A personal blog of ideas, discoveries and perspectives.
In the opening pages of his autobiography, the former Catholic Primate of All–Ireland, Cardinal Cahal Daly, describes his earliest memory. He tells how his family home in County Antrim was burned to the ground when the IRA targeted the RIC barracks next-door. The Attack on Loughguile Barracks was one of the few operations in north …
Today marks the 100th birthday of the Irish artist Patrick Scott. Patrick Scott, who would have been 100 years old on 24 January 2021, pictured in front of his iconic artwork. Pat Scott was a shy and quiet man who expressed proudly and passionately in his art. I first met him when he was already …
In these strange times, it's hard to feel motivated. Plans get scuppered, so we can be forgiven for thinking that there's no point in trying. I have battled that demon most days over the past months and, when I woke today wanting to do something creative, I wondered if I could defeat it. How will …
My grandmother’s grandmother died on this day 129 years ago. Sarah (sometimes known as Sally) married a man named James Callinan of Peterswell Co. Galway in about 1847, during horrors of the Great Famine. Despite those hardships, Sally survived and had many children. Obviously I never met her but I share her DNA. It’s staggering …
I have been using sign language all my life. I grew up in a 'deaf family', where both my parents are deaf. They have been signing at me since I was a newborn and I have been signing back for longer than I have been talking. By the time I started school, I was bi-lingual, …
My Side of the Matter 