Blog

Unplanned                            Word on the Week                          5th October 2019. It was with considerable distress that I read this week the largest cause of death globally is not any disease but is abortion.    The film ‘Unplanned’ which was showing in a few cinemas this week has not received much publicity as ironically cinemas would fear to […]

I am stressed, you are stressed, we are all stressed!   How is it in a society that is full of labour saving devices we fall victim to stress?   Even armed with a smartphone which can contain all our personal information and access globally to data on any subject, we end up being controlled by the […]

A new dimension has been given to the debate on climate change.    Around this time last year, the Swedish school girl Greta Thunberg was a lone voice demanding greater efforts be made by the authorities to protect the environment.    This week on Friday the call was taken up by school children globally as they turned […]

Bold Boris                              Word on the Week                          14th September 2019. Bold, not in the English sense of being confident and courageous but in the Irish sense of being a naughty boy!    Could it be that the Scottish Law Lords have called him out?    They were of one mind on the matter when they published their findings […]

These birds have the delightful habit of congregating on the electricity wires which run diagonally across the field in front of our house.   The spectacle only lasts for a couple of weeks, always at this time of year.  Both are of the same species and have much in common. Their melodic twittering as the make […]

The popular RTE television programme delves into the background of its subject.   Aided by the largely excellent record keeping of church, state and military it is now possible to explore the life’s history of one’s ancestors.    The media, recognising our inherent inquisitiveness, have used the opportunity to research willing celebrity’s backgrounds.    The usual format […]

Gambling god of today                     Word on the Week             24th August 2019. In a conversation this week a friend described an outing to Laydown Races.   He was in the company of a businessman who knew his way around race courses.  His method was to select one race and bet on the favourite.    This he duly […]

Nora Quoirin Deceased             Word on the Week                17th August 2019. It was on the 10th day after her disappearance that Nora’s body was found in a forest ravine by a stream.    It brought to a halt a search which had involved a large search and rescue team, which included local people familiar with the […]

It was about this time fifty years ago that the Apprentice Boy’s Parade took place in Derry.   It provided the outlet for protest that was to occupy the North of Ireland for the next quarter of a century.    The official ending of what euphemistically was called “The Troubles” took place with the signing of the […]