And the Homosexuals’ Foreplay of the Year Award goes to …

Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

We’re not really into doling out awards – dishing out dollops and dollops of cynicism is more our style. But given the year that’s in it, the centenary of the 1916 Rising, we may as well give credit to those politicians who try hardest to keep Irish a living language.

And so the Bradley Bytes Gaeilgeoir of the Year Award is . . . too close to call, and so we’re splitting it four ways.

Drum roll . . . and the winners are . . .

Fianna Fáil’s Galway West TD Éamon Ó Cuív, gets the nod as one leg of the four-legged stool. Though long since banished to the Opposition benches, Dev Óg is such an influence on the Irish language he’s still referred to as a ‘Minister’ on RnaG or Radió Ó Cuív as it’s known, because he’s on it so often.

Catherine Connolly is another regular user of Irish in the Chamber at City Hall, and a constant promoter of the language. The Independent councillor earlier in the year thanked local Gardaí for producing their crime statistics’ reports in Irish and English, simultaneously praising Chief Superintendent Tom Curley for bilingualism, and throwing a sly dig at the Council executive who wouldn’t know a bilingual report if it smacked them in the hón.

Sinn Féin’s Cathal Ó Conchuir merits a quarter of the award for his ingenuity in proposing a ‘Gaeilge Ghetto’, a social housing estate in the city reserved for Irish speakers.

In this Gaeilge utopia, ASBOs – or ‘fortnight stays with angry Mná Tí of An Gaeltacht’ as they’ll become known – will be given to any residents of the ghetto who spray paint their graffiti in English.

And of course the mayor, Fine Gael’s Frank Fahy, deserves a ‘bualadh bos’ for his contribution to Gaeilge. Though he hails from a Blueshirt party that thinks Gaelic is foreplay for homosexuals, the ‘bould’ Frankeen has tirelessly promoted his native tongue this year.

He will preside over the official declaration of Galway as a bilingual city in 2016, and plans to be the first mayor ever to chair a City Council meeting entirely ‘as Gaeilge’.

Never mind that it’ll be the shortest Council meeting in living memory because the majority of members can’t speak the language; it’s the thought that counts.

Runners-up for the Gaeilgeoir of the Year Award include Cllrs Pádraig Conneely (FG) and Terry O’Flaherty (Ind), who haven’t even a ‘cúpla focal’ between them but they’re great supporters of the language . . . and even better at turning up for the free mince pies and mulled wine at the annual Gaillimh le Gaeilge Christmas bash.

Beir Bua!

Lovely Lorraine

Okay, okay, we said we wouldn’t do any awards this year but really we couldn’t let 2015 pass without mentioning Lovely Lorraine.

So the Bradley Bytes Lovely Lorraine of the Year Award goes to – yes, you guessed it – Lovely Lorraine Higgins.

The Athenry-based Labour Party senator is as lovely as ever. In fact, ‘tis lovelier she’s gettin’.

If her loveliness continues, we may have to award her the Lovely Lorraine award on a permanent basis.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.