Monthly Archives: March 2022

Days of no return

Posted on 31st March 2022 by Ian

“How old are you, sir?” asked the Third Year student It is a frequent question, I’m not sure why. “I’ll be sixty-two later this year.” “What, sir? I thought you were in your twenties.” “Don’t be silly, you know I … Continue reading →

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Stranger friendships

Posted on 29th March 2022 by Ian

A friend once told me that when he joined the Masonic Order as a young man it was not because he believed that they had secrets he wished to discover (like anyone who wished to inquire at a public library, … Continue reading →

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Beginning in Torquay

Posted on 26th March 2022 by Ian

In memory, Torquay Athletic must have one of the most scenic locations of all rugby clubs. The club address, ‘The Seafront, Torquay’ is evocative of a resort of railway station posters and Agatha Christie stories. It is an address that … Continue reading →

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Subversive profiteroles

Posted on 25th March 2022 by Ian

I was such a serious twelve year old that I failed to understand that there is great fun in the absurd. The genius of Monty Python, and similar programmes in my youth, was to realize that people, well some people, … Continue reading →

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Counselling does not change reality

Posted on 23rd March 2022 by Ian

Soon after I first moved to Dublin in 1999, I went to see Martin McDonagh’s black comedy, The Beauty Queen of Leenane. Going to the theatre on a Dublin summer’s evening seemed an occasion for casual clothes; an open necked … Continue reading →

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