Wherever I go
Ten years ago, on a Tuesday evening, I became Rector of Clonenagh Group of Parishes in Co Laois. It was the fifth and final parish in which I would serve. Looking back ten years, I found that I had written that day about my inability to find words to say “goodbye.” Instead, I had drawn on the final words from … [continue reading …]
A centenary
A century before her birth John Mitchel had been minister in the church in which she was baptised. Mitchel’s son was John Mitchel, the republican leader of the 1848 Young Ireland movement. Two centuries later, it is difficult to imagine such Presbyterian political radicalism. The Unitarian tradition which Mitchel’s church espoused embraced ideals of equality and human dignity. Peggy was … [continue reading …]
Lessons from prime ministers
During each of the World Wars, the British Prime Minister changed. In the First World War, Herbert Asquith, Prime Minister from 1908, was succeeded by David Lloyd George in 1916. In the Second World War, Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister from 1937, was succeeded by Winston Church in 1940. The successors were both men free from ideology. Lloyd George, eleven years … [continue reading …]
The old scams seem to work
There can be few people with email addresses who have not received at least an occasional email that seeks details that would allow the sender to defraud them. The “Spanish Hostage” scam is the oldest approach used (thus named because when it began two centuries ago people wrote letters claiming to be held hostage in Sapin and promising abundant reward … [continue reading …]
Killing us slowly?
The cancellation of Bridgwater Carnival in November can seem a detail of the current crisis, something without a great significance. For the thousands of people who participate the cancellation represents the loss of an activity that brought them together for countless hours on evenings and weekends throughout the summer and autumn. The carnival season is a major feature of social … [continue reading …]
The Church of England bishops join the Skibbereen Eagle
Few of the bishops of the Church of England would be able to find the town of Skibbereen on a map, even fewer would have heard of its Nineteenth Century newspaper, the Skibbereen Eagle. Perhaps they should learn about it. Skibbereen is a small town in Co Cork, where its newspaper was one that would comment on the international affairs … [continue reading …]
Dignity and drink
The man waved and smiled. Distant, and unperturbed by the affairs of the world, he sat on a bench in the warmth of the evening sun. Some thought of happier times must have come to mind, prompting a half-smile to cross his face. It evoked memories of a poem recited by Tommy Makem at the 1984 reunion concert with the … [continue reading …]
Tunes that are lost loves
Twice a week, Chris Hawkins’ early morning show on BBC Radio 6 features a “lost love,” a song that is remembered by a listener but which they have not heard in years. The song generally come from some point deep in the person’s youth and will bring forth memories from other listeners. Songs that linger are songs that have a … [continue reading …]
Still waiting
Sunlight shone through a gap in the curtains. The sound of a tractor passing the cottage told Maggie that it was later than she thought. Her clock had stopped at some point and she had not replaced it. Normally waking at the same time each morning, Maggie had felt that a new battery for the clock was not necessary. The … [continue reading …]