By MICHAEL McDONNELL
michael@northern-standard.ie
WINDSOR CASTLE
It was never a place he expected to be wining or dining in, GAA president-elect Aogán Ó Fearghail admitted to the Northern Standard yesterday evening — but he reckons he probably got a feed or two at a chipper down the road from it about 20 years ago!
The Drumgoon native had the honour of representing Cumann Lúthchleas Gael at Tuesday night’s historic banquet hosted by Queen Elizabeth in the castle’s stately St George’s Hall, where her guest of honour, President Michael D Higgins gave a toast to “creative cooperation and a sustainable partnership” between their respective counties.
Gaelgoir Aogán was happy to hear Uachtarán Higgins dwell on the possible translations of the word “scath” — which could mean “shadow” or “shelter” — and reflect that Ireland, the smaller country, was now perhaps benefiting more from the shelter than living in the shadow.
The queen’s famous greeting “as Gaeilge” at the dinner in Dublin Castle during her ground-breaking trip to Ireland three years ago is well remembered, though Ó Fearghail concedes that he didn’t get an opportunity on this occasion to teach her another cúpla focal.
But he was delighted, along with his wife Frances, to have been part of the momentous event, marking as it did the positive change in relations between Britain and Ireland.
The queen’s references to “Derry-Londonderry” rather than Londonderry alone was …