Rural Ireland descended on the Ploughing Championships at Athy in large numbers making the event the largest outdoor agricultural show in Europe.    Aided by the dry weather and numerous cups of tea, business was brisk in the Baptist Associations Marquee which was our “home” for the 3 days.

Some things never change and again we found the almost universal view that you will get to heaven by being good. Of course there are religious observations, mass going and pilgrimages but these seem to be more the props in the theatre of salvation.    Basically you get there by being and doing good, of that there was a general air of certainty.    Here was solid ground.    It was bred into us.    If we are going to be saved it will be on our record – and that record, we were told, was not all that bad.

The Bible cuts a furrow through this type of thinking.&nbs ... Read More »

There is an old joke of the Australian lad who asked his father where he came from. His father sat him down and tried to explain about the birds and the bees. When he was finished the lad said, “that’s interesting Dad but my mate Patrick says he is from Ireland and I was wondering where I came from!”

We all want to know where we came from, so much so that the RTE TV is running a popular series called “Who do you think you are?” In it celebrities are assisted in the task of tracing their forebears on both sides of the family. The uncovering of family secrets under the eye of the camera makes the unscripted show compelling viewing.

Last year we gave a lift to a young American student who had fallen asleep on the bus and ended up a few miles from her hostel. She had come from South America where she traced her father’s roots and now she was in Ireland to see where her mother came from. The fact that her parents had separated in no way lessened her desire to know where her family origin ... Read More »

This was the week when the sun began to shine!

It had had a couple of months off and so the Met office’s announcement of stable areas of high pressure was greeted by a mixture of relief and jubilation.

The land, so long soaked in rain, began to firm up. Drains that had been blocked were now accessible and cleared to hasten the departure of the surface water. The sound of the combine harvesters could be heard as they gingerly made their way into the soft ground of the grain fields. The heads of the grain, threatening to sprout if left any longer, were speedily carted off in high sided trailers to be checked out for quality, moisture content, etc at the mill.

In the meadows, where hopes of a late crop of hay had looked unlikely, the mowers were out and the hay bobs were spinning the wet grass in the autumn sunlight in an effort to have it dried for the bailer before the fine weather ended.

Not that there is any sign of it ending as I write. The swallows, who were li ... Read More »

In an earlier era Castor Oil was deemed to be the panacea for all ills – at least those of the sore stomach variety. It tasted foul! But in those days this was evidence that it would do you good. “If it’s not hurting it’s not working” was the notion. The Castor Oil bottle was the most dreaded item in the medicine cupboard but it had one virtue – it worked!

Following our years of profligacy, the Government has prescribed a dose of NAMA as the cure for our financial ills. It will not taste good. “No gain without pain” appears to be the appropriate slogan. The anticipation of it has sent the Government ratings down to an all time low and the naive media men wonder how this could be!

The balancing act is due to begin in the middle of the month. On the one hand there has to be a realistic valuation of the loans made on foot of grossly overvalued assets; a valuation which will not put the taxpayer in hock for generations to come.

On the other hand if the value of these assets is ... Read More »

There can be few examples of the misuse of power that exceed that of an adult kidnapping and abusing a child.   The helplessness of the victim illustrated by Jaycee Dugard, kidnapped at age 11 on her way to school, contrasts strongly with the power of the kidnapper, Philip Garrido and his wife Nancy.  

Philip Garrido was first charged with kidnap and rape at the age of 20.   He was convicted and appears to have been imprisoned from 1976 to1988 when he was released on parole.   This did not deter him from kidnapping Jaycee in 1991, 3 years later.

The case bears some resemblance to that of Josef Fritzel who went to elaborate lengths to imprison his captive in specially constructed cells under his house.    Garrido appears to have relied less on incarceration and more on creating a physiological prison for his victim.   Comparatively speaking Jaycee was permitted some l ... Read More »

Give something a bad name and it sticks!   The more benign medical term H1N1 has been superseded by the user friendly but more sinister “swine”.   It is as if the characteristics of the pig go along with the sneezes!   The one who sneezes, without using a tissue and, as the HSE campaign shows in a lift full of people, has merited the name!

Flu’s come and flu’s go but health is always a major topic.   Our very salutation “How are you today” is a friendly way of expressing our interest.   The phrase “Bless you” related to more ominous times when a sneeze often heralded the onslaught of the “Black death”.   The articulating of the blessing was intended to enlist the protection of the Almighty.

Indeed the Bible recounts the tragic story of King Asa who, when he took ill, did not seek the Lord but relied solely on his physicians.   The fact of illness as a prese ... Read More »

There is an undercurrent, seldom expressed but often implied, in our society that when a person “gets religion” he should do the decent thing and enter the church.    The honest thing to do is surely to join with the like-minded.    To be suitably labelled with reversed collar or other distinctive garb ensures the safety of normal people from dangerous trends in conversation.

In fact not to become one of the “religious” is most disrespectful of ones fellow creatures.    Without the dress code to give the game away normal decent people are at risk!     There is the possibility of them getting under the radar so to speak and ask the awkward question or go where no man has gone before and utter the startling words “are you saved?”

Of course decent people don’t need to be saved – the very idea!    Have we not been through the ceremonies?&nbs ... Read More »

There is an incident in the Bible where things couldn’t have gotten much worse. The enemy had laid siege to the city; starvation was at the door and four leprous beggars reckoned that they might as well flee to the enemy as they were bound to die if they stayed put. When they reached the enemy camp they found all had fled leaving everything behind. They decided to help themselves but their consciences intervened and they said, "We’re not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves”. 2 Kings chapter 7 verse 9.

That was one sort of good news. Another occurs when the Apostles started preaching in Jerusalem after Jesus had risen from the dead. “They never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.   Acts chapter 5 verse 42.

God had visited earth.

St Paul said it was of first importance that Christ died for our sins.

Now people ha ... Read More »

Penury.

The introduction of Nama (National Asset Management Agency) has produced a new type of insurance. It covers the debts of banks to provide security for depositors, shareholders and bank staff. It will deal with dodgy loans, declining assets and make payments to the banks in the hope that they will lend more wisely in the future. Who underwrites the risks at this insurance company?    Nama of course.    But Nama is not Manna.    It is not a heavenly source but it is you, if you pay taxes, who will provide!

Piety

There is a darkness that shrouds us.   It is not just that sexual abuse reports are exposing the rot but that the perpetuators (state and church) are in charge of fixing it.   Not much prospect for a “Truth and Reconciliation” commission here.    Who would be on it?    Who is left to bring ju ... Read More »

It was this week that Ngema, a South African illegal immigrant, was sentenced in the High Court in Edinburgh for the abduction of a fellow country woman Magdeline Makola (38). Ngema barely knew his victim whom he beat up, blindfolded and bound hand and foot, taping her mouth so she could not call out. He then placed her in the boot of her car and drove to Drumgelloch Station car park.

Having obtained a note of her credit card codes he then went off on a pre Christmas spending spree leaving her there in the car boot, in her night clothes, without food, water or heat in temperatures which, at times, fell below zero.

The Edinburgh Royal Infirmary reported her missing when she did not turn up for work and eventually the police found her car, noticed some movement, and broke into it. This was on St Stephen’s Day – some 10 days after she had been abducted.

At his trial Ngema claimed he carried out the crime because Magdeline had “dis-respected” him. The judge, Lord Menzies, was u ... Read More »