George Hook's blog

Donal Walsh on RTÉ’s The Saturday Night Show in April. Picture: RTÉ

We knew him only for a very short time. And even at that, few of us really got to know Donal Walsh. His life was short, yet he managed to touch the lives of so many through his words, through his actions and ultimately, through his suffering. His funeral on Wednesday morning drew friends and admirers from all walks of life. Rugby players, GAA stars, politicians and those compelled to celebrate him turned out to support his family on what must have been the most difficult of days. 

The first time I heard him speak, I struggled to take him in. A 16 year-old child, conveying the wisdom and grace of a man fifty years his senior.  He had a maturity that was beyond his short time here, yet somehow, none of what he said seemed out of place. 

Why do we work? We work for independence. We work to give ourselves a sense of purpose. But most importantly, we work to earn money so that we can live a lifestyle that suits us. We sacrifice time with our family and friends to earn a living and enjoy the material comforts that come with holding down a job. Without reward for our work, most of us would not bother. Our time is valuable. Monetary compensation makes it all worthwhile.

What happens, then, if we cannot realise the fruits of our labour? What if we spend the majority of our life trundling away at a job without enjoying the benefits from it? It might seem like a stupid question with a simple answer: Most of it wouldn't do it. We'd quit. Yet a lot of people in Ireland are working away, five days a week, just to pay their bills and meet their financial obligations. It is a nonsense.

Tiger Woods. Picture: Keith Allison.

It's all about rules, really. Without rules, what have we got? Chaos. Anarchy. All out war. Rules keep us ticking over. They guarantee the expression of freedom just as they limit action to maintain balance. Rules keep us grounded and allow us all to operate in a manner that benefits each other. Break the rules, pay the price. Simple.

Except sometimes it's not. We all like to think that we live in an equal society, but every day we see examples that contradict that ideal. Celebrities skipping queues.  Police turning a blind eye for one man and overreacting to another. The reality is that we do not live in an equal society. However much we want to believe in the contrary.

Power that falls into the the wrong hands will end us all. Away from the fuss and fancy of everyday life, there are men and women working furiously around the clock to ensure that does not happen. They lurk in the shadows, constantly watching and anticipating. We owe our very existence to these people. And we hope and we pray that they continue to do their job.

But they can’t watch everyone. There simply isn’t enough technology in the world to protect us from every lunatic with a demonic appetite. And all it takes is one person to send the house of cards crashing to the ground. The wrong finger on the right button and life as we know it would end in an instant. It’s a sobering thought. But it’s not one that many of us can afford to spend much time over. Contemplating the end of the world serves little purpose.

A friend of mine is an accountant by trade. Naturally, he's quite gifted with numbers and equations but put him in a social setting and god only knows what he might come out with. I've seen him extinguish entire dinner parties with his gob. He never means to offend, of course, but there are times when he simply can't help himself.

Take last year for example. October, always a busy month for accountants, finds him running around from client to client, readying tax returns and making sure all his numbers and figures are correct and accurate. For good reason, I usually avoid contact with him at this time of year.