Blog

THE BEST AND THE WORST OF IT

By John Patton on 20/03/2020 / blog / 2 Comments

The management of the Coylumbridge Hotel and Tim Martin of Wetherspoons are graduates of the Gerald Ratner Business School. This morning Martin was arguing on BBC R4 that the virus was not being spread in his pubs and the instant eviction of young European workers in Aviemore ,following their contacts being abruptly and summarily terminated, will earn its own place in history as a notorious text book PR disaster. I could go on about the Cheltenham Festival but I think we all recognise the combined obscenity of class and money, both Irish and English.

Whiskey and the Bar

By John Patton on 12/02/2020 / blog / Leave a comment

A braw bottle of whiskey (with an ‘e’ for it is Irish) crowns our kitchen pelmet ; we’ve solemnly sworn not to hear that ‘brrrp’ of it being uncorked until either Ireland is united or Scotland is independent. (It’s whiskey, not whisky, as the latter evaporates

Maurice Dobson, Photographer

By John Patton on 10/02/2020 / blog / Leave a comment

Maurice Dobson was a towering figure, literally and metaphorically, in the annals of Stirling and District Camera Club. At various points, during his thirty something years of membership, he held each of the major offices and was noted for his commitment and efficiency in each of them.

The Big Light by Eva Comrie

By John Patton on 03/02/2020 / blog / Leave a comment

Candles mean different things to different folk; women like smelly ones, or those in fancy colours with sparkles, glitter and wee mysterious speckles on the surface. Some of us light candles in churches, perhaps particularly abroad on holidays or pilgrimage, in special or hallowed places when we

SECTARIAN RULE IN DELHI AND BELFAST

By John Patton on 10/01/2020 / blog, Ireland, politics / Leave a comment

It was established Unionist policy to deprive Derry and the North West of economic development since it might possibly provide employment for people opposed to their rule and population growth would imperil the gerrymander operating with impunity in Derry. Unfortunately, and the denial of expansion of Magee University is a notable case, there are still clear signs that the old, Unionist protocols are intact and embedded in the thinking of those with power.

RHIANNON GIDDENS AT THE USHER HALL

By John Patton on 02/12/2019 / blog, Ireland / Leave a comment

‘The ancient Irish bodhran was invented sometime in the fifties’. Well, so Francesco Turrisi , onstage with Rhiannon Giddens, told a capacity Usher Hall audience in a bitterly cold, Edinburgh last night. It was only one line from the humorous badinage between the pair on carbon dating

SCOTLAND AND THE TROUBLES

By John Patton on 27/11/2019 / blog, Ireland, politics / 2 Comments

The intent of BBC Scotland’s programme to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the recent ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland was embedded in the title, ‘The War Next Door’. At a superficial level, there was an attempt to provide a semblance of balance with the early inclusion of an

HOMILY AT FUNERAL OF Fr. DES WILSON BY Fr Joe Mc Veigh

By John Patton on 10/11/2019 / blog / Leave a comment

Thanks to Jude Collins for permission to copy this homily from http://www.judecollins.com A phobal Dé agus a chairde go léir, Tá muid bronach inniú. Tá ár gcara Des imithe ar shlí na Fírinne. It’s a fitting way to describe the death of our friend – a man

Willie Clarke – Lifetime of Service

By John Patton on 31/10/2019 / Uncategorized / 2 Comments

Willie Clarke was a miner and he manifested all of the great qualities which mark apart that breed of workers. He was hewn from the rocks that he crushed from the moment of his descent to the grim coalface as a child. Miners learn interdependency in one

A Shared Home Place by Seamus Mallon

By John Patton on 30/09/2019 / blog / Leave a comment

A Shared Home Place – Seamus Mallon Bond Street was a Protestant and Loyalist heartland which celebrated its historical totems with vigour. Growing up in the Waterside area of Derry, I can share and empathise with Seamus Mallon’s memories of his childhood. Our neighbours and the majority