Duirt me leat go raibh me breoite

Tomorrow, the 27th February, is the anniversary of the death of Spike Milligan. A man of limitless talent, he was a successful musician, actor, playwright and an incredible comedian. Eddie Izzard has christened him 'the godfather of alternative comedy' and his silly humour proved to be immortal when his epitaph 'I told you I was ill' was finally approved by the Chichester Diocese in 2004, as long as it was written in Gaelic.


However, it wasn't always fun and games for Spike (an army nickname) who sadly conformed to Aristotle's theory that 'all men who are outstanding in philosophy, poetry or the arts are melancholic'. He suffered from bipolar depression for most of his life and witnessed ten mental breakdowns. He claimed that his experiences of war caused his first bouts of depression,

'Suddenly all these mortar bombs started to rain down on us and one blew me up. I should have stayed up really. I should never have come down'.

Nevertheless, it is testament to his character that he went on to present the video 'Me, depressed? Don’t make me laugh: a guide to overcoming depression'.


Despite being very much disconnected from this era I was lucky enough to have a father very much enthralled by it. He taught me to read by reciting Milligan poetry and I will never forget my bemusement as I stumbled over 'On The Ning Nang Nong', most certainly one of the finest poems ever written.


On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the Cows go Bong!
and the monkeys all say BOO!
There's a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
On the Nong Ning Nang
All the mice go Clang
And you just can't catch 'em when they do!
So its Ning Nang Nong
Cows go Bong!
Nong Nang Ning
Trees go ping
Nong Ning Nang
The mice go Clang
What a noisy place to belong
is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!!


So, here's to a man gifted enough to bring joy and silliness not just to those who knew him, or to those who were of his generation but to anyone of any age. Those lucky enough to have, in the words of Jane Milligan, 'pieces of Spike in their lives' should take heed of the words written underneath 'Duirt me leat go raibh me breoite'...

'Love, light and peace'.