We all pass through this way but one time only and some of us do so without leaving any kind of stain whatsoever.We may individually only be remembered within our own generation or by our children until they too die, but unless we leave something behind that is capable of capturing the public imagination beyond […]
August, 2014
TRENDING MOOS: COWS HAVE GUNS by Perkin Warbeck
There is a distinct whiff of Whatiffery in the air of the Free Southern Stateen at the moment. As in: ‘What if the Paddy Stinks and the Mickey Muds of 1916 had not reneged on our gallant Pats in their puttees and in their purity of intention?’ When it comes to the Whatiffery of History one had hoped […]
PATRICK IS MY NAME by Randall Stephen Hall
Written by Randall Stephen Hall © 2014. https://soundcloud.com/randall-stephen-hall/patrick-is-my-name-3-8-14 Patrick is my name. I am from far away. Brought here as a slave For a price I cannot pay. But I will not bow down And worship at your throne. For I have just one king. And he’s calling me to go. Patrick is my name. […]
POLITICAL CONVERSION, ANYONE? by Kieran Maxwell
The Painting above is by Italian artist Caravaggio – painted in the baroque style -depicting the “conversion of St Paul” – I don’t know how much you know about Paul, originally Saul of Tarsus, but he was a Roman citizen born in Tarsus (modern-day south-east Turkey) around 5 AD. He was a Jew who zealously persecuted […]
THE ARROGANCE OF FLAGS by Harry McAvinchey
Flags and weather …those are the things tumbling through my mind. We had been in lockdown for some twenty four hours.My little grand-daughter , while visiting and having discovered the delights of a garden full of colourful flowers the previous day ,was having none of it.It might rain down in torrents, incessantly but she would […]
West Belfast, um, Murmurs Back
The man sitting in front of me was more interesting than anything said by the panel. He was quietly and with amazing skill constructing a cartoon of the panel even as they spoke. His name’s Brian John Spencer and if you google him you’ll find out more about him and his talents. Speed and accuracy: […]
Why is there so much talk in Ireland about the First World War?
Q: Why are we hearing so much about the First World War at present? A: That’s easy. It started yesterday. Q: Whhaaat? A: I mean yesterday was the hundredth anniversary of the war. Britain declared war on Germany a hundred years ago exactly. Q: Really? I thought the Germans were the baddies. I assumed they […]
The Caterpillar from which no butterfly emerges
OK – pub quiz time and an easy one for starters: where does Homer Simpson work? That’s right – in a nuclear plant. That’s what makes The Simpsons such a good show. It takes something that could be stretched and chewed over and tosses it lightly away. Homer makes his living and supports his family […]
Time-saving tip
If you’re tempted to send a comment that is largely abuse of me or fellow posters, don’t waste your time. I won’t put it up. Criticism, muted or harsh, is welcome; but abuse is out. So go for a walk instead…
The curious case of Paddy and the anthem
So Paddy Barnes is in the spotlight again – and not for a good reason. Or at least that’s how some would have us see it. Wee Paddy, instead of doing the right thing and staring straight ahead while getting a bit moist-eyed during the playing of Danny Boy, chose to lean in to the […]