Christianity taught but not practised - Ireland in the 1950s

Below is the final paragraph in Dermot Ferriter’s opinion piece in The Irish Times yesterday:

The Burkes are usually described as “fundamentalist Christians”, prompting another reminder from history: in 1957, Irish trade unionist John Conroy, president of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union, lamented how “nowhere in the world was there a country where so much Christianity was taught but so little practised ... the practical application of Christian teaching is put aside when selfish personal interests are involved.

It is always interesting to hear how people talk about the value of Catholic schools in Ireland, the ethos of Catholic schools.

What happened, what went so wrong?

When people talk about Ireland surrendering to secularisation, John Conroy back in 1957 saw how unchristian we were as a nation.

Just as civil war is an oxymoron so too is a poor church

This was a headline on a story in the property section of The Irish Times some weeks ago, it ran:

"Little Sisters of the Poor seeking €20m from nursing home sale”

No one expects any charitable organisation to sell property below the market value.

Still, the headline must set the reader thinking. There is a real sense of oxymoron about it. There’s a funny side to it but there is also a deadly serious aspect to it.

Money is always a delicate subject and it is an extremely delicate topic for the church, all churches.

On the one hand the church is on the side of the poor, it says so and it is. On the other hand its portfolio is gigantic; it employs the top bankers, top legal teams, top architects, top fund managers. But it never seems to engage decent PR companies, which is a real mystery.

The Catholic Church, all the churches, have done extraordinary work for the poor, the sick, the old, the homeless. It has played a positive role in the education of generations of Irish people.

So often the churches simply mirror what’s going on in society.

All part of the mystery of life? 

President Connolly got it wrong on German rearmament

This week’s column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

Watching the horror that Russia is inflicting on the people of Ukraine, I keep thinking of what President Catherine Connolly said during her electioneering for the top job. She said that Germany’s current military spending had ‘some parallels with the 1930s’. People say daft things during election time.

I criticised both my parents for being gullible people; they would believe what the last person said to them, at least that’s what I thought at the time. But these days I’m finding myself not just as gullible as they were but even more so. Honestly, when it comes to differing views and opinions I am so easily swayed.

I believe all forms of violence simply don’t work; the carrot is more effective than the stick. Young people who grow up in a caring and loving environment have a much better chance of being good people than those who see and experience bad behaviour on a daily basis. But it’s not always as straightforward as that.

It was the military might of the Soviet Union, US and UK that stopped Hitler’s Germany. Peace talks would never have worked with Hitler. 

After World War I Germany was humiliated, it became a land of hyperinflation and poverty, a breeding ground for Adolf Hitler. Had Germany received aid from the west Hitler could never have happened.

Ukraine is a sovereign independent State and has been since August 24, 1991. It has a long and difficult relationship with its neighbouring Russian Empire. 

Today it is an internationally recognised independent State and has all the rights to which a State is entitled. In breaking away from Russia it agreed to surrender its nuclear capability to its former masters.

In February 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine. It is estimated that well over one million people have been killed. Russian is spoken in parts of eastern Ukraine; many people in these areas feel Russian.  Putin used that as one of his excuses for this war, but that’s the trick Hitler played annexing Danzig and the German speaking districts of Czechoslovakia.

It is upsetting to admit that the only language Putin understands is the clenched fist. The world has to stop the Russian aggressor. But how?

And that’s the only reason why Germany and other European countries are now in the process of rearming.

It’s a cruel world when an American president seems to favour tyrants and dictators rather than democratically elected leaders in open and fair elections.

It would be great if Russia would listen to diplomacy and peaceful words. But there is no chance of that happening. How would President Connolly stop the Russian Bear?

Putin has a history of being a bully and tyrant; he certainly does not know how to tell the truth, just look at the lies he told about the invasion of Ukraine, how he occupied Crimea in 2014. 

Have we forgotten the name Alexei Navalny and how Putin tortured him before he died in a gulag? The murders he has committed across Europe?

These days I hesitatingly believe that Putin has to be stopped, and if that means using force, so be it. 

Then again, have I been swayed by the opinions of western thinking? I don’t think so. Why have close to a million people left Russia since Russia invaded Ukraine? 

Two charming encounters with strangers at dawn

It was one of those days. I arrive too early at Broombridge for my train to Hansfield. It is all new territory for me, even railway runnings are an unknown. It's still dark. I see a man with a bicycle and ask him how long it would take to cycle from Broombridge to Hansfield. He advises I cycle along the Royal Canal, he thought most of it was cyclable. We chat for some time. He tells me he cycles two days a week from Broombridge to his job in Dún Laoghaire and does it in circa 50 minutes. We both agree our chat was most enjoyable; a lovely encounter between two strangers.

The time passes, 10 minutes later the train for Hansfield arrives. There’s no realtime notice board on the platform, so to be sure-to-be-sure I ask the driver if this is the train for Hansfield. He assures me it is. 

Eighteen minutes later as we approach Hansfield after the recorded destination announcement is made the drive adds that the train was stopping at Hansfield.

I get off with my fold up bicycle, go to the train cab and ask the loco driver if he made that announcement for me. yes, he had. 

We chat for a minute, he tells me he previously had been a bus driver with Dublin Bus but much prefers this job. And then just before we part he asks me my name and shouts his name. Off the train went. I might see him tomorrow.

What a lovely start to a new day.

The State must regulate cyclists employed to deliver food

Winter is here, it is far more

dangerous on our roads than in summer or spring. Cyclists, pedestrians, drivers need to be super alert, especially in the dark.

The behaviour of the delivery cyclists is now out of control. Among the culprits are Deliver, Eats, Uber, and others.

It is now commonplace that these food cyclists pay no attention to traffic signals, many have no front or rear lights, few, if any wear hi-vis jackets. And most of those with electric bicycles doctor them so that they can travel faster than 25km/h.

These cyclists are considered to be sole traders, we are told they work for themselves. The companies, whose names are written on their bags and backs take no responsibility for their behaviour. This is outrageous and the State is duty-bound to stop this nonsense. These cyclists are under unacceptable pressure to deliver as many meals as possible in as short a time as possible so that they can eke out a living. 

The companies for whom they work should be held responsible. Why is it that the little person is always treated so badly and then punished when something happens.

There is going to be a serious accident involving these food deliverers. Why can’t or won’t the State make these companies responsible and answerable for the behaviour of the cyclists and scooters?

The State is obliged to ask now, and not tomorrow.

Oscar Wilde’ musings on men and their masks

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth”. 

- Oscar Wilde

What would he have said about sailors, soldiers, police in uniforms; priests in black and in habits, sisters and nuns in habits?

Not everything Wilde said was correct; no one has all wisdom.

Dates in Russian history worth mentioning

On this day, November 22, 1942, General Friedrich Paulus telegrammed Adolf Hitler explaining to him the German Sixth Army was surrounded by the Red Army. 

Hitler refused to take Paulus’ advice and ordered him to fight on.

It was the first significant defeat for the Germans in the war and the defeat in February in Stalingrad was the beginning of the end for Germany.

But for Stalingrad what might have happened?

Irish history school books gave little or no mention of   the significance of what happened on the River Volga; we were told the US and UK won the war. Not so.

And then following the collapse of the Soviet Union the West refused to give Gorbachev the funding he requested.

Had the West helped the newly formed Russian Federation would it have been possible for Putin ever to have become President of Russia?

Two signs that tell many stories

A reader came across these two signs within

Heuston Station, Dublin

the last 24 hours.

The top picture is at the Luas rail/pedestrian/cycle bridge at Dublin’s Heuston Station. It’s difficult to know what it means. The idea of a directional sign is to help the traveller get to a place. Maybe the sign is for tram drivers, but most unlikely.

Heuston Station is called after John Heuston who was excecuted by the British for his role in the 1916 Rising; John had worked with the rail company. His brother Michael Heuston was a Dominican priest. He was a wise, kind and gentle person, eccentric too, but a great character, someone never to be forgotten. I said to him once that he was ahead of his time. He looked at me and quipped: “No, the church is behind the times’. What at all would Fr Michael Heuston say about the sign? He had much to say about his brother’s bust in the main concourse at Heuston Station.

The second picture is on a farmyard gate in West Kerry.

It says it on the tin

And it’s saying exactly what it means. Clear and precise. It leaves the reader in no doubt about what to do.

The top sign was probably designed by an expensive agency and cost the taxpayer a few bob.

No comment on expense of lower sign.

Good to be able to laugh.

Over one million homeless people living in Germany

Figures issued on Monday show there are 1,029,000 homeless people living in Germany. That works out at one in every 80 people have not a roof over their heads

The F-word seems to be part of every sentence these days

This week’s column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

The CEO of the Dublin Airport Authority (Daa), Kenny Jacobs has been in the news. He’s a person who easily attracts attention. Before moving to the Daa he worked as chief marketing officer with Ryanair. He always catches my attention when he’s on radio or television. 

For the last few months there has been talk of his leaving the job and being offered a mega settlement deal. The original contract was for seven years. But as I write this column there are moves afoot to keep him on board.

There have been allegations made about his style of management. The Sunday  Independent has reported that a complaint was made against him. 

Rumour has it that Mr Jacobs has the tendency to use ‘flowery language’ in the workplace.

I have no idea if that be true, all I know about the man is what I read and see in the media. I have to say anytime I see him on television or hear him on radio I am drawn into what he has to say. There is fire in his belly. As someone who tries to say a few wise words at Mass I’m always interested in those who can catch our attention and how they do it.

I’ve no doubt the style of people such as Jacobs and Ryanair boss, Michael O’Leary can annoy people, nevertheless, I bet they are few and far between who don’t listen to what they have to say.

It set me thinking about how we use vulgar or ‘bad language’. Up to recently the F-word seldom if ever appeared in print or broadcast but I think I’ve seen it in one or two tabloid newspapers in the last 12 months, and I’ve certainly heard it on radio and television. Maybe some people can use bad language and get away with it. It seems to work sometimes for comedians. Are there times there is no other word to use?

When I heard Ivan Yeates advising Fine Gael to ‘smear the bejasus’ out of Catherine Connolly I was annoyed. Honestly I considered it disgusting, cheap and low. On hearing it I immediately said to myself: ‘how dare he speak like that, who does he think he is’. It all sounded unprofessional.

If I heard my boss use bad language on a regular basis should I tell her/him to stop? I hope I would have courage to do so? What would happen if I were working for a company or organisation and went public on the general use of bad language? Is it really that big an issue? It seems managers and bosses can get away with using vulgar words but what happens if I tell my boss to F-off. Maybe that tells us something.

Only yesterday talking to a stranger about the weather for a few minutes, he used the F-word twice. 

This week I saw the letters WTF on an advertisement on the side of a bus. Most people know for what that stands. Because the F-word is now used so often has it lost all meaning and sense? 

I find it hilarious when a stranger says the word to me and suddenly says: ‘Oh, sorry Father for the bad language’.

A funny old world indeed.

Pope Leo signals his intererst in caring for the poor

Pope Leo has opened an outpatient centre for homeless people at St Peter’s.

Below is the link for Vatican News

https://share.google/t0rJQ8mn1JD84FjmY

Pope Leo sent a video message to the bishops and cardinals of the Global South participating in COP30 in Brazil, urging cooperation and stressing that it is not too late if we choose deeds over words. 

 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-11/pope-leo-xiv-videomessage-cop30-amazon-global-south-bishops.html

Could Artificial Intelligence have a goal to destroy us?

Nobel prize winner Geoffrey Hinton

Geoffrey Hinton

spoke with Brendan O’Connor yesterday. It was riveting radio. Hinton won the Nobel Prize for his work on machine learning, which were the foundations for modern Artifical Intelligence today. 

He left Google so that he could talk about his safety concerns surrounding AI.

He explains here to Brendan why he thinks AI is now at a stage where it can think and understand.

For anyone, who is involved in attempting to talk about the Word of God this interview is intriguing.

The Catholic Church, maybe the world, should feel somewhat relieved that Pope Leo is literate in mathematics; he studied the subject at university.

If you did not hear the interview yesterday, the link is below; it is sensational, but scary too.

 https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22559818/

Is Miriam Lord talking about buses or kisses?

Miriam Lord’s musings in The Irish Times this weekend bring a smile to the reader. She had plenty of material about which she could write.

This paragraph appears in the context of the presidential inauguration: “We were put on the busses at half ten in the morning and didn’t get out of the place until after half two. If you weren’t one of the first out of the hall after the ceremony you were lucky to get half a sandwich. It wasn’t much better in the evening when we came back, although there was more wine. Some people were half-p***ed in no time because they had nothing to eat,” said our Dáil confidante."

Is the plural of bus not buses? It’s worth noting it’s a quote but it’s doubtful the speaker spelt out the word.

Google dictionary has this to say: Busses This spelling is less common and some style guides may not accept it as the plural of "bus". It is, however, the plural of "buss" (an old-fashioned term for a kiss). 

Irish Rail has much done but so much more to do

Shame on Irish Rail.

Yesterday morning was wet and

Irish Rail station at Broombridge

windy across Ireland, especially so in the east of the country. And the Irish Rail station at Broombridge was certainly no place to be. Two tiny pseudo shelters on each of the two platforms with at least one of them complete with large puddles of water.

No noticeboards informing passegerns of train arrivals and departures.

And further up the line at the modern Hansfield station signage is poor. There are directions to platforms one and two but no mention of what trains arrive and depart from each platform.

Where exactly does Sinn Féin stand in the political sphere?

Most of the commentariat, indeed, most people consider Sinn Féin to be a left wing party. Is it?

There is so much about the party that forces one not to consider it left wing. It’s more likely a nationalist party. Is it a national socialist party? Is it a populist party?

 

Aer Lingus pilots vote no confidence in airline executives

An interesting story. In spite of all our sophistication, rules, maturity, process, so much comes down to what we think of the other person or group. And we keep trying to fool ourselves that we are above such behaviour. At the end of the day we are primal. It was the US politician Tip O’Neill, who said all politics is local; might not all our fine ideas and holy words be personal; just a thought.

Barry O’Halloran writes:

Aer Lingus pilots voted no confidence in the airline’s chief executive Lynne Embleton and chief operations officer Adrian Dunne

yesterday in a row they say has safety implications.

Their union, the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), sought talks with Ms Embleton yesterday ahead of an extraordinary general meeting to discuss “interference from senior non-flying management” in the operation of aircraft while in flight. At the meeting, Ialpa members unanimously backed a motion stating that Aer Lingus pilots in their capacity as “frontline guardians of aviation safety for all and in their promotion of safety first at all times” had no confidence in Ms Embleton or Mr Dunne.

Pilots said afterwards that huge numbers attended the meeting in north Co Dublin. The dispute between the airline and its pilots blew up after Aer Lingus last week suspended a captain at its Manchester base, where cabin crew have been striking for higher pay.

The company maintains the incident is the subject of both an investigation and fact-finding exercise.

The captain flew an Aer Lingus aircraft from Barbados to Manchester early last week. There were no passengers on board except cabin crew who were not on flying duty, known as a “positioning crew”.

The captain told the crew to sit in economy class after take off. Its manager complained directly to Aer Lingus in Dublin.

Mr Dunne contacted the aircraft mid-flight to say that the positioning crew could sit in business class.

The captain did not comply with this. He made a safety report after landing following which management told him late last week he was suspended. Ialpa maintains that Mr Dunne had no authority to instruct the captain on where the positioning crew should sit as this had implications for the aircraft’s balance and therefore its safety.

Under aviation safety rules, the flight commander is the sole person responsible for the safety of the aircraft and everyone on board. Rules also state that positioning crews should remain in the seat assigned to them and should not move between classes.

Aer Lingus said the motions passed by Ialpa members had “no effect” while branding them “inappropriate”.

“There are two separate ongoing processes underway, a safety investigation following receipt of a safety report and a fact-finding process following concerns raised by an employee,” a statement from the airline said. “Both of these processes are being run in accordance with the procedures applicable to them and it is important that the confidentiality and integrity of the processes are not subject to any outside interference.”

The positioning crew did not take part in the cabin crew strike at the Aer Lingus Manchester base from October 30th to November 2nd as they were not members of Unite, the trade union involved.

Ialpa figures dismissed any suggestion that their members brought industrial relations issues on board the flight. Airline sources say positioning crews “normally” sit in business class.

It’s life-giving and wise to listen to the other person

This week’s column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

On Saturday, November 1, All Saints Day in the Christian tradition, I had an hour to spare in the Capel Street area of Dublin 1.

Strolling down the street, it was clear to see the world and its mother was on display. Every second person seemed to speak a different language; all types, sizes and styles, were on display, the young, not too many old, some decrepit, one or two people begging. Capel Street’s pedestrian way allows for all sorts of human extravagance.

I was tired and hungry so I popped into a betting shop. Today’s betting shops are great places to take a break as they are kitted out with comfortable armchairs. 

The betting shop on Capel Street is large, much bigger than it looks from the outside; I must have counted 40 screens; there were at least 30 customers placing bets, all men, not a woman in sight. It looked as if I were the only freeloader present.

On exiting the shop after a 10-minute rest I saw a man studying the form sheet while at the same time eating chicken with his hands.

I headed to the Lidl store on Moore Street and was it busy. An assistant told me it is their second busiest shop in Ireland. 

There was a long queue at the Return machine; I asked the young woman beside me where she was from, she told me Brazil. She had a black sack of empty cans and bottles to dispose. The bag was as tall as she.

On Henry Street people were handing out leaflets titled ‘Is there Hope for the Future’, obviously some religious organisation.

I began to think about where the Catholic Church is in Ireland today. When  I was a little boy and then later as a youth growing into manhood in Ireland the Catholic Church ruled supreme. The churches were full on Sunday, but I can clearly remember my mother saying that when the church would fade, it would collapse over night. What wise words.

The Dominican Order, of which I am member, was founded by St Dominic over 800 years ago. His idea was to gather a group of men and women together, who would try to live and talk about the Gospel in a manner, which would be understood by the people; even the clothes he wore were to fit in with the dress of the time, leaning more towards how the poor dressed.

When I read most of the Catholic Church material on social media I feel it is directed to a small group of ‘dedicated’ people but it is saying nothing, nothing at all to the vast majority of the people I saw on Capel Street, Henry Street and in the betting shop on All Saints Day. Why? Because, in my opinion, many 'church people' are not listening.

Right through the New Testament Jesus enthuses the people, they want to listen to his wise and sensible words. His words resonated especially with the marginalised and forgotten. He placed great importance in listening to those with whom he lived and spoke.

My cent’s-worth after a 60-minute stroll in Dublin 1 on the feast of All Saints.

Remembering a momentous day in the Church of England

On this day, November 11 the General Synod of the Church of England voted to allow women to be ordained priests.

We can always find the light if we look for it

 “The Church is both divine (Jesus) and human (people). It is a blend of light (Jesus) and darkness (people). It radiates enough light for those who want to see and enough darkness for those who don’t.

- Mark Link SJ (1924 - 2017)

The quotation is to be found in Joe Egan’s book: 'Church, Sacrament of the World', published by Peter Lang 2025

Unless against rules of gravity never accept no for answer

On this day in 1989 the Berlin Wall came tumbling down.

The Germans made sure not to make this date the day to celebrate German unification. Why? Because on November 9, 1938 the Nazis waged a pogrom against Jewish buildings across Germany. It's called Kristallnacht because of the shards of glass caused by the behaviour of the Nazis and their followers.

Below is the text of the famous document that was read at the press conference. It led to the people in their thousands rushing to the Wall. 

The moral of the story; never let anyone tell you it can’t be done, that is, unless it is against the law of gravity, otherwise it’s bunkum.

Text of the regulation
Original German[24]	English translation[25]
Zur Veränderung der Situation der ständigen Ausreise von DDR-Bürgern nach der BRD über die CSSR wird festgelegt: 1) Die Verordnung vom 30. November 1988 über Reisen von Bürgern der DDR in das Ausland (GBl. I Nr. 25 S. 271) findet bis zur Inkraftsetzung des neuen Reisegesetzes keine Anwendung mehr. 2) Ab sofort treten folgende zeitweilige Übergangsregelungen für Reisen und ständige Ausreisen aus der DDR in das Ausland in Kraft: a. Privatreisen nach dem Ausland können ohne Vorliegen von Voraussetzungen (Reiseanlässe und Verwandtschaftsverhältnisse) beantragt werden. Die Genehmigungen werden kurzfristig erteilt. Versagungsgründe werden nur in besonderen Ausnahmefällen angewandt. b. Die zuständigen Abteilungen Paß- und Meldewesen der VPKÄ in der DDR sind angewiesen, Visa zur ständigen Ausreise unverzüglich zu erteilen, ohne daß dafür noch geltende Voraussetzungen für eine ständige Ausreise vorliegen müssen. Die Antragstellung auf ständige Ausreise ist wie bisher auch bei den Abteilungen Innere Angelegenheiten möglich. c. Ständige Ausreisen können über alle Grenzübergangsstellen der DDR zur BRD bzw. zu Berlin (West) erfolgen. d. Damit entfällt die vorübergehend ermöglichte Erteilung von entsprechenden Genehmigungen in Auslandsvertretungen der DDR bzw. die ständige Ausreise mit dem Personalausweis der DDR über Drittstaaten. 3) Über die zeitweiligen Übergangsregelungen ist die beigefügte Pressemitteilung am 10. November 1989 zu veröffentlichen.	To change the situation with regard to the permanent exit of East German citizens to West Germany via Czechoslovakia, it has been determined that: 1. The decree from 30 November 1988 about travel abroad of East German citizens will no longer be applied until the new travel law comes into force. 2. Starting immediately, the following temporary transition regulations for travel abroad and permanent exits from East Germany are in effect: a) Applications by private individuals for travel abroad can now be made without the previously existing requirements (of demonstrating a need to travel or proving familial relationships). The travel authorizations will be issued within a short period of time. Grounds for denial will only be applied in particularly exceptional cases. b) The responsible departments of passport and registration control in the People's Police district offices in East Germany are instructed to issue visas for permanent exit without delays and presentation of the existing requirements for permanent exit. It is still possible to apply for permanent exit in the departments for internal affairs [of the local district or city councils]. c) Permanent exits are possible via all East German border crossings to West Germany and (West) Berlin. d) The temporary practice of issuing (travel) authorizations through East German consulates and permanent exit with only an East German personal identity card via third countries ceases. 3. The attached press release explaining the temporary transition regulation will be issued on 10 November.

Man steals a Bus Éireann bus to get from Donegal to Dublin

One can never condone wrongdoing, but surely there is a funny side to the story below. As someone who has an interest in public transport I have to admit I laughed out loud on reading this report in The Irish Times yesterday.

Dublin Bus, part of the CIÉ  Group, as is Bus Éireann, has an onboard mechanism that allows control to keep an up-to-the-minute record of where the bus is. And this man was able to drive a Bus Éireann bus from Donegal to Dublin. On arrival in Dublin he had the decency to leave it at the side of the road with the key in the ignition; it’s hilarious.

And a wise judge not to commit him to prisons that are already overcrowded.

A young man stole a Bus Éireann vehicle in Co Donegal and drove it to Dublin after being told another bus was full.

Derek Dunne appeared before Letterkenny Circuit Court where he entered a plea of guilty and was given an 18-month suspended sentence.

Dunne, of Markievicz House, Dublin, is charged with unlawfully taking the bus at Bus Éireann Bus Station on Ramelton Road, Letterkenny on July 10th, 2023.

The 24-year-old appeared before Judge John Aylmer for sentencing after the incident during which he drove the €390,000 bus from Letterkenny along the M1 motorway before abandoning it in Sheriff Street in Dublin’s north inner city.

The court was told that the bus was not damaged and still had the key in the ignition.

Garda Pearse Glynn, led by State barrister Fiona Crawford, outlined the incident to the court. He said gardaí received a call from Bus Éireann on the morning of July 10th, 2023, to say one of their buses was missing from the Letterkenny depot and later learned that a bus had been found abandoned in Sheriff Street in Dublin.

Dunne was identified and he was arrested and interviewed on September 12th. He made full admissions.

CCTV footage showed a male in a green hoodie arriving in Letterkenny at 10.35pm and was seen waiting until 11.06pm until the bus driver had left. At 11.52pm, he entered a number of parked buses before stealing one.

Before mitigation, the judge said the offence merited a sentence of two years but he reduced it as the accused had only one previous conviction for speeding, was co-operative with gardaí and had entered an early guilty plea.