On April 2, 2008, Bertie Ahern, the esteemed and/or maligned Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, announced his resignation effective May 6. Mr. Ahern assumed office in June 1997 and is the tenth Taoiseach. He is currently embroiled in a financial scandal concerning payments made to him in the mid-1990s. Brian Cowen, the Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Finance, will replace him as Taoiseach.
It’s taken me awhile to get used to the strange spelling of Irish words. Tay-oh-i-seech? Tan-ay-stee? Actually, they’re tee-shock and tan-a-shta. In Irish an “s” is always pronounced “sh.”
