Category Archives: The stuff of daily life

“May his name be blotted out, ” the Yimakh Shemo, the wish that someone will be forgotten forever, is the definitive curse in the Jewish tradition. Perhaps it is an irrational desire, for we shall never know if it has … Continue reading →

The landlord of The Woolpack pub on Emmerdale, was worried at there being no customers in his bar, times being what they are. For many pubs, the times now are not new. I recall sitting in an empty bar in the … Continue reading →

Wrapping Christmas presents seems to demand a degree of manual dexterity that I have never possessed. Buying good wrapping paper this year and a fresh roll of Sellotape, I had thought to make my gifts look more presentable. As it … Continue reading →

“So this is Christmas?” So what is Christmas? The frantic piling of unnecessary items into supermarket trolleys, the frenetic activity in the streets, the frenzied buying as if no shops would be open for days to come? Is this Christmas? … Continue reading →

A happy Friday evening: tea with an old friend in Belfast and then to Ravenhill to watch Ulster triumph over Northampton in a European Champions Cup match. Driving back to Dublin, I switched on the radio. It was the Late … Continue reading →