This article is from page 2 of the 2006-10-10 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 2 JPG
THE blizzard that took hold of the county just over two weeks ago blew back in on Friday, but while Gordon was blamed for the previous storm this one was strictly Bertie.
As the media scrum prepared to do battle to reach the Taoiseach, the soldiers of destiny stood tall to protect their chief from the hail of questions about to be fired.
The officers stood shoulder to shoulder on the steps of the Great Southern in Shannon awaiting his arrival, the first line of defence for a Taoiseach very much on the defensive.
The first in command in the division stood tall, confident in his poise and title. Tony Killeen greeted all present with accuracy, speaking but saying nothing that would upset the volatile political situation. He showed no nerves, indicating only the ministerial poise his leader had previously attributed to him.
At the other end of the line up stood a veteran warrior. Brendan Daly had weathered bigger battles than this in
his career, and showed a calm exte rior.
He revealed none of his moves when asked how it would all play out. Despite his years, he was slow to call what would happen over the coming days.
The new recruit in the line was eager to please. While learning from the older heads he stood beside, one couldn’t help but wonder if nerves and experience would see him pull the trigger prematurely, but Timmy Dooley held his own.
A little jittery as he waited for the Taoiseach to arrive, could the young soldier be thrown into battle sooner than he planned and without back up?
And among the officers stood the aristocracy – Síle deValera. She was the only one among them whose plans could not be affected by the fall out of the coming days. Whatever ricochet hit this woman, her destiny was to play out the same. She stood confident, secure and loyal to the end.
As the Taoiseach came up the drive, his officers ran to greet him before the media descended with their questions.
Smiling, with less ease than he had in Kilrush the previous fortnight, he dodged the bullets, refusing to answer questions on trouble in the Fianna Fáil/Progressive Democrat camp.
His entourage had also multiplied since his last whirlwind spin around Clare. The number of press officers and advisors had doubled – preparing for war.