This week’s Mediahuis Irish regional newspapers’ column.
Michael Commane
Michael Healy-Rae came to mind in recent days. His cap, his dress, his accent could well be described as a brand. One might say that it is as clever and as distinguishable a brand as was the late Sir Anthony O’Reilly’s Kerrygold, which proved a worldwide marketing phenomenon.
It’s many years since I first met Michael. I was exiting from what was then called Tralee General Hospital when Michael approached me to say hello to me.
It was a Friday evening, after work and I was tired. I had called to visit my elderly sick father in the hospital. I don’t quite know what came over me but as soon as he said hello I made some sort of unfriendly comment implying that he had no idea who I was and had only said hello as some sort of political stunt. Like a flash and as calm as a cucumber he replied: ‘Commane you’re as nasty in reality, as you are in the paper.’ And said in a strong Kerry accent.
As spontaneous and as quick as that. Pure genius. I was dumbfounded. Naturally I did an immediate and complete somersault, profusely apologising for my bad behaviour.
It did not take a feather out of him and he graciously accepted my apology. We ended up chatting and laughing. He enquired about my father and told me he was visiting a good friend of his, who was very unwell. We exchanged telephone numbers. I actually think that he went to the trouble of calling to my father that evening. It must be over 20 years since that happened and since then we have been on the phone to one another and have exchanged text messages.
On one occasion five minutes after I had done ‘A Word in Edgeways’ on RTÉ Radio 1, he sent me a complimentary text message. And that was before 6.30 in the morning.
I was thinking of all this while watching him on Prime Time discussing climate change issues with a Green Party Senator. Of course he had his cap on.
It’s his brand. Imagine if any other politician appeared on television wearing a peaked cap, would’t we be surprised. He wears it in the Dáil. Isn’t that what his father before him did?
I’m sure I’ve never seen him without his cap on. And then there’s his accent. It’s a perfectly defined strong Kerry accent. I think it’s fair to say he thrives on it.
I doubt there is a person in the country who is not aware of Michael Healy-Rae. He is synonymous with Kerry.
In the days leading up to the election of a new leader of the Green Party I was back thinking of him. It struck me listening to different members of the Green Party it was close to impossible to identify their accents.
Indeed, not just with the Green Party, across the political divide, it is becoming more and more difficult to link the majority of politicians with their county. Good or bad?
But so it is with so many people today, ‘strong accents’ are disappearing. Is there a link between social class and how we speak? Of course there is.
But Michael Healy-Rae breaks all the rules. It’s part of his brand. All that and not a word about his political views. I wonder why?
