As Ian Paisley faced his maker, he’d left behind him a questionable legacy on earth.
Growing up an Irish Protestant ‘Nationalist’, people often confused us southern ‘greener’ ‘Prods’ with the distinctly more ‘orange’ northern variety – and very wrongly so.
To my eyes and ears there was little ‘reverend’ about this larger-than-life cartoon figure spouting his own brand of gnashing poisonous un-Christian hatred. Ian Paisley made me ever-wary of supposed ‘Christians’ regurgitating biblical verses far too literally. Paisley’s words were poisonous weapons of mass destruction. He spoke of “Catholics breeding like rabbits, spreading like vermin”, alcohol as “the Devil’s buttermilk”, “saving Ulster from sodomy”, while repeatedly screeching “No! Never!”.
Before his final curtain call, following a serious health scare, Paisley softened, but his ‘Road to Damascus’ U-turn was as black and white as his decades of bigotry. He trembled as he stealthily approached the ‘Golden Gates’, where he’d have a lot of explaining to do. Paisley’s hate-filled rhetoric was indisputably responsible for countless deaths, so much so that one could justifiably question the subtle difference between Christian and Islamic fundamentalists.
In music, discords and dissonances are effective at certain moments, but harmony should prevail – so it is in life.
Historical figures such as Pol-Pot, Stalin, Papa Doc, Hitler and others can’t even boast an ounce of positivity in their legacies. Suicide-bombers, responsible for one-off acts of annihilation ought to question their legacies before committing such destructive acts of atrocity.
When names of Prime-Ministers, Taoisigh or Presidents like Richard Nixon, Idi Amin, Maggie Thatcher, Brian Cowan or Charlie Haughey are mentioned, their legacies beam like beacons.
In the world of soccer, it’s hoped that George Best’s football skills will in time outweigh his alcoholic legacy. Gazza sadly may be less fortunate.
In the artistic world Caravaggio the debauched murderer seems to have somehow successfully diverted the world’s attention towards his astonishing artistic legacy. When you hear the name Judy Garland, you can’t help but think of her tragic childhood, substance abuse and premature demise, but one would hope that the memories of a cutesie Kansas farm-girl, and her wealth of other movies and recordings will live on as her true legacy. The tragic figure of Michael Jackson will hopefully one day only be remembered as ‘The King of Pop’.
TV personality and charity fund-raiser Jimmy Saville, whose mere name makes every fibre of my being squirm, will rightly only be remembered as a heinous child-abuser. Rolf Harris’s art, Vet Hospital programmes, all-round-entertainment and songs (who didn’t love the song “Two little boys”?) all amount to nothing. He will be remembered as an 84 year-old serving time for abusing under-age girls.
Those with positive legacies seemed to utilise their strengths and talents in an unselfish, positive and giving way, with no ulterior motives. We ought to study the legacies of those gone before us, and attempt to reach a happy compromise of ‘looking after Number 1’ and caring for others. Respecting and listening to others will help. Spend time with family, friends and loved ones, while striving to do your best. Be a good role model. Avoid negativity. Smile.
When teachers have a real vocation and passion for their subjects they more often than not bequeath a shining legacy. In the 1990s a lady attending one of my recitals asked if I was the son of Frieda Nelson (née McClure) who taught in Sligo Grammar and High. When I replied that I was, she broke down, explaining that Mum had inspired her to further her English to Professor level at Oxford University. She visited Mum in Sligo several times in Mum’s final years. After Mum’s early death, it took me several years to recognise and admit to her flaws, and remove her from her pedestal. Mum was by no means perfect, yet her abiding legacy is that of an inspiring teacher, and a loving ‘Mum’ who always did her best under at times the most trying circumstances. Her memory warms my heart, my soul, my smile.
Your life and example are your finest legacy. After you’ve gone, will the mention of your name bring a smile to faces? Were you encouraging, discouraging, scary or positive? Maya Angelou’s legacy is intact. Her beautiful words say it all – “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.
