Pink and pinker
It was a “one dram below par” moment, a time when the worldview of Dr McClaren seemed apt. It was Dr McClaren who declared, “It is a well known medical fact that some men are born at least one dram below par,” speaking of the schoolmaster George Campbell in the 1949 comedy film “Whisky Galore!” The schoolmaster is a man who has … [continue reading …]
Only politics remains unchanged
Ten years ago, there was a delight in having a Nokia phone that had a camera, there was a delight in having a computer with a 1 GB drive, there was a delight in the arrival of voice over internet telephony. Ten years, later the technological scene has changed beyond recognition, as have many other scenes. Only politics seems to … [continue reading …]
Lazy faith
An evening of conversation with a friend of three decades and a bemoaning of the lazy faith that now besets the church. Hard thinking has now been replaced by a frothy package of experiences; middle aged men in blue shirts and chinos pretend their expanding waistlines and receding hairlines do not betray them as people who are closer to forty … [continue reading …]
My grandmother would have approved
It is not likely that the Glastonbury Festival would have been among my grandmother’s preferred viewing, her musical tastes could probably be dated to the 1940s and to the days of the Glenn Miller band. Nor was my grandmother given to excess; she admitted to having once had too much to drink, after the Labour Party had triumphed in council … [continue reading …]
TELEGRAPHIC TRANSFER NOTICE ,
This was spammed by Google. It is very amateurish. Zenith Bank (UK) Ltd 39 Cornhill London EC3V 3ND United Kingdom tel: +44 70 8646 8527 Fax:+447043071539 Dear Esteemed Customer, TELEGRAPHIC TRANSFER NOTICE. We are hereby officially notify you concerning your fund Telegraphic Transfer through our bank, Zenith Bank (UK) Ltd United Kingdom, to your bank account, which has been officially … [continue reading …]
This land is my land
A fine June evening and the mist had begun to gather across the moorland. Glastonbury Tor is no more than a blur in the darkness. Shades of green fill the landscape, a multiplicity of smaller farms absorbed into a handful of large holdings. It is easy to forget how warm southern England has become, the balmy atmosphere makes it pleasant … [continue reading …]
Rector’s Letter – Summer 2017
The closing days of June were a difficult time in the North. Tensions within communities built up. Vulnerable people were intimidated by youths building bonfires. Policing, difficult at the best of times, became all but impossible. By the beginning of July, many people had left the Province, heading for Britain or the Continent, or crossing the border to Donegal or … [continue reading …]
Sermon for Sunday, 25th June 2017 (Second Sunday after Trinity)
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34 How seriously do we take our faith? How much does what we believe matter to us? What things are there that would make us say, “This is where I stand and I am not moving?” What … [continue reading …]
Latitude blues
Driving the Roscrea to Borris-in-Ossory road late on a June evening, a Spotify selection from last night’s Glastonbury performances provided a musical accompaniment considerably brighter than the slate-skied drizzly greyness all around. Well, most of it was brighter, than the evening’s weather. The recordings included Silver Lining, a song from the Swedish duo First Aid Kit. The Söderberg sisters sing some of … [continue reading …]
Earth to earth
The ceremony was tactile, rooted in the realities of the lives of the procession of people who came forward, each pouring soil from their farms into a wooden tub bound with iron bands. Each handful of soil represented the life of a loved one who had died on the land on which they lived. “Earth to earth . . .” … [continue reading …]
Asserting certitudes
Certitude was the order of the day, moral certitude. Everything was clear and straightforward, this was right and that was wrong. There were no grey areas, there were no matters upon which there could not be a definitive opinion, there were no questions that had not a clear answer. Theological college in the 1980s was a place where one could … [continue reading …]
Schadenfreude does you no good
Adele’s “Someone Like You” is on my Spotify playlist: her soulful voice expresses the angst of the jumbled emotions of the lyrics. ‘Never mind, I’ll find someone like you I wish nothing but the best for you’. I always think Adele is a better Christian than I am; I’m more into a bit of schadenfreude, taking a certain delight in the … [continue reading …]
First Love
Looking out at the night sky, he caught sight of his reflection in the glass. Tightening his stomach muscles and pushing his chin out, he tried to convince himself not so many years had passed. The reflection flattered; wrinkles were ironed, lines disappeared. The reflection came from the window of the bus that carried the inbound passengers the short distance to … [continue reading …]