotland. What Uefa has said is that it can't take action against Rangers because sectarian chanting and singing has been tolerated in Scotland for years. This is bizarre and outrageous....Uefa must state in the clearest possible terms that from now on sectarian or racist chants or songs will not be tolerated."

Irish Mancunian Morrissey plays next Tuesday at The Lowry. The former pupil of St. Mary's in Stretford was not impressed by what went on there:
"Manchester does indelibly feel like home, it really does. I was born and raised there, and for better or worse, it made me. You can rally against the negative things that you don't particularly like about yourself and you can easily blame Manchester for that. The only thing I blame Manchester for was my terrible education, not because of anything else".
But he's greatly impressed by how the city has developed:
"I find it a fantastic place now. It's nothing like the city I grew up in. It's a lot cleaner and more cosmopolitan. The shops are fantastic and the people look great".
Interestingly Christy Moore in his concert at the Bridgewater Hall last night sang Morrissey's classic 'America is not the world'. Christy says it reflects "my confused, complicated and ambivalent feelings towards America. We love some of it's cultrure, for instance , but are terrified by its imperialism".
The line in the song about the hamburger really hit a chord with the audience.

"It is possible to achieve a united through purely peaceful and democratic means". That's the text of the IRA's Easter statement.

A fascinating piece by Peter Berresford Ellis recently appeared in the Irish Post. In 1973 a mass grave was found in Old Swan in Liverpool. In total the remains of 3,561 bodies were found. Journalists were kept away from the site and the Home Office ordered the immediate cremation of the bodies.
Merseyside criminologist Keith Andrews has investigated the case and believes this is a case of mass murder,
"...'Containment Squads' moved in on the diseased and starving immigrants, removed their children, then herded the Irish men and women to a containment camp in a field on the outskirts of Liverpool. They were then systematically shot and buried in unmarked coffins".
Berresford Ellis states:
"If Andrews can prove his contention, we are talking about one of the greatest murders of Irish men and women since Cromwellian times".

Irish poet Seamus Heaney is 67 today and former jockey and racehorse trainer Jonjo O'Neill is 54. Many happy returns to them both.

The 90th anniversary of the 1916 Easter rising will be commemorated in Dublin on Easter Sunday. There was, of course, an annual commemoration until 1971 but then it stopped because of the conflict in the North. For many years it was a case of 'who dares to speak of 1916?'
It's great that the event which led to Irish freedom will be appropriately marked again. And the good news is that we can watch it on Sky News Ireland from 11.30am on Sunday.

A survey just published by 'Grazia' magazine reveals that women in Manchester are more unhappy about their bodies than those who live anywhere else in the country. The "Female Body Survey of 2006" showed that Manchester women are the most body obsessed in Britain.
The survey visited 20 cities and interviewed 5,000 women. It revealed a staggering 98% of British women are unhappy about their bodies but the situation is still worse in Manchester:
-52% of Manchester women are constantly dieting, way above the National average of 41%.
-They think about their bodies every 12 minutes which exceeds the National norm of 15 minutes.
-68% said their lives would improve greatly if they didn't have cellulite, compared with the British average of 50%.
-23% think they have big feet - a third above the National average.

This data is a sad indictment of the pressure women are under in the modern world to match an idealised image of the female body. It explains why plastic surgery and treatments like Botox are mushrooming; and, why women's health is threatened by conditions such as bulimia and anorexia.

The Guardian newspaper recently ran a piece which was deeply insulting to Welsh people asking the question: are the Welsh the touchiest people on earth? We Irish in Britain know all about being on the receiving end of this type of nonsense so it's good to note a robust reply to the Guardian from AD Dougal who is from Edinburgh:
"The English seem to need someone to look down on to bolster their self-esteem, but these days being a bigot can be a tricky business. It's definitely non-pc to have a go at foreigners, which might be seen as racism. Too much blood has been spilled in Ulster to dig up the Irish and insulting the Scots can lead to a painful response, so the Welsh fit the bill nicely. There is no war going on in Wales and they are less likely to thump you than the Scots - the perfect victims for a bit of racial stereotyping, in fact.
The middle classes of Southern England have a profound need to identifying a group of people as targets for contempt: all in jest, naturally. But the metropolitan funsters get all thin-skinned when the tables are turned - witness the response to AA Gill's recent book on the English. There are few sights more amusing than watching English people smile through gritted teeth while Aussies, Yanks or Celts take the piss out of them. The Welsh are fine. It's the English who have a problem."
He's clearly wrong about the position of the Irish (see Liz Curtis's book, 'Nothing but the same old story') - but nonetheless a spirited defence.

Ken Livingstone is in the news again. This time he's getting attacked by the British media for refusing to criticise China's human rights record on a visit to Beijing. As ever Livingstone for me makes perfect sense. "I didn't come here to talk about an event that happened 20 years ago in their politics, certainly not in a week following the publication of terrible pictures of Communists who had been tortured and beaten and starved by the British state machinery in the aftermath of the Second World War," he said. "What would I say if the mayor of Beijing asked what was our record in India and Africa colonially?"
Uniquely for a senior British politician, Ken includes Britain's record in Ireland as part of their shameful colonial history. In defending the stance he took in China he referred to an Amensty report which highlighted the use of torture by the British against Irish people in the North.
Well done Ken! The Irish people have never had a truer friend than Ken Livingstone. It was Frank Dolan in the Irish Post who pointed out in the 1980s that Ken Livingstone had done more for the Irish in Britain in a few short years as leader of the GLC than the Irish government had done since 1921.

Well I got one thing right last Saturday - I knew an Irish horse was going to win the Grand National. The only trouble was I chose the wrong one. My money was on Ballycassidy's nose. I was so excited as he effortlessly lead the field but my hopes were soon dashed by that spectacular fall. Still Irish success in racing is quite amazing. Ireland has now taken the five most important jumping races of the season - The King George, Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Gold Cup and the Grand National - for the second year running.
As Greg Wood puts it in the Guardian: "just as there is a flair about a good Brazilian football side that a fan of any nationality can appreciate, so the renaissance of Irish jumping brings a feeling of well-being to the sport as a whole."

Irish migrants to England and Wales are more likely to die early from a host of causes. Research by the London Public Health Observatory for the chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, shows that Irish mortality rates are worse than those in the population as a whole and in other ethnic minority groups including Bangladeshis and Pakistanis.
The research is based on analysis of census and death registration data, comparing results for different groups with those for the population as a whole. It covers people aged 20-69 and is based on country of birth. The figures show higher mortality amongst the Irish from all causes including cancer.
Dr. Mary Tilki, principal lecturer in health and social care at Middlesex University and chairperson of the Federation of Irish Societies said:
"Although the Irish population is an ageing one, that alone does not explain the high levels of long-term illness experienced by Irish people. The health of men is a particular concern. Community organisations have concerns about the long-term effect of a lifetime in the building trade.
Suicide rates are 53%-75% higher amongst the Irish than in other groups or the England and Wales population.
Irish people make fewer visits to GPs, but when they do, it is for more serious conditions, and they are more likely to use A+E departments, pharmacists, social workers or advice agencies, suggesting they may be reluctant to access services.
Surveys within the community suggest the first question is: 'How much do you drink?' If one admits to drinking alcohol, and even if one doesn't, the problem is pinned on alcohol, and the underlying problem is not considered."
This survey confirms yet again the challenges faced by Irish people living in Britain. Every study of our community over the past twenty years has reached similar conclusions.
Studies like this nail the lie put about conservatives that "it's now fashionable to be Irish in Britain". The reality is that many Irish continue to be disadvantaged in this country.

It's interesting to see the way in which Ireland is having to adapt to its emerging multicultural context. Last week a senior politician defended his reference to "darkest Africa". He said that if other countries could operate their overseas development agencies from "darkest Africa" surely Ireland could run theirs from Limerick. He was challenged by another politician and later on RTE radio. However he was unapologetic dismissing his critic as having a tetchy day.
This episode follows hot on the heels of Mary O'Rourke who steadfastly refused to apologise for using the phrase "they worked like blacks". Mary thinks this phrase is a compliment to the industry of black people!
If senior politicians are still so lacking in sensitivity and understanding, there are some painful days ahead.

I'm looking forward to Christy Moore's concert at the Bridgewater Hall (Thursday 13th and Friday 14th April). Christy's well known for his forthright approach to the big issues. Over the years he's covered topics ranging from apartheid to the hunger strikers. His most recent album 'Burning Times' has a mellow feel to it but the old magic is still there.
Christy's from Newbridge in County Kildare but has close links with Manchester. He worked with Irish contractors here in the mid-1960s and used to play at venues like the Cavalcade (now the Clock Tower) in Didsbury. He got his first big break playing here in Manchester. His first professional gig - for which he was paid 6 pounds - was at the Wellgreen Folk Club and two nights later he played at the Bury Folk Club.
In 1969 Christy recorded his first album, 'Paddy on the Road', with Dominic Behan. He then went on to form Planxty and Moving Hearts.
Down the years Christy's been an inspirational figure for many of us. He's sure to get a great Manchester Irish welcome.

Two Irish Mancunians in the news today are Morrissey and Shayne Ward. Morrissey's new album has shot to the top of the charts while Shayne's new single, No Promises, is released today amidst rumours that he's signed a modelling deal with Calvin Klein worth 500,000 pounds. It is interesting to note the way the Irish roots of successful figures remain submerged. Morrissey - full name - Stephen Patrick Morrissey - comes from a Manchester Irish family and attended St. Mary's in Stretford. He has a developed sense of his Irish identity which was reflected in his recording, 'Irish Blood, English Heart'. Similarly Shayne attended St. Peter's in Gorton and declared proudly on the X-Factor 'I am Irish!'. Other Manchester Irish successes are Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis both of whom played Gaelic football for Oisins and attended Barlow High School in Didsbury; The Smiths including Johnny Marr who has said, 'I came from a traditional, very musical Irish background'; and, Manchester comics Steve Coogan, Caroline Ahern and Peter Kay who are all of Irish descent.

The Gaelic Player Association were said to be delighted with the way their protest went at the weekend. They have a number of grievances with the GAA and to demonstrate their disatisfaction they delayed the start of inter-county games at the weekend. If this protest is about genuine grievances such as player welfare then fair enough. However if it's the thin end of the wedge in a drive towards professionalism then it should be resisted. Professionalism would break the link between parish, club and county and would be a disaster for our National games.

Manchester United have announced an inflation busting 12.3% average rise in season ticket prices for the next season. Those who currently pay 30 pounds per game will have to shell out 5 pounds more for each match. Don't worry though United's finance director, Nick Humby, says, "the new ticket prices still represent the best value in the Premier League." And I thought the Glazers were ripping us off! Yip yip!!

The annual World-wide Quality of Living Survey covering 350 cities has just been published. Each city is assessed against 39 criteria, including political, social, economic and environmental factors, personal safety and health, education, transport and other public services.
According to the survey Zurich is the world's top city for the quality of life with Baghdad the worst.
Interestingly Dublin has the highest quality of life for Irish and British cities in the survey. It is ranked 24th. London comes in 39th with Birmingham and Glasgow both ranked 55th.
Manchester is not included in the survey. I might be biased but I'd place our own dear city comfortably ahead of Dublin, London, Birmingham or Glasgow.