Downhill Battle Music Activism

Brian believed that the job adrenaline kept cancer at bay

The chattering classes of Castleknock had a rumour doing the rounds during the Christmas party season that Brian Lenihan 's diagnosis wasn't as bad as was thought.

The then finance minister was doing so well and keeping up such a workload, a hospital consultant had speculated he must have a disease other than pancreatic cancer.

Sadly, the rumour mill proved to be incorrect.

Fellow ministers were also taken aback by Lenihan 's ability to plough on.

Several cabinet colleagues admit that when Lenihan's illness emerged in late 2009, it raised all sorts of questions privately in their own minds: would he have to resign? Would he be able for the workload? Would the medication affect him? Would the treatment diminish his capabilities and ability to do this vital job?

Moreover, whether it was fair to ask a family man, with a wife and children, diagnosed with a disease with such a high mortality rate to continue in office?

"We were always conscious of it, not in the sense that it interfered with his work, but the toll it was taking on him personally," a former Fianna F�il minister said.

Insisting he was up to the job, Lenihan knuckled down, with the then Taoiseach Brian Cowen agreeing he would decide himself if he couldn't continue.

Depending on what was coming up on the schedule, the minister would sometimes start the day later. He cut down the number of speaking engagements, without wiping them off his diary completely.

"If anything, in the past year he worked harder. Often you'd be at a meeting until nine or 10 at night and as you'd leave, you'd have a CEO of a bank or somebody in a waiting room to go in next," a cabinet colleague said.

"He was taking some serious heavy duty in radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The chemo didn't hit him. The radiotherapy did. But he thought in some way the adrenaline of the job kept the cancer at bay. I don't know if there was any truth to that.

"There was only a couple of instances where he couldn't make a meeting. Last September, he was in a bit of pain at a cabinet meeting. He went out for 20 minutes and came back," he added.

"My experience is, it didn't seem to hinder him. It's impossible to know what would have been done differently."

The 15-month period where Lenihan continued to serve as finance minister, while battling cancer, was among the most turbulent in political and economic history.

From his diagnosis in December 2009 through to the new Government taking up office in March 2011, Lenihan presided over a gruelling period that culminated in the IMF-EU bailout last November.

kazilegs - Kama Aina - Music Activist

2 By Karl Byrn Eddie Vedder Talks Music, Activism - Newsweek At work on their ninth studio album, Pearl Jam is re-releasing Street Dogs Combine Music and Activism in AFL-CIO Concert | AFL. emma's revolution - activist music all sorts of activist music . Capleton booking upsets 'murder music' activists The booking of another reggae star for a show next week has spurred the concern of murder music activists, and led to the resignation of a local publicist. Downhill Battle Music Activism After decades of manipulating artists, radio, and music fans, it seems safe to say that death has come to the corporate record labels. Bonus. . . . Get Up, Stand Up Music activism doesn't stop with Nov. Music is available in bound scores, or can be purchased at half-price as .

Music and cyberliberties

Celeb 2.0, how social media foster our fascination with popular culture

Cybersounds, essays on virtual music culture

Jump point, how network culture is revolutionizing business

The girls' book of success, winning wisdom, tales of triumph, celebrity advice, and more