Personal Archives

Good Food Ireland started a series of blog posts recently interviewing some of their members for their “Day in the Life of …” series.

Ruth Healy of Urru Culinary Store in Bandon and Peter Ward of Country Choice in Nenagh were the first two candidates and I was the third. You can read all about me here!!

The latest person is Eimantas Zvirblis, the fishmonger at Donnybrook Fair’s outlet in Malahide!

My one answer that raised a few eyebrows was to the following question:

Are You A Technophile or Technophobe?

I think I was always ahead of the posse in many ways when it came to using technology for the business. Ummera had a website long before many other businesses did. It was a great tool for communicating what we were doing to our customers, and keeping in touch with people in an inexpensive and efficient way. So I would have kept up with buying the latest computer technology and smartphones from that point of view, because there’s no doubt they do have a place. But I must admit these days it’s all gone beyond my original needs! I don’t have the time or the brains anymore to devote to learning new platforms. I am happy with what I have now and don’t feel the need to wait for the next iPhone to come out!

I am, of course, waiting impatiently for the new iPhone 7 so please disregard the last sentence! I’ve been to Cork, Bandon and Clonakilty trying to get one. Where are they?

The Irish Budget was announced with a “Patriotic” call on Tuesday. The following notes were jotted down that night and I know that this has little to do with food, but food is life so …….

I thought that the principal of the “offender pays” held good.

But not when it comes to financial catastrophes it appears.

The sad part of today’s budget is that it appears not to lay the cause of our problems at anyone’s feet.

But then who is to blame in reality?

Those who took advantage of the situation, worked within the laws of the land, created significant growth, and reaped the benefit? They forgot one basic principal that history reminds us of, you don’t build on sand, solid rock is best. Bubbles come and go of course, as this one will, and we hope that lessons have been learnt.

Who else could we blame?

The politicians are clearly liable as they ignored some pretty basic alarm bells; they saw growth, they saw employment, and being good politicians they encouraged builders and banks to borrow and build; but they failed of course to see ahead (or better still look backward at the past).

But we can’t really blame the politicians, can we?

After all we put them there in the first place!

But did we have a choice?

There lies the nub of the problem; not one of our political parties has the intelligence or conscience to run this country with sound humanitarian principals – but is there a country that does?

And that, I guess, is one of the conundrums of life!

But back to the budget……..

Sad that everyone should pay for the errors of the few

Sad that the poor and the elderly should pay for the wealthy and healthy

Sad that the Minister didn’t just introduce a 5% levy on all incomes over €100,000, rising by 5% for each and every €100,000 and a cap of 25% levy on all those over €500,000. After all, it’s those income levels which have been responsible for driving up prices, tempting banks to lend silly money on houses built on sand.

Perhaps the Minister could have just taxed the top 100 highest earners in Ireland to a level which would have brought their incomes down to €100,000, and thus saved the country!

Sad that the Minister didn’t make serious reductions in our bureaucracy that is strangling our community of just over 4 million people.

Oh well………

I think must be getting old – heading left or is it right!!!

Category: Personal

A Day in the Life of …….

Budgetary Musings