Monthly Archives: January 2013

It comes around so quickly.

Having proclaimed her Independence at the first Meeting of Dail Eireann, in the Mansion House, Dublin, on January 21, 1919, this address was then sent out to the “free nations” of the World.

‘Whereas the Irish people is by right a free people: and whereas for seven-hundred years the Irish people has never ceased to repudiate and has repeatedly protested in arms against foreign usurpation… Now therefore we, the elected representatives of the ancient Irish people in National Parliament, Assembled, do, in the name of the Irish Nation, ratify the establishment of the Irish Republic…”

Lol.

Document Via Mealy’s

You may have missed Professor Patricia Casey (above), consultant psychiatrist at the Mater Hospital, UCD lecturer and patron of the Iona Institute on Today FM’s ‘The Last Word with Matt Cooper’ on Friday.

It was enlightening.

Matt Cooper: “As a psychiatrist, do you not have a duty to look at scientific research and results rather than depending on your own moral views and your own religious beliefs to inform you as to what’s best for people?”

Patricia Casey: “I think Matt before we broke for the interval I said we have to base all our views on science and that’s..that’s the purpose of a think-tank like the Iona Institute. The idea is to look at the evidence and base policies…base policies, base our our thinking on that. And you know in relation….”

Cooper: “Sorry. Are you not based on religious beliefs and…?”

Casey: “No. We’re not a Catholic institute.”

Cooper: “Alright. A Christian institution?”

Casey: “No. We’re not. We support the role of religion in in in society but we’re not a religiously based organisation.”

Cooper: “Can you understand why people might find that hard to believe that say perhaps you’re trying to operate under some sort of cover?”

Casey: “Well I don’t know why people would believe that. I mean there’s there’s…we talk about religion because we believe religion has a place in society. But we…”

Cooper: “And are you all practising Catholics?”

Casey: “How do you mean all? I mean I’m I’m I’m a patron. There..there…there are four patrons em…I am a practising Catholic, I would think Breda O’Brien is,

Cooper: “Yes. Very definitely.”

Casey: “(Father) Vincent Twomey…Vincent Twomey is and I can’t think who the fourth…there is a fourth patron whose name escapes me at the moment em but…”

Cooper: “How about people like David Quinn? Former editor of the Irish Catholic quite clearly. So all of the main people, the main spokespeople for the Iona Institute are clearly very strong Catholic believers.”

Casey: “Well I don’t know how strong their beliefs are. You can ask me how strong my beliefs are and I can tell you in honesty they wax and wain at times. During times in the past I have not believed in God.”

Listen here (35 minutes)

Iona Institute

Iona’s patrons

Pic Irish Medical Times

A booklet on moving to England, by Father Eamonn Gaynor, published by the Furrow Trust, Maynooth in 1962.

In chapter three, entitled ‘A Catholic in Britain’, he warns, ‘You are leaving a country where the light of the Christian way-of-life shines clearly and are entering the darkness and confusion of twentieth-century materialism (…) You will soon feel the attraction of the deadly materialism of modern life, perhaps for the first time.’ He recommends finding different digs if the landlady will not serve fish on a Friday, and writes ‘avoid a mixed marriage’.

 

Good times.

Shamrock Express booklet (National Museums Of Northern Ireland)

Thanks Sibling of Daedalus

Lorraine Harton writes:

I just wanted to share a video with you that I made of my dad – Huby Harton – who has been told on countless occasions that he is the spitting image of the man in the Southern Comfort Whatevers Comfortable ad. I’m not being biased here but he really is!! He’s a country and western singer from Co. Cavan so we decided to make our own version of the video and place one of his songs – his version of “Ghost Riders in the Sky” – in the background!