Léargas

  281122 Marie Ferris and Martin.  A week or so ago on November 18 in Killarney 820 republicans broke bread together in honour of Martin and Marie Ferris. It was a great night. Marie Ferris is one of my heroes. A warrior woman. An activist. A mammy. A mamó. And the wife of Martin Ferris. Martin is one of my heros as well. H e  is as tough as old boots. As strong  as teak. A Kerry Gael from head to toe. But he has the heart of an angel. That ’ s probably why Marie has put up with him all this time.  They were married in 1978. Marie had returned from Australia. Her story is an amazing one. I am particularly taken by her  mother Rita.  Better known as ‘Gargy’, from Mayo,she  was orphaned before she was five and ended up  with  the Sisters of Mercy in Westport. She  was released aged sixteeen. She became pregn a nt and a singlemother when she was twenty one. Her son Seán was seized from her when she asked for help from his father with rearing the child. Her son, like Gargy his mother

 21 November 2023 Words. In Ireland the English which we use is Hiberno English. We use Irish language constructions a lot as well as many Irish words or words based on Irish words. As part of the colonisation of our island people London tried to destroy our native culture, music, dance and language. They failed and we hibernised the language they forced on us. In Ulster there is also a Scots influence. Different locations have their own local phrases or words. And native place names are special. I love that. Dialects are all part of the colour or fabric of dialogue. Many of the words or phrases involved are dying out. For example the names of farm implements or other tools which are no longer in use as farming was mechanised in recent times. Similarly with city living and the construction of modern housing and the provision of indoor toilets, bathroom,

 141122 Time to Extend Presidential Vote to North and Diaspora   Last week I wrote about the threat posed to our world by climate change. The international climate change conference - COP 27 – which commenced in Egypt on Sunday is viewed by many as the world’s last real opportunity to  reverse  this threat. This year has been especially dangerous with a mixture of floods, droughts, huge storms and the threat of famine in East Africa. Thankfully however not all of the news has been bad. The election in Brazil of  former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (popularly called Lula) has raised hopes that the huge damage being done to the Amazon rain forest and the threat to the indigenous peoples of that region will now end. Within days of his election it emerged that Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo – which  contain  52% of the world’s remaining rainforests – are currently discussing how to create a strategic alliance to coordinate their conversation plans.  I