L'Amitié

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I came across this the other day and thought it worth sharing.

In 1963, many moons ago, I was an "au pair" boy in France. They called the male of the species "moniteur" and, as well as looking after four young lads, aged between 9 and 15, I was to teach them sailing, tennis, and, of course, English.

The teaching is another story and I have briefly touched on that part of my life as a language teacher here.

The point of this post is simply to share the gift they gave me when I was leaving (above).

Trahison

The French always start a job like this by displaying their credentials. So, in deference to them, here we go.

I don't have a general in the family but my cousin is a French Knight. Michael (above) is a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes académiques.

And I have in my possession a letter, from the Chief Conservator in the National Library of France, thanking me for an article I wrote which he says "illuminated in a very useful manner a period in the history of Franco-Irish relations". If you don't believe me you can click on the image below and keep clicking until it gets big enough to read.


And now to the point of this post.

Minister Varadkar has just opened an exhibition, in the French War Museum at Les Invalides in Paris, which deals with Franco-Irish cooperation on the battlefield over a period of three centuries. If you don't believe me, look at the picture below and read the news item.


Now, this cooperation, often directed against the English, does raise a heap of tricky philosophical questions. I am thinking, for example, of attitudes to Flemings and Bretons who collaborated with the Nazis during WWII in an effort to secure a measure of independence for their own people against an occupying imperial power. However, that is not my purpose here, and it will keep for another day.

My interest is in a French Major La Chaussée who did some magnificent work in Ireland in 1797 (note the date) analysing the strengths and weaknesses of various sections of the Irish coastline and how these weaknesses might be exploited in any French seaborne attack against the British in Ireland.

So far so good, and that is what I thought myself. Until, that is, I found out the Major was not working for the French as an advance party spy. Rather, he was working for the British in order to help them thwart any such invasion.



I doubt if he is included in the current exhibition and I am aware of only one place where his work is on display in this country, and that is in the restored Martello Tower (No.7) in Killiney Bay.

So if, unlike the Minister, you cannot currently afford the trip to Paris, even for the replay, you might like to see the work of a Frenchman who cooperated with the other side on the eve of the glorious Rebellion of 1798.



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Hung out to dry

Readers of this blog will be familiar with my preoccupation with the upside-down flying of flags. A particular favourite is the EU flag, which most people do not realise can actually be flown in this manner - we are not talking stars of David here, after all.

I pointed out that the flag was being flown upside-down at the French Embassy in Dublin on the day of then EU President Sarkozy's visit in July 2008.

Two months later I noticed the same thing at the Hungarian embassy in Dublin (picture above). I did inform them by email and intercom but when I passed the way again a further two months later nothing had been done about it (picture below). In fact the flags at this embassy looked as though they were never lowered since they were first raised.

It was only after the full extent of the Hungarian Financial crisis became known that it struck me this might have actually been a cry for help. So I forgive them, I think.

However, if that had been the case you'd have thought the Hungarians would have flown their own flag upside-down, an option not available to the French.

The subtleties of all this are giving me a headache.


Update 13 Dec 2009

I passed the way again on Sunday and it was impossible to tell how the Euro flag was hanging. It was just plain twisted. But I suspect, on the basis of their previous reactions (see comments below) that the Hungarians had given up on me.



Protocol was being fully observed, however, a little further down the street at the Fitzwilliam Guest house, next door to where I was born (the yellow door). Here was a purely private entity flying the Euro flag correctly. What are we to learn from this?



Update 2 Jan 2010

I passed the way again today and, lo and behold, the flag was the right way up. I don't know whether this signals the end of the hostage crisis or whether Budapest has been persuaded to issue a right-way-up flag, or whether my many bell ringings and representations have finally borne fruit.

In any event, it portends a good New Year 2010.

Congratulations to the Embassy on finally toeing the protocol line.



THE END