G'Day From Downunder

Another day, another dollar, another Christmas and another year older!! So get the kettle on for our last cuppa and a chat to see out 2008.

So how lucky are we? My son Jonathan returned home last week from his trip to Ireland and brought back a bag full of memories for me.

First there was a CD and DVD of the Royal Showband. The CD had all their hit classics and every song was strung together like a necklace of beautiful pearls.

The DVD was of a documentary called "The One Nighters" and as DVD's go it was a shocker of a production. But who cares, it still brought back wonderful memories and I must admit some tears also (Oh how I long for my long lost youth).

Next out of the bag of memories a book "The Miami Showband Massacre" I won't dwell on the dark side of this tragedy but I would like to add my name to the hundreds of thousands who were entertained many times by that wonderful bunch of musicians. They were phenomenal.

I reached into my memory bag again and pulled out a copy of the "Cork Holly Bough" a once a year publication of all things nostalgic in Cork published by the Evening Echo since 1897.

Again the memories flooded back. On page eighty three a tribute to the Irish music legend, Brendan O'Brien of The Dixies. The records show that Brendan was not only a pin up hunk for all the ladies but he also had the talent to back it up.

He had seventeen hits in the Irish charts from 1962 to 1983. Close your eyes for a few minutes. At any time he was on stage you would swear it was Buddy Holly himself singing.

Sadly, as anyone who is interested in Irish music knows, Brendan passed away earlier this year.

Yes, I can say I was there when it all started for him and The Dixielanders, as they were then known, and yes I hung around after every dance and spent time with the lads in the band trying to learn a few cords on the guitar.

Without the inspiration of people like him, people like me wouldn't be doing the things I do. Long may he be remembered!

It will take me another six months to get through the rest of the nostalgic bag my young son put together for me. The best Christmas present I've had in years.

So how lucky are we? Well, first of all we are alive, as sadly some of the music people I mentioned are not. In addition, so far the recession hasn't sent us a knock-out punch and, further, there is some sort of light at the end of the tunnel, be it dim, on the two war fronts.

Sure, there is always room for optimism. I learned that many years ago back in my old neighbourhood of Gurranabraher in Cork in the fifties where life was really tough when there was nothing more than a bowl of pig's head soup on the table on Sunday for dinner.

Did I say how lucky are we twice before? Well let me say it again for good measure how lucky are we?

Yes I know poverty hasn't gone away for everyone and no matter how much money Bono or Bob Geldof raises for the cause it still won't go away. There are still lots of good reasons for optimism.

Look at all the new emerging nations that have taken up prominent positions in the world since the fall of the Iron Curtain. This was not foreseeable back in my time in Gurranabraher.

Then there are The Irish complaining of the recession that Ireland had to have but look back to the fifties and see how far Ireland has come.

Sure trouble times are upon them now but Ireland is in much better shape to be able to work its way out of its problems than it was way back in my days.

One of the major problems of today's world is the lack of patience.

Everyone wants everything yesterday, everyone complains about what they could have done if only time hadn't run out on them.

Well guess what? There is plenty of time, just use it wisely and plan better for the future.

Don't punish yourself for your mistakes, others will be only too happy to do that for you.

Maybe it's a time to reflect on what didn't go right for you in 2008 and correct it in 2009.

Make the year 2009 the year you're going to shine; after all if you got a few loose dollars in your back pocket and don''t know what to do with them, good shares are cheap, so is property and automobiles will soon be a dime a dozen.

Stop and think for a minute. Would you sooner have bought any of the above at the old prices or buy them at the bargain prices of today?

So tell me is the glass half-full or half-empty? Pessimism and optimism are states of mind.

Ask yourself which one are you in now and why? Well, let me tell you I wouldn't swap the position we are in now for all the tea in china.

Don't get lost in the period of gloom, plan for the future; the gloom won't last forever, it will only be any eye blink in your life span.

No, I'm not talking lightly of the current troubled times but remember all things come to pass.

Don't be one of those people who in another five to six years will be chatting over a drink or dinner and bore the pants off your friends by telling them of the wonderful lost opportunities you failed to pounce on way back in 2008 and 2009 when everything was cheap.

As the old band leaders used to say at the dance years ago "and now for a change of tempo, the next dance will be a Fox Trot" so I'll go on to something completely different, "Christmas Downunder".

To those of you who are new to my column I will give you a briefing, to those of you who are regular readers of my intellectual contribution to this very fine respectable newspaper you can go and put the turkey on for the Christmas dinner as you may have heard it all before.

Christmas in Oz for us Irish expatriates, no matter how long we have been here, is very confusing.

There are no long romantic dark cold nights, no warm fires to stick your rear end in, no snow to make snowmen, and snowballing is only a memory of childhood days in Ireland.

Chit chat in a nice cosy pub on Christmas Eve with old school pals is only a memory of a lonesome migrant who still wears a Shamrock in his lapel.

On the up side there are long summer days and lots of sunshine.

It's a huge novelty for the Irish to be able to go to the beach on Christmas day, get a suntan and down a few cold beers.

Assuming the weather isn't too hot and there's no fire ban (to avoid bush fires) you can chuck a few prawns on the Barbie and, while at the beach, make sure you brought your surfboard as surfing is a religion down here.

Once Christmas day is over almost everyone then leaves on vacation, mostly to one of the numerous magnificent beach resorts.

Unlike the Irish who all come together for Christmas Australians do the opposite they scatter to the four corners of the continent.

Turkeys are happier in Australia because the Aussies don't eat as many as we Irish do.

Cold dinners and lunches are preferred in this hot climate at Christmas and don't be surprised to see Santa scoffing down a Foster's Lager and wearing just red swimming trunks with a red tasselled hat.

After all you wouldn't want the poor old bearded bugger wearing that big old heavy Santa suit in 100° plus Fahrenheit, now would you?

On the other hand you wouldn't want the old bearded bugger running up and down 45th street and running into Eamonns for a quick pint and a chat in his swimmers either.

So it's his swimmers for Australia and the baggy red and whites for New York.

Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you the sleigh is pulled by six white Boomers (Kangaroos) not Reindeers when travelling through Australia.

Have a wonderful New Year. May you get what you wish for and I hope your God looks after you and your loved ones.

Until I talk to you again in 2009, be good to those who love you!