Guard Me With Your Glory

Election time

2011-08-30T20:57:00.009+01:00

On October 27th, we in Ireland will be going to the polling stations to elect a President.

Before anybody gets too excited, I am not really of the opinion that there is going to be a dramatic, emotional earthquake similar to Mary Robinson's election in 1990.

So far the only two candidates are Michael D Higgins of Labour, and Gay Mitchell of Fine Gael.

Two other Independent candidates have stated that they want to be on the ballot paper; they are Mary Davis, and Sean Gallagher.

So far, Davis and Gallagher have been campaigning with local councils, because they need to be nominated by four County Councils to get on the ballot paper. Some councils have already stated that they will support either Gallagher or Davis.

Today the Minister for Environment issued the official notice about the election, and the closing date for nominations is 28th September.

So next the councils have to formally meet and officially "sign off" on the nominations of either Davis or Gallagher; councils usually meet once a month anyway.

I am going here and now to make a prediction; it would not surprise me if Fine Gael, Labour, or both decided to reign in their councillors with the party whip to try to ensure that Davis and/or Gallagher DO NOT get on the ballot paper. The tactic might not succeed if they tried; e.g., Monaghan County Council has no Labour Councillors, and Fine Gael don't have a majority.

But in politics, nothing surprises me.

After election, the President has little or no real power. He/she officially can't leave the country or make a public statement without permission of the Government, and he/she must sign legislation into law, or resign. All the President can do is refer a Bill to the Supreme Court to test whether or not it is constitutional.

So far nobody has asked me to run for the Presidency; but there's a nice six-figure salary and a good pension at the end of the seven years, so never say never!

This blog could be turning French

2011-07-19T21:00:00.000+01:00

Something nice!

I think watching the Tour De France is having an effect on me!

This should put a smile on your face

2011-07-05T20:56:00.001+01:00

What is also remarkable about this talented man is that at the age of three, he became blind through illness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaqu%C3%ADn_Rodrigo

He never really learned to play the guitar himself, yet he was still capable of composing arguably the finest and best known guitar works.

While the Concierto de Aranjuez is obviously his best known work, here is something I came across earlier this year: the Concieto Andaluz. Here is just the first movement, which is often played by Marty Whelan on Lyric FM in the morning.

I believe this is a youth orchestra from Taiwan. There are other versions up on YouTube, but I think the sound quality is better here.

Thirty years or so from now . . .

2011-01-11T21:09:00.006Z

. . . I promise you I won't be like this!

Rejoice! Rejoice!

2010-09-19T18:35:00.003+01:00

Watching today's All-Ireland Football Final brings back some happy memories.

Or at least, happy for 31 Counties!

I like this

2010-06-01T20:53:00.002+01:00

"Magnificat" composed by John Rutter.

Ten predictions for 2010

2009-12-31T15:51:00.016Z

This post is inspired by Iain Dale.

One: Kauto Star will win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

I think he is a slightly better horse than Denman, but if the ground turns heavy, then I might change my mind.

Two: There will NOT be a General Election in the Republic of Ireland in 2010.

The Greens won't force one because they would probably be wiped out of the Dail; the Fianna Fail backbenchers, who are most in danger of losing their seats, will not want to force one either.

Three: David Cameron will be PM of the UK by December 31st next.

Possibly the biggest certainty of 2010. Only thing that can stop him is a Labour-planned-and-backed military coup.

Four: Unemployment in the Republic of Ireland will dip below 400,000.

An economic recovery is coming, but it will be slow.

Five: Tony McCoy will NOT win the Aintree Grand National.

I would be delighted to get this one wrong, but the fact that he is retained by JP McManus, I honestly feel, could work to his disadvantage this time. He would be required to ride JP's runner, and, with the possible exception of King John's Castle, JP really doesn't have any staying chasers with a strong chance this time.

Six: Spain will take home the Jules Rimet Trophy from South Africa.

They have so many good players, and no weak spots. The biggest dangers are Brazil.

Seven: France will not get out of the group stage.

This has happened before, and Mexico and Uruguay, I predict, will come out of that group. It also highlights the reality that the Republic of Ireland team are an ordinary side by international standards.

Eight: In the US November elections, the Republicans will make gains, but will not take control of the House of Representatives.

Only about a third of the Senate seats are up, and the Democrat lead is too big.

Nine: Ireland will win Zero medals at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Come to think of it, this is a bigger certainty than Number Three above.

Ten: Kieran Fallon will ride a Group One winner trained by Aidan O'Brien.

I admit that after the French drugs suspension, just after Dylan Thomas won the Arc, I honestly did not think we would see him riding on a racecourse again. Either injury/suspension to Johnny Murtagh, or more likely the fact that Ballydoyle can sometimes run a few horses in a big race, and the possibility that Murtagh might choose the wrong one to ride, will give the Clareman the chance to fully mark his rehabilitation.

I invite everybody else to join in. Gloating over another persons lack of prediction skills is not allowed.

Happy New Year!

Musical interlude

2009-09-04T17:30:00.002+01:00

Just as summer is coming to an end, here is something I like from the rock-classical-fusion group, Rondo Veneziano.

A new life enters the world

2009-09-04T17:27:00.004+01:00

Very good news announced by Peregrinus Hibernensis. Do go over and congratulate him and Mrs Peregrinus Hibernensis, also known as Lowdenclear.

My take on the business about the Pope and condoms

2009-03-20T23:29:00.006Z

While all the palaver has been going on about condoms and AIDS in Africa, etc, it is time for me to give my tuppence worth.

Let me make one thing clear: I strongly believe that this whole business is not about Africa at all, but it is really about the so-called Western World.

It is about the fact that certain people want to live a certain lifestyle. Therefore, they must silence or quench anybody or anything which might get in the way. What they basically want is for the Pope to approve of a sexuality based on the principles of "IT'S ALL ABOUT ME ME ME ME ME ME ME!!!!!"

So when I hear various bleeding hearts commentating in various media about the poor people in Africa dying of AIDS, frankly I am cynical that they are really only thinking about Number One.

Here are two more takes on the issue worth reading: first here from David Quinn, and second here from John Waters, both published in Ireland's two biggest newspapers today.

Generally speaking on the subject of the development of Africa, I have long believed that quite a number of people in the Western World are, under the disguise of development, really trying to make everyone (including Africans) think that Africa is to blame for Africa's problems; such as, you are all breeding far too many children, etc. Therefore the nice middle-class people of the Western World don't necessarily have to feel guilty about their current use of the planet's resources - and therefore do not have to reduce their consumption, or change their habits or lifestyles.

The Return of Morality

2009-03-04T23:09:00.007Z

I came across a post on a blog today.

It includes the quote:

Teenage girls shouldn’t be having underage sex. Why? Because it’s wrong.

So who do you think wrote it? A priest, an Evangelical Minister, a rabbi, a schoolteacher, or a renowned member of the Catholic blogosphere?

No. Believe it or not, it is the work of Tom Harris, Member of Parliament (Glasgow), who is a member of the British Labour Party - ironically the political party which can claim a lot of the blame for the society and problems which he writes about.

The piece of well worth reading and is here.

St Paul Miki and Companions

2009-02-06T23:17:00.006Z

Today, February 6th, is the feast day of St Paul Miki and Companions, also known as the Twenty-Six Martyrs of Japan. They were executed for the faith in 1597 in Nagasaki.

I visited Nagasaki last year, and I am happy to upload these pictures which I took of the memorial at the site. It is actually right in the city centre of modern Nagasaki.

What I feel is quite significant is the fact that they were canonised in 1862, when, to all intents and purposes, it was still illegal for a Japanese person to be a Catholic.

Happy Birthday, Franz Schubert

2009-01-30T22:32:00.002Z

He was born on January 31st in 1797.

He died in 1828, aged just 31.

I was privileged to visit Vienna a few years ago, and I have visited his grave in the Zentralfriedhof. He is buried next to Beethoven.

Considering his short life, the amount of work he produced is simply huge.

I had difficulty making up my mind what masterpieces to put up here; probably my favourite pieces of his are the Unfinished Symphony (the 8th), and his 5th Symphony.

So first of all, here is Pavarotti singing Schubert's "Ave Maria".

And here is one of my favourite singers, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, with Alfred Brendel at the piano. This is "Gute Nacht" from Die Winterreise, a cycle of poems by Wilhelm Muller set to music by Schubert. This is nice to listen to with a nice hot cup of something in your hand.

Rest in peace.

Why does this not surprise me?

2009-01-27T22:03:00.012Z

Over the weekend, some of the coverage of the Williamsongate business with the Pope and the SSPX just made me groan and throw my eyes up to the heavens.

Then earlier today I looked online at the UK Press Gazette, and read this:

Less than a fifth of British people say they trust newspapers, down from about 30 per cent last year and well below the global average, according to a new report published today.

Ladies and Gentlemen! It is my pleasure and privilege to present to you Dublin's Dumbest Criminal!

2008-11-27T22:23:00.003Z

I have to admit that this made me laugh out loud:

A MAN who stole a cash box containing €40,000 was arrested after gardaí followed a trail of ink and smoke from the box's security devices to his home, Dublin Circuit Criminal Court has heard.

Read the story, and you will especially notice the words "laughter from the court."

Tokyo story

2008-11-18T22:43:00.005Z

I love travelling, and many years ago I made up my mind that, one day, I would visit Japan. Since I only get a certain number of Annual Leave days each year, unfortunately I cannot do as much travelling as I would like to! Though for financial reasons, that is probably a good thing!

So it was on a sunny Friday morning in September that I flew out from Dublin Airport via BMI to Heathrow then Virgin Atlantic to Narita Airport, which is actually about 60 kilometres from Tokyo city centre. To compare, imagine if Dublin Airport was actually located at Dunleer in County Louth.

Heathrow to Narita is about twelve hours; beforehand I was definitely looking forward to the in-flight entertainment, with so many hours of audio and TV/movies to pass the time, but even about half way through the flight, I started to get tired of all this.

Tired was the appropriate word, and I landed in Tokyo about 0800 local time. Then you have several train options into town. I chose the Keisei Skyliner train which would have left me about a ten minute walk from my chosen hotel, the Sutton Place Ueno Hotel.

I have no problem recommending this place to anybody, but a word of warning. Tokyo is huge, loud and noisy. Despite the Sutton Place having double-glazed windows, my room was on the street side, and I admit I could not sleep properly for either Saturday or Sunday night. Perhaps the jet-lag was also a factor, but one did not help the other. So my advice if you ever go to Tokyo is bring a pair of earplugs. They made a huge difference, and I was able to get some good sleep with them.

So here is actually the first photo I took in Tokyo: the pavement quite close to the hotel.

And here is the second:

More to follow!

Church theft

2008-11-12T22:05:00.002Z

Occasionally we hear of thefts taking place in churches, especially in remote rural areas.

But this story from Russia just goes a bit too far!

One act of euthanasia of which I heartily approve!

2008-11-12T21:42:00.005Z

Last Saturday, at a meeting in a hotel in Mullingar, the Progressive Democrats formally decided to disband.

I say: Goodbye, and good riddance!

The Regressive Desocrats have presented the Irish people with their vision of the future: right-wing Thatcherite economic policies mixed with left-wing liberal social policies. The vision included a draft new Constitution with all references to God removed.

And, frankly, the Irish people have finally seen through them and said: "No thanks"!

At the 2007 General Election, they went from eight seats down to two, and even the then party Leader, Michael McDowell, lost his seat, and promptly announced his retirement from politics. I admit I always had a certain respect for McDowell because he was always a conviction politician, rather than a populist politician; he was the type of man who wasn't afraid to say what he thought or what he believed was in the best interests of the country, even if it became a vote loser! And I admit I disagreed with him rather more than I agreed with him.

So the writing had been on the wall for some time. Even the party's official website, looking at it just now, hasn't been updated with news of the formal disbandment, indicating just how few people are involved with the party now.

And so the Last Rites were performed last Saturday.

Rest in Peace.

Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in Limerick

2008-11-09T21:09:00.003Z

The RTE series "Would You Believe" recently visited the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in the economically and socially depressed area of Moyross in Limerick city.

I thought it was a well-made programme, as it just let the friars tell their stories, and let local people tell of the impact which the friars have already made in the area.

To watch the half-hour show, click here.

Ireland's Minister for Hardship

2008-08-25T23:29:00.007+01:00

Classic Irish comedy from the 1970s . . .

. . .But first some background. Here is comedian Eamonn Morrissey as the "Minister for Hardship", which was a humourous impersonation of Liam Cosgrave, our Taoiseach from 1973 to 1977. Back in those days, inflation was in double-digit figures; but also significant was the fact that most people in the country had only one television channel at home, RTE. And one of their most popular programmes was the humorous Hall's Pictorial Weekly.

This weekly programme was introduced and the sketches were linked by journalist and broadcaster Frank Hall, seen here introducing and closing this piece.

I believe this sketch was written and broadcast shortly after a rather "tight" Budget.

Enjoy!

Personal announcement

2008-07-06T00:02:00.003+01:00

I am happy to announce that I am getting married.

Audrey and I will be married in 2009. Deo gratias.

Something especially for Manchester United fans

2008-02-01T22:08:00.000Z

Broadcaster and historian John Bowman presents an interesting programme on RTE Radio 1 on Sunday mornings; it is mainly composed of radio archives from the past.

Last Sunday included a feature about the Munich air crash of February 1958. It includes the voice of Sir Matt Busby, and a rather moving account from Harry Gregg.

To hear the programme, go to this page, then click on the link titled "Programme 4 Sunday 27th January".

For the start of the United item, you will have to move the dial to 24 mins 30 seconds.

This made me laugh!

2008-01-16T22:57:00.000Z

Sir Clement Freud, chef, former MP and grandson of Sigmund, is a strong horse racing enthusiast, racehorse owner and punter. He writes a column in the Racing Post on Saturdays titled "Eighty Plus".

Last Saturday, 12th January 2007, his column included the following lines:

Last week, in the health section of a Sunday supplement, I read of the severe dangers of heavy drinking and took appropriate action: I gave up reading the newspaper.

Businessman thinks God is more important than money!

2008-01-09T22:36:00.000Z

This appears on the front page of today's Irish Examiner.

A TRADER who pioneered Sunday shop opening in 1971 has had a change of heart — and has banned all his 13 shops from opening on the Sabbath.

Devout Catholic Des Kelly, 67, reckons the decision to axe Sunday opening on religious grounds could cost his home furnishings business €600,000 in lost trade this year.

Full story here.

The business is well known in Dublin, though the man himself isn't, and frankly I don't know what he looks like. I must disclose here that I have no connection with him or the business; in fact I don't believe I have ever been in one of his shops in my life, though I live quite close to one!

Moyross Nativity with the FFRs

2007-12-19T22:30:00.000Z

More about the work of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in Limerick. This is from RTE evening TV news from last Friday.

Go to here, then scroll down to "Franciscan monks bring relief to Moyross."

Franciscan Friars settling in down in Limerick

2007-11-26T23:47:00.000Z

Nice piece in local paper.

THE Franciscan Friars of the Renewal based in Delmege Park, Moyross, have been awarded the Limerick Person of the Month award for their efforts in bringing a new sense of hope to the people of the area.

Full story here.

This is my first YouTube posting!

2007-11-19T23:28:00.000Z

Hopefully it works. Sit back and enjoy three minutes of Heaven from Elisabeth Schwarzkopf with Gerald Moore. I think this is from 1958.

She was born in the very same week as Frank Sinatra.

A few years ago, I got Moore's memoirs out of the library. He quoted what is probably the best-ever newspaper review of a recital by a singer:

"Last night Miss Blank sang at the Wigmore Hall. Why?"

All in a day's work

2007-11-19T23:24:00.000Z

There are some working days you'll never forget . . .

Two members of Dublin Fire Brigade delivered a baby boy in the back of an ambulance on the South Circular Road, Dublin, early this morning.

Full story here.

Mark Shea in Dublin

2007-11-08T22:44:00.000Z

Legend of the Catholic blogosphere, Mark Shea, is currently in Ireland. On Wednesday 7th November, I went to hear him speak in University College Dublin.

It was in the Engineering Building, very close to the number 10 bus terminal. About 30 people were present, mainly students I presume.

His subject was "101 Reasons Not To Be Catholic". He went through various lists of objections to Catholicism from some Protestants, secularists, dissident Catholics, etc, and how they tend to cancel each other out. For example, for every complaint against the Church one person has, another person has the exact opposition complaint. Such as, one person might say that the Church is too dogmatic and rigid for sticking up and maintaining beliefs, such as the Assumption or the Immaculate Conception. Someone else might say that the Church is too lenient by insisting on the doctrine of free will!

In talking about atheism/agnosticism, he came up with a brilliant quote which I feel best sums up the attitude of many so-called atheists: "Why does Jesus get to be God, and not me?"

At one stage, Mark paused for effect to tell us the single most important question that has ever been asked, and ever will be asked: "Who Do You Say That I Am?"

Another line he came up with that I had to write down immediately: "The faith is an anvil that has worn out a thousand hammers".

Afterwards, I shook hands with him, so this is proof that he really does exist. Sometimes with some websites, I get the opinion that they are actually produced by a group of people, all working under the same pseudonym, like the Hardy Boys novels, for example.

His tour of Ireland is not finished yet, so here is his itinerary. Do go to hear him speak if you can.

Question about Fr. Copleston S.J.

2007-11-08T22:32:00.000Z

This is an appeal for help.

I recently acquired a second-hand copy (in very good condition, I must add) of Volume Four of Fr. Frederick Copleston's famous multi-volume History of Philosophy.

My question is: could I successfully read this alone, or would I be better off to get my hands of the FULL set and start from the very beginning?

Answers in the Comments box below will be gratefully received.

Anglican bishop's wife swims across the Tiber!

2007-10-19T22:14:00.000+01:00

Let me start be disclosing that I have never met and I do know any of the people involved here.

First, here is the story from the slightly anti-Catholic Irish Independent.

And, here is the piece in a local newspaper, the Western People.

Here is a more deep-down analysis from the Belfast Telegraph, a newspaper which has been traditionally regarded as "a Protestant paper", but is now part of the Independent News & Media group, a company which dominates the Irish newspaper scene.

Here is the online version of the latest edition of the Church of Ireland Gazette. You will have to scroll half-way down the page.

I know today is Friday, but I haven't seen this weekend's The Irish Catholic yet.

So, Mrs. Henderson, as a Catholic layman all I can say is welcome aboard the Barque of Peter. And I can promise you that it's not going to be a totally comfortable trouble-free journey.

Padre Pio story from Tipperary

2007-10-15T22:49:00.000+01:00

From the Nenagh Guardian.

Incidentally, reference is made to the lady's husband, Des Hanafin, as a Senator. Actually, he is no longer a Senator, but her daughter, Mary, is our current Minister for Education.

Preparation for marriage!

2007-09-26T20:09:00.000+01:00

Inspired by Peregrinus Hibernensis making a special announcement, I have decided to post this.

Gentlemen who are planning to get married might want to show this to their bride-to-be. . .

. . . or then again, they might not!

Upcoming Edel Quinn event

2007-09-24T20:45:00.000+01:00

Over the weekend, in a church in the city, I picked up a leaflet.

There will be a talk on "Venerable Edel" given by Most Rev. R.S. Ndingi Mwana 'A Nzeki, Archbishop of Nairobi, Kenya. There will first be Welcome and Introduction by Fr. Bede McGregor, O.P., the Spiritual Director of the Concilium, which is the highest governing council of the Legion of Mary. Then it says that Most Rev. John Magee, Bishop of Cloyne, will give the vote of thanks.

This will take place in Nazareth Hall, De Montfort House, Morning Star Avenue, Dublin 7, on Wednesday October 3rd, at 7.30 pm.

Morning Star Avenue is a cul-de-sac off North Brunswick Street.

Centenary of Edel Quinn - 1907-2007

2007-09-13T22:56:00.000+01:00

September 14th, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, is the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Venerable Edel Quinn.

She was born in Kanturk, County Cork, and died in Kenya on May 12th, 1944. She was a Legion of Mary Envoy, that is someone who basically works full time setting up Legion branches in what would be termed new territory.

Here is a link to the official Legion profile of her; you might have to click the link to her name at the top.

And here is a longer article about her from Down Under.

There are two biographies about her: the first written years ago by the late Cardinal Suenens of Belgium, the second written about ten years ago by Fr. Desmond Forristal, and I have read both.

My favourite Edel Quinn story is about the day when the Concilium, which is the highest governing council in the Legion, was debating whether or not to appoint her as Envoy to East Africa. Some Legionaries were concerned, mainly because she was a tuberculosis survivor, and they were worried that her health would not stand up to the demands of the job and the climate. Edel's response were words that rank as one of the best Catholic quotations of the century. She said: "I know I am not going on a picnic!" The Concilium approved her appointment.

The other very interesting story about her is one that did not appear in the Suenens book; my guess is that Cardinal Suenens did not put it in to spare the dignity of Edel's family. But it's in Fr. Forristal's book.

Edel's father worked for a bank, and he kept getting transferred around the country, meaning that Edel's childhood was divided among several locations. One location was in Tralee in County Kerry. What happened was basically that Edel's father was fond of the odd flutter on a horse now and then; that doesn't sound unusual, but this situation was different, because since Edel's father worked for a bank, he had access to other people's money!!

Luckily for him, and the family, he wasn't fired, but was transferred to Dublin and to a position where he did not have access to other people's money! And that was significant, because the Legion had not yet spread around Ireland, so Dublin is where Edel came into contact with the Legion! Such are the turning points of history!!

Another Irish blog on the web!

2007-09-03T22:38:00.000+01:00

OK, so he's actually Dutch, but Luuk Jansen is entering the Irish Dominicans this month, in order to "test his vocation". May God be with him on his journey.

So does this make it the first "Jansenist" blog? Only kidding!!

Dublin's Tridentine Mass on the move

2007-08-12T12:09:00.000+01:00

Currently, the weekly Tridentine Rite Mass is held Sunday mornings at St. Audeon's in High Street in Dublin. This church is also the "headquarters" of the ministry to the Polish community in Dublin. But as the Polish ministry continues to expand, the Tridentine Mass is going to move.

The new location will be St. Kevin's in Harrington Street. This is about a ten-minute walk south of St. Audeon's. Someone I know was at the 6 pm Saturday Vigil Mass yesterday evening, and the Parish Priest, Fr. James Larkin, announced it. Now the Holy Father's Summorum Pontificum comes into effect September 14th, but the switch will probably not happen for some time after that; apparently a news Parish Chaplain for the Tridentine Rite has to be appointed. The Tridentine Rite will be 10.30 am, and then the Novus Ordo Mass at 12 noon.

Currently Fr. Larkin is on his own in St Kevin's; this parish, like others in the city centre, has seen a population exodus to the suburbs over the last two decades or so; and this church is only a ten -minute walk from the Dublin Mosque, so there is a reasonably-sized Moslem population in the area.

St. Olav's Cathedral, Oslo

2007-08-02T21:25:00.000+01:00

This is the seat of the Archbishop of Oslo. His Diocese, strictly speaking, covers the whole country; but there are "Apostolic Prelatures" at Trondheim and Tromso.

In recent years, Norway has had an influx of immigrants, especially from Poland, so one of the Sunday Masses here is in Polish and another in English. If you are looking for Mass times in Norway, the best source is http://www.katolsk.no/ which is in Norwegian, so the magic word you are looking for is "Messetider".

St. Olav's is located on Akersvein, a street on the northside of the city centre of Oslo. There is a small Catholic bookshop, located over my left shoulder as I took the photo.

Obviously this is not the only location for Mass in Oslo, and frankly since I did not spend much time in Oslo, I did not get to visit any of the others. But I suppose that gives me an excuse to go back.

Munch's "The Scream": my theory

2007-07-19T21:28:00.000+01:00

On my recent trip to Norway, in Oslo's National Gallery, I got to see one of Edvard Munch's copies (he actually did several) of his best known work, "The Scream". This one is behind a glass case, in order to prevent it being stolen again!

For decades, art critics and historians have speculated on the true meaning of the work.

So now here is my theory.

This represents the reaction of a tourist on seeing Oslo restaurant prices.

So what do YOU think?

A picture of Hell!

2007-07-09T20:50:00.000+01:00

Within the last few weeks, I have literally gone through Hell.

And I have come back.

Yes, I really, really, did go through Hell.

On a train.

Here's the proof. Here is a picture of Hell. Actually, this is is the train station.

If you ever land at Vaernes Airport, the airport serving the city of Trondheim, you can get a train from the Airport to Trondheim Central which takes about 45 minutes, and after the Airport, the next stop is Hell.

I didn't get out of the train; the doors opened, and I just pointed my camera and clicked. In fact, I was hoping to come back to Hell on another day to have a proper look around. But I didn't get the chance.

The word "Hell" obviously means something in the Norwegian language. But I can always say, if anybody ever tells me to go to Hell, that I've already been there!

I'm back!

2007-07-02T21:19:00.000+01:00

Sorry I haven't posted for over a month. I was on holidays, which left me with a backlog of work when I got back, so this blog has had to take a back seat.

I went to Norway. More to follow, including photos, about this beautiful corner of God's earth.

So now I'm back in wet Ireland; but in fact, it has been quite wet in Norway for the past week as well.

As for me, I had one bad weather day in Norway; the rest of my holiday was mainly like in this picture:

Try not to be too jealous!

Election Day

2007-05-21T22:42:00.000+01:00

This coming Thursday, May 24th, we have Ireland's greatest blood sport - a General Election.

As most of you know, here we have what is technically known as Proportional Representation by the Single Transferable Vote (PR/STV). I have heard the system criticised mainly because it increases the possibility of "unstable" coalition governments; the last time a party got a majority in the Dail was 1977.

You get your ballot paper, and mark in your first preference candidate. But you can continue to vote for other candidates by writing in numbers 2, 3, 4, etc, against their name. The transfers come in two possible ways; first, when a candidate exceeds the quota and is elected, the surplus of votes (difference between quota and votes received) are then distributed. The second way is by elimination: the candidate with the lowest votes is eliminated, and the votes distributed by second preference, and so on. This process continues until all the seats are filled.

It is possible to be elected without reaching the quota, because after successive candidates are eliminated, there might be only one remaining. Some voters will only vote for one candidate, so these votes are described as "non-transferable".

The whole system is in contrast to what they have in the UK for Parliament, the "first past the post system", where you can be elected with considerably less than half of the vote, especially if there are a lot of candidates.

Here, it results in what some regard as a fairer representation for smaller parties, and prevents the larger parties, especially Fianna Fail, from monopolising power. In the past, Fianna Fail in government has put forward to the people two referenda to amend the constitution to abolish the PR/STV system, and both times the people said No.

Apart from voting, my closest democratic experience has been two days as Poll Clerk, both over ten years ago. For the first experience, at a General Election, I was "between jobs" at the time, and following a tip-off, I went to the City Sheriff's office and told them there that I was available for election work. A couple of weeks later I got a letter appointing me as Poll Clerk at a polling station in Dublin, which was not far from home. Frankly, I was hoping to be counting the votes, which I suspected was more fun!

Polling stations in Ireland are generally the local schools, as this one was. We were in the constituency of Dublin Central in what would be regarded as a staunchly working-class - and socially-deprived - area of Dublin.

Each voting station in Dublin has different desks; each desk is assigned to certain streets, and depending on where you live, you go to that Polling Station, and find the desk assigned for your street/road. Each desk has a Presiding Officer and a Poll Clerk. They check your name on the register, (they may possibly ask you for i.d.) give you your ballot paper, and point to the ballot box into which you place your votes. There is a different box for different desks.
Each Polling Station also has a Supervisor - and a Garda on duty!

Sometimes, the desk may also have who is known as a Personation Agent. This is a representative of one of the political parties. When a potential voter comes in, they may ask the Presiding Officer and Poll Clerk to insist and ask the potential voter for i.d.

When I first did Poll Clerk, the Presiding Officer was a girl who worked in Dublin Corporation; and we had a Personation Agent, a lady whose husband was a Fianna Fail worker; she admitted to us that she really didn't have a clue what she was doing.

As I said, each desk has its own Electoral Register for that desk. When the voter arrives, the Poll Clerk or Presiding Officer gets a pencil and draws a line to cross out the name of the voter, thus preventing them from voting twice! What is significant here is that although voting is secret, and nobody knows what way you yourself voted, the candidates and the candidates' agents are entitled to see this document, so they know who turned out to vote, and who didn't!

In my time, the station was open from 0900 to 2100. Next Thursday, stations will be open from 0730 to 2230. In order to encourage higher turnouts, the hours have steadily been increased. Incidentally, today, voting actually took place on Co. Donegal's offshore islands.

So I had a twelve-hour workday. Being prepared, I had brought some food with me. You can't leave the station. Obviously, toilet facilities are in the building!

We were told to get there well before 0900 to set things up. Now the little wooden booths, to allow you to write up your ballot paper in privacy, were already there. We put up some official notices, left out pencils in the booths, etc. The equipment each table has was something I wasn't expecting: as well as the ballot papers, there was lots of string, wax, a box of matches, a waxing seal, and a small Bible. At the end of day, the ballot box is closed, the lid tied up with string, and the wax poured onto the string and sealed! Then the boxes are taken to overnight storage before counting begins next morning.

We never needed the Bible; I believe it is for use when someone comes in who cannot vote by themselves, such as someone blind, or possibly disabled with no use of hands. The Bible is used for a third-party, possibly the Garda, to declare publicly that they will fill in the ballot paper on behalf of the voter in accordance with the voter's wishes.

Our day went gradually and slowly; the lady Personation Agent left around lunchtime, and was replaced for a couple of hours by a young man. I never forgot one piece of advice he gave us; it related to our voting register. Our area included a nursing home run by nuns, and the register included the elderly residents, about fifty people. He told us that if anyone came and claimed to be one of the people on that part of the list, he told us to definitely ask them for i.d. All day, none of these residents came to vote.

The turnout at our table was about 50%, which would have been expected considering the area and the state of the country at the time. People in poorer areas tend to have a lower interest in politics, and a lower confidence in politicians.

And a high point of the day was getting to shake hands with the one and only Bertie Ahern!! Note that he was not Taoiseach at the time, so I have never shaken hands with a Taoiseach!!

I had one more day as a Poll Clerk; not too long after that General Election, there was a European Parliament Election. This time the City Sheriff made the first move and sent me a letter; I didn't have to go to his office! I was appointed Poll Clerk in another school in another constituency, but fortunately within walking distance of home. By coincidence, there was a by-election for the Dail in this constituency as well, and I remember we got to shake hands with two of the candidates.

And on both occasions, a couple of weeks afterwards, a cheque arrived from the City Sheriff. I can't remember how much, but on both occasions it was less than £100 in old money.

For 2007, I am in gainful employment, so there is no need to make a trip to the City Sheriff's office. But whereas 0900 to 2100 was manageable, I don't really fancy being there from 0730 to 2230.

Easter Sunday continues to be a Day of Resurrection

2007-04-26T21:54:00.000+01:00

A man who was declared dead by staff at the Mater hospital in Dublin
earlier this month was subsequently found to be alive when mortuary personnel
came to collect his body from his hospital bed.

Full story here from The Irish Times.

I have to admit that, at first, this story made me laugh. But on second thoughts, it looks like it was a stressful experience for all concerned.

Brilliant letter

2007-03-27T21:23:00.000+01:00

Here I reproduce a letter to the Editor in today's Irish Independent:

AFTER READING and listening about Ryanair and their charges I decided to open a barbershop and call it Ryan-Hair.
I will determine the price of haircut by the following criteria.
First of all, the charge for the haircut will be only €0.01 with a few other charges.
If you want to sit while getting your haircut it will cost you €4.00 to get in the chair and €4.00 to get out.
If you decide to stand during the haircut there is a priority charge of €10.00.
If you want your hair washed it will cost you €4.00 for cold water or €6.00 for hot water and if you want it dried add €4.00 more.
If you want to sit inside the barbershop while waiting for an open chair it will cost you €2.00 sit-down charge.
If you bring shopping bags with you, it will cost €1.50 per bag when you enter and €1.50 when you leave.
Other charges include VAT at 13.5pc, a service charge of 10pc, €2.50 for credit card charge and last charge will be for €3.00 for hidden charges such as the use of the loo, one cup of coffee or tea, depreciation on clippers and combs, shampoo and conditioner.
Terms and Conditions: Hair cannot be more than 4 inches long; Check-in times for haircut at least 20 minutes before appointment; Seating is not assigned, first come first serve.
Kevin Devitte, Westport, Co. Mayo.

Two more Irish blogs

2007-03-20T20:37:00.000Z

I can't believe I hadn't spotted these earlier.

One, It's All Straw, is by a layman, Niall.

The other, The Wild and Windy West, is by Fr. Leonard Taylor.

I am happy to add both to the blogroll on the sidebar.

Man Discovers His Inner Elf

2007-03-08T20:58:00.000Z

What's the strangest aspect of this story? His defence argument, or the fact that two members of the jury apparently believed it?

A man who dressed up as Buho, a female elf, has been convicted by a jury at
Belfast Crown Court of taking underwear from a shop in a knifepoint raid.

Robert Boyd, 45, from Broadlands in Carrickfergus, held up staff at the
Orchid shop in Belfast disguised in a wig, hat and glasses.
Full story here.

Ireland's first Moving Statue!

2007-03-08T20:43:00.000Z

About fifteen years ago, Ireland was taken over by a new phenomenon - moving statues of the Virgin Mary! The main destination for moving statue fans became the village of Ballinspittle, in County Cork, which is a few miles west of Kinsale.

But that wasn't the first; in fact, the first statue movement happened on this day, March 8th, 1966, when a statue of Admiral Horatio Nelson in O'Connell Street, Dublin, moved.

In fact, Nelson's Pillar was blown up by a bomb. The full story is here.

Actually, the first bomb blew off the top half of the Column; after that, our Army was brought in to destroy the remainder of the Column by a so-called "controlled explosion". People tell me that the second bomb actually did more damage to O'Connell St than the first. I have heard that the rubble was used to build tennis courts in Raheny.

Because nobody was hurt, the whole events are remembered with typical Dublin good humour. It inspired a song which topped the Irish charts, and here are the lyrics:

To the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic".
Chorus:
Up went Nelson in old Dublin,
Up went Nelson in old Dublin,
All along O'Connell Street the stones and rubble flew,
As up went Nelson and the pillar too.

One early morning in the year of 'sixty six,
A band of Irish laddies were knocking up some tricks,
They thought Horatio Nelson had overstayed a mite,
So they helped him on his way with some sticks of gelignite.
(Repeat chorus)
The Irish population came from miles around,
To see the English hero lying on the ground,
The Dublin Corporation had no funds to have it done,
With the pillar blew to pieces by the tonne, tonne, tonne.
(Repeat chorus)
A crowd of lads and lassies from a dance nearby came out,
To see the bits of Nelson scattered all about,
A gossoon from the Coombe says we'll have to have a care,
In case the Corporation put King Billy there.
(Repeat chorus)
(Note that although I am posting this, I do not condone acts of violence!)

The "alleged" Jesus tomb: hear a real scholar!

2007-02-27T20:17:00.000Z

"Morning Ireland" on RTE Radio 1 weekday mornings is the radio programme with the largest audience in Ireland. This morning, they jumped on the bandwagon to add to the enormous amount of publicity James Cameron has generated.

To their credit, they made a phone call to Jerusalem to talk to someone who REALLY knows the score, Fr. Jerome Murphy-O'Connor.

Here is the link to the programme's archive page: scroll about halfway down.

A reminder that there's more to marriage than just a fancy ceremony. . .

2007-02-21T20:59:00.000Z

In The Irish Catholic of last weekend, issue dated Thursday 15th February, the front page story had the headline IRISH "WEDDING TOURISTS" COULD FACE CROATIA BAN.

The paper actually hits the streets late Wednesday, so this story got coverage in Thursday's edition of the Irish Examiner. And thus got a far wider audience.

The bulk of the story is here from catholicireland.net

The story is that the Irish Bishops' Conference got a letter from the Diocese of Dubrovnik about the issue of Irish couples wanting to get married in Dubrovnik, mainly because it's a nice place to take photos, and the weather is generally much nicer than it is in Ireland. Not because either bride or groom has any real connection with the place. In other words, to them, the marriage is a social event first, not a sacrament.

The letter says that "wedding candidates put our parish priests under a lot of pressure arranging wedding ceremonies and booking place tickets and hotels before getting all the necessary papers. . . We think that it would be very useful, for pastoral reasons, to discourage those who want to get married outside their parishes, dioceses and country".

The letter goes on to ask: ". . . we will insist also, that they bring a priest with them to perform the wedding ceremony and be a witness at the ceremony".

What I especially like is that they are not afraid to raise the key issues of receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation before the Sacrament of Marriage; "it seems that a number of them do not go to Confession at all, including invited guests and still go to receive Holy Communion"; and dress code, especially for ladies.

This is really a by-product of the Celtic Tiger; also, a good number of Irish people have basically forgotten that marriage is a sacrament (or maybe they were never taught that in the first place) and it's not just a social event.

Though I have heard stories that if you're getting married here, you have to book the church and/or reception up to a year in advance. And it must also be said that getting married in Ireland can be very expensive, depending on how many guests you have at the reception.

But I've never been invited to a wedding in Dubrovnik. Maybe if I got invited to one, with all expenses paid, I might feel differently!

If this doesn't make you laugh, then I feel sorry for you!

2007-01-09T20:49:00.000Z

Last weekend, I bought my usual copy of The Irish Catholic, issue dated Thursday 4th January 2007, and read something that nearly made me die laughing.

It's by author and journalist Aubrey Malone, who regularly writes film reviews. But with tongue firmly in cheek, he has come up with "Movie Predictions for 2007".

Grateful thanks to Editor Garry O'Sullivan for permission to reproduce here.

JANUARY

Shirley MacLaine claims Marlon Brando has come back to life as her new goldfish. Plans biopic to mark the occasion.

Jack Black signs contract with Columbia to make 17 films about a dysfunctional vegetable salesman with cross-dressing issues.

Julia Roberts gets a barring order against Danny Moder because he keeps wearing the same turquoise shirt.

Kevin Costner to make new 4-hour epic about shoelaces.

FEBRUARY

New James Bond for the screen, with orange hair.

Jennifer Aniston changes her name to Jennifer Jolie to annoy Brad Pitt.

Burt Reynolds announces screen comeback, as a chimpanzee.

Robert de Niro in Raging Bull prequel, Raging Calf. The make-up will take 3 years.

Robert Downey Junior becomes barman in Betty Ford Clinic.

Sean Penn announces he will appear in John Lennon biopic. To get "into" the part he's going to have himself shot for real, with five rounds of ammunition. He's to receive $20,000 for the part, but his medical bills will be another $150 million onto that.

MARCH

Robert de Niro cameos in Fair City.

Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger to make a film about a couple who are trying to murder one another. Baldwin accuses the director of typecasting.

National Enquirer scoop: "James Dean Spotted Shooting Up In The Viper Room".

Vince Vaughan moves in with Brad Pitt.

Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie announce plans for new chick flick.

APRIL

Matt Damon sues the Enquirer for accusing him of being interesting. In a startling court development, he wins the case after removing his glasses in front of the jury.

Nick Nolte plays binliner in new Oscar-nominated blockbuster which will also feature Ashton Kutcher as a soother.

Robert de Niro does cameo in The Simpsons.

Latest Enquirer exclusive: Elvis Plotted To Assassinate Marilyn Monroe.

New Michael Barrymore biopic mooted. Barrymore applies to play the lead role but is rejected because deemed to be "too tall".

MAY

Kiera Knightley to star as the new "Jane" Bond. (Pierce Brosnan now wants to be Q).

Jack Black announces he's currently shooting Dodgeball 2 - he will play the ball.

Quentin Tarantino to cut mother's arm off in new martial arts flick. "She's philosophical about it", he explains, "she knows it's in the cause of art".

JUNE

Michael Jackson to play the part of a toy train in new Disney "vehicle".

Jessica Simpson sells her teeth for a record six figure sum. They're to be used as piano keys in a Liberace biopic.

National Enquirer scoop: "I Saw Neil Jordan Smile". Jordan, in his defence, says it was unintentional. "I tried to grimace and it went wrong". He wants to re-shoot the piece of footage in question.

Robert de Niro to audition for The X Factor.

Elsewhere, Oliver Stone announces details of his new John F. Kennedy movie which claims that JFK was a love-child of Adolf Hitler and conspired with Marilyn Monroe to assassinate Fidel Castro. "It will be the usual meat and two veg affair", says Stone to a bunch of critics attending a sneak preview in Cannes.

JULY

Tom Cruise says he wants to re-marry Katie Holmes, the ceremony to take place on the sofa on Oprah.

Sequel to The Da Vinci Code planned with the Pope as the assassin of a curator in this version.

Charlize Theron says she'll marry Stuart Townsend in 2019. A caterer in Howth has been inked in to make the wedding cake.

Elvis Presley comes back from the grave to make new movie: I Shot John Lennon.

AUGUST

Angelina Jolie adopts 37 babies from Biafra as Brad Pitt loads up on the Pampers in his local Starbucks. Brad has third thoughts about his second thoughts about Angelina Jolie, thereby reverting to his first ones.

New re-make of Jaws mooted, with Jay Leno in title role.

SEPTEMBER

Oprah Winfrey suggests Brad Pitt should marry Katie Holmes. Holmes in tabloid rumour of relationship with Angelina Jolie.

Warren Beatty attends birth of next wife.

Sharon Stone to appear in another Basic Instinct sequel, this time as the ice pick.

Sean Penn says he still loves Madonna and is going to name his first ulcer after her.

Demi Moore appears in new movie fully clothed, but nobody recognises her.

Brokeback Mountain sequel planned. This time Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhall will be straight, but the horse will be gay.

OCTOBER

Ben Affleck publishes his autobiography but publishers reject it when they find it contains just one sentence: "My name is Ben Affleck".

Robert de Niro to guest-host Tubridy Tonight.

National Enquirer sensation: "Elvis Had JFK Wiped Out Because Of Secret Infatuation With Marilyn".

Ben Stiller inked in for sequel to Meet The Parents - Meet The Divorce Attorneys.

Madonna becomes born-again atheist.

Cher dedicates her latest song to her plastic surgeon: "Everytime You Go Away (You Take A Part Of Me With You)".

NOVEMBER

Jessica Simpson drops out of Helen Keller biopic because: "I couldn't remember the dialogue".

Catherine Zeta Jones agrees to auction Michael Douglas' zimmer frame for charity.

National Enquirer scoop: "Marilyn Monroe And Elvis Presley Still Alive And About To Make New Movie In Catskills". It will be about a bunch of extra terrestrials trying to take over Hollywood and turn it into a theme park for demented cyborgs.

DECEMBER

Bob Dylan to appear in a movie about his life, but refuses to talk to the director because "He keeps asking me questions about myself".

Ben Affleck nominated for Oscar for playing a wardrobe in latest David Lynch chiller.

National Enquirer scoop: "Marlon Brando Populated The Entire Island Of Tetiorea".

New James Bond for the screen - with pink feet.

Sienna Miller dating Jude Law's babysitter.

Angelina Jolie delivers Brad Pitt's baby. They call it Brangelina. Nobody is quite sure if it's a boy or girl. "What does it matter if the name fits", Brad tells interviewers at the hospital.

Tom Cruise allows Katie Holmes to get pregnant, but only on condition that she promises to keep quiet during the birth.

Agenda for 2007!

2007-01-08T21:13:00.000Z

Happy New Year to you all, and sorry for being away from here so long.

So 2007 has arrived, and I have decided on my New Year's Resolutions for 2007.

Answer: none whatsoever, so I don't have to go through the demotivating experience of failure.

So what's happening in 2007? Well, in Ireland, the first main event looks like being the General Election, which will probably be in either April, May or June this year. It won't be too early in the year, because the weather won't be as good and that might cause a small turnout; and it won't be in July or August because many people go on holidays then as our schools will be closed. So my prediction is May.

What looks interesting about this year is the prospect of what the Irish Independent described last week as Ireland's "dirtiest" EVER General Election.

Fianna Fail, in their bid to stay in power, have engaged an American political consulting firm named Shrum, Devine, Donilan. And the largest opposition party, Fine Gael, have taken on board a different American firm of gurus, Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner.

If you have an interest in psephology, I recommend visiting Elections Ireland, to which I have linked in the sidebar.

Before the General Election, in Spring, we will have the Six Nations' rugby Championships, and a good performance here by Ireland could result in much hype and expectation for the Rugby World Cup in the autumn.

In Ireland, the "ordinary" people play Gaelic football, hurling, or soccer, and spectate at horse racing. Rugby was always just behind these in popularity, but the success in the last few years, culminating in Munster's European Cup success in 2006, has been a huge boost for the sport - and thus Ireland has not been left behind following the introduction of professionalism into the game.

I remember several years ago doing some research in the National Library in Kildare Street, when I accidentally came across an article in a sporting newspaper either from 1948 or 1949; I can't remember which but I'm pretty sure it was from whatever year Ireland won the Grand Slam. There was a photograph of the 15-man team, and an article describing the players, and also comparing them with past Irish players; but what I noticed most was that this piece had no reference whatsoever to a coach, trainer, or manager.

And of course, most especially we can look forward to the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Tee hee hee!!

2006-12-18T20:25:00.000Z

Acknowledgement to SueSpace.

Richard Dawkins on The Late Late Show . . .

2006-12-18T20:10:00.000Z

. . . which was broadcast on Friday 8th December (coincidence?).

He was "marked" by Dr Gerard Casey, who was the guest on "The Journey Home" on EWTN talking to Marcus Grodi a few months ago.

Here is the link to the download page. You'll have to scroll down a bit.

Tickets please!

2006-11-29T20:56:00.000Z

Apparently, there is a Mass in Ireland which is so popular that, for Christmas, the parish has decided to make it an "all ticket" affair.

It will be at Christmas, and is described as a "Family Mass" in the parish of St. Maur, in the town of Rush, in north County Dublin.

Rush used to be a village, and now it is a growing dormitory town about 18 miles north of Dublin city centre. If you ever want to go there, just go to www.dublinbus.ie and search for the schedule for route 33.

This story broke on Monday on RTE' Radio One's Liveline programme.

If you go to here, scroll down the page to the Listen Back point and click on Monday. The item starts about four and a half minutes into the programme.

News story from Catholic Ireland website.

Photos of the church itself are available from the architects' website.

And here is something else from another online newspaper, including a quote from the curate.

One thing I do know about this church is that it is next door to another one which is about a hundred years older; I can't remember the full story, but the decision was made to build a new one, I think partly because of population growth, partly because of the state of the original church; in fact, I haven't been in that town for years, and I don't even know for certain if the old church is still standing.

Now I have never been at this Family Mass, so I can't pass judgement; but reference to "Irish dancing" taking place makes me a little nervous.

Does YOUR bishop publicly reveal his salary?

2006-11-21T20:44:00.000Z

If you live in the northern part of County Mayo, the answer is Yes.

BISHOP John Fleming, in a letter to the priests and people of Killala diocese, has launched an appeal for funds for the parishes and the diocese of Killala.

The full story is here. In the paragraph with salary details, all amounts are in euro.

More here from another local paper. This paper describes a committee of priests which works at setting the levels of priests' salaries.

Priest savagely attacked in robbery

2006-11-21T20:07:00.000Z

In the interview with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, which I have linked to below, the one thing he said that surprised me most was when he was asked what surprised him the most when he came back to Dublin from Rome.

His answer: the level of violence in modern Irish society, especially in Dublin city.

Less than a fortnight ago, which was after that interview was broadcast, there was a man shot dead on a street within about 500 metres of the Archbishop's residence.

Nowadays in the Republic of Ireland there are about one or two murders per week. I don't have the exact statistics here, but in the early fifties, a murder was something which would have shocked the nation so much because they were so rare.

Now, I've just been watching Fr Benedict Groeschel on Fr Mitch Pacwa's programme on EWTN, and he said that his order, Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, are shortly to start operations in Limerick.

Fr. Benedict used the phrase "Stab City" to describe Limerick, a phrase which, to be honest, won't win him any friends in a city which is trying to shake off that unfortunate moniker - but trying without much success. My own gut feeling is that Limerick has "rough" areas and "nice" areas, just like virtually any other city, including Dublin. But you won't see headlines in the paper such as: "Man Walks Down Street And Arrives Home Safely".

For example, Detroit used to have a bad reputation, and earlier this year I spent three very enjoyable, and safe, days in Motor City.

The act of violence against a priest in rural Kerry is described here: but this has been "pushed off" the front pages by something even worse - the shooting dead of a mother of two young children, in what looks like a contract killing, in the large town of Swords, north of Dublin. Go to RTE's Homepage if you wish to read more.

My Archbishop speaks!

2006-11-14T21:05:00.000Z

RTE's "One To One" series kicked off last month featuring an interview with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. It wasn't put up on the RTE website until about two or three weeks later; and it's quite hard to find on the website. So here is the link to the audio/video file.

Evangelisation in India!

2006-11-14T20:41:00.000Z

Carole, an American girl based in Ireland, who produces the blog A Light To The Nations, is currently on a trip to India to spread the Gospel.

Go here for her story, which, as I write, is far from finished. Scroll down to 9th November and start there.

This is worth checking out

2006-11-02T21:16:00.000Z

The folks at ProLife Search have put together the "Essential Classics of Catholic Spirituality", which will be available shortly. ProLife Search is your alternative to Google; and the revenue generated goes to good causes.

Get a Free Sneak Preview of the Essential Classics of Catholic Spirituality collection

Poster contest

2006-10-10T20:22:00.000+01:00

Following a tip-off from Fr. Tim, I decided to enter The Lapped Catholic's motivational poster competition.

Here is my entry, in the "Humorous" category.

Blessed Columba Marmion, pray for us

2006-10-03T22:22:00.000+01:00

Since we in Ireland have relatively few "properly" canonised and beatified people, it is good now and then to blow the trumpet for a saintly Dubliner.

Today, 3rd October, is the feast of Blessed Columba Marmion.

What's In A Name?

2006-10-03T22:10:00.000+01:00

Story in today's Irish Examiner:

A FATHER was yesterday granted a High Court injunction restraining his former partner from naming their baby because he was not properly consulted.

Mr Justice Frank Clarke heard the father of the month-old baby girl had proposed dozens of names but the mother didn’t consider any of them.

The couple concerned, who have split up, cannot be named for legal reasons and an injunction was granted to that effect yesterday in the High Court.

In an affidavit opened to the High Court, the father said he was extremely concerned that the mother would proceed with registration and his child’s names will be chosen without any meaningful engagement with him.

Link to story here.

Update: the latest news is that he has withdrawn his legal action.

Final profession for an Ursuline sister

2006-09-28T20:42:00.000+01:00

Here is the article from catholicireland.net about another woman following the call from the Lord.

And here is the Ursulines' own website.

Two new vocations for Sisters of Mercy

2006-08-30T20:58:00.000+01:00

Despite what the pessimists think, the call to religious life is still being heard by some.

Here is the news page from the Sisters of Mercy website, including a photo of the pair; I am assuming this photo was taken on the day of the big event, though I'm not 100% sure of that.

Speaking of that Order, I blogged in June about an event in Rosscarbery, Co Cork; here is something else on the matter, including a photo, again from the official Sisters of Mercy website. The photo clearly looks as if it was simply scanned from the newspaper in which the story originally appeared.

A day's work!

2006-08-30T20:34:00.000+01:00

If you are fortunate enough to be gainfully employed in a job you enjoy, and lucky enough to work with nice people, with generally good working conditions, then spare a thought for those who are not as fortunate as you.

Such as the people whom Rev. Stephen Miller deals with in his work with the Anglican Mission to Seafarers.

Read this: it's from the magazine of the International Transport Workers Federation.

And yes, there is a Catholic equivalent, the Apostleship of the Sea.

If this blog isn't enough for you. . .

2006-08-28T22:33:00.000+01:00

. . .you will soon have more opportunities to read my musings on the Catholic England and Wales blog. I have been invited to join this blog, and I am very happy to accept.

Absolutely hilarious!

2006-08-22T22:24:00.000+01:00

This post by Paulinus really made me laugh.

And then, after I'd finished, I was thinking to myself: "I hope it's not based on fact!"

Wedding day story and pics

2006-08-15T20:28:00.000+01:00

No not me, but blogger Antonia of Antonia's World got hitched a couple of weeks ago.

Story of the big day here.

Best wishes to the happy couple.

I am guessing that this priest was Irish!

2006-08-08T21:56:00.000+01:00

Today's Racing Post features an interview with trainer Criquette Head-Maarek, probably the leading female racehorse trainer in the world. I had the pleasure of briefly visiting her yard at Chantilly in October 1994, when I went to the Arc de Triomphe weekend as part of a tour group; a Saturday morning trip to Chantilly was included. Chantilly is about thirty/forty miles north of Paris, and is the main training centre of racehorses in France, the French equivalent of the Curragh or Newmarket.

The interview was by veteran France-based reporter, Desmond Stoneham.

Apparently Criquette had cancer last year, but thankfully she seems to have made a good recovery. For many years, she has been able to speak English fluently; I had heard her quoted as saying that she learnt English by reading The Sporting Life.

But I hadn't known that she went to school in England, and the most interesting part of the piece is as follows:

"As a teenager, I spent three years at school in Guildford and Eastbourne", she says. "I spent many days going racing with the local priest and never missed a meeting at Epsom. I was always reading The Sporting Life.

I don't know what age she is - I would estimate she's about sixty. So she would have been at school in the early sixties or thereabouts.

If you've never been to Switzerland, then you don't know what you're missing!

2006-08-08T21:53:00.000+01:00

It's not cheap, but it's a fabulous place to visit.

So for the moment, I have put up, in the sidebar, a link to the Swiss Federal Railways journey planner. At the second attempt, I have done it properly.

Just choose two towns/cities in Switzerland, type them into the boxes provided, and click Search Connection, and away you go!!

Enjoy yourselves and start planning your trip!

Belated birthday greetings!

2006-07-27T20:48:00.000+01:00

Someone once said that the best thing ever to come out of Scotland was the road to England!

This, of course, is absolutely false!!

The best thing to come out of Scotland is, of course, the ferry to Ireland!!!

But I digress! Because among the best other things to come out of Scotland is The Moral Highground.

Master of TMH, Jamie McMorrin, had a birthday during the week gone past. I won't say how old (or how young!) he is; go and see for yourself and wish him Ad Multos Annos!

Bad news for Dublin's morally degenerates!!

2006-07-26T20:37:00.000+01:00

Members of the Legion of Mary who joined the protests of local residents outside a Stringfellow lap dancing club in central Dublin, have expressed their delight at the recent closure of the club.

Read the full story here from catholicireland.net.

The best bit is the quote from the operating company:

"In addition to this, the ongoing protests outside the club, which have continued to date, resulted in a reluctance of the vital corporate sector to embrace the club," the company said.

By coincidence (or Divine Providence!?) this place was located not very far from the old red-light district of Dublin, which, in the early twenties, was shut down by the then-fledgling Legion of Mary. Frank Duff wrote about it in a book called "Miracles On Tap", which, I learned later, altered many of the street names in order to protect the innocent.

One of Dublin's daily tabloid papers last week put this story on the front page with the headline: "NO NUDES IS GOOD NUDES".

Article definitely worth reading . . .

2006-07-16T21:17:00.000+01:00

. . .from The Word, which is published by the Divine Word Missionaries.

It's by Fr. Vincent Twomey, one of Ireland's leading theologians. He especially became more famous (and in more demand from the general media!) after the election of Cardinal Ratzinger, because he's a past pupil!

Here is the article, on the touchy subject of In Vitro Fertilisation.

Springfield, Illinois

2006-07-12T22:53:00.000+01:00

One place I visited on my recent American trip was Springfield, the capital of Illinois.

Sadly, in Ireland, the city is best known as the home of Homer Simpson and family.

I got the first train that Thursday morning from Chicago to Springfield; there were no left luggage lockers at the Amtrak station, but Amtrak staff very kindly allowed me to leave my bags there - otherwise I would have been up the creek.

What I could not believe about Springfield was the traffic congestion; there is none! The streets seemed unbelieveably quiet. This was a Thursday in mid-May.

Frankly, the only reason why I paid a visit to Springfield is that it was the home of Abraham Lincoln, and being a history enthusiast, this is a place I had wanted to visit for years.

My first stop was the brand new Abraham Lincoln Museum, which I thoroughly recommend. It uses audio-visual displays very effectively; the exhibition feature which I found most interesting was the display of cuttings and cartoons from contemporary newspapers; suffice to say that those who, in the darkest days of the Civil War, wrote rather "unflattering" words about Lincoln (and that's putting it mildly!), would be very surprised to come back to Earth in 2006 and discover that America has virtually "canonised" the man. It made me wonder: what will the American people think of George W. Bush in 140 years time?

Next stop was the restored Lincoln Home; I was particularly impressed by the fact that the National Park Service has not only restored the house, but the whole block, and the object is to have the whole block in the style of the 1850s and 60s.

As well as showing us the house, our National Parks Service guide posed a question: who was the first American President to be born in a hospital? The answer is Jimmy Carter.

Afterwards I walked around a bit, really looking for a bus or taxi to the presidential grave; on the way, I accidentally came across a good Catholic bookstore; sorry I can't remember the address.

I was now under a bit of pressure for time; I wanted to get to the Lincoln Tomb on the northside of the city before closing time, pay my respects, and then get back to the Cathedral in town for evening Mass, which was either 5 or 5.30 (can't remember now), but Springfield seemed to have no taxi-cabs whatsoever.

After over half an hour, I got one beside the Museum, and got out to the Tomb.

There was a mob of schoolkids inside ahead of me already. But I waited for them to move a bit before I went in myself.

Actually, he is not buried in the inscribed sarcophagus; he is about ten feet under this, under concrete, because years ago someone tried to break in and steal his remains. Behind my back when I took the photo is a wall, and behind this wall are the last resting places of his widow, Mary Todd Lincoln, and three of their sons. Their eldest son, Robert, the only one of the four to live to adulthood, chose to be buried at Arlington, Virginia.

After that I walked through the cemetery, knowing I wouldn't get to the Cathedral in time for Mass, but decided to pay a visit there anyway. I got a bus from the cemetery to close to the Cathedral; there are some nice stained glass windows, including one of St. Brendan!

And there is a stained glass window depicting Lincoln (needless to say!) and one depicting that fine Freemason, George Washington!!

One of the most memorable episodes of Bishop Fulton Sheen's series Life Is Worth Living is the one about Abraham Lincoln. He finishes: "George Washington will always be the father of our country; but Abraham Lincoln will always be its saviour."

Fr. Liam Lawton

2006-07-10T22:00:00.000+01:00

Here is some information about one of Ireland's best-known priests, Fr. Liam Lawton. Rightly or wrongly, he is better known in Ireland as a musician than a priest. I have a theory that some person or persons in the music "industry" have told him to "tone down" the religious bit.

The above link is to a page from the official site of his diocese, the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin. The cathedral town of this diocese is Carlow, about sixty miles south-west of Dublin. Curiously, most of County Kildare is actually in the Archdiocese of Dublin!!

Well, not all Sisters of Mercy are dancing in a circle today. . .

2006-06-30T21:22:00.000+01:00

Today is June 30th, and despite what you might have been thinking, I am NOT in Co Cork at a solstice circle dance!

But this weekend's The Irish Catholic print this Letter to the Editor, from Sr. Aloysius McVeigh, of the Sisters of Mercy, Derry:

My shared reaction to the article in The Irish Catholic about Catholic nuns celebrating a pagan ritual on June 30 in West Cork, is one of puzzled concern.
Sr. Twomey's statement that paganism itself is a religion is at odds with my dictionary's explanation that a pagan is one whose outlook is irreligious, and it is definitely at variance with the Christian teaching that a pagan is one who does not worship the true God.
We sisters have often to remind ourselves that we are first and foremost confirmed members of the Catholic Church, before we are Sisters of Mercy, and that it is the truths of the Catholic faith that underpin our vocation. As a Sister of Mercy myself I pray for our sisters in Pairc a Tobair, and for all of us, that God, who is not an "other worldly God", but who is with us always, everywhere, will, in the words of Psalm 85. . . show us its way, show us its way, and guide our hearts, so that we may walk in His Truth.
Yours etc,
Sr. Aloysius McVeigh, Sisters of Mercy, Derry.

So what are you doing on June 30th?

2006-06-12T22:54:00.000+01:00

This story, by Michael Kelly, appears on page three of the latest edition of The Irish Catholic, issue dated June 8th:

A Mercy nun has claimed that Christianity has much to learn from pagans.
Sr. Margaret Twomey, who is among a group of Mercy Sisters organising a celebration of the pagan festival of solstice later this month, told The Irish Catholic that "traditional religions such as paganism have much to teach us about how to live in harmony with other beings."
Countering criticism that the festival of solstice is not centred on Christ, Sr. Twomey said that "maybe sometimes we could focus too much on God and forget God's ways.
"If we are very focused on an other (sic) worldly God we can forget that God works through all God creates. In that forgetting we cannot treat it with the awareness or respect that it deserves."
She said that "maybe we have denigrated paganism too much, paganism itself is a religion, we can learn from it."
Sr. Twomey is one of a number of sisters who will gather in a West Cork field to sing, light a bonfire and perform a traditional circle dance on June 30.
"I wouldn't describe it as a liturgy", she said. "We call it a ritual in terms of a space where we gather. Prayer has different meanings for different people, some people are obviously from the Christian background, but many people come from other faiths or other belief systems.
"We emphasise what unites us rather than what divides us, in that sense we pray with people to whoever God is for them, if they use that word", she said.
The sisters, who live in a Dutch-built wooden house near the village of Rosscarbery, run the Pairc a Tobair centre to emphasies the interconnectedness of nature. "It's funded entirely by the Mercy Order" Sr. Twomey explained. "We see the park as an expression of our ministry of education and healing".
She explained how "the leadership of the Order wanted to make a practical response to questions about the damage humankind was doing to the planet, and also to our knowledge that all of life is interconnected."
The land was available, and the Order appointed two nuns to run the project initially, and there are currently three sisters engaged in the ministry, which, Sr. Twomey says has a threefold dimension:
1. restoring biological diversity,
2. healing and education,
3. self sufficiency.
"We are trying" Sr. Twomey said, "to develop a way of life that integrates the whole of our life".

And on the back page of the same paper, in the Notebook column, David Quinn gives a short but pointed response:

"A group of nuns are to celebrate the summer solstice at the end of this month in a ceremony of some sort. This strikes me as very strange. It is no part of the Christian tradition, and never has been. Christianity should have the care of nature as one of its concerns, but it is not a nature-centred religion. It is a Christ-centred religion, and its ceremonies, its rituals and its liturgy must always reflect this. It must be Son-centred, not sun-centred".

South Dakota gets on RTE News

2006-06-09T22:10:00.000+01:00

Wednesday evening last, on RTE's Six One news bulletin, the network's Washington Correspondent, Robert Shortt, filmed a report on the recent abortion legislation passed in South Dakota.

To see the report, you must do the following. Go to here:

On the left, there is a drop-down menu titled News Archive. Make sure this is dated 07 June 2006.

Then below the drop-down menu, click the link: Watch the NEWS.

The whole programme is over fifty minutes, but the South Dakota item starts at 35 minutes and last about two and a half minutes, so you'll have to use the scrolling buttons.

Two points: first, at the very end of the piece, in his final piece to camera, Shortt noticeably uses the words "the right to choose", but almost uses the words as if he assumes he is addressing a converted audience.

Second, watch out for the VISA sign on the wall of the abortion clinic.

Hurry! While stocks last!!

2006-05-29T20:05:00.000+01:00

This is in the current edition of the London-published satirical magazine Private Eye.

It's the "I-Spy" feature, where readers send in photos of strange things they have seen.

The magazine is published every fortnight, and the website changes, so I have kept the photo, and here it is, before they take it down. The photo was (the magazine states) taken opposite Rosslyn Chapel, Edinburgh.

And I hereby announce that, henceforth, this blog is a DaVC-free zone!

Surprised By Detroit!

2006-05-23T21:55:00.000+01:00

Fancy going to Detroit for a holiday? No, stop, don't ring up the men in white coats yet!

Detroit has the Detroit Institute of Arts; OK, it's not big, but there is reasonable quality material there. The best known work there is probably the series of large murals by Diego Rivera based on the Ford River Rouge plant.

You could also spend a pleasant morning walking around downtown Detroit admiring the architecture, if you're interested in that sort of thing. The heyday of the city was the first few decades of the twentieth century, and one place definitely worth dropping into is the Guardian Building. Here is the art-deco style entrance:

But especially, you could spend two days at the Henry Ford in Dearborn in the western suburbs. You get SMART bus 200 from downtown to the Fairlane Mall, and then bus 250 to the Henry Ford. There is the Henry Ford Museum, Greenfield Village, and tours to the River Rouge plant. I suggest one day for the Museum and River Rouge, and one full day for Greenfield Village.

I spent one day there and I got to the Museum and the Village. But frankly you could spend a full, enjoyable day at the Village.

Henry Ford created Greenfield Village; he moved the homes of some famous people lock stock and barrel, piece by piece, and rebuilt, such as the homes of Harvey Firestone, the Wright Brothers, Robert Frost, and the house where he himself was born. And other buildings which interested him. He also moved and re-built Thomas Edison's New Jersey laboratory.

So don't write off Detroit for your trip across America. And, by the way, I am not being sponsored by the Tourist Board to write this!!

Vermont

2006-05-23T21:39:00.000+01:00

I realise now that it was probably Bob Newhart's sitcom series (where he ran an Inn) that planted the seed inside me to visit Vermont. For years, I have been meeting Vermonters at the Holiday Fair in Dublin each January, and saying: "One day!"

Last month I made it. I got a bus from Boston to Burlington, then a taxi to the airport, where I picked up a rental car (they gave me a Toyota Corolla). This was the first time I had ever driven on "the wrong side of the road". It took me about twenty minutes to get used to it; I was slightly more distracted by trying to navigate my way out of Burlington, as there were plenty of road works.

Frankly, I still have reason to go there, because I didn't go to Stowe and the mountains region. I drove that day just to get the ferry across Lake Champlain to Essex. And on that road to the ferry, I drove over a hump in the road, and saw a view of the Adirondacks which reminded me of what Hilaire Belloc wrote in The Path To Rome when he described seeing the Alps. Here is a photo, actually taken when I travelled in the opposite direction.

On another day, I drove north and crossed the bridge near Rouses Point into Vermont, intending to visit St Anne's Shrine. I discovered when I got there that it was closed. Tough luck. But that area is very nice, and reminded me of Ireland, with the green fields and farms.

As the sun sets over a glorious scenic view. . .

2006-04-28T01:13:00.000+01:00

. . .let me apologise for not posting something sooner.

Right now, I am in Lake Placid, in upstate New York in the Adirondack Mountains. The sun is just beginning to set, as I sit here, look out the window, and see the glorious view of Mirror Lake with the mountains as a wonderful backdrop.

I'll post pix of my trip later.

N.B: Please remember in your prayers: a friend of mine is undergoing major surgery on May 5th.

On St Louis-Marie de Montfort

2006-04-04T20:26:00.000+01:00

Yes, I know his feast day is not until April 28th, but I thought I should put this up now anyway.

When I went on my own Tour de France in 2002, one place I visited was St Laurent-sur-Sevres.

This is the village in the Vendee region where the saint is buried; it is a minor basilica, and was also visited by Pope John Paul II, who, as we all know, was a devotee of De Montfort and his True Devotion.

There is, as far as I am aware, no bus service to the village, so you can take the train to Cholet, a good-sized town seven miles to the north, and get a taxi from there. I believe there is one hotel in St Laurent, though it was full when I got to the area, so I stayed Saturday night in Cholet, and got a taxi to St Laurent for 1030 Mass.

At the time, I was using just a simple, cheap single-use disposable camera, so the photos are not good. Apologies!

Here is the basilica from the bridge:

Here is the tomb of the saint:

And here is the stained glass window over the main entrance. Each of the five vertical parts of the window represents the various religious orders and lay movements which the saint either founded or inspired:

I admire this man. . .

2006-04-04T20:07:00.000+01:00

. . .who features in this news story which happened today.

Even though his girlfriend became blind and brain damaged in an accident, he stood by her and married her last year.

I have no connection with anybody involved, and I have no knowledge of the accident, and I assume that there was no guarantee, when they got married, that the court proceedings would conclude in their favour.

But I can think of some men who, faced with this situation, would have dumped the girlfriend.

Two phrases come to my mind: the first is that love is not an emotion, but an act.

And the second: "My yoke is easy and my burden light". You might think it is going to be a heavy cross for him to bear looking after his wife, but I have a feeling that, sometimes, what seems to us to be a cross, to someone else could be regarded as a blessing.

Feeling better

2006-03-24T22:28:00.000Z

Well, I feel much better, but whatever infection I got in the first place hasn't totally gone away.

Originally, I was prescribed antibiotics for only seven days; I am assuming that the doctor who treated me in A+E was of the opinion that I would get to see a specialist within seven days.

I heard nothing from the hospital, so on Thursday morning of Cheltenham week, I decided to go to the hospital to find the ear specialists' department and make some enquiries.

I found the Appointments office, and the lady there told me that the doctor had written a letter to that department explaining my situation, and that my case has been assigned to a specialist. She added that the specialist basically reads through all the cases he gets, and then decides on which ones are the more urgent. Then people are called to see him accordingly.

She added that I wouldn't hear anything for a week at least. She was right. I've heard nothing - apart from the €60 bill for my trip to A+E, which arrived the Thursday morning after my Sunday night visit there.

So the antibiotics came to an end after seven days, and I was slightly worried that the pain might return. The last tablet was taken Monday morning last and then I went back to work; but although there was a slightly different feeling in my ears Monday evening, I have experienced no pain at all since then.

Right now, there is a high-pitched tone around my ears, but it is at a very low volume. Generally, I hear everything at a lower volume than before, and in work I find myself asking people to repeat themselves and then I move closer to them.

Thus two weeks after getting the first feelings, symptoms and pain, I still do not know what exactly I got; I suspect it is a perforated eardrum, but I don't know for certain. I won't know until I see the specialist, but at the moment, God only knows when that will be.

Question: What can possibly spoil my enjoyment of watching the Cheltenham Festival this week on TV?

2006-03-14T20:40:00.000Z

Answer: a perforated eardrum.

OK it doesn't spoil it too much, but I have to be a bit careful with how I set the volume control.

Right now, my ears are surrounded with a strange humming sound, similar to the sound made by your kitchen fridge when you plug it in. Occasionally, this humming is joined by whistling and/or bell ringing, all to the rhythm of my pulse rate.

I first felt all this Friday evening, and after two sleepless nights, I decided Sunday afternoon to head to the nearest hospital Accident and Emergency Dept to get either a complete cure or at least something to make me sleep at night. Anyway, I knew I wasn't going to be back at work Monday.

This was the first time in my life I had presented myself at an A+E hoping for treatment; I was also perfectly aware that my case was not necessarily an "emergency", because I knew that I was not likely to drop dead within half an hour.

I got there about 4.30 pm, registered at A+E Reception, and then about fifteen minutes later I was called into what they call an Assessment room. I told my story to a gentleman in a green surgical gown who told me that there were several people ahead of me, and it would be several hours before I would be treated.

So I went back home, had some dinner, and went back to the hospital to wait through the pain; I got back there about 7.30 pm, and I was called to see a doctor at 0140 am.

Now I have been prescribed anti-biotics, so I no longer suffer pain and at least I can sleep a bit at night. I will take this week off work, and I am awaiting the setting-up of an appointment with an ear specialist, but God only knows when that will be.

A lot of people in Ireland complain about what is known as the "two-tiered health system"; i.e., one category of health service for those who can afford it, and one for the normal punters, such as what I went through Sunday evening.

But I have come to the conclusion that in Ireland, the main reason why we have a two-tiered health system is because there are quite a number of people who want it that way. And if the two tiers here were brought much closer together, I predict that a certain class of people will go abroad in order to be treated as the superior class of person they think they are.

Sorry if I sound like I am waving a red flag.

A Monk's Life

2006-03-01T20:06:00.000Z

I've just finished reading "The Monk Cardinal" by Anthony Howard, a biography of Cardinal Basil Hume, Archbishop of Westminster from 1976 until his death in June 1999.

Here is one of the highlights; it describes his domestic arrangements soon after moving in at Westminster:

"Yet, from the start at Westminster, there was perhaps a hint of strain in Basil's custom of having two boiled eggs and a choc ice before going straight up to his "cell" (bedroom) as soon after 10.30pm as could be managed. (There was only one exception to this rule: in the winter when Match of the Day was on BBC1 on Saturday nights, Basil postponed his bedtime and insisted on watching right through to the end.)"

New Bishop of Ferns appointed

2006-03-01T19:41:00.000Z

A new Bishop of Ferns has been appointed, Monsignor Denis Brennan. The official press releases are here.

What seems to me to be the most interesting part is this paragraph from the state ment of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin:

"Archbishop Martin takes the occasion also to restate his appreciation of the
extraordinary contribution Bishop Walsh has made during his time as Apostolic
Administrator of Ferns, while not in any way neglecting his intense ministry
as Auxiliary Bishop in Dublin. The Archbishop feels certain the Archdiocese
of Dublin will benefit enormously from the experience and expertise which
Bishop Walsh acquired during his ministry in Ferns."

Two thoughts: firstly, this marks a significant step in moving on after the publication of the Ferns Report; the impression I got was that everybody in Wexford likes Bishop Walsh, yes, but everybody also felt that he was there temporarily to clean up the mess left by the two previous bishops. The RTE news item today emphasised that Monsignor Brennan is the first "local man" in a generation to become Bishop of Ferns.

Secondly, this means we can all resume a favourite sport of many, which is speculating about reshuffling bishops. There was a front-page story in last week's Irish Independent with rumours that Diarmuid Martin will shortly be off to a job in Rome, which may be the reason why he didn't get a red hat last week; and also that Bishop Eamonn Walsh will (or might) be the next Archbishop of Dublin.

I have met Bishop Walsh a few times and he is, honestly, a very nice and holy man. Suffice to say that if Diarmuid Martin does go back to the Vatican, then Eamonn Walsh will be the bookies' favourite to move into the big house in Drumcondra.

More bad news for the Welsh!

2006-03-01T19:26:00.000Z

I've just gone to Catholic Ireland and looked at the Liturgical Notes in the top right hand corner; because it's Ash Wednesday, "St David is not celebrated this year". Poor Wales! And this after getting beaten at Lansdowne Road last Saturday.

Come to think of it, I have never been in Wales on St David's Day; nor have I ever been to the city of St David's - at least not yet!

But in March 2000, when Ash Wednesday occurred in the week before the Cheltenham Festival, I went over early on Ash Wednesday morning on the boat to Holyhead, and journeyed by bus to Aberystwyth. I really wanted to have a look at the National Library of Wales.

That evening I went to Mass here and there was a good crowd; Aberystwyth is a university town, and I guess the average age was about 20 or 21 - and I heard a lot of Irish accents.

I haven't been back there since. One day. . .

Everybody needs prayers

2006-02-22T20:14:00.000Z

This story is from the excellent Catholic Ireland website.

An armed robber on a bus in Brazil, asked an Irish priest to pray for him after he discovered that he was a priest.

Please Officer; Can I Go Back To Jail?

2006-02-22T19:49:00.000Z

There was a reference to this story in today's Racing Post and it literally made me laugh out loud.

A RECENTLY-RELEASED prisoner carried out a robbery at a betting shop because he wanted to return to jail, a court was told.

And yes, it did make me feel a bit sorry for him.

Memo to readers on the Western side of the Atlantic

2006-02-03T22:11:00.000Z

Last September, I went to Italy, San Marino and Vatican City for my holidays (See Archive September 2005 on the left bar). This year I will go to America and Canada, and it will be after Easter.

I will be visiting New York, Boston, Chicago, St Louis, Detroit, Montreal and Toronto, though not necessarily in that order.

If anybody has any ideas for places to see, or tips on where to get Mass, or anything exciting, or places to avoid, the Comments box is below.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again!

2006-01-27T22:43:00.000Z

If anybody ever denies the existence of God, tell them to listen to Mozart.

If anybody ever tells you that human beings are simply the product of a random evolutionary process over millions of years, tell them to listen to Mozart.

A very happy birthday: Wolfgang Chrysostomos Johannes Theophilus Mozart! May you take your rightful place composing for and conducting the Heavenly Choirs!

As soon as I read this. . .

2006-01-25T20:21:00.000Z

. . .I knew I simply had to write it down and preserve it forever. Now I am putting it up online.

About a week ago I was reading a book from the library called "Turn Left At Greenland" by Mark Little, who was RTE's Washington Correspondent from September 1995 to January 2001. Obviously, Bill Clinton features prominently.

In an early chapter, Little writes about Clinton's home town of Hot Springs, Arkansas; and he tells this story about the future President and his mother, Virginia:

During the 1992 campaign, a good friend of mine interviewed Virginia. While the cameras were on, she gave the approved text of the Clinton biography but when the cameras were turned off, she kept talking. One day, she told my friend, she was baking cookies while young Billy worked on his homework at the kitchen table. She put the cookies out to cool on a baking tray and then left the house on an errand. When she came back, Billy had finished his homework and the cookies were gone. She turned angrily to her young son and asked what had happened. "What cookies? You never baked any cookies", he replied. Billy kept talking until he had persuaded his mother that she had not baked that night. "That's when I knew he would be a politician", Virginia said.

Delving into the past

2006-01-17T20:24:00.000Z

I've just finished reading A History of the Irish Church 400-700AD written by Fr. John R Walsh and Thomas Bradley; the former is a priest of the Diocese of Derry, and a former teacher in St Columb's College, one of the most renowned secondary schools in the region; the latter-named is one of his past pupils, and is now a history teacher in the same establishment.

It's relatively short at only 192 pages, and I can recommend it for those interested not only in early Irish Christianity, but early British Christianity as well.

One part I found particularly interesting was what they had to say about St Brendan; his father's name was Findlug, and his mother was named Cara. He worked in Wales and Scotland, and the authors credit him with establishing churches in Perthshire and the Isle of Tiree. Let me quote from the book:

His place in history is secured because a medieval document, the Navigatio (The Voyage), bears his name. Some people hold that this odyssey is based on an actual voyage which Brendan made to North America. The Voyage was a most influential work in medieval times. Its text survives in some one hundred and twenty manuscrpts, some of them in Latin and the others in early forms of modern continental languages. The earliest surviving manuscript dates from the late tenth century. The Voyage is usually, and probably correctly, ascribed to a late ninth-century Irish peregrinus ("pilgrim" or "missionary exile") working in the Netherlands or Germany. A fascinating conglomeration of fact, fantasy and plagiarism, its popularity on the Continent in the Middle Ages led to a cult of Saint Brendan there and means that the name of a comparatively obscure sixth-century Irish monk survives in the name of a thriving city in Germany, Brandenburg.

So next time you hear one of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, think of an Irish monk braving the elements of the Scottish climate to bring the faith to the Picts.

So the evidence points to the fact that it was not St Brendan who made that legendary trip across the Atlantic - if anybody did! But I can't help feeling that if the story was so relatively widespread across Europe, surely it must have had an influence on others and inspired them to seek to explore new worlds.

Another section deals with St Canice of Aghaboe, who is remembered as the patron of the city of Kilkenny, which bears his name, and is home of St Canice's Cathedral (Anglican). The authors tell us that he worked for a while in Scotland with St Colmcille (of Iona fame), and state: "He is remembered in Scotland to this day as Saint Kenneth and is credited with founding churches on the islands of Coll, Tiree, Mull and South Uist."

Which means that if you have a friend named Kenneth, then his name is not really Kenneth - it's Canice.

So allow me to pay tribute to the distinguished football player, Canice Dalglish; the late actor, Canice More; and the tenor Voice of Scotland, Canice McKellar; does that sound all right?

So who'll be the next Pope then?

2006-01-11T20:45:00.000Z

Please. Listen. I'm not trying to be morbid or pessimistic; I'm not asking for or hoping for a new Pope; I'm quite happy with the one I have now.

You all may remember in April of 2005 the Irish bookmaker firm Paddy Power received miles of free publicity for the Next Pope market. But in fact, the nature of the business is that this market will, frankly, last as long as the Barque of Peter sails the stormy oceans of this world.

So here are their market leaders, and a few other names selected by myself. And I am not making any tips or predictions as to who the next Pope will be. But let's face it: George Pell should be far shorter than 66/1.

Angelo Scola (Venice) 6
Christoph Von Schoenborn (Austria) 7
Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga (Honduras) 7
J M Bergoglio (Argentina) 9
Francis Arinze (Nigeria) 10
Tarcisio Bertone (Italy) 10
Dionigi Tettamanzi (Italy) 10
Claudio Hummes (Brazil) 12
Francisco J E Ossa (Chile) 14
Karl Lehmann (Germany) 16
Camillo Ruini (Rome) 20

Wilfred Napier (South Africa) 20
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (England) 40
Dario Castrillon Hoyos (Colombia) 50
Keith Patrick O'Brien (Scotland) 50
J-M Lustiger (Paris) 66
George Pell (Sydney) 66
Francis George (Chicago) 80
Bono (Ireland) 1000

On Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

2006-01-09T22:55:00.000Z

This looks like the best online resource for information. It's worth remembering that she lived and studied in Dublin for several years!!

A new Catholic publication worth checking out

2005-12-31T21:57:00.000Z

The print edition is just over a year old, but now the online version of The Voice Today is up.

The newspaper itself costs €1.00 and is published weekly, exactly the same as The Irish Catholic. The Irish Catholic, first published in 1880-something, did have a website with articles some years ago, but no longer.

The current editor of The Voice Today, Simon Rowe, used to be Editor of The Irish Catholic. However, I do not detect any kind of rivalry or animosity between them, and I buy both every weekend; I suspect others do too.

Christmas Vigil Mass with a Cardinal

2005-12-25T21:07:00.000Z

Last night, Christmas Eve night, I decided to go to the Vigil Mass at 9.00 pm in Iona Road church. It was a very nice way to welcome the Saviour. And a very large crowd.

Our retired Archbishop, Desmond Cardinal Connell, was present to co-concelebrate, and he said a few special words after Communion. He started by admitting that he never expected to take part in a Conclave, because he expected Pope John Paul II to outlive everybody, and also because the man himself is approaching 80.

Obviously, Cardinal Connell did not reveal any of the secrets of the Conclave (OK, everybody, stop groaning!), and said he has been in Rome twelve times during 2005. (OK I admit, I'm a little jealous!!)

He described Benedict XVI by using a word I haven't heard anybody use before: "bouncing".

Cardinal Connell said that he recently went to one of the Wednesday General Audiences. He said that when anybody meets the Pope, he always asks them one thing: "Pray for me."

This morning, I watched Urbi et Orbi on the box, switching between both RTE and EWTN. My favourite part was when he stepped out onto the balcony to hear what sounded like screams of teenage girls at a Boyzone concert.

Seven Good Reasons to Celebrate Christmas

2005-12-25T21:04:00.000Z

Excellent stuff recently posted on Catholic Exchange.