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RINGING BELLS by Donal Kennedy

By on December 23, 2015

Screen Shot 2015-12-23 at 11.45.01

Letter to the Irish Times:

There was a time in Ireland when those having a lie-in on a Sunday had to pay a fine. They had a  real grievance, most particularly if they did not adhere to “the Church by law established.” 

The grievance of those who object to hearing the Angelus bell on RTE is counterfeit and contrived. The late Conor Cruise O’Brien  posed  in your columns as the champion of Protestants  suffering from a Catholic imposition, but was answered by a Church of Ireland cleric who pointed out that the Angelus prayer features in the King James Bible.

 Gavin Tobin (43) believes the retention is unjustifiable (October 31) and believes his youth is a clinchingargument. Such faith  moves molehills.

 I’ll be 74 very soon but flatter myself that I’m not yet so cranky that I’d ban church bells, Christmas, Easter, Islamic calls to prayer, or having a lie-in on the Sabbath

 If I have one complaint about RTE it is that it has too many advertisements, many of them dripping with insincerity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 Responses to RINGING BELLS by Donal Kennedy

  1. Mark December 23, 2015 at 11:51 am #

    Precisely Donal.

  2. paul December 23, 2015 at 1:10 pm #

    GRMA and Nollaig Shona Duit Jude, read the column daily, keep writing as I need the updates when the 70000 emigrants, Kenny invited to come back to Ireland in 2020 to work arrive. “Any chance of a start? ” “No”

  3. Mary Jo December 23, 2015 at 1:25 pm #

    Well said. And while I’m here, happy Christmas to everyone at this excellent blog.

    • Jude Collins December 23, 2015 at 2:23 pm #

      Mary Jo – you are a sweetheart. Nollaig Shona duit fein

  4. Bridget Cairns December 23, 2015 at 3:12 pm #

    when I hear this argument to ban the Angelus, I always think of Millais wonderful painting of peasants (as they were known) in the fields, stopping their toil & praying. Gavin, perhaps you & others should learn the history of the Angelus & then decide if you want to trash this beautiful memory of times past. If you do, we could start a list of “religious” memorabilia that may be offensive to some. I believe ISIS destroyed some ancient monuments for some ideological reasons also.

  5. Sherdy December 23, 2015 at 5:35 pm #

    Donal, despite your 74 years on this earth you still seem somewhat naive, going by your last paragraph.
    RTE are showing too many ads – ads are money and you think a commercial organisation might refuse money!
    You also say some of the ads are dripping with insincerity – they are produced by advertising sales people, and you expect sincerity!
    An innocent abroad.

  6. Donal Kennedy December 24, 2015 at 9:40 am #

    Nollaig Shona to all men and women of goodwill and let the Divil mend the rest.

    Domhnall Mathun O Cinnnede.