The Where's Willy Competition

international | politics / elections | opinion/analysis Thursday July 21, 2005 03:49 by frank hall rip

We Seek Him Here We Seek Him There: Where's The Hip Priest?

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=201957650&p=zxy9586xx&n=201958637&x=

"“The position was that the minister was quite happy to meet General Myers, was he to be in Dublin this afternoon. It was that level of formality,” the spokesman said.
“If he was there Gen Myers would have dropped in, it was no firmer than that. But the minister is visiting troops in the Midlands and has been delayed.”
Mr O’Dea is visiting army units in Longford and Mullingar as part of his nationwide tour around all barracks. A number of troops from both the barracks are serving with the United Nations peace keeping force in Liberia."

http://bestofbothworlds.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_bestofbothworlds_archive.html#112187093279332882

"Now, this has the all the hallmarks of the old Bush trick of suddenly being out of town when a potentially embarrassing ally is in town -- Bush father and son both have a strange proclivity not to be in Washington during pro-life marches, for instance. And how can Minister O'Dea not be aware of the fabulous improvements in Irish roads in recent years, meaning that Mullingar and Longford are just not that far from Dublin anymore -- especially for a ministerial motorcade?

But perhaps Willie is a literary romantic at heart, because being away from Dublin in Mullingar is of course one element in Ulysses:

In silence they drove along Phibsborough road. An empty hearse trotted by, coming from the cemetery: looks relieved.
Crossguns bridge: the royal canal.
Water rushed roaring through the sluices. A man stood on his dropping barge between clamps of turf. On the towpath by the lock a slacktethered horse. Aboard of the Bugabu.
Their eyes watched him. On the slow weedy waterway he had floated on his raft coastward over Ireland drawn by a haulage rope past beds of reeds, over slime, mud-choked bottles, carrion dogs. Athlone, Mullingar, Moyvalley, I could make a walking tour to see Milly by the canal. Or cycle down. Hire some old crock, safety. Wren had one the other day at the auction but a lady's. Developing waterways. James M'Cann's hobby to row me o'er the ferry. Cheaper transit. By easy stages. Houseboats. Camping out. Also hearses. To heaven by water. Perhaps I will without writing. Come as a surprise, Leixlip, Clonsilla. Dropping down, lock by lock to Dublin. With turf from the midland bogs. Salute. He lifted his brown strawhat, saluting Paddy Dignam.

Could it be that the Minister's day trip is by barge along the Royal Canal?"

http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Fall/Hip-Priest.html

"He's not appreciated.
He's not appreciated.
He's not appreciated.
Drink the long draught, Dan,
for the Hip Priest.
I said drink the long draught, Dan,
for the Hip Priest!
He's not appreciated
He's not appreciated
White collar hits motorway services
It's the Hip Priest
From the eyes he can see, they know
It's the Hip Priest
He's not appreciated.
It's purple psychology.
Not just an old lady's.
That's hip hip hip hip hit hit hit Hip Priest
That's hip hip hip hip hit hit hit Hip Priest
And he's gonna make an appearance.
He's gonna make an appearance.
Was shown in a freakshow early on.
And drunk from small brown bottles since I was so long.
Cause I'm a Hip Priest
Cause I'm a Hip Priest
People only need me when they're down and gone to seed.
Cause I'm a Hip Priest.
Cause I'm a Hip Priest.
It's appreciation half won.
And they hate their allegiance to hip preacher one.
Hip Priest
I got my last clean dirty shirt outta the wardrobe
I got my last clean dirty shirt outta the wardrobe
And all the good people know
That's hip hip hip hip hit hit hit Hip Priest
All the young groups know
All the young groups know
They can't ever take advantage because I'm a Hip Priest.
I was as clean as a packet of chocolate chips.
That's hip hip hip hip hit hit hit Hip Priest
And if the good people knew they would say
He's not appreciated
He's not appreciated
So drink the long draught, Dan,
for the Hip Priest