Well, first things first for the day that’s in it:
Beannachatí na féile oraibh go léir!
Saint Patrick’s Day and social distancing a strange couple for sure.
However, these are not normal times.
We Irish are a global nation and that was caused over the centuries by manmade disasters like An Gorta Mór.
When my father was in England in the 1950s he sought out the company of his own.
They didn’t even have to be from Mayo!
When his grandson was the other side of the world, he found friendship and craic in the Seoul Gaels.
Saint Patrick lived in a world that didn’t understand diseases or how they were spread.
Religion was the only way they had to explain the natural world.
He first arrived on this island as a victim of what we would recognise today as human trafficking.
Contrary to tourist board lore he didn’t drive the snakes out of Ireland.
However, he did put the wellie into the local Pagans.
Saint Patrick is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland.
I sometimes struggle with seeing that as a positive development.
Of course, there were many more humans trafficked OFF this island in the centuries that followed.
That is what makes us the diaspora nation that we are today.
It seems such a long time ago now, but I reckon that folk here started to realise that this COVID-19 was a serious problem when the Irish government cancelled the Saint Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin this year.
We are starting to get in front of this problem in the Republic of Ireland.
My best advisor on this is the Big Fella.
He’s just back from South Korea, where he saw a fully professional operation swing into action.
They achieved that success even though they had to deal with bad actors in the drama.
Religious nutters who were actively spreading the virus due to their criminally irresponsible behaviour.
You can read about it here.
Himself said that piece in the New York Times was the best example of journalism in the English speaking world on the story.
So we’re doing ok here in the Republic on this deadly threat to all of us.
Sadly, the situation in the Six Counties is a scéal Eile.
Saint Patrick lived in a world that didn’t know at a gene a germ or an atom was.
We do.
For much of Irish history we have suffered the consequences of malign actions from our larger neighbour.
We have a saying here:
“The Brits are at it again”.
In this global pandemic, we all need our neighbours to act sensibly.
It took until yesterday for the British government to work out that everyone else was actually right and that they were wrong.
And to think that these pricks actually had an empire…
In Ireland, we developed social distancing as a form of non-violent action against our imperialist oppressors.
I’m hugely proud that my father’s county gave the world a powerful word and a brilliant tactic:
Boycott.
That is what we must do to this awful disease.
Shun it.
Don’t go near it.
Be a good neighbour by keeping your distance.
As for Covid-19?
Just wash your hands of it…
This is a strange Patrick’s Day for sure but stay safe wherever you are on our small planet.
If you feel a grá for this amazing little place, then you’re one of our own.
Beannachatí.
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Funny how the blue side have a problem with Celtic being awarded 9 IAR if all fixtures are unable to be completed but have no qualms about the honours of the club that died in 2012 being passed to the latest incarnation at Ibrox.
There’s also the little matter of those titles which were won during years of employing an illegal tax scam, courtesy of a corrupt SFA who shut their eyes to it.
Yes, being able to pay your players more money than your opponents using a dodgy tax scam was indeed advantageous as Bryson and M’lud were fully aware.
They want the season null and void as if the season did not exist . But they want to hold on to their fans season ticket money and also want the prize money dished out to them for finishing second in a league they say that never took place . Typical tea-cosy beanie wearers statements always the victim . Now as for guy replacing the Klans PR GURU this appointment was nothing more than a publicity stunt combined with the Robertson statement and a feelgood factor story with the billionaire from Hong Kong .Another one wheeled out there just in time for season ticket renewals to bring all his money into the club . Now I’m sure we have seen this movie before but like the others it’s billed as a blockbuster only to be sitting down and watching a B-movie . KERCHING.
It is normaly a night where i would enjoy a pint, but in BOJO land this is not to be i,m afraid
I,m awaiting word of these new laws that will be coming soon , we will soon be treated to the spectacle of troops or police stationed at the end of our streets enforcing the self isolation kull that bojo and co have planned for the elderly , there is still no word on testing even though in the WHO’s own words are “test ,test,test ”
I looked back upon the last hysteria over a novel virus like covid 19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_flu_pandemic
now that is some interesting reading that 1.5 billion were infected then and caused 150,000 -575,000 fatalities yet there was no global lockdown as we are seeing , the WHO figures for global infections so far stands at around 167,000 confirmed globaly 86,500 cases outside of china 3388 deaths total ?? H1N1 had an r0 of 1.6 The Covid-19 has an R0 of around 6.28 so the figures the boffins are putting out are completely miles off the true global infected or there is something else we are not being told
I,m away to have a bottle or three of guiness n chill out 😉 Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig Oraibh Go Léir
https://piephilosophy.wordpress.com/2020/03/17/we-are-on-a-war-footing-now/
Was that an anti Patrick and anti christian rant?
Whatever happened to live and let live etc…?
Phil would have prefered that St Patrick and his band had lost tbe fight against those pagans of the time who killed their firstborn as a sacrifice for whatever reason, Phill even finds it hard to call it St Patrick’s day preferring to leave out the St, also sure Phil has no problem with exterminating unborn babies as a normal procedure in his enlightened veiw of the world.
Away an’ take yer face furra shite, troll!!
What! not another enlightened upset snowflake
All the best for today Phil – from one of the Glasgow Irish.
Go raibh míle maith agat
Happy St Patrick’s Day! The backdrop of a health scare (I know, it sounds a great deal more but only time will tell the true scale of the current WHO pandemic alert). What is certain is that the UK situation, outside Europe, is particularly difficult given that we are not inside the tent on this ‘coronavirus’ event. There is scientific dispute both about the nature and severity of the threat, and which scientists from which field are best placed to direct government responses. This reflects, I think, underlying economic turmoil across the continent, and the relative inexperience (I will hold off on ‘incompetence’) of the Johnson junta. While personally taking all steps to ensure I do not pass anything on to anyone, disease wise, I am happy to spread the contagion of scepticism when it comes to the effectiveness of the UK government’s antics. The acid test for me in terms of whether there is a real effort to ‘contain’ the spread of some new virus, is schools. That they have not been closed suggests two things: the threat to children and young people more generally is minimal; the government knows this but fears a backlash as older people become aware that this policy allows the hothousing of the virus on a daily basis across the UK, as well as the tip of Ireland the UK insists on claiming as its own.
For those with time to explore the sceptical position, there is a German Social Democrat (SPD) politician and virologist called Dr Wolfgang Wodarg posting a very damaging analysis of the ‘science’ behind the current crisis. I am not convinced, and do fear that the vulnerable will be at high risk given decades of underfunding in the NHS, ageism and the likelihood that even if COVID-19 is an over-hype seasonal flu, thousands will die unnecessarily because of institutional indifference, incompetence and bad science.
As I said, I am not willing to risk other people’s lives by swanning about as if there is no crisis, and think the EU states, including Ireland, have acted as they should. However, I would like to see more robust evidence of the severity of the threat posed by this particular virus and evidence that it is somehow a different beast from the severe seasonal flu flagged up by the WHO in Australia last autumn, and which sent me, at least, to the nearest pharmacy to be vaccinated last December.
Be safe out there, and be kind. Hail hail
People are dying all over the world, is that not severe enough for you?
Mach1. You have hit the nail on the head on several points. I, the same as you want no harm to our already sick and vulnerable. But I also like you, need more robust proof this is exactly what the so called authorities are framing it to be, some god awful pandemic. The numbers just don’t stack up for me. They have at last (reluctantly) decided to close schools which they claim won’t make much of a difference anyway then why bother?
Because it feeds into the narrative, but oh we’ll keep the stock exchanges open despite, as we see daily, there is hundreds of people practically falling over each other in the space the size of a sheep pen, swapping spit and sweat, if that doesn’t spread contagion then it’s all hype which I believe it is to strip some of our civil liberties away. Smoke and mirrors. And like you I believe this is nothing more than a really bad flu. Tóg go bog é.
Hail Glorious Saint Patrick,dear Saint of Our Isle
On Us thy poor children bestow a sweet smile…
Favourite hymn of All time,though the smile maybe that bit forced due to current circumstances.
TAKE CARE ONE AND ALL🍀💚☮️🌎
Only Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun!
The midday sun’s UV rays destroys this flu virus. That’s why we’re awaiting the summer.
Hot sunshine countries should do better during this. Middle East etc…
I have friends in different parts of africa that have apparently been hit by this, although I think the numbers are very low at the present time.
My own scientific logic appears to fall on mention of Iran.
Perhaps Iran would have had it even worse? Who knows!
Perhaps Iran has been cold and cloudy this winter?
Regardless God’s Sun’s UV rays destroy viruses.
Happy St. Patrick’s day to everyone…
Also a Happy Birthday to my last remaining sister who celebrates her 82nd Birthday today.
Keep safe everyone…
Hail hail.
Is that a photo of the Dubliners lining up to meet the Royals last week?
If anyone read the history of Ireland I`m quite sure there would be a few positives to find with the advent of Christianity, not least the education they now boast about.
If Christianity hadn`t replaced paganism there would be no St Patrick`s day to boast of, no, alleged,
love of the Irish in America, no great works carried out by Irish religious and medical missionaries throughout the world and, worst of all for some, no Celtic to give them their reason for living or even write about. It would just be another Millport, though drearier, with the Brits still in full control, so it hasn`t been all that bad.
I may be wrong but I can`t see how atheism can give anything at all in life. Maybe if atheists
weren`t all unhappy lamentable beings I would see the force. However, I would have no objection to anyone`s disbelief, I respect it, it would be good to have the same respect in return to Christian followers.
You have a way with words (although didn’t understand why you brought Millport into it and most of the atheists I know are very happy).
I do think that in the US there’s a lot of bonding with us, so what you got right were Christianity giving birth to Paddy’s day and the Celtic point.
Keep working at it, as Ireland is only fifth in the worldwide PISA rankings.
Nothing to do with Italy or any squinty tower.
Have to say an atheist celebrating a Saint’s feast day has always puzzled me a tad. Ach, I suppose I can’t really find fault with anyone grabbing an excuse for a good swally.
Hi Phil
Happy St Patrick’s day to you and yours. Now with the threat of the Coronavirus everywhere is there any scuttlebutt on what is
going to happen if it takes longer to rid us of this than the current chain of thought has predicted. So with that in mind come the 12TH of July and as expected the usual large gathering in the north of dear Erin. I wonder if the decision makers will make the correct decisions with regard to public health if we find ourselves still in the melting pot with this virus.
HH
Happy St Patrick’s day to all. Day one with isolation, started out well, after one minute the wife told me she had a list of chores for me happy day’s. Keep safe out there. HH
Happy Saint Paddy’s to you, your Kith and Kin. May the wind be fair in your sails and the sun bring warmth to your back.
Phil, on the next occasion where you “struggle” to see Christianity as a positive then just remember that the whole of western civilisation was built around it and that it always has provided more education and healthcare and more food to the hungry than all other organisations combined!
You’ve made it well known on plenty of occasions that you’ve fallen into apostasy but looking at the modern church then it’s hardly surprising or uncommon…..after all the church has been infiltrated by evil and impious men with the sole aim of destroying it from within…..read Dr Taylor Marshall’s book “Infiltration” for a decent background on it. The Devil has attacked the church since it’s inception but cannot destroy it but he certainly has and continues to reek havoc….look into the mirror for the proof! There are still many ways to practice the catholic faith in the traditional manner just the exact same way Saint Patrick, Saint Columba, Saint Brigid through SSPX and SFPP and the Tridentine Mass.
Celebrate Saint Patrick and all the Saints by following in their example.
Happy St Patrick’s Day 🍀💚🍀💚
St Patrick did indeed drive the snakes out of Ireland, however, they appear to have swam up the Clyde, and settled on Edmiston Drive.
Totally……they’ve always been there though 👍