Although thought of as a true Dub, Bertie Ahern was actually raised by parents who were natives of Cork city. Indeed, the Fianna Fáil Leader and former Taoiseach says that although he never acquired a Cork accent, his mother had one until the day she died.
One of a family of five, Bertie was a pupil of St. Patrick’s Drumcondra, (a part of the teacher training college) and subsequently attended the adjacent St. Aidan’s Christian Brothers School in Whitehall. Further education was received at the College of Commerce in Rathmines and at UCD where he studied accountancy.
His father maintained his role as farm manager of All Hallows College all his life, permitting Bertie and his siblings the enviable privilege of a wide-open playground unlike any other.
There were horses, open spaces and a five-acre orchard, he recalls fondly. “We were always encouraged by our folks to play there and I worked there as a student in the summer holidays as a farm labourer– it toughened me up,” he laughs. “You don’t appreciate it at the time but, looking back, to be living in Dublin and to have a rural lifestyle, it couldn’t have been any better.”
Bertie speaks highly and affectionately of his parents who have both now sadly passed away. “My father and mother had very little money and they believed in education, so anything that they did have went into that.
They never went out, they never drank or smoked, they didn’t socialise apart from going into friends’ houses for a cup of tea. My father’s only interest was the horses: he loved reading about them or listening to races on the radio. He went to the dogs, to Shelbourne Park and Harold’s Cross and bet a few shillings. Our days out were at Croke Park, we had a huge interest in sport.”
Bertie’s love of sport, nurtured by his parents, is still evident today, despite his hectic schedule. “We’d go to club matches featuring St. Margaret’s or St. Vincent’s, the college team, or St. Pat’s. Or we would walk to Fairview Park, where there was an Irish night on a Sunday or the Phoenix Park– that was the big day out.”
Throughout our conversation Bertie Ahern speaks of the sense of intimacy that existed in Dublin when he was young. He laments the fact that many of the open, green spaces that existed are now gone and replaced by buildings. The parks are just about hanging in there, he says.
All the time there’s more and more land being built on and it’s sad. It’s great in terms of generating activity and employment but the old, open spaces are all being slowly filled in and that’s a great pity.
Despite the faster pace of life today Bertie believes that a strong community spirit can and will survive in the city. He believes that sense of community is important and should be nurtured through the parish church, parish schools and clubs.
In between his political commitments and a tough year which saw him stand down as Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern finds time to work around the parishes. From time to time he can be found enjoying a pint in his local in Drumcondra, cheering on the Dublin team at Croke Park or opening a new school in the area, mixing with the people he was brought up with, the people who have supported him on his journey up the political ladder.
“It’s what I like doing,” he states simply. “I love people and I love the community. I very much relate to the community areas and the organisations. I tend to look at areas in that way– where is the community, where is the parish? Where is the centre, where are the clubs?”
I asked him who has been his greatest hero. Sean Lemass, he answers without hesitation. “He was the person I took a huge interest in when I was growing up. He has been my greatest influence and I’m still reading about him and if anyone has read more about Lemass then Id like to meet him.”