The best memory I have of the Vancouver Olympics was opening night when myself and a bunch of Irish work colleagues (lifties), were waiting in line at Tapley’s after a shift on Whistler mountain, about to watch the opening ceremony. The mood was electric, people from all nations were just excited to be there. We were talking shit while waiting when a 6’5 American college jock who was behind us in the line, asked us jovially where we were all from. My mates were all from Cork, I was wearing my Wallabies jersey but decided to have a bit of fun and slightly slur my words and proclaim I was from Cork as well. The lads found it hilarious, the American was none the wiser. As the banter continued, the American sought to bring forth something he learned in a college history course and started talking about the division between the north and south. My mate’s weren’t having none of the lectures, and before too long probably the shortest of the bunch, had the quite physically imposing young jock, pinned up against the wall, with the edge of a snowboard pressed against his neck.

The crowd separated things, and almost instantly the RCMP was there. Then, while the crowd was keeping things at bay, I had the great privilege being taken a side, my slur ceased and voice became slightly more okka. With my chest proudly donning the green and gold I told the RCMP that an American tried telling my Irish friends why they fought with the north, all the while having the American yelled out “don’t listen to that dickhead he’s Irish.” Needless, to say the RCMP helped the college jock move on, while we continued to have a great night watching the opening ceremony.

Let me say as an Australian (and I know I am disregarding the Originals here, apologies!): If England is our mother, Ireland is the father we never knew. We are not like the US with a bunch of Boston(ites?) loudly proclaiming their Irish. No 2nd generation Australian really claims their heritage too loudly (not in Queensland anyway). If you look at our culture, I believe it is hard to see any resemblance. Peter Garrett dances with his arms, and to be honest I can’t really name a prominent aussie song with a fiddle. Having said that we have a lot of infrastructure thanks to the Irish, and when ever I am overseas – if a pub is closing around me, I am usually dribbling with an intimate group and an Irishman is smoothing over all the shit I’m spewin.

So with that said; let me say Conor McGregor is a great! There is no doubt about that, he is the first to have two belts in the UFC, losses make him stronger, he took on the best boxer in the world on his terms, then took on arguably the best wrestler on his terms.

Words are words, and they all ways will be, and short of cutting tongues and hands they can’t be silenced, only tamed. But as soon as the man said “It’s only business” he became the same as a British Trooper in a tank. What will always reign supreme over words is honour bound actions, maybe not on any given day. But we all know it to be true.

I have no idea, why anyone outside of England would want a full sized Union Jack on their flag. But let me have the arrogance to say, the wars between protestants and catholics finished at least a generation ago.

Cease the day my brothers and unite! Then, maybe, we might be able to broker peace on the Korean peninsular.

Originally published on facebook.com on 10 January 2019.