Séamus Ahearne: Home thoughts from Finglas…
THE TAPESTRY OF OUR LIVES:
The Bayeux Tapestry has arrived in London. It will go on display in September. It is a ‘power-point’ display of the Norman conquest of England at the Battle of Hastings (1066). President Macron has been generous throughout the long discussions in allowing this to happen. He met with much opposition, but eventually won out. Apparently, it has over 900 years since this tapestry was last in England. The visual story is always most telling. We too have a story. It may not be an embroidered one, but our history with the characters of life needs to be always remembered. We paint it. We knit it. We keep it alive and we celebrate it. (‘Never forget who you is.’ Roots).
CEOLTAS CEOLTÓIRÍ AND THE MUSIC OF OUR LIVES:
Ceoltas Ceoltóirí Éireann celebrates its 75th birthday. The first Fleadh Cheoil was held in May 1951 in Mullingar. What an extraordinary explosion of our musical history has been released! And then there was the celebration of volunteers, who passed on their own love of the traditional music to so many young people. How did so many of us slip through school and bypass the musical tradition? Or the language of song and story. Or the Folklore Commission from 1935. Or that bicycle with Séamus Ennis, collecting stories and song out in Connemara. His pencil and jotter were busy. And how did we hold onto faith over the years when we didn’t pay attention to ‘story’ (to understand Scripture) or sing, because we quietly and passively left that to the real singers? How wrong that was.
The song is from the heart and then from the tongue. All the music of our experience in faith makes real Liturgy. Not the wooden ritual that is an out-there expression. We had Mick Cantwell’s funeral some weeks ago. Mick was seriously involved in music and in Ceoltas. For his funeral, many musicians played as a Guard of Honour when his coffin entered the Church. There was much singing. Mick played after Communion himself – The Resting Chair. And then as the final piece was played – musicians all over the Church joined in. Inisheer. It tickled our profundities. This was Liturgy. This was Mick Cantwell. This was Ceoltas. This was the Song of Ireland. It was beautiful and evocative.
EVEN HOMER NODS. OR NOT.
The Odyssey (as Film) is about to appear. Some of us vaguely recall the Iliad and the Odyssey. We weren’t all seriously friendly with Homer. He caused us no little bother. It was drudgery rather than enlightenment. The Siege of Troy might seem exciting and the fantasy of the Odyssey might be very stirring, but as youngsters, it was the pain of learning, rather than any deep understanding of context. I suppose many of us could be very slipshod and simplistic. Whatever the classical depths of literature, we all have an Odyssey. A journey. An adventure. We have it personally. We have it in Church life. We have it in daily life. We meet so many. We learn. We fail. We try. We are committed to a journey. We learn. We try the impossible. We struggle to drag our history/our theological learning into a realistic and practical literature that makes some sense today.
FINNY AND ECKHART TOLLE
Fintan has died. He was a serious student of Eckhart Tolle. The Now. Presence. Gratitude. He was in awe of nature, and was devotee to the mystery of nature, well before it became a popular interest or conventional wisdom. He was a devoted and committed man to AA. He was always there for everyone who ever needed him. His wife and himself lived a very spiritual life. And it was a real love story. When he was able to come to Church (to daily Mass); he was here. Three men held up the back wall in our small Oratory. They vied with each other for floor space to share on the Readings. Finny was a really practical theologian. He smiled his way through each day. He was forever grateful. He always was calm and reasonable. Eddie and Jimmy were much more competitive. Finny let his words just float out. He gave them wings. Again, he saw the Incarnation continuing. He saw Scripture being revealed every moment. He caught the Story and wanted to share. It all meant that Eucharist was a Breaking of Bread.
ANN WIDDECOMBE:
Ann Widdecombe has died. Or rather, she was killed. Ann was an interesting woman. She was one of those people that I felt was less than welcome into our Catholic Church. Her views were strong. And it seemed that she joined the Catholic Church somewhat, because of the Ordination of women. There was more. But however, she was a woman with a voice. She spoke out clearly. She was strong. She was politically sharp and principled. I read this morning a piece by Harvey Proctor. Proctor had serious allegations made against him (which proved false). Here are some of his words: “I hope she will also be remembered for something less visible but, to me, no less important. At a time when justice was eclipsed by hysteria, she refused to confuse allegation with guilt, popularity with principle or silence with wisdom. For that, and for her friendship, I shall remain forever grateful.”
Seamus Ahearne osa
12th July 2026.