Hello, I’m using this opportunity to gripe about something that probably annoys only me. I live in Dublin. In Dublin there is a paper, The Evening Herald. The Herald is a horrible abortion of a newspaper the topics it covers basically breaks down as follows

Despite it being shite the herald is the most widely read paper in Dublin, I’m sure that has nothing to do with the fact that the Herald employs people to walk in between cars to sell it to people on their commute home. I may just be being a snob here but I can’t see why anyone would buy it if it wasn’t so convenient, that is how the Herald comes to be in my house.

Recently in the “Biased Soft News Stories” section the Evening Herald has decided that it wants to have a go at the President, our Mary. I for one want to know why. Let’s not beat around the bush, the President of Ireland is not a very important person in our political structure, Marys job is basically to be the countries mammy for a few years until we elect a new Mammy or Daddy. The President goes around the world shaking hands and being nice to other countries so that everyone will keep liking us. It’s a simple job really, no one has ever expected much of our Presidents and knowing this is what makes the Evening Heralds criticism of Mary so irrational.

Typical herald article

The Herald doesn’t seem to have a point in its criticism, if it was provoking a debate about the role of the President then that would be one thing however, the line of journalism being followed by the Herald is basically hinting around the fact that it thinks the President is a useless, dopey old bitch with no reason offered as to why.

The current outrage regarding Mary is that she had the audacity to wear sunglasses at a memorial monument to Irish soldiers who died in the Gallipoli campaign of the First World War. This memorial in Turkey, it is very sunny in Turkey, the monument was outside in the sun in Turkey. Why is the Herald getting bent out of shape about someone wearing sunglasses outdoors in a sunny country? Surely a pair of sunglasses is better than the alternative of squinting and shading her eyes with her hands.

Not Tasteful

I could see the point if she turned up to a funeral with a pair of sunglasses she borrowed from Elton John or Dame Edna but she had a simple pair of black sunglasses on and the only people who seem to be outraged are the good folk at the Herald.....and of course...me.