The Martello Tower at Sandycove, Dublin ,one of hundreds built by the British to deter French invasion in Napoleonic days, was still owned by the British War Office (or Admiralty?)in 1904 and was rented by Oliver St John Gogarty, who, as “Buck Mulligan” utters the first words in James Joyce’s much celebrated, though appreciably less read, “Ulysses.”
Mulligan has been visiting Oxford, and brought with him one Haines, an English guest of some wealth which his father had, jibed Mulligan, made from “selling Jalap to Zulus”. Apparently Mulligan and Joyce “Stephen Dedalus” in the story, intend to sponge on Haines, for beer.
Poor Haines presents as a “Scit Omnia ” or know-all and presumes to lecture his Irish hosts on their
country’s history. He tells them that England has treated Ireland abominably.
“Scit-Omnia” as some Latin Scholars may tell you, can be pronounced “Shit-Omnia” as it was by a teacher of mine “Rocky Walsh” a fierce Rugby Playing Kerryman otherwise known as Fr Reginald
Walsh,C.S.Sp. (Cigarette Smoking Strictly Prohibited).
Kerry is better known these days for Gaelic Football.Traditionally K,errymen kicked the Scrotum of a Bull, which, after the animal had been separated from it, was Oval. The game was given the Gaelic name for Scrotum. Which I have forgotten.
Perhaps the Rockier Kerrymen kicked the Scrotum while the Bull was still attached.
Once in London’s Haringey Irish Centre I saw a team of Horse Shoe throwers from Co. Laois,
who looked as if they could each have thrown a horse with all four of its shoes, with very
little effort. A few days later I saw a photo of President George Bush (Sr) throwing a horse shoe
so it seems to be a game for high society in New England.
At Easter 2016 another Scit-Omnia from England wrote of his recent visit to Joyce’s Sandycove
Tower. He went one better than the Hapless Haines and devoted his column in THE TIMES to
explaining that England never wronged Ireland and the deluded Irish had staged a rebellion after
they had been given Home Rule, and for a century afterwards had mindlessly gloried in their folly.
This Latter-Day Scit-Omnia in his column in THE TIMES, David Aaronovitch, lnspired my BLOG-
“Joyce’s Martello Tower Revisited (by THE TIMES)” of 7 April 2016″
Aaronovitch is a gobshite for all seasons. He has attacked Russians generally, not individual Russians, as essentially barbarian, and won support for his bigotry in the letters’ column of THE TIMES. Am I wrong in thinking him and his followers racist?
As an old-fashioned Irishman, a Catholic and a republican, I generally like and admire my fellow humans regardless of race or creed and have never met one of my kind who hates the English.
I strongly disagree with many governments and despise many politicians. Two Tories whom I most
admire are Jonathan Swift and Samuel Johnson, both English, and I would rate Tom Paine with them
both.
Aaronovitch’s nonsense runs riot in THE TIMES and I hope to pursue it anon.
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