FURTHERMORE
By Gerry Moran
So, fame at last. Kind of. I have recently been shortlisted. For the Booker Prize? No. For the Nobel Prize for Literature? Don’t be daft. I have been shortlisted – or at least my name, Gerard, has – for the name of a possible upcoming storm! So, Gerry, or rather, Gerard, may well blow up a storm. A hell of a storm even. How many of you can boast of that?
Okay, okay, Paddy, sorry Patrick, you too are on the shortlist. Perhaps all you Patricks out there , and I’m guessing there’s quite a few, and all us Gerards should get together and celebrate our new-found status – if not fame – with a wee glass of something which would have to be a drop of Paddy. And doubles needless to say. So, Paddies all round then.
But who’s paying for it all, Gerry? Sorry, Gerard. The National Forecasters of Ireland (Met Eireann) of course, who, along with the UK and The Netherlands, pick seven names for storms which they announce for 2025 and 2026 at the start of September each year to coincide with the start of autumn.
Storms are given their names when they have the potential to cause medium or high weather impacts. Forecasters say that giving storms names increase public awareness of potential severe and impactful weather that’s on the way. More than 10,000 suggestions were received from the Irish public which Met Eireann whittled down to seven. And there’s yours truly up at No.3 out of the seven! Am I chuffed or what? The other six are Bram (after Bram Stoker of Dracula fame, I guess), Fionnuala (after some Fionnuala or other), Kashia (no idea), Marty (after the one and only perhaps), Patrick, as mentioned above, and Tadhg (a god-awful difficult name to spell)
So, let’s talk about Gerard – a beautiful name I think you’ll agree (oh, damn it, you don’t have to agree) but it comes from the old German, Ger, meaning spear and hart meaning hard, firm, hardy, brave. Yep, that’s me alright – a tough nut for sure.
The Normans introduced it to Britain and sure it was only a matter of time before it crossed the sea to Ireland probably on a Brittany ferry. Gerard is also shortened to ‘Brave Spearman’ or ‘Strong with Spear’. Very appropriate, I must say, as I was a dab hand with the spear (and bow and arrow) when growing up on Daly’s Hill. I’m not saying I was the best spear-thrower in our gang but for sure I was accurate as evidenced by my best friend’s mother occasionally shouting out: “Ger Moran be careful you don’t poke someone’s eye out with that stick.” (She failed to recognise that it was a spear). And as I reflect on my youth and in particular my school days, especially my school sports days, I am genuinely disappointed that the javelin, as an event, never featured.
I mean I was good at the sprints, the high jump and the long jump, stands to reason then, given my name ‘Brave Spearman’, that I’d be more than handy with the javelin, a spear by just another name. Indeed I reckon if the javelin had featured in our sports days, I, with a little (well maybe a lot of) mentoring could well have been an Irish champion and who knows perhaps even an Olympic champion!
Indeed my late Uncle Lar, God rest him, was an Army champion, and record holder, in the pole vault for several years – proof positive that athleticism is in the genes, winning genes. I guess the javelin didn’t feature because of Health & Safety even though there was no Health & Safety back then.
Finally, I, ‘Brave Spearman’, am not entirely enamoured that my beautiful name should be associated with storms and turbulent weather – I’d much prefer Gerard to be associated with blue skies and beautiful sunsets. But, what can I do? I am who I am, it is what it is, and Met Eireann has made its decision.
In the meantime folks, baton down the hatches, Gerard may well be on the way.
){kind=link}
