# Paddy the Plasterer



## annR (13 Dec 2007)

Does it bother anyone else the way the media keeps referring to Paddy Reilly as also Paddy the Plasterer when discussing the Tribunal into the Taoiseach's finances?

It's a *nickname.  *It really annoys me the way the press latches on to these things like Mr Fahy down in Galway, they kept reporting him as "also known as The Stroke Fahy".  It's a nickname and has no place in the news, it just makes these guys sound like harmless popular types and it's totally irrelevant anyway what their nickname is.


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## Purple (13 Dec 2007)

RTE have an anti FF bias so they do that with Bertie and Co.


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## Firefly (13 Dec 2007)

Paddy The Plaster and Charlie Chawk....they sound like characters from a dodgy mafia film. 

Bertie "The Don" Ahern??


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## bullbars (13 Dec 2007)

Pat "The Coop" Gallagher is another title that stuck well.


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## ninsaga (13 Dec 2007)

Why did he get the name 'The Cope'.... is it because he was coping well after a dose of the shingles or something?

In answer to the OP - yes I find it annoying also - but what can you do- thats the media for you!


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## Green (13 Dec 2007)

A relative of his founded the Cooperative movement. An Post put him on a stamp recently, the relative not Pat  . 

I do agree with OP but I find more annoying when the media especially the tabloids give nicknames to criminals...e.g. maradona, etc..etc


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## ClubMan (13 Dec 2007)

Firefly said:


> they sound like characters from a dodgy mafia film.


As opposed a reputable mafia film?


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## ClubMan (13 Dec 2007)

YOBR said:


> I find more annoying when the media especially the tabloids give nicknames to criminals...e.g. maradona, etc..etc


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## ClubMan (13 Dec 2007)

bullbars said:


> Pat "The Coop" Gallagher is another title that stuck well.


He used to go around with chickens up his jumper.


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## Caveat (13 Dec 2007)

annR said:


> Does it bother anyone else the way the media keeps referring to Paddy Reilly as also Paddy the Plasterer when discussing the Tribunal into the Taoiseach's finances?
> 
> It's a *nickname. *It really annoys me the way the press latches on to these things like Mr Fahy down in Galway, they kept reporting him as "also known as The Stroke Fahy". It's a nickname and has no place in the news, it just makes these guys sound like harmless popular types and it's totally irrelevant anyway what their nickname is.


 
Annoys the hell out of me.  I also hate the constant grating, silly, reference to the "dig out" payments re Bertie's finances.  

And I hate the way he is called "Bertie" anyway


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## Staples (13 Dec 2007)

As I recall, "Paddy the Plasterer" was how Bertie referred to him in the Bryan Dobson interview. It was to distinguish him from another Paddy Reilly who also contributed to the dig-out.  it's understandable.  Who among us doesn't have multiple friends of the same name who's generosity (in cash) can be relied upon in times of (recurring) crisis.  It's no wonder the poor man's recollection is letting him down. 

As for an "anti FF bias" maybe if they weren't so hooky in the first place, the media would leave them alone.


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## Purple (13 Dec 2007)

Staples said:


> As for an "anti FF bias" maybe if they weren't so hooky in the first place, the media would leave them alone.


 you could be right


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## Staples (13 Dec 2007)

As I recall, "Paddy the Plasterer" was how Bertie referred to him in the Bryan Dobson interview.  It was distinguish him from another Paddy Reilly who also contributed to the dig-out.

As for an "anti FF bias" maybe if they weren't so hooky in the first place, the media would leave them alone.


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## Purple (13 Dec 2007)

I think that point was made...


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## annR (13 Dec 2007)

Surely they could come up with some other way of distinguishing between them other than referring to one of them as Paddy the Plasterer.  Sounds like something from kid's TV, like "Bob the Builder."  
I remember when Bertie made history by signing some electronic signature somethingorother with Bill Clinton and there was a plaque.  I remember reading "William Jefferson Clinton" and thinking right now I'll read Bertie's full name, but it just said "Bertie Ahern".  Didn't quite measure up.  So maybe Bertie is his full name? Or is it Bartholemew?


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## Graham_07 (13 Dec 2007)

Staples said:


> As I recall, "Paddy the Plasterer" was how Bertie referred to him in the Bryan Dobson interview. It was distinguish him from *another Paddy Reilly* who also contributed to the dig-out.


 
Not Paddy _The fields of Athenry_ Reilly surely


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## Purple (13 Dec 2007)

Graham_07 said:


> Not Paddy _The fields of Athenry_ Reilly surely


No, the one from Ballyjamesduff (or whatever it's called).


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## z103 (13 Dec 2007)

the name is
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern
according to wikipedia


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## jdwex (14 Dec 2007)

leghorn said:


> the name is
> Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern
> according to wikipedia


aka 
Paddy the Taoiseach


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## z106 (14 Dec 2007)

bullbars said:


> Pat "The Coop" Gallagher is another title that stuck well.


 
He actually cganged his name tol hat. And i'm not kidding.


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## Graham_07 (14 Dec 2007)

Purple said:


> No, the one from Ballyjamesduff (or whatever it's called).


 

So if Paddy the Plasterer, Eddie the Electrician, Cathal the Carpenter, Paudie the Plumber, Terry the Tiler and Bob the Blocklayer all got together shure couldn't they have built the house alltogether without any need for money changing hands ? Much better idea than a whip round in a pub. 

(forgot, would they have needed C2's to do that work  )


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## Purple (14 Dec 2007)

Graham_07 said:


> So if Paddy the Plasterer, Eddie the Electrician, Cathal the Carpenter, Paudie the Plumber, Terry the Tiler and Bob the Blocklayer all got together shure couldn't they have built the house alltogether without any need for money changing hands ? Much better idea than a whip round in a pub.
> 
> (forgot, would they have needed C2's to do that work  )



LOL


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## Welfarite (14 Dec 2007)

Staples said:


> As I recall, "Paddy the Plasterer" was how Bertie referred to him in the Bryan Dobson interview. It was distinguish him from another Paddy Reilly who also contributed to the dig-out.


 
And it was Bertie who brought up the pohrase "dig out" too in that same interview. so blaming the media for using such phrases is like...eh...shooting the messenger (!) 

Pat the COPE Gallagher (note spelling and it's pronounced that way too, which, no doubt, he thinks adds to his image), is named so after his father, who founded (and probably made a fortune) a co-operative in Dungloe.


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## Firefly (14 Dec 2007)

Remember him nearly crying during the interview...should have gotten an Oscar for that.


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## Green (14 Dec 2007)

Firefly said:


> Remember him nearly crying during the interview...should have gotten an Oscar for that.


 
He got the only thing he craved, re-election!


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## csirl (18 Dec 2007)

> Surely they could come up with some other way of distinguishing between them other than referring to one of them as Paddy the Plasterer. Sounds like something from kid's TV, like "Bob the Builder."
> I remember when Bertie made history by signing some electronic signature somethingorother with Bill Clinton and there was a plaque. I remember reading "William Jefferson Clinton" and thinking right now I'll read Bertie's full name, but it just said "Bertie Ahern". Didn't quite measure up. So maybe Bertie is his full name? Or is it Bartholemew?


 


> the name is
> Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern
> according to wikipedia


 
Clinton's real name on birth cert is William Blythe - same as the British naval captain of mutiny on the bounty and Bull Island fame. Interesting that both of these chancers dont use their genuine names ("Bertie" is short for Albert, "Bart" is the shortened version of Bartholomew).


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## ubiquitous (19 Dec 2007)

csirl said:


> Clinton's real name on birth cert is William Blythe - same as the British naval captain of mutiny on the bounty .



Not exactly...   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bligh


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## rabbit (22 Dec 2007)

Graham_07 said:


> So if Paddy the Plasterer, Eddie the Electrician, Cathal the Carpenter, Paudie the Plumber, Terry the Tiler and Bob the Blocklayer all got together shure couldn't they have built the house alltogether without any need for money changing hands ? Much better idea than a whip round in a pub.
> 
> (forgot, would they have needed C2's to do that work  )


 
And what about Liam the land man, Dessie the developer and Sean the Speculator.  How would they have got what they wanted ?

It reminds me of the great Bob Geldofs song from many years ago, " Banana Republic".


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## macnas (29 Dec 2007)

Dobson's lack of tough questions let him off the hook?


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## cork (31 Dec 2007)

Paddy helped Bertie out.

RTE have turned him into a legand.

Bertie got a mandate. 

The whole dig out thing is just a bore.


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## RainyDay (1 Jan 2008)

cork said:


> Bertie got a mandate.


Based on extremely selective disclosure of the facts behind and around his various cash receipts.

e.g. from today's Indo;


> Mr Ahern had said in his famous RTE news interview in September 2006 that he had "dealt with this properly in terms of taxes" when referring to money gift of around stg£8,000 he received in Manchester.
> 
> But a Revenue district manager has written to Mr Ahern to say: "I can find no record of this issue having been addressed."
> 
> ...


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