Grateful to have a roof over my head

This week’s Mediahuis Irish regional newspapers’ column.

Michael Commane

On the night of Thursday, February 17 Eunice made herself felt outside my house. Shortly after 11pm she began to growl and get quite angry. And the rage and anger lasted all night, eventually subsiding sometime after 7am on Friday morning.

There were times during the night when I was scared the roof was going to be ripped off. The howling of the wind was relentless. I had never before heard a gale or storm rage for so long. I was relieved to hear on the radio news that it would blow itself out by 8am, at least in my part of the world. But shortly after that I lost power in the house, which meant my radio was gone. 

I learned a good lesson, always make sure to have batteries on stand by to insert in your radio. Fortunately the power outage was short and we had electricity back within 30 minutes. A friend of mine, living in South Kerry was without power all day on the Friday. He’s an engineer by trade and is always toying with the idea of alternative ways of supplying power to his house. Eunice and its aftermath might be the catalyst that will turn his ideas into action.

But both of us began a conversation on what life must have been like before the advent of electricity.

It’s not that long ago at all since we first got our homes wired up. I clearly remember the arrival of electricity to my granduncle’s house and farm on the Tipperary Kilkenny border in the early 1960s.

 

The winds have abated, sadly a staff member of Wexford County Council was killed while working on a clean up operation, and a number of homes and buildings were damaged as a result of the three storms.

On television news I saw two men being interviewed beside their home, which had been destroyed by a large tree. I was impressed with how cool and calm they were. I say that because on the night of February 17 I was scared stiff in bed that my roof was going to go. I had that feeling of helplessness, that added to my real fear. Outside it was dark, the street was empty. What actually would I do if the roof went? It was a horrifying experience.

I’ve been thinking about it since. Maybe that sense of fear and dreading gets worse as we get older.

 

The following Saturday and Sunday more storms landed on us. This time I was away from the epicentre.

Watching the news on Sunday evening I saw an elderly lame woman shuffling about on the Ukrainian Russian border. She looked lost and in great pain. I can’t imagine what she is suffering. 

Everyday we see the most shocking of stories on our televisions and in our newspapers. We switch to another channel, turn the page of the newspaper. We do, at least I do, become immune to the plight and worries of other people.

Do we ever have a clue what hell other people suffer? The only time we get a real sense of hell and suffering is when it directly happens to us.

That’s why it’s so important always to offer the hand of friendship and help to those in need and suffering.

Empathy goes a long way in making our lives more tolerable.