The UFC millionaire star may behave in whatever manner he likes but this writer would rather he no longer drap himself in the Irish flag.
Let us be almost pathetically grateful for small mercies. I checked closely an hour ago on the video footage from the disgraceful Brooklyn brawl between alleged MMA fighters from two different camps last weekend and breathed a deep sigh of relief at the end of it because I spotted no evidence at all of our Tricolor being displayed during the mayhem.
I think, without being certain, that I spotted Conor McGregor in the thick of the action but, thankfully, no sign of the Tricolor. I gather, further, McGregor did not swathe his shoulders in our national flag when he turned himself in to the police to be charged with criminal offenses relating to the affray.
During the charge and remand on $50,000 bail for the matter to be dealt with in June, I also noted that he was described by his counsel as one of the best-known faces on the planet today. It is truly a fascinating world we live in.
Sounds like Conor McGregor had a few Stella’s tonight, he just flew to NYC in his private jet to put a bus window though coz someone started on his mate 😂 #ConorMcGregor pic.twitter.com/DWOXorSqZs
— Daniel O'Reilly (@dapperlaughs) April 5, 2018
I am on the record here and elsewhere stating the view that I hope McGregor makes even more millions in the future from his MMA exploits inside the ring or box or whatever they call his arena. What I object most strongly to, however, is the manner in which he attaches our Tricolor to his person in the prelims and aftermaths to his battles.
Millions of us down the decades have been trying to live down the stigma attached to us by the wider world of being drunken brawling Paddies, always ready for a brawl or that two drinks too many. McGregor’s usage of your flag and mine, in the fashion in which he deploys it, and in the brawling discipline he dominates, dreadfully fortifies that old stigma for sure.
I’m sure many of you agree with that view. Again I sincerely hope that he continues to prosper hugely from his career but leaves our Tricolor at home on the big paydays and nights.
I’m sure when he appears in court to answer the quite significant charges against him arising from the Brooklyn brawl that he will keep the Tricolor out of sight. That would be both commonsense and compassionate for the rest of us that are genetically involved in the matter.
I also sincerely hope that the court will deal leniently with the individual described by his lawyers as one of the best-known faces on this incredibly complex planet of ours today. Another connected reality is that things are never boring when he is anywhere close to the headlines and that’s lively and good.
Ironically, hours earlier on TV here, I was distracted from the McGregor situation by highly dramatic pictures of a significant fire on the upper floors of Trump Tower and the early reports that one resident had been injured. It took some time for the telecast to inform us that President Trump himself was not in residence at the time but was, as apparently usual, spending the weekend at his resort in Florida.
Has it been the strange situation that there have been constant blazing fires of one category or another around the towers of Trump’s power since he took up office over a year ago. Firing and hiring and tweets at dawn have been the order of the day. Again, things are never boring in the vicinity of your very different president.
Finally, after a long and very hard winter on the Emerald Isle our clocks are back on summer time, the evenings are brighter for longer, but somebody forgot to inform winter his reign is over and so the other rain is soaking the land to such an extent that, this very week, farmers whose cattle were hungry had to import supplies of fodder from England and elsewhere.
We might see some evidence of a real summer in about a month or so. In the meantime we are keeping our chilled fingers crossed.
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