ON THIS DAY
FROM THE ARCHIVE NOVEMBER 27, 1982
THERE were bittersweet scenes in Tallaght last night, as Nan Joyce was consoled by supporters after failing to win a Dáil seat. Despite her disappointment, Ms Joyce has made history by becoming the first Traveller to stand in a general election, winning 581 votes in Dublin South-West.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Charles Haughey is facing a move to the Opposition benches after Fianna Fáil slumped to 72 seats and failed to secure a majority. Fine Gael leader Garret FitzGerald is expected to begin talks tomorrow with Labour about forming a coalition. Wednesday’s election – the second this year – caps a GUBU few months for Mr Haughey. The outgoing Dáil was the shortest-sitting in the State’s history, and he is now likely to face a leadership challenge from Des O’Malley and the ‘Gang of 22’. NOVEMBER 27, 1995 COUPLES wanting to divorce could have to wait another year despite the results of the weekend’s referendum. A Bill is unlikely to be presented to the Dáil before next spring, and there could be a further delay if anti-divorce campaigners challenge the poll result, which saw them lose by 0.6%.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
CAROLINE BOUVIER KENNEDY, 63. The American attorney and diplomat (left) is the only surviving child of President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. In 1967, aged nine, Catherine and her siblings holidayed in Ireland, where they visited Dunganstown and met President Éamon de Valera. SAMANTHA BOND, 59. The actress (right) played Miss Moneypenny in four James Bond movies, but admitted: ‘I’d never seen a Bond film in a cinema until I was in one.’ She was the only Moneypenny to kiss 007. Asked if she preferred smooching Navan’s Pierce Brosnan or Sean Bean (on stage in Macbeth), she said: ‘Some people like a bit of rough, but I like my gentleman.’
BORN ON THIS DAY
BUSTER MERRYFIELD (1920-1999). The muchloved actor (right) from London played Uncle Albert in Only Fools And Horses, known f or his catchphrase, ‘Durin’ the war … ’. Remarkably, the former schoolboy boxing champion turned to acting in his late 50s after retiring as a bank manager. His boss was unhappy with his beard, saying he looked like ‘a ruddy gorilla’.
ON NOVEMBER 27. . .
In 1972, Waterford singer Gilbert O’Sullivan is at No.1 in the Irish and UK charts with Clair. In 1975, Guinness Book of Records co-founder Ross McWhirter is shot dead by IRA gunmen. The Records Breaker show co-presenter had offered a £50,000 reward for information which might lead to the arrest of Provo bombers. In 1972, RTÉ journalist Kevin O’Kelly is sentenced to three months for contempt of court over an interview with IRA chief Séan MacStiofáin. Mr O’Kelly refused to identify MacStiofáin in court, and spent two nights in jail.
WORD WIZARDRY GUESS THE DEFINITION: Dithyramb (coined c1600)
A) An old woman dressing young. B) Any wildly enthusiastic speech or writing. C) Indecent language. Answer below. PHRASE EXPLAINED The bottom line: refers to the main point of an argument, the truth of the matter; it derives from the accounting term for the figure at the end of a financial statement that indicates a net profit or loss.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
I have a horror of sunsets, they’re so romantic, so operatic.
Marcel Proust, French novelist (1871-1922)
JOKE OF THE DAY
WHAT’S the difference between a jeweller and a jailer? One watches cells, the other sells watches. Guess The Definition answer: B