However in what might normally be seen by many as a highly controversial, or dare I say it, even absurd appointment by the ICU. The selection of Eamon Keogh to the position of Irish men’s team captain for the 2008 Olympiad can only be regarded as predictable and yet very funny. It is not that I would ever suggest Eamon is not a very capable individual. No, it is just that with his record from 2004 I would have thought he surely would have been rendered unsuitable or not a good choice? Then again, maybe nobody else was interested and in fairness one simply has got to admire his enthusiasm and determination. Or possibly I am just wrong in my assessment and he is a great choice? Who knows or who cares really?

In the comical world that is Irish chess, such happenings have long become par for the course. Contemporary and recent Irish chess has long been seen by many as something more akin to an extended episode of The Twilight Zone, or perhaps even more aptly in an Irish context the RTE show Kilnaskully. Featuring as it does the same actor popping up all over the place in various comical roles.

Nevertheless considering the performance and controversial selection antics of the team captain in 2004 when, for example, the then Irish champion from 2004 was given a mere 3 games from 8 rounds and only got 6 games from 14 rounds. Even this only after the team captain had been incapacitated and replaced by the American GM Joel Benjamin, who in turn saw fit to give this same player a further 3 games from the remaining rounds. It seems reasonable to wonder aloud about the thinking behind Eamon being offered the same position again. Hopefully he enjoys himself and has a good time as that is the main/important thing I guess. Or at least one gets the idea that so long as Eamon gets what he wants then all is as some feel it should be.

In any event it should be interesting to see how much he [Eamon Keogh] has learned from that disastrous outing and how many games he gives the sole “reserve” [and former employee] who did not make it on to the team back in 2004 [I would contend unfairly] this time around. For the record, the other reserve in 2004 was given a record low of 5 games from 14 rounds.

Overall though, when one is considering the current realities of Irish chess, I personally can’t help but feel that an even more appropriate choice for men’s team captain in 2008 would have been the ICU public relations officer: Bernard Palmer. It would at least be consistent with the direction of Irish chess and certainly it might have provided some new and fresh energy into the "Alice In Wonderland" world of Irish chess. Anyway as they say in some place or other, sure it is all a bit of gas.