What do we know about our Christian faith?

This week’s Mediahuis/INM Irish regional newspapers’ column.

Michael Commane

On the June Bank Holiday Monday there was an item on the Marty Morrissey Show on RTÉ Radio 1 about the latest census figures on the fall off of religious practice. It set me thinking.

Is there ever a serious debate about the core issues of Christianity?

Over the last few weeks Christians have celebrated some of the most important aspects of their faith. Nine weeks ago we celebrated Easter, the Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which paves the way for personal resurrection.

Two Sundays ago Christians celebrated the feast of the Trinity, the idea that there are three persons in one God. It is a sublime idea, in so many ways beyond our understanding.

 

The Christian churches are not the best communicators. I’m shocked with the cliches and pious platitudes I read in parish newsletters.

The Trinity is such a dynamic reality. Three persons are so perfect in every way, their love for one another is so great that they are one. God the Father, the transcendent God ‘away beyond us’, the historical figure Jesus, God, who lived in time, and the Hoy Spirit, the God who is in the world today.

The Trinity is all about relationship. We are social animals. Every single one of us is in some way or other in a number of relationships with other people. Relationships can be good and healthy but they can also be crippling. Good and wholesome relationships are a tiny but significant pointer to us of what the Trinity is about. When we are in life-giving relationships we are, in our way, mirroring the presence of God in the world.

Last Sunday’s feast was that Catholic feast of Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ. The Eucharist has so many aspects to it but central to it is the idea of communion. We are a people in communion with each other, with God at the centre.

The world is in great need for understanding and solidarity among peoples. And that’s exactly what the Eucharist is about, people living in harmony and respect with each other. That’s what the word Communion means. Christians believe Communion is fellowship, with God at the centre.

I believe we have over used far too many non-understandable words and rituals when it comes to trying to give flesh to our Christian  faith?

How come we never seem to have any real debate or indeed dispute about the central issues of faith; Incarnation, Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost, the Trinity, the Eucharist?  Somewhere at the back of my head I keep thinking we have cliched our faith out of existence. 

People have walked away because they are bored out of their minds by the use of words, a language that has no meaning whatsoever. I’m forever wondering what actually do we know about the Christian faith.

Have we walked away from the Christian faith without ever really getting a proper handle on it?

I heard someone say that we went to Mass, not knowing why and stopped going, not knowing why.

The unity and resilience of the children of the jungle

The story of the Colombian children who survived 40 days in the jungle. How did the four children survive? It tells us something about the power of the indigenous people.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/11/colombian-plane-crash-mother-told-children-to-leave-her-so-they-could-survive?CMP=share_btn_link

Henry Marsh talks about his extraordinary life and work

Henry Marsh, born 1950, is a retired neurosurgeon. Among his books are Do no Harm and And Finally, which are page turners.

The link is an interview Marsh gave to Martin Latham.

https://www.youtube.com/live/6yqJrvLvNXA?feature=share

Donald Trump and Boris Johnson chased by ‘witch-hunters'

All in one day.

Former US president Donald Trump indicted by a federal court for keeping boxes with nuclear programme documents and foreign weapons details. .Trump proclaims there is a witch hunt against him

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson resigns his parliamentary seat and accuses his party of a witch hunt.

What must Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin be thinking of western democracy?

The savagery and brutality of the war in Ukraine

Early morning radio news gives us the latest updates on the war in Ukraine.

The bursting of the dam on the river Dnipro is a catastrophic disaster for thousands of people.

Much of the territory of the flooded areas are now occupied by Russia and indeed, Russia considers the territory part of Russia.

History tells us that Russia will not stop, the Russian Army will continue to bombard Ukraine. Look what they did in Chechnya.

On a recent BBC interview the Russian ambassador to the UK, Andrey Kelin clearly stated that Russian resources are vast and that the country is 16 times bigger than Ukraine.

Where is this war heading?

How can Russia ever subjugate the people of Ukraine, indeed, how can they ever win over the minds and hearts of the people they claimed was the reason for the ‘Special Military Operation’?

How can this war be stopped?

Have we become complacent to the brutality and savagery that is taking place every day and every night in Ukraine?

And all the time the arms industry on both sides is at full production, turning in large dividends for its investors. 

John Hume and the principle of change by consent

Deaglán de Bréadún writes a weekly column in The Irish News. This is his column this week, which makes for an interesting read.

ALTHOUGH both of us wrote in the same newspaper for many years, I don't recall actually meeting Michael Viney who passed away last week.

He lived off the west coast in County Mayo, from where he contributed a highly-regarded column titled Another Life, whereas, apart from several years in Belfast and six months reporting from Moscow in the Boris Yeltsin era, I was mainly based in Dublin.

His column started publication when he moved from Dublin to his new abode, which was around the same time that I began working casual shifts at The Irish Times, leading eventually to a staff position.

Michael's column continued appearing until February of this year, but it was only when researching his obituary for the Sunday Independent that I became aware of other very significant work he did as a news reporter in the sixties and early seventies.

Mainly encouraged by legendary editor Douglas Gageby, he wrote series after series of articles on such issues as the decline in numbers of the Protestant community in the south, the state of the Irish language, the level of alcoholism in Ireland and the way in which young offenders were treated in industrial schools and reformatories.

In the spring of 1964 he spent two weeks on the other side of the border and met a range of people from both sides of the religious divide. The result was a six-part series entitled Journey North, published in May of that year and described as the personal view of  "an Englishman domiciled in Dublin, reared in a mildly Anglican environment, but now a Christian of no denomination".

Having stayed for a good many days in Belfast, where his wide range of experiences included a sermon by Reverend Ian Paisley at the Ravenhill Free Presbyterian Church, he made his way by train to Derry. Striking a lighter note on arrival, he asked if the two denominations had different appearances and was told that Protestants had "tight, closed faces" whereas Catholics had "big eyes".

Visiting a bar in Creggan, he met two Catholics who had joined the British Army, one of them wearing a blazer with the badge of the Royal Army Medical Corps – something that you wouldn't have seen in a social setting in that district in later times.

Describing a private viewing of a documentary called A City Solitary, which had been shown shortly beforehand on the BBC, he wrote that "watching with me is John Hume, the Catholic teacher who wrote the script". The publicity Viney gave the film led to its being shown also by RTÉ television in the south.

Looking back on his trip at the end of the series, Michael wrote: "This tour of the north was one of the most depressing experiences I have known."

He said the common people were "oppressed and exploited... on the one hand by a Unionist Party whose public attachment to power and privilege is often medieval in its cynicism; on the other by a corps of nationalists who, with a few exceptions, encourage slogans as a substitute for thought".

He said the real divisions were "economic and social, not religious" and rather naively predicted that both sides of the divide would combine to advance the interests of the working class.

Viney's coverage resulted in the 27-year-old Hume receiving a commission from The Irish Timesto write about the position of Catholics in the north and how it might be improved: his first high-profile appearance in southern media.

Hume wrote that the younger generation of Catholics were "principally geared towards the solution of social and economic problems" and he added: "This has led to a deep questioning of traditional nationalist attitudes."

Sharply critical of the Nationalist Party, he said: "In 40 years of opposition they have not produced one constructive contribution on either the social or economic plane to the development of Northern Ireland, which is, after all, a substantial part of the united Ireland for which they strive."

Hume continued that the "dangerous equation of nationalism and Catholicism has simply contributed to the postponement of the emergence of normal politics in the area and has made the task of the unionist ascendancy simpler".

He urged the Nationalist Party to take a flexible approach to the unity question: "If one wishes to create a united Ireland by constitutional means, then one must accept the constitutional position."

In his 1997 biography of the Derry politician, Paul Routledge writes: "Here, in the starkest possible way, Hume set out the principle of change by consent and evolution that was to become both his guiding philosophy and his political trademark for the next 30 years."

Interestingly, the Nationalist Party agreed to become the official opposition at Stormont in February 1965, less than a year after those articles appeared in print. Its leader, Eddie McAteeer, lost his seat to Hume in the Northern Ireland general election of February 1969.

Consent and evolution are of course hallmarks of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement under which a united Ireland can only be achieved by majority approval granted separately on both sides of the border.

Incidentally, I note from Barry White's 1984 biography that, in 1967, John Hume was offered a job in schools broadcasting in Belfast with the BBC but turned it down. The twists and turns of fate can indeed be very significant.

Mixed messages from TFI and NTA

It is difficult to distinguish the difference between Transport for Ireland and the National Transport Authority. What is the remit of each of the State agencies?

If one phones TFI it seems NTA answers the call.

Yesterday at midday a caller phoned the TFI. A prerecorded message told the caller that office hours were between 9am and 5pm. It was immediately followed with a message saying that the office 'was now closed’.

The two agencies are clouded in confusion.

People who use public transport deserve to be treated better

This week’s Mediahuis?INM Irish regional newspapers’ column.

Michael Commane

Our public transport is a mosaic of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Rural Ireland is not well served. But there have been seismic improvements in bus and rail infrastructure.

When I went working in The Kerryman in 1998 I think there were four trains a day between Tralee and Dublin, today there are seven. There are eight trains a day between Sligo and Dublin. Wexford still has a patchy service with just five trains a day to the capital. Journey times on all services need to be shortened. There are only two mainline routes that have double tracks, Dublin Cork and Dublin Belfast. 

The Dublin Cork train boasts the fastest maximum speed of 160 km/h or 100 mph.

Technology means that we can check departure, arrival times and timetables on our phones, tablets and computers. 

Irish Rail’s online booking system is excellent. Real time information on the Dart and Luas is a great help, as it is at Bus stops in our cities.

Some years ago Dublin Bus introduced a real time app. It meant passengers could check on their phone the time the bus would arrive at their stop. It also contained timetables. It was simple to use and most reliable. 

On Tuesday May 23 the Dublin Bus app was replaced by the new TFI Live app. The new app covers all public transport in the State, bus and rail. 

It is proving in its first early days a shambles. It is difficult to navigate and it’s not doing all it is advertised to do. There has been zilch explanation about the new app in the media.

I was unable to obtain timetable information from it so I phoned TFI. The person I spoke to stumbled and stuttered and on many occasions used the expression ‘sort of’. It was clear the person with whom I spoke simply knew little or nothing about the new app. 

I subsequently emailed the NTA. They promptly replied with a generic email apologising for the ‘intermittent teething issues’. They are not intermittent, they are constant. I received an email in response to my phone call, guaranteeing they will reply to my email within 15 working days.

You might be confused with TFI and NTA. TFI is Transport for Ireland and NTA is National Transport Authority. I have spent months trying to discover the difference between the two agencies. The app is called TFI Live but when you call them you get through to the NTA. This sentence appears on he TFI website: ‘If your comment relates to Transport for Ireland please email info@nationaltransport.ie'.

Has there been a publicity campaign to explain what the different agencies do? It’s one big mystery. The TFI Live app adds to the confusion. The new app is a metaphor for the mystery that surrounds the worlds of the TFI and the NTA. There is far too much confusion concerning these two public bodies.

People who use public transport, those who pay for it, that includes all tax payers, deserve to be treated better than this.

No water, no cash but more bicycles on our trains

Irish Rail is in the process of resuming the trolley service on its InterCity trains.

But the new service is cashless. What happens if a passenger orders a coffee and sandwich and then explains they have no cards, only cash?

Yesterday, a warm day across Ireland, the trolley service on the 16.25 Cork Dublin train had no water for passengers. The trolley attendant explained to passengers he had run out of bottled water.

For the moment Irish Rail has no plans to reopen its dining cars. 

The company is currently  testing refigured coaches, which can carry extra bicycles on its InterCity railcars.

Antony Blinken sets out why Putin must not win in Ukraine

United States secretary of state, Antony Blinken gave a talk in Helsinki. It sets out why the US is supporting Ukraine in the current war.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with US foreign policy, Blinken’s words in the Finish capital are well worth a hearing.

The talk could easily be missed and does not seem to have received the publicity it deserves.

https://youtu.be/JRCBNc8UBcA

Martin Scorsese speaking his mind

This makes for an interesting hour’s viewing.

Film director, producer, screenwriter and actor, Martin Scorsese in conversation with Antonio Spadano.

https://youtu.be/uLU59scjiq0

The day West Berlin students said down with the Shah

On this day, June 2, 1967 there were protests in West Berlin against the visit of the Shah of Iran. One of the demonstrators, Benno Ohnesorg was killed by the police.

Twelve years later the Shah was deposed by a revolution and the Ayatollah Khomeini became the new leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

During the Shah's time in power the British and US organised an army coup, which deposed the democratically elected prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, who had nationalised the British-owned oil industry. Mohammad Mosaddegh was a modern democrat, a good man. 

As a result of Benno Ohnesorg being killed in Berlin, Movement 2 was formed in West Berlin and from that a number of terrorist groups sprang up in West Berlin and West Germany.

Walking into a state of well-being and away from illness

An apt thought for a sunny June 1.

"Above all, do not lose desire to walk. Everyday, I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. 

"I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it. 

"But by sitting still, and the more one sits still, the closer one comes to feeling ill. Thus if one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right."

Søren Kierkegaard, a Danish theologian/philosopher, 1813 - 1855.

Census of Population 2022 - some preliminary results

Some figures from preliminary results of the census carried out in 2022.

Some interesting facts and figures. But it’s worth noting on the same day that these figures were released some of the wisest minds in the world in an open letter said that Artificial Intelligence could spell the world’s extinction.

First time the population exceeds five million in a census since 1851.

4,761,865 Population 2016
2,003,645 Housing 2016

5,123,536 Population 2022
2,124,590 Housing 2022

Natural increase  171,338
Net migration 190,333
Largest inward migration occurred in Dublin (+46,559)

Occupied homes 1,858,526
Vacancy rate 8%
Vacant homes 166,752

The tricks and lies of conspiracy theorists

This week’s Mediahuis/INM Irish regional newspapers’ column.

Michael Commane

I heard tech innovator and entrepreneur Mark Little talk about Artificial Intelligence on the Brendan O’Connor Show last Sunday week. It was sensational. 

Close to the end of the interview he said that we are in an emergency situation and groupings like the EU need to get their act together and begin setting up regulatory agencies to make sure that transparency and accountability are always at the forefront.

 

I constantly ask what is true and what is not true. I have no real problem saying that far too often I find myself lost and not exactly sure what I believe and what I don’t believe. Whom should I believe?

Early in the interview Mark Little said that liars and conspiracy theorists don’t have to persuade us of what they are saying is true but persuade us that everything is false. 

That’s pure brilliance and I have to admit that I often find myself a victim of liars and conspiracy theorists. 

I can listen to someone and no matter how outrageous might be the content of what they are saying I sneakily wonder if there be some truth in what they are saying.

I often listen in to a US right wing radio station called Patriot Radio. It is wall-to-wall anti everything to do with the Democrat Party, it sneers and belittles President Biden and his entire team. While I find all that it says is outrageous I do come away from listening to it asking might there be some truth in what it is saying about its enemies.

So much information is thrown at us at great speed it is close to impossible to decipher everything.

 

Advertising must work, otherwise corporations would not be spending such large sums of money making their products attractive and sellable.

How much of it is true, how much of it is false?

The European Commission estimates that approximately 40 per cent of environmental claims made by companies contain information that is ‘completely unsustainable’, while 53 per cent of environmental claims made by companies contain ‘vague or misleading information’. They are startling statistics.

I hear debates on radio and television and come away having no idea whom I should believe.

Scroll through any social media outlet and you will be bamboozled with what you will see and hear. 

There are no filters in social media, no sub-editors to correct copy.

Anyone can say what they like.  And then the  vitriol and nastiness that appears. We are bombarded with scam emails, text messages, phone calls. How at all are we going to handle AI? 

Mark Little says that if we are scared of the new technology we are not paying attention and if we are not excited by it we have no imagination. What happens if your’e imagination runs away with you? 

Ever before the advent of AI, Pontius Pilate in reply to Jesus’ claiming he was witness to the truth, asks him what is truth? (St John 18: 38) Might it be that truth is something like prudence, it sits somewhere in the middle?

Changing times in Northern Ireland

The recent local elections in Northern Ireland mean that in the 60-seat Belfast city council unionists have 17 seats.

Part of the rail legacy of Tod Andrews

The Two Luas lines are proving a great success and carrying large numbers of passengers.

When people travel on the Green Line, the line that goes from Brides Glen to Broombridge are they aware of what Tod Andrews said on the closing of the old railway line that travelled from Harcourt Street to Shanganagh Junction?

Andrews was chairman of CIE and was responsible for closing the line in the 1950s. He said it  only seemed to serve Protestant solicitors in Dundrum. 

New TFI Live app is a scandal and a shambles

A new app has been rolled out for public transport users. The new app is called TFI Live. It means the old Dublin Bus app is not longer in use.

The new app has many improved features, and attempts to join up the dots.

The new TFI Live app is a perfect example of how not to do something. It is difficult to navigate and so far I have not been able to find timetables on it.

I phoned TFI. I was given inaccurate information and when I asked questions the person speaking to me regularly used the expression ‘sort of’. Incredible.

The Irish Times yesterday carried a number of letters pointing out some of the failings of the new app.

I wrote two emails to the TFI about their new app. Below are the two replies.

Note one states they aim to respond within 15 working days. And in the second email they talk of ‘intermittent teething issues’.

The problems are not intermittent. Should they not have done trials or pilot runs?

The first week of the app is nothing less than a shambles.

Can anyone explain the difference between TFI and NTA? What actually does each of the agencies do?

It all seems a shambles and costing the tax payer a lot of money.

Below are the two emails:

Thank you for contacting the National Transport Authority. We have received your enquiry and will respond as soon as possible. We aim to respond within 15 working days. A copy of your enquiry is displayed below.

Dear Michael,  

Thank you for your email to the National Transport Authority (NTA) dated 25/05/2023 regarding the new TFI Live App. 
 
We are aware of some intermittent teething issues with the rollout of the app and website : Live Departures | Transport for Ireland that are preventing real time information from displaying. 
We are investigating this with our highest priority and apologise for this disruption. 

All screens at stops that show Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) screens remain accurate and are working at full capacity so we would ask you to refer to these as required. 

For a full list of FAQ's,[sic] a user guide and really handy videos, please see: TFI Live App - Transport for Ireland  

Wishing you safe onward journeys. 
 
Kind regards 
National Transport Authority

Wagner group boss says its forces have begun leaving Bakhmut

This link below is to an article in yesterday’s Guardian.

What about the picture? Leader of the mercenary army, Yevgeny Prigozhin with his arms around two of his soldiers. Do they both not look sad, especially the man on the right? A strange picture.

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/25/wagner-group-boss-forces-leaving-bakhmut-yevgeny-prigozhin?CMP=share_btn_link

Gary Lineker gives sterling interview on Channel 4 news

Gary Lineker gave a powerful interview on the Channel 4 evening news yesterday. It is well worth watching, makes for great television. The man comes across as an honest and straight thinking person.

Below is a link to a report in yesterday’s Guardian on  Lineker receiving his Amnesty International award for his commitment towards immigration and human rights issues.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/may/24/gary-lineker-accepts-human-rights-award-with-call-to-show-refugees-more-compassion?CMP=share_btn_link

Does it ever turn out the way we expect?

“But as a matter of fact, the thought that was chiefly in my mind was how differently things turn out from what you expect.”

It’s a line from ‘Coming Up for Air’ by George Orwell.

It might even be a universal principle.

How do we go about protecting our planet earth?

This week’s Mediahuis/INM Irish regional newspapers’ column.

Michael Commane

I bought a second hand car just over two years ago. 

When I bought it I had toyed with buying an EV or electric vehicle. With so few kilometres covered since, I suppose it was wise not to have bought an EV.

Suddenly EVs are appearing everywhere. It’s impossible to go anywhere without seeing them. The environmentalists are having their say and I’m all for doing what we can to save our planet. In recent days I’ve been scratching my head and asking myself some questions about our rush to electric cars.

 

At the time of writing this column, Wednesday morning, May 17 our wind generation supplied 78 megawatts for a system that demanded 4,801 megawatts. The majority of the power supplied to the State that day was generated from fossil fuels, which means EVs were really being powered by dirty fossil fuels.

What about the batteries that EVs are using? What’s their life span and where are we getting the lithium to make the batteries? EVs don’t pollute, and that’s a big plus.

I ask these questions because on a recent visit to Germany I was struck with how few EVs I saw on the streets and roads in Nuremberg and Regensburg.

Indeed, my two companions also noted the scarcity of EVs while we were there. Of course, there is nothing scientific about our observance, just anecdotal evidence.

In recent days I have learned that the National Transport Authority (NTA) is in the process of purchasing all-electric buses. The first hybrid bus was delivered to Dublin Bus in 2019. Today the company operates well over 100 such vehicles. 

Prior to the purchase of the hybrids all Dublin Bus vehicles were fitted with Volvo engines, but for the hybrid vehicles they moved away from Volvo. Why did they make such a significant move? And now with the purchase of all-electric vehicles what was the reasoning behind buying the hybrid buses? I keep thinking that there is no real joined-up thinking when it comes to our move from fossil fuels to renewables.

It involves gigantic planning and design and one must ask are we up for it?

Stand at a busy road junction any day and observe the number of SUVs pass with just a driver occupant in the vehicle.

There have never been as many planes landing and taking off at our airports, all using fossil fuels. Over a summer bank holiday weekend approximately 400,000 use Dublin Airport. It is unbelievable there is not a direct rail link to the airport.

And then there’s our extraordinary ability of wasting so much. We create 14 million tonnes of waste every year.

 

Every individual in the State wastes almost 50kg of food annually. Our yearly bill for food waste runs at €1.29 billion.

I have noticed no decrease in plastic wrapping in the shops where I buy my food. Only last week, storing away my shopping, I counted 12 plastic packages. Why are the shops so slow to move away from plastic?

And then there’s the war in Ukraine. What must that be doing to our environment?

How do we go about protecting planet earth?

The devil is in the detail

The Scots College celebrated

at the weekend a closing down Mass to mark their departure from their present site in Rome.

The Agnus Dei title is mis-spelt. But it is particularly funny that it should appear in the context of a Scottish event. Angus is a common name in Scotland. And the Aberdeen Angus is one of the best known cattle breeds.

It was a weekend of mis-spelt words.

The charm and beauty along the banks of the Royal Canal

Some weeks ago on his

Twitter account, columnist David Quinn pointed out how few cyclists were using a city cycling lane and he went on to question whether there was need for the current building of cycle lanes.

Confusing and shortsighted to say the least. 

The State is currently attempting to catch up on the rest of Europe.

I strongly recommend people living in Dublin to take the Green Line Luas to Broombridge and from there head off either walking or cycling along the banks of the Royal Canal.

The railway line runs parallel to the canal and you have many opportunities of jumping on and off the train. There are many stations en route.

It is stunning thoroughfare.

On my cycle yesterday I passed the occasional cyclist. According to David Quinn’s logic there really is no need for such a cycle path as it may be used by few people.

Isn’t the solitude of it all part of its beauty?

Gossip has it that Irish Rail is in the process of rolling out new bicycle friendly carriages.

It is absurd that at present to places such as Sligo, Tralee, Wexford, Galway trains have only the capacity to carry two bicycles.

You couldn’t make it up.