This week, Miriam O'Callaghan meets Luke "Ming" Flanagan, TD and his father, Luke Flanagan. On the occasion of his 40th birthday, Luke recalls the birth of his song Luke "Ming", the fifth of his six children with his late wife, Lily. Luke recalls that Luke was a family name and it was his wife's decision to call their fifth child, Luke.
Luke "Ming" recalls his childhood and the influence of two people - his 3rd and 4th class teacher, the late John Conneely and his aunt Vera. It was in John's classroom that Luke "Ming" discovered an interest in politics, but Luke "Ming" found it hard to adjust to the average classroom after two years with John. His aunt Vera instilled a great sense of self confidence in him.
There is a political connection in the family through a cousin of Luke "Ming"'s grandfather who was the first person to speak in the Dail and lead a turf cutting protest in 1918. Luke brought his son to work on the bog in the Summertime when Luke "Ming" was a child. But Luke was a carpenter by trade who worked as a young man in London. Luke met Lily, his wife, back in Ireland when he was collecting a medal he won for football.
Luke "Ming" is not a good football player but like the rest of the family, is a great follower of football. Luke "Ming" is a runner who does it as much for his mental health as well as his physical health. That said, his father says that such is his sons understanding of the game of football, he could manage a premiership team!
Luke "Ming" tells Miriam how he met his wife, Judith and about their daughters Isabella and Kate. Both men reflect on how their experience of fatherhood is different.
Luke and Luke "Ming" describe the worry that his parents felt when Luke "Ming" was arrested for possession of cannabis and how they paid his first fine in an attempt to keep him out of jail. And while Luke "Ming" understands much better his parents point of view, he doesn't feel guilty about what he did. The only time Luke "Ming" had misgivings about his actions was when it looked like he would have to go to jail at the time of the funeral of Luke's sister Nan. Luke "Ming" describes his time in prison while his father explains he regrets not visiting his son while he was in jail.
Luke describes how emotional it was when his son was elected to the Dail and how proud he felt that from their home had come a man who represented their county. But Luke explains that his proudest moment was when his son Luke "Ming" read a poem he wrote at Lily's graveside. Luke "Ming" reads the poem to his mother.
Luke "Ming" explains how his relationship with his father has changed since the death of his mother and how his father has taken over many of the roles that Lily used to fulfil. Luke says that he has the television and the dog for company and he cannot go around making everyone feel sad because he has been widowed.
Luke describes his childhood for Miriam and the untimely death of his mother when he was ten years old. One consequence is that he learnt to do all the household chores. Luke "Ming" is a good cook according to his father, his speciality being the apple tarts and lemon sponges he learnt to bake from Lily, his mother.
Luke "Ming" explained how his father persuaded him to go canvassing door to door in the 2002 election and this strategy allowed him to win a seat in the following local elections in 2004. If he hadn't been elected that year, he never would have run for office again. Luke "Ming" explains how being elected the the Dail has changed his life and that of his children. He believes that he is not happy with his performance so far as a TD, but looks forward in the coming years to becoming the kind of TD that the electorate of Roscommon-South Leitrim deserves.
Luke defends the traditional right to cut turf and says that he will go to prison with his son if needs be. Luke also says that he doesn't like to see his son smoking cannabis - he doesn't agree with any kind of smoking. Luke has never tried cannabis himself.
Their choice of music was:
Sultans of Ping - Where's My Jumper?
Christy Moore - On Morecambe Bay
Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia