SEVERAL STRANGE things happened yesterday. Tyrone’s Mickey Harte joined Alex Ferguson’s coaching staff at Manchester United. Barack Obama paid a surprise visit to Moneygall in Co Offaly. And U2 scaled the roof of Blackpool Shopping Centre in Cork to play an unexpected gig.
But, of course, all these events were reported on April 1st – the day beloved by pranksters, children and newspaper reporters. Newstalk 106-108 FM put in the greatest effort by transmitting a complete spoof radio programme. Every item on yesterday’s Moncrieff programme was made up, even down to the “What’s On” events which included an orgy in Ballyragget and plans by a Mr and Mrs Kelly to go for a walk in Nenagh at 7pm.
Parenting expert David Coleman wrestled with problems which included “all my child’s friend’s are woeful ugly, will this have an effect on her?” and “my talented child can snort a pea in one nostril and blow it out the other. Should he go to a gifted school?”
The Mickey Harte story was contained on a mock website masquerading as BBC Sports.
It told how GAA followers in Tyrone were “stunned” by the appointment but said Ferguson had been tracking Harte’s progress after meeting him at an awards event in Belfast.
In Cork, U2 fans were duped in the elaborate one-hour rooftop concert organised by Cork’s Red FM, with U2 tribute band Utopia.
“The last time we played in Cork it was 1993,” shouted “Bono” from the roof. “There has never been a venue big enough for us but now there is, it’s called Blackpool,” he roared.
The Evening Herald reported that Barack Obama and his wife Michelle made an unscheduled and secret visit to his ancestral Offaly home en route to the G20 summit in London.
“President Obama also picked up a six-pack of Bulmers and a bag of Monster Munch from a nearby off-licence to keep him occupied on the short flight to London,” the paper reported.
The Irish Times April Fool’s story about the Government considering electronic tagging for tax exiles merited a mention in the Dáil and generated plenty of correspondence from readers.
One company contacted the newspaper inquiring about the tender process for the device. A reader criticised the decision to enter talks with a US firm to provide the technology. Another reader said he knew the story wasn’t true “but I wish it were”.
