Prevost and Burnham might point us in a new direction

This week's column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

Last week Aer Lingus announced they were shedding 500 of their 6,500 workforce. That figure includes 140 cabin crew, 70 pilots and 290 office staff.

That has to be serious trouble for those 500 people and their families. Yes, many of them are on decent salaries, some on good ones, still it is going to affect their lives and have a knock-on effect on their families and those around them.

This is the busiest time of the year for Aer Lingus. Anyone I ask who has been on an Aer Lingus plane lately tells me it’s been full.

Last year Aer Lingus made €282 million profit and its holding company, International Aviation Group (IAG) made a handy profit of €5 billion. Lynne Embleton, CEO of Aer Lingus earned  a bonus between €269k and €300k; her exact salary is undisclosed. Her boss, Luis Gallego, CEO of IAG, earned a total of €6.4 million in 2024.

Some weeks ago I wrote in this column about the €50 million waste at Irish Rail. While checking out the salaries of the flying bosses I decided to check out how much the rail bosses earn. 

Irish Rail boss, Mary Considine earns €300k a year, Anne Shaw, CEO of the National Transport Authority had a base salary of €237,880 last year while CIE’s boss, Stephen Kent earned a gross salary of €225k. 

Does anyone know exactly what CIÉ does today? I’m still confused what roles National Transport Authority (NTA), Irish Rail, Transport for Ireland (TFI), Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Córas Impair Éireann (CIE) exactly play in the world of Irish transport.

Luis Gallego the boss of Indra, the company Irish Rail ‘blames’ for the €50 million loss, earned €6.4 million in 2024.

One more figure; the CEO of Flutter, Peter Jackson’s compensation package was worth €16.9 million last year. Next time you are placing a bet with Flutter companies, Paddy Power or Betfair be assured you are supporting the lifestyle of Mr Jackson.

There are many figures there to digest, and hefty sums too.

Pope Leo in his encyclical, Human Magnificence, keeps stressing the importance and primacy of the individual person and how it’s the responsibility of the State to take good care of the individual. He also speaks of the importance of all organisations to be at the service of the person. He casts a cold eye over the mega rich and how their wealth and power have a disproportionate influence on the State.

The new British prime minister Andy Burnham in his first address as leader of the Labour Party reminded MPs where the roots of the British Labour Party lie; to be on the side of the poor and marginalised, to help the working class. 

Might it happen that both Provest, aka Pope Leo, and Burnham will try changing the way the world is currently heading. Both of them might take seriously what their founders wanted for the people of the world.

Think of it, a world population of eight billion with one billion without enough to eat.

Ten per cent of the world’s population earn less than €2.6 a day, while Elon Musk is worth approximately €787 billion plus.

The current system ain’t working. 

Dialogue involves being with people in their everyday lives

Swiss theologian Karl Barth advised theologians to "take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both"

The sale of hard copy newspapers is in decline. Many will say they read the news 0n their phones.

No doubt there are those who pay for the paper but it's likely most readers don't cross the firewall when reading;  it means they only read tidbits. Most of the material on our machines arrives per algorithms.

Might it be accurate to say that many priests no longer read daily newspapers? 

Are priests concentrating their words on those who are already people of faith? What have they to say to those who have been alienated from organised religion, those who are simply not interested in anything to do with God?

Much church material on social media makes little or no sense to those who have no interest in church matters.

Spending scarce resources on slick social media is wasteful; it doesn't work. And the fear is it might well attract people with far right views.

Britain's new prime minister Andy Burnham spoke yesterday outside Downing Street without a note; he spoke words of hope. Whether or not he realises what he said, his words were inspirational. He spoke with urgency and honesty, but also knowing there was a mountain to climb.

When last were you genuinely inspired by the spoken or written words of someone talking about Godly mattes?

Andy Burnham is the first British prime minister to be  a Roman Catholic. There is disagreement/confusion if Boris Johnson was Catholic on entering Downing Street. Tony Blair became a Catholic after his years as PM.

British journalist Edward Stourton died on Friday. He spent his life working as a journalist. He once famously said that part of the reason why he was a journalist was that he loved observing the madness of humanity.

Those who listen to BBC Radio 4 will be familiar with the great man. His Catholic faith played a major role in his life and work.

The ghost of Hitler dictatorship goes down the generations

The story of Otto John is worth a read; it tells something of the complexity of the human being.

Click on  Otto John.

On this day, July 20, 1955 as head of West Germany's secret service, he defected to the German Democratic Republic.

Whatever about moving West East how did he manage 14 months late to return to the Federal Republic? Who was this man?

It so happens he moved West East on the anniversary of Claus von Stauffenberg's attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1944.

Still today, Germany lives with the nightmare of the Hitler dictatorship.

Unfortunately and worryingly, there's an ever-growing interest in Hitler.

'Let them both grow till the harvest ' (Matthew 13: 30)

What would or could one take away from today's  Gospel (Matthew 13: 24 -43).

It would be interesting to know what Jesus would have to say about our school system in Ireland. What would he say to religious orders owning private schools, many of which cater for the children of the rich. Indeed, surely it's a system that helps keep society divided; it creates an 'an old boys' club.

On the other hand, if religious orders pulled out of education, large US corporations would fill the gap. That would be a nightmare, and make the divide even worse.

Just a thought on having read today's Gospel. 

Boss of Aer Lingus holding company, IAG over €6.4 billion

Aer Lingus announced on Thursday they were shedding 500 of their 6,500 workforce. That figure includes 140 cabin crew, 70 pilots and 290 office staff.

Last year Aer Lingus made €282 million profit and its holding company, International Aviation Group (IAG) made a handy profit of €5 billion. 

Lynne Embleton, CEO of Aer Lingus earned  a bonus between €269k and €300k last year; her exact salary is undisclosed. 

Her boss, Luis Gallego, CEO of IAG, earned a total of €6.4 million in 2024.

Argentina and the Falklands vesrus Spain and Gibraltar

There has been media coverage of the Argentinian team chanting about the Falklands, or the Maldivas, as the Argentinians prefer to call them.

A British government minister has complained to Fifa about the chanting and has made reference to Fifa rules prohibiting all political speak at the World Cup.

It is ironic that Spain will be playing Argentina on Sunday in the World Cup final.

There might well be a crisscrossing of chanting before and after the game; Spain looking for the return of Gibraltar and Argentina looking for the Falklands.

If anyone wants good fun on the Argentine controversy they should tune into right wing television station GBNews; it is hilarious on the subject.

Surely the Gibraltar Falklands land grabs could make it a field day for a clever comedian.

And then there's poor Thomas Tuchel, manager of the English team, who is now being demonised for England's defeat on Wednesday evening. It is now being questioned if he be a spy.

Is it just the British, or is it all of us, who behave like this? No doubt all of us, but the British have had a longer run of colonialism than most.

Remembering day Ukraine declared freedom from USSR

On this day, July 16, 1990 the parliament of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic declared sovereignty over the Ukrainian SSR.

It was the day that Kiev and Moscow separated; innocent days.

Had western governments come to assist Ukraine and the new Russian Federation might the world be a different place today?

 In a similar way one might ask had Weimar been given a chance, Hitler would never have been able to appear.

In modern parlance, especially an expression that is used in prison: it is as it is.

Why take taxi when other ways of transport can be great fun

This week's column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

It’s against my religion to take a taxi. I don’t consider myself mean, I like to think I’m frugal.

When I say it’s against my religion it does not mean I never hail a taxi; and anyway, I’m not a stickler on religious rules and regulations.

I have a car, which I seldom drive; it means most of the time I either travel on public transport or on my rothar.

Last week I was  heading from Dublin City Centre to Heuston Station. In the distance I see an S2 bus pulling out from the stop. I run in front of the bus, the driver kindly stops for me. Jump on and thank him, he is a friendly man but no doubt he breaks the rules doing what he does. 

It’s an approximate 30-minute bus ride to Heuston Station. Fifteen minutes into the journey the bus goes off the route, turning left rather than going on straight. 

Clown that I am, think he may be a new driver and took a wrong turn. Nothing of the sort; I realise I’m not on the S2 but the 82. They look alike in the distance. 

Guess what, as soon as I tell him my story he pulls up and lets me off, not a bus stop in sight. I run back to the correct route, see an S2 coming, hail, and bus stops, again no stop in sight. My chaos is tiring but good fun, it suits me. Get to Heuston on time for train to Tralee.

Three days later there’s more drama; I arrive at Heuston at 11.04pm, missing the S2 by four minutes. 

Jump on a Luas hoping to catch up with the S2 I missed. The S2 takes a circuitous route that allows the Luas to arrive at St James Hospital much quicker than the S2. 

Get off the Luas at the hospital; as I’m running to the next bus stop the S2 I earlier missed passes. I put out my hand but to no avail. I can’t complain, though I think I did mutter something to myself, which was awful of me to do.

This is the time to take a taxi but I refuse to give in to the temptation. The next and last S2 arrives on time, 30 minutes later, relief. We’re off and just one more bus to take. But I miss that connection. 

It’s past midnight. I could wait another half hour for an all-night bus or could walk the four kilometres. 

Just as I think of hailing a taxi I see a young man exit a Garda station; cheekily I approach him and ask if there’s any chance he would give me a lift. He looks me up and down, quizzingly asks me where I am going, tells me to jump in, and quickly, as he is in a hurry. I jump in and end up only having to walk approximately one kilometre. 

Imagine had I taken a taxi from Heuston how boring it would all have been.

I’m wondering might the young man have been a detective.

Living on the edge has many disadvantages but it can at times be great fun, exhausting and troublesome too, even lonely. Can get me into trouble too. So what.

Thomas Merton's words help silence religious jargon

In the midst of so much religious jargon, these words from Thomas Merton are bound to ring loud with many.

"The more we struggle to be true, the more we discover our falsity.  

"Is it merciful of Your light to bring us, inexorably, to despair?  

"No – it is not to despair that You bring me but to humility.  For true humility is in a way, a very real despair: despair of myself, in order that I may hope entirely in You."

Thomas Merton (1915 - 1968) was an American Cistercian. His parents moved from France the year of his birth, where he was born. His mother died when he was six years old.

Dangerous cycle lanes not fit for purpose

It's easy to criticise, complain

Mini cycle lane near Dundrum.

and grumble. Much work has been done to facilitate cycling in Ireland, especially in the cities and towns. But there are far too many dangerous and senseless cycle paths with puzzling traffic signalling, cycle paths that suddenly end, and then there is this.

Note the width of the cycle path. It is absurd. I found myself cycling along here yesterday. It would be positively dangerous to attempt to cycle on this narrow space. And then note the width of the footpath. Who are the engineers who do this sort of thing? What money are they being paid? Further on, on that road, heading for Dundrum village another cycle path comes to an abrupt end.

On many cycle paths if the cyclist is not carful  it's quite possible they could be decapitated by overhanging branches.

Have you ever tried cycling along the north quays in Dublin City centre? At one stage, and it's only a guess, you have to cross to the other side if you want to keep cycling on a cycle lane.

Maybe a reader can explain the traffic signals controlling cyclists at the junction of O'Connell Bridge and Burgh Quay.

Was it not Fergal O'Connor who founded Ally?

In her current newsletter, Dún Laoghaire county councillor Anna Grainger writes that Ms Gemma Rowley founded Ally.

She writes: "Congratulations Mrs Gemma Rowley from Dundrum for her pioneering advocacy on behalf of unmarried mothers and their children at a time when significant stigma prevailed in Irish society. 

"In 1965 she founded Ally, an initiative that provided alternative community based support arrangements for pregnant women......"

Was it not Dominican priest Fergal O'Connor who founded Ally?

Doubtful Oscar Wilde would say the same again today

Would Oscar Wilde (1854 – 1900) still say this today? Doubtful.

Then again, Wilde could never have imagined what we would do to the environment; even he was not that wise and far-seeing.

What would he say today?

"Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative."

Is there really a shortage of Catholic priests in Ireland?

In recent days there have been reports across the print media of bishops pointing out that there is a shortage of priests in Ireland.

Conscious that everything we say and do is nuanced, this blog believes there is not a shortage of priests in Ireland.

Yes, there were far more priests in the country 10, 20, 30, 40,in saecula saeculorum. But what were they doing; tripping over one another?

The problem is not the paucity of priests but how the entire system is managed.

There is little or no joined-up thinking.

There is no open and honest dialogue between bishops and provincials; everyone has his own fiefdom.

Anytime meetings or assemblies are called people seldom if ever speak their minds.

And then the secrecy and gossip accentuates the confusion and sadness.

Of course there are pockets, where great things are happening but those men generally are flying close under the radar.

Far too many priests are afraid to speak their minds;  the clerical chatter is alive and well, indeed, might even now be in the ascendancy.

Fear and bullying play a role in the mess.

The words we use need to convey what they mean; there is no place for game playing. It's far too late for one more day of that nonsense.

One simple example; pick up a Sunday letter at the back of any church and look at the content and lay out. Anytime I go into a church I look at these Sunday letters and can't believe how poorly they are produced. And they could be so well done, a magnet for people to pick up and read.

 

More despicable words from President Donald Trump

At the Nato conference in Ankara the president of the United States used the word 'scum' when referring to Iran.

At that same meeting he brought up again the subject of Greenland becoming the property of the US.

To think that the president of the US would use such despicable language, without the world blinking an eye, says something about where we are right now.

The pot calling the kettle black.

To refer to Iran in such terms, one of the most civilised places on the planet, is simply pathetic; he must know zilch about Iran.

He, maybe more than anyone, has probably united the people of Iran. It's he who has made martyrs of its fallen leaders. Iran will never submit to the United States.

Trump's interference in the World Cup is the perfect example how the powerful sycophants  doff the hat at people in power.

It happens everywhere.

For Vladimir Trump he must certainly be the gift that keeps on giving.

Seeing red at the waste of €50 million at Irish Rail

This week's column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

Imagine if we were told that train drivers at Irish Rail were responsible for losing €50 million of the company’s funds? We would rightly be appalled.

Locomotive drivers and their unions would be pilloried. Can you visualise newspaper headlines, especially on the front pages of tabloids?

Over the last few weeks we have been drip fed another story of financial ineptitude at state owned organisations. This time it centres around the installation of a new signalling system, better said, it involves new software technology for the operation of a new modern signalling system. Signalling is at the heartbeat of a railway; modern technology allows trains to travel at speed, running within minutes of each other. 

The railway in Ireland was upgraded from the old mechanical semaphore system to electrical signalling in the 1970s and ’80s. It is called Central Traffic Control, known in railway jargon as CTC. 

Management at the National Transport Authority (NTA), in conjunction with their colleagues at Irish Rail employed Spanish company Indra to develop an updated version of CTC, which they call Transport 

Management System, or in shorthand TMS.

From a personal perspective I am of the opinion our media has let us down in explaining in detail, in a language understandable to the lay person what actually the situation is.

A lay person’s question: would it not have been possible to have tweaked the older CTC system to make it fit for purpose for our modern railway?

It now seems Irish Rail and the NTA are not happy with the work done by Indra and the general consensus is that €50 million has been wasted on the project. It also means that there will be significant delays in bringing the railway into the modern era.

Why has this happened? With any job I have ever undertaken I have kept an eye on what was being done, and if I did not have the expertise I’d call in an expert to audit the development.

Surely it was not overnight that Irish Rail and the NTA realised that their €50 million had been lost. 

Was management not keeping a close eye on works as the project was being developed? It sounds absurd that they suddenly realised that €50 million was down the drain.

And here’s where I ask; why were journalists not keeping an eye on the project and asking all the right questions. Isn’t that why we cherish democracy; it allows  our journalists to search and probe into what’s happening in our society.

If it works out as bad as it is looking right now, will there be anyone held to account for such a financial disaster? I doubt it.

We pay managers big money so that they will do good jobs. What happens when they fail; why should they not be held to account?

Irish Rail is down €50 million. Why, who caused this to happen?  

In this specific case I’ve been disappointed in the media coverage of how it has all gone so wrong, indeed, so wrong to the value of €50 million. Where has the media been on this story?

In the meantime, I’m still confused how the four entities NTA, TFI, CIÉ, and TII work together for the betterment and the streamlining of Irish transport. 

It's damnably hot, let's buy our Smart card first

The Irish Times journalist Keith Duggan reports on the Fourth of July celebrations in the US, including some of the antics that went on.

Below is an extract from the piece, which appeared in The Irish Times yesterday.

"An estimated 400 men, masked and carrying flags including those of the Confederacy, were filmed marching in formation on Saturday.

It was the words: playacting, costumes and smart cards that drew the attention of this blog.

"Patriot Front is not a banned organisation and in the eyes of many people there is an absurd and even pathetic element to the sight of grown men play-acting while in costume: the idea that yes, we’ll reclaim the nation but first, let’s buy our Smart card and ride the Metro because it’s damnably hot."

"Delusions are endless. I vow to cut them down."

"Delusions are endless. I vow to cut them down."

One of the four great vows recited daily in Zen Buddhism.

Jerry Brown, a two-time governor of California, was interviewed on BBC Radio 4 yesterday at 10.30. He quoted the above from Zen Buddhism when talking about the dangers of unbridled capitalism.

If you have the chance/possibility to listen to the interview please do. It's available on BBC Sounds but unfortunately that is no longer available in the Republic of Ireland.

Brown comes across as a remarkable man, a man of the Christian faith and educated by the Jesuits.

Excellent radio.

The apparral oft proclaim the person

 For many years young women and men, neatly dressed with American accents, badges in their lapels have gone from house-to-house talking about their religion; they are Mormons. You would spot them a mile away. They are polite, confident and seem sure of themselves. But why do they appear out of place, at least to the writer of this blog?

Is it fair to say it’s that same look or identity is portrayed today by many clerics, perfectly groomed.

Obesrving Jeffrey Donaldson wearing his Christian badge, surely many people would be inclined to ask why wear any insignia that sets a person apart?

In the world in which we live insignia, badges, flags have a place, but common sense, culural norms surely give us hints as how not to appear patronising, how not scream I am special.

Remember the Nazis, their flags and badges?

The mission statement of the Gospel stresses, we are all special

Two men with a real concern for the underprivileged

 “It’s the undeserving poor for whom society needs to care.”

Words spoken by the late High Court judge Sean O’Leary (1941 - 2006)

Sean’s brother, Paul (1938 - 2005) was a Dominican priest and he too was a wise and caring man. He was an author and taught theology, a man of compassion and kindness.

Both Sean and Paul died young; Sean a loss to the Irish legal world and Paul a loss to the Dominican Order.

The O’Learys came from Cork.

Rugby, Gaelic, soccer, golf and more sport

An extract from Justine McCarthy’s column in The Irish Times yesterday.

The old joke goes that soccer is a gentleman’s game played by hooligans, rugby is a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen and Gaelic is a hooligan’s game played by hooligans. Add to that: golf is a rich sport with poor principles.

Cycling?

Maybe we are being saturated by sport, good or not-so-good?

The World Cup turns up all sorts of crazy ideas, great fun

When England won the World Cup in 1966 it was said that it gave a great fillip to Harold Wilson and his Labour government, which had won a landslide election in March that year.

Germany’s exit from the World Cup this year is in many ways a mirror of what is happening in Germany at present.

Volkswagen, Europe’s largest car manufacturer  plans to cut up to 100,000 jobs and end production at four plants in Germany.

But if England wins the World Cup later this month, at least they can thank their German manager, Thomas Tuchel.

Might it have been the new Labour government that inspired the team to go for the win in 1966?

In the 1974 World Cup, held in Germany, had the East German team not beaten West Germany, might West Germany not have won the final?

If all the ifs and buts made pots and pans, there’d be no need for tinkers.

What if a rail driver had stolen €50 million from Irish Rail

 “Irish train driver steals €50 million from Irish Rail”.

Imagine if that were the main story across all media platforms today? The country would be up in arms, and rightly so.

It is not the headline, no train driver has stolen €50 million from Irish Rail.

What has happened is that Irish Rail/NTA have spent €50 million for nothing. They employed Spanish company Indra to upgrade the signalling system across the rail network. Irish Rail/NTA are not satisfied with work to date at a loss of €50 million of tax payers’ money.

Who has been managing this work? Was there a weekly/monthly monitoring of what was being done? And if so to whom were the managers responsible?

If a train driver had stolen the money he would be jailed. Who will be answerable for this loss of money?

Does management ever take the blame for their wrong doing, inefficiency and simple sloppiness? Seldom, far too seldom.

No media outlet has explained why there was need to replace the current Central traffic Control (CTC) and replace it with the Indra  Traffic Management System (TMS).

No doubt the managers either stay or move on to other jobs, all the time remaining in their fine homes and driving their fine cars. And no one says boo to them.

But that’s the way the world works; it never changes and right across all systems, groups, organisations and churches down the history of humankind. 

‘Nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so’

This week’s column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane 

A large crowd got off the train in Killarney. I was in the front of the train, it meant I could see all the passengers heading for the exit. Observing the milling passengers on Killarney platform I asked myself how does the word hold together with all the different shapes and sizes.

The previous day a BBC reporter conducted a vox pop in Norwich, asking people what they thought of newly elected MP for Makerfield, Andy Burnham, who is odds-on favourite to be next UK prime minister. Some thought he was great, some had no time for him. How had they come to their decisions.

How do we form our opinions? 

On Friday I had a discussion with a young man; there was no way I was going to change his mind on the topic. His certainty shocked me; I felt he was sticking to his view more on a hunch than on basing it on sound reasoning. He would not accept recognised statistics.

I was back thinking of the people at Killarney platform, wondering how they inform themselves.

Is the world of constant information saturating our minds? Those who cycle know what it means to be saturated.

Does an objective law, the idea that something is either right or wrong, no longer hold? Then again Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) raises the issue in Hamlet when the prince says: ‘There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so’.

There is a tendency to move away from binary thinking. I had first-hand experience of that when reading a Department of Education form for new teachers. The appointee is required to tick one of 11 boxes. It was a totally different world when I began teaching in the 1980s.

This is the question as it is presented on the appointment form:

‘Definition of Civil Status (As recognised under Irish national law):

Options that describe a person’s relationship in law with another, please tick:

☐ Single/☐ Married/☐ Civil Partner/☐Divorced/☐ Co-habitant/☐ Judicially Separated/

☐ Separated/☐ Former Civil Partner/☐ Widowed

☐ Surviving Civil Partner/☐ Unknown. And then at the end it asks: ‘If Civil Status is not known ‘Unknown’ is selected until status is determined.’’

It is one example of how the world is changing. There are people who think those questions are relevant and there are those who will think they are ridiculous, another sign of the nonsense that is going on. They will say it’s the world of woke.

Maybe the best teacher/lecturer I have ever had would regularly say: ‘I know nothing’. When it comes to reality what actually do we know?

All those people at Killarney platform are a microcosm of the world, in other words a conglomeration of everything; one might even call it one big mess. Some might call it one big happy family.

Or is it that we always see the world from the vantage point from where we are at that moment? A young person walking in a park with a small happy child is going to see the world differently than an old feeble person sitting exhausted in a park bench? 

Cycling in that park last week, observing those two people, such a thought struck me; as did observing those at Killarney station.