Day: July 13, 2021

Dia is Mhuire díobh go léir a chairde, and welcome to my weekly report.

How is it possible for me to continue to walk the line which started for me in the early thirties when life was so primitive to the world of today where the great Richard Branson was able to fly into space and be back on time to watch the match on Sunday. I think that we should start to look at ourselves in a different light. Well, we were always led to believe that we were not very bright and indeed told that we’d never do any good. I think it’s time that we gave ourselves a bit of credit in fact give ourselves a pat in the back for the way that we have coped with all the changes that we have endured over the years.  I’m thinking again of the old man that I mentioned last week, who herded his cow on the long acre. A humble person in every respect, yet his contribution to the life of his surroundings was immeasurable. He was there every day, he met everybody as they came and went and interacted with them all. He met those going to the creamery and met them again on their way back. They’d have a word each time perhaps there would be some unfinished dialogue, where either were at a loss to know the end but on the return journey the creamery goer would have solved the mystery when he talked to his counterparts as they awaited their turn to dispose of their milk and that would be relayed to the man-with-the-cow,  while the beast of burden availed of a quick mouthful of grass off the ditch or a slug of water from the roadside streamlet. Very often the Angelus Bell would ring out across the valley from a distant church and each would remove his headgear and silently pray. Mind you at such times they’d say the short version to get back to the chat. He met the little children as they walked to school. Maybe not in the mornings, because he wouldn’t be up that early, but sure as anything, he’d be there in the evening when they were coming home. They didn’t all come at once but in dribs and drabs, which gave him a better chance to talk to them all. The first question without fail always was of course, “How many slaps did you get today” and each of them related their tales of woe but woe didn’t last long when he went on to enquire about their young lives in his own light hearted way very often leading to some funny incident or happening from his own past. From their daily encounters he knew them all by name and who their parents were, what class they were in  (he didn’t say it like that but ”what Book are you in?” how many were in the family where did their father work.  Did your mother hear from her sister/brother in America lately and of course the big news would be if an immigrant was planning to come home for a holiday. As time went on children grew up and took on some of the chores that went with the time. Boys and girls took on more grown –up roles and all went on under the gaze of the lovely old man on the ditch. As well as knowing the people, he knew everybody’s animal. The story goes that one day a young girl passed along with a donkey and cart, he said “are you such a man’s daughter?”  “I am,  Sir, says she and how did you know me Sir?” “ah” says he, “I knew you out of the donkey” All the stories of the day were related by the old man at his fireplace that night from whence they were taken to other fireplaces on the wider area  welcomed and relished and shared, better than any six o ‘clock news of today.

[read more …] “Eily’s Report – 13th July”