Eire on the air in Eire

eireirish

che-guevara-galway

More exile intransigence on the airways.

This time our collective intransigence crossed the Atlantic Ocean yesterday, when an Irish radio program got in touch with yours truly in regards to the proposed Che monument in Galway.  The show began with a debate between Jim Fitzpatrick, the genius behind the monument project, and Declan Ganley, its most outspoken Irish opponent.

At some point they emailed me and asked if I wanted to join in.  It was a live show.   By pure luck, I happened to be checking my email when their message came through, so within a few minutes I was on the air in Eire, totally unprepared for what would follow.  My head was deeply buried in three other subjects at the time:  1. The plumbing leaks that have wrecked my first-floor ceiling; 2. My daughter’s plan to move to Chicago without a job or a place to live; 3.  Writing the introduction to my survey history of the Reformation era.

They really should have called Humberto, and I was about to suggest it, but the program came to an abrupt end.   I suppose they got in touch with me because Declan Ganley mentioned my letter to the Irish newspapers.  And maybe also because of my surname.

It was quite a rumble.   The ignorance on the Che side was appalling.  But it was not a hollow ignorance.   Quite the opposite.  The Che side had lots of “facts” to cite, and quite an elaborate set of arguments to mount, all straight from the Ministry of Truth in Havana.   They had all been well schooled.

Anyway, if you care to listen to this kerfuffle — quite educational, insofar as it proves the success of Castroite propaganda and the irrationality of those who accept it — go here:

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline/2012-08-07.html

This will take you to the show’s page RTE Radio 1 — Tuesday August 7th.   Press the black Listen Back button.  This will take you to the Liveline with Joe Duffy page.

It’s a long radio show.  It begins with some local Irish controversy concerning some goal posts.  Skip ahead on the slim time line at the top, under the show’s title, if you grow impatient with the local colour.  To get to the beginning of the debate about Che, go straight to the 12:09 mark.   I come in at 57:05.

It was surreal.  And until I listened to it I never realized how much I can sound like Jerry Seinfeld when I get angry.

I expected something much closer to Desi Arnaz. Hey — you got some esplainin’ to do.   Go figure.  Anger — especially righteous anger — is a weird and beautiful thing.

And the nicest and weirdest thing of all was that no one in Eire asked how to pronounce my surname.  I should go there, sometime, I guess….

…. Oh, yeah… I almost forgot… Check this out, below….   I came across it the other day.   This would be perfect for  Galway, don’t you think?

che_1

9 thoughts on “Eire on the air in Eire”

  1. Carlos, how presumptuous of you to opine about Cuba. You’re a Cuban!

    BTW, I almost threw something at my monitor (not my main one, of course) listening to that fucking blithering idiot bitch arguing with you.

  2. Those behind the Che myth are obviously good at selling lies, but that’s only half of the equation. The other and necessary half is a receptive, susceptible and accepting audience, not all of which is simply ignorant and/or foolish. Many people accept propaganda they don’t actually believe, or don’t really care about, because it suits their purposes or agenda–it’s called opportunism.

  3. If nothing else, it’s amazing that, given Ireland’s domestic problems, there are any Irish willing to spend time and energy on bickering over a Che monument in Galway. I mean, it’s practically Monty Python material. Beyond ludicrous.

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