from the heelers fan letters

To: Sean Nolan, Editor of Ireland's Own magazine.

Greetings.

Not a fan of Independent Newspapers or its chattels but I like to check you out occasionally.

I purchased Ireland's Own Issue date 14th August 2020 this week.

Rather pleasantly surprised.

The features were contemporary but tasteful with an easy mix of the traditional, and a not too po faced awareness of current affairs, that is to say you didn't harp on about the bloody flu Virus or the statue topplings but you quite naturally included them in various articles about other things, written, let it be said, in a nice, accessible, entertaining style.

The flavour of the traditional was nicely mixed with such fare as James Bond and the Beatles.

The 12 page pull out section for young people is a step in the right direction. Not bad at all. Needs a little bit of meat. The kids aren't idiots. Maybe a feature cartoon strip, an entertaining one, a good one, would crown it.

The river article, the castle article, all really quite engaging.

Rory Gallagher, couldn't care whether he lives or dies but I read the article and that's a good sign.

John Macklin's true ghost story thing with chairs flying mysteriously through the air, had me shouting "fake, fake, fake," around my own kitchen particularly when the real life woman who claimed a ghost had told her the name of the murderer of the old guy in 1976, claimed just a couple of years ago that she couldn't remember the name she says the ghost had told her.

You know I found that woman really annoying and would have supported John Macklin to the ends of the earth if he'd thrown a chair at her.

(Is John Macklin real? If he is. he must be 100 years old. He's been in your magazine as long as I remember. But he's worth his place.)

Ah me.

Shouting "fake, fake, fake," at a John Macklin column.

Why it was just like old times.

The Pauline Morgan short story about the witch was tripe but readable.

A further supernatural touch to your current edition was provided when the ghost of the singer television personality Maxie appeared on the cover of my copy but was nowhere to be found in the magazine itself. Maybe John Macklin could get an episode out of this. or Pauline Morgan a short story. (There was a caption at the bottom of the cover referring to Maxie so naturally I assumed there would be an article inside. My disappointment was great since in the dim and distant days of youth I had appeared with Maxie on the television quiz show Rapid Roulette. She was presenting the show. I played the contestant who didn't know the answers to any questions..)

The pro Catholic stylings in your nun article and the piece about Saint Roch were interesting and not too blatant an attempt to put distance between yourselves and Independent Newspapers fifty year culture war against Christianity.

That old reprobate (Is he a real reprobate or an imaginary one?) Dan Conway was very readable with a lovely relevant, reflective insight on iconoclastic statue topplings of other eras and other cultures. I would quibble with his assertion that what he calls the Official IRA didn't blow up the Nelson's Column statue. They blew it up alright. It was a rehearsal for them before getting round to human beings.

The odder than odd Tim McPartland column maundering about heads and beheadings was odder than odd but odder than odd in a compelling way, I read it to the end, all the while thinking I can't believe I'm reading this, how odder than odd it is.

Overall I thought I sensed the imagination of an editor who was smarter than the average bear.

So I had to write to you, grudgingly, to say I was impressed.

I hope I've ruined your day..

Be well

James Healy

dances with atheists

There is no such thing as an atheistic scientist.
Even those who call themselves atheistic scientists agree with me that existence has resulted from an energetic process or an energy which has no cause outside of itself.
The only real difference atheistic scientists have with me, is when I say the energy did it on purpose.
Richard Dawkins believes matter has become existant and then conscious through an energy.
He claims an energy can never be conscious.
Richard Dawkins is the most superstitious man on the planet.

the emperor liyu in captivity at kaifeng

(translated from the chinese)

silent and alone i climb the west tower
the moon is like a sickle
over the plains
a solitary tree in the dark courtyard
personifies autumn herself
imprisoned here with me
what ties me to the world
my mortality
seems reaped by the moon's sickle
but is not yet severed
i am alive
briefly
my thoughts run wild
i have lost everything
courtiers castles cities empire
all
such bejewelled richnesses
that i knew
glory joy adulation
memories
in my heart
lingering