The title is from The Irish Times, dated Saturday 24th November 2012, above an article featuring interviews with the grown-up children of immigrants to Ireland.
Everyone has a capacity to be racist if they don't stop themselves, and the bulk of it is about ignorance.
Aaron Cunningham is a talented Gaelic footballer, playing for the best club team in Ireland, Crossmaglen (54 degrees North, 6 degrees West) Rangers.
The Gaelic Athletic Association / Cumann Lúthchleas Gael is a 32 county sporting and cultural organisation that has a presence on all five continents. It is Ireland's largest sporting organisation and is celebrated as one of the great amateur sporting associations in the world today. It is part of the Irish consciousness and plays an influential role in Irish society that extends far beyond the basic aim of promoting Gaelic games.
Aaron's father, Joey Cunningham, is black and was himself a star Gaelic footballer, playing for the celebrated Armagh county team.
If you use that example, that Ireland accepts Phil Lynott and Paul McGrath, I'm not sure it proves Ireland isn't racist.
Aaron is racially abused during a championship match and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) investigates.
That's why I want to bring in a rule about racism in the GAA.
Crossmaglen Rangers win the match and their third Ulster Club title in a row. Aaron plays a vital part in his club's success.
I could be sitting in a room full of Irish blond, blue-eyed people and that I'm not thinking about the fact I'm the only dark-haired tan person.
The GAA, a manifestly Irish institution, who's members have themselves suffered abuse and discrimination, in Ireland and internationally, as Irish people and sports' people, faces a challenge.
1.12
Anti-Sectarian/Anti-Racist
The Association is Anti-Sectarian and Anti-Racist. Any conduct by deed, word or gesture of a sectarian or racist nature against any player, official, spectator or anyone else, in the course of activities organised by the Association, shall be deemed to have discredited the Association. Penalty: As prescribed in Rule 7.2(e).
A challenge for fathers, sport, race. A challenge for literature?
Nigerian writers Ben Okri and Chinua Achebe put the ball in the back of the net.
One of the greatest gifts my father gave me - unintentionally - was witnessing the courage with which he bore adversity.
...... it's not difficult to identify with somebody like yourself, somebody next door who looks like you. What's more difficult is to identify with someone you don't see, who's very far away, who's a different colour, who eats a different kind of food. When you begin to do that then literature is really performing its wonders.
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