As thousands of us trudge back to work and college on yet another Monday morning, our faces grey and dour and bloated from a weekend of excess, we are all seeking some analgesic to alleviate the horrifying prospect of another full week ahead of us. However, I did not know that what would provide the perfect balm, the perfect pick-me-up on this morning, would be a video of Jim Daly, Minister for Mental Health and Older People, having fallen into a swimming pool at the opening of a rural leisure centre. Yet, as is often the way with such things, it is the little, unexpected things which are the most likely to put a spring in our step.
The Minister was at the Wild Atlantic Pool and Leisure Centre in Baltimore, Co Cork to cut the ribbon on the new facilities and apparently fell into the pool after losing his balance while trying to test the temperature of the pool.
The video is bizarre in that, it opens, not with the Minister falling into the pool, nor with desperate attempts being made to free him, but with Jim Daly standing placcidly quite far out in the pool, fully dressed in his suit. Given that he is neck deep in a confined pool and wearing a black suit and white shirt, he seems like some sort of tragic orca whale impersonator. The whole video appears like some weird leaked footage of a trial for a new exhibit in Seaworld, except, instead of having the tanks populated by actual orca whales, they are full of low-ranking Irish ministers dressed in a manner vaguely reminiscent of orca whales. As an exhibit, I can imagine it would have limited appeal at best.
Though it is good to see that, in amongst all the kerfuffle, Jim Daly kept his wits about him enough to sling his tie over his shoulder to keep it as dry as possible. It is undoubtedly this sort of prudence and quick-thinking that has seen Jim Day climb from through the political ranks to ascend to ministerial office.
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Jim Daly, after spending some time basking in the shallows, proceeds to walk toward the steps out of the pool, with all the steady determination of Godzilla or some such, trudging along with exaggerated sweeping steps. Unlike Godzilla however, once he reached the steps he did not attempt to destroy everything around him and wrend, limb from limb, the assembled photographers, instead he stopped to pose for a series of photos to make the most of a less than ideal situation.
H/T: Independent.ie
