Redheads really have no need to pull their hair out
Date Published: {J}
It’s something of a mystery as to why they’re called redheads in the first place given that ginger or soft orange-heads might be closer to the truth, but while those John Hinde postcards loved nothing more than a carrot top with freckles – preferably accompanying an old donkey and cart back home from the bog – the real thing can apparently be a significant cross to carry.
Not that it bothered the likes of Riverdance ice queen Jean Butler or Maureen O’Hara; Sarah Ferguson attracted a Prince before pawning him off to the News of the World for a hundred grand, a few bottles of wine and twenty fags; and indeed that other Royal consort, Diana, left two redheaded sons who, astonishingly, look nothing like their bald and Princely father.
Lucille Ball didn’t try to hide her crowning glory either, and Geri Halliwell was happy enough to build a career on the back of a modicum of talent and her instantly recognizable nickname of Ginger Spice.
Boris Becker didn’t have hair issues when he cut quite a dash on the tennis court and in the broom cupboard, and Mick Hucknall overcame many physical shortcomings – of which his hair was only one – to even call his band Simply Red.
Napoleon apparently was a redhead – and a very small man – before he went thin on top and took to wearing a hat that covered his head and made him look taller; and other famous gingers include Oliver Cromwell, Cleopatra, Van Gogh, James Joyce and, unbelievably when you look at him now, Willie Nelson.
So Ireland may have more than its share of redheads but it’s not the only place in the world you’ll find them – although it would appear we might have more of a monopoly on freckles.
In any event, last week Ireland finally embraced its redheads with a festival dedicated just to them, held in the lovely sailing village of Crosshaven in west Cork.
The Red Head Convention, which raised funds for the Irish Cancer Society, drew 300 redheads from all over the country. Participants took part in a number of activities, including a carrot-tossing competition, redhead speed-dating and contests relating to so-called ginger characteristics.
Contestants vied for awards like 'best red eyebrows' and even 'most freckles per square inch.'
John O'Malley from Mayo won the 'King of the Red Heads' title, while Anneka Corcoran from Blarney was crowned Queen.
For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.