Sunday, August 4, 2013

Edmund Burke/Great Speeches

Edmund Burke/Great Speeches.


From Google Images
In the past week or so there have been a number of letters in the newspapers on the gentleman above or should I narrow that down to the Daily Mail. This followed on from an article by Mary Ellen Synon in that he's almost forgotten where his relations come from in West Cork. Or at least not celebrated to any great degree. Now as I sit here I'm not referencing this to any depth and hope the memory is not playing tricks on me with regard to location or whatever but perhaps they could take a leaf out of the Meath copy in relation to Swift and get a Burke trail or festival weekend together for the benefit of the visitor. To say he's held in some esteem is putting it mildly. Not everyone would agree with his sentiments I'm sure but his speech on the death of Marie Antoinette is worth a read. I first came across it in the Oxford Book of Quotes or something like that and the opening lines would be familiar to many. Maybe I'll dig it out of the bottom drawer. One reign of terror to the next!

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