An unforgettable brother’s gift
It’s been almost a year since my youngest brother John slipped into eternal life after a battle with cancer that began in 2020. And it’s taken me almost as long to be able to type this. Anniversaries are full of […]
Unpacking memories
I moved house and parish in September 2022 and the process of moving gets difficult as one gets older — in part because I’m a hoarder, of sorts! But why would one destroy something like this? It’s a photo I […]
For Mothers Day
My mother Lena Hayes died in May 2002. As for so many others, this Mothering Sunday is a poignant one, especially as we have a lot of time on our own today. So I’m sharing this in the hope that […]
Denis Lehane RIP – a natural kind of West Cork man
From my earliest years at home in Drimoleague my brothers and I slept under a ceiling of gloss-painted ceiling boards. That part of the house was added on in the 1950s when my father Sean was planning on getting married. […]
Centenary of Hayes and O’Sullivan links
On this date one hundred years ago, 25-year-old Margaret Hayes left from the house I was reared in at Clashduve, Drimoleague, and was taken by horse and cart to St. Finbarr’s Church, Drimoleague, to be married. The War of Independence […]
Nephew and godson Gearóid’s graduation from post-primary school
The Grads/Debs Ball for pupils of Clonakilty Community College was on yesterday and of the Graduating former pupils is my nephew and Godson, Gearóid O’Donovan, youngest son of my sister Eileen and Ger O’Donovan. The sun shone for them as […]
My Aunt Mary O’Driscoll (1924—2015)
[This is the homily I preached at the funeral Mass for my aunt in All Saints Church, Drimoleague, on March 30, 2015] Something very significant happens when the last person on a branch of one’s family tree dies. The silent […]
Ten digital years on!
Amazing how time flies. Amazing how digital time flies, too. By this I mean that I noticed today that I have digital images on my computer that I took this time 10 years ago and here was I thinking I […]