Honesty is the best policy
Well, it’s served Mary O'Rourke well, at least. Now 71 years of age, she first entered the Dail in 1982 and has been a TD for well over 20 years – during which time she has held a number of key Ministerial positions. Here she talks with remarkable honesty and humour about her political career, the Lenihan dynasty, Charlie Haughey, losing her husband, treachery in Fianna Fáil – and, of course, orgasms.
Jason O'Toole, 25 Feb 2009
“There’s no orgasms here!” jokes Mary O’Rourke, as she opens her front door to Hot Press. As opening greetings go, it’s a new one on me.
The humorous salutation is in reference to a recent phone conversation in which the bubbly O’Rourke asked if I would be enquiring about her orgasms in this interview. To be honest, it was not a line of questioning I had envisaged asking a 71-year-old grandmother...
O’Rourke recounted that the then Minister for Women’s Affairs, Nuala Fennell, had been slagged mercilessly by her fellow TDs back in the mid-‘80s when she spoke about orgasms in a legendary Hot Press interview.
O’Rourke barely contains her laughter as she recounts the story: “Nuala – who’s a lovely woman – gave an interview to Niall Stokes in which she was talking about the role of women and women’s rights. And she said, ‘It’s the right of every woman to have enjoyable orgasms!’ I knew what she was trying to get at – that it shouldn’t be all about trying to gratify the man. That the guy and the gal should be in it equally and both getting enjoyment from it. All of which, I think, should be in any relationship.
“But when she gave that interview the newspapers highlighted that bit. When she came into the Dáil the next day, we were all giggling. And some Fianna Fáil guy shouted out (laughs), ‘Nuala, did you have an orgasm last night?’ She just got red and bright in the face. Oh, gee! It was really funny! We were awful really! At that time, Hot Press was wooooow! Radical! I remember PJ Mara asking would I do an interview with Hot Press and I said, ‘Are you mad, PJ? I will not!
“I just thought to myself, ‘I’m not going to be talking about orgasms!’ I was happy enough with my relationship (laughs), instead of going and talking about it!”
As O’Rourke ushers me into her sitting room, she tells me that she’s apprehensive about a contribution she’s just written for an anthology, entitled The Cow Jumped Over The Moon, to be published in April. While she sticks the kettle on, she hands me a draft of her piece, ‘The Rocky Road to Motherhood’, and asks for my opinion.
Page 1/12 <Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next>
©Hot Press 2011. Why be a member? | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy