Remembering Dolores Keane

Today I thought I’d say a few words as a little tribute to Dolores Keane who sadly passed away the day before St Patrick’s Day. Dolores was a wonderful person with a lovable personality, as well as being one of the greatest singers Ireland ever produced. Nanci Griffith described her as the ‘voice of Ireland’. I hadn’t thought about Dolores for a long while until I heard that she had passed away. That is often the case, we sometimes don’t miss people until they are gone. I first became aware of Dolores and her band from Galway De Dannan in 1981 when I heard them on a compilation album called All The Folk That Fits. That was also the record that introduced me to Christy Moore, Planxty, and The Bothy Band. Dolores was brought up by her aunts Rita & Sarah whose home was an open house to any musicians who arrived. Music sessions would often go on for days. This is how Dolores without even trying, soaked up the traditional music and songs of Ireland. I well remember the Mike Harding Show on Radio 2 dedicating a whole show to the Keane household, and as well as the great music, some of the stories they related were hilarious.  Dolores was well known for her sense of fun and good humour.

I regret that I never saw Dolores perform on stage. That is annoying because she played with De Dannan and Mary Black just down the road from here in 1985 at the Village Pump Folk Festival. (See photo below) Also, sadly I only have one album by her called Solid Ground from 1993. I hadn’t played it for years until I heard of her passing. Listening to it again the last few days reminded me of what a wonderful singer she was. There are also some excellent musicians accompanying Dolores including her good friend Emmylou Harris.  One of my favourite tracks is called Emigrant Eyes which is the story of one among millions of Irish people who were forced by hardship to emigrate to America, but they always thought of Ireland as home. Another favourite track is called Never Be The Sun which Dolores dedicated to her son Joseph who was born with a rare condition called Bardet–Biedl syndrome. 

Dolores had a lot of sadness in her life and suffered with depression, alcoholism, and overcame cancer. This shows what a courageous person she was. I recently watched an interview she gave to Tommy Tiernan on Irish TV where her good nature and humour shone through despite all that she had to overcome in life. Her funeral in Galway was attended by the Irish President Catherine Connolly, and the previous President Michael D Higgins which shows the esteem in which she was held by the Irish nation. Although she is now gone Dolores has left a great legacy of timeless music and she will never be forgotten, especially in Ireland.

R.I.P Dolores Keane.

Spring In The Air.

Erysium

Spring in the air, there's magic everywhere. Spring finally arrived here last Tuesday. The sun has been shining after weeks of rainy weather. Sitting in my tiny yard I observed a Red Admiral butterfly flitting about, a ladybird on the shed door, a blackbird hopping around the garden with a beakful of nesting material, and even a couple of bumble bees buzzing around. There are a few plants already in bloom such as a nice orange Erysium, Clematis, Bleeding Heart, and a few others that I can’t remember the names of now. The garden was looking quite dilapidated though and I decided that now was the time to tidy it up. They told me at the hospital to take it easy for a while because of fatigue following my treatment, but I feel less fatigued if I have a bit of exercise than if I sit around doing nothing. So, I got stuck into the job at hand. 

Clematis.

The unsightliest part of the garden is the fence which is falling apart, faded and jaded after years of rain and high winds. Several panels needed replacing. I was going to order three panels online from B & Q but in the end just ordered one. I thought I better see if I can install one successfully before I attempt any more. Before I could do that, I made the decision to get rid of the compost bin because a little garden like mine doesn’t really warrant a great big compost bin. I never liked it much, standing there in the corner looking like a great big plastic dalek. I offered it to my mate Curly who lives three doors away and has a much bigger garden than me. He was pleased to accept it. Then I had the problem of moving it because it weighed a ton, so I had to empty it. It was full of top-quality compo, but with lots of bits of twig in it. I sieved it all over my flower beds, and also filled up about thirty pots into which I’ll sow seeds later this week. 

The new panel was delivered on Saturday morning. I was relieved that after a bit of huffing and puffing I managed to install it without too much trouble. That corner of the garden looks a lot better now, so this week I’ll order another couple of panels and carry on working my way along the fence. I must say I enjoyed working out there, getting some fresh air, and being closer to nature. I found it very mindful. While I was out there working, I forgot all about the madness that is going on in the world. That is the way forward. If everyone just minded their own business and sorted out their own backyard the world would be a much happier place. I’ll let you know how I get on with the rest of my garden in due course. Cheers.

Long Live The NHS!

Dyson Centre.

Sorry for not writing much for the last month or so, but I have been quite busy and otherwise engaged. I don’t usually talk about my health on the internet as I consider that a private matter. Today however I thought that I should try and get back into things by expressing my gratitude for the medical treatment I received recently at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, and especially in the radiology department of the James Dyson Cancer Centre. I had a PSA blood test back in September and my GP referred me to the hospital. I had an MRI scan which showed that I needed a biopsy. In early October I was informed that I had prostate cancer. I feel quite lucky because it was detected early before it had spread outside the prostate. I had a course of hormone tablets and two hormone injections. Then starting in February I had to attend the radiology unit for four weeks, every day Monday to Friday for twenty sessions of radiotherapy. My last session was on March 11th. 

Linear Accelerator, 

The machine I was treated on is called a Linear Accelerator. These incredible machines cost millions of pounds each. The cost to me of my treatment? Nothing!. The people of this area are extremely fortunate to have such a state-of-the-art cancer centre right here in Bath. The facility was opened by Queen Camilla only two years ago. It was partly funded by the generosity of local inventor and entrepreneur James Dyson and dozens of other fundraisers. I met some wonderful people during the twenty days. The doctors and nurses are amazing, always greeting the patients with a smile even though they are rushed off their feet with the amount of people they have to treat every day. Also, because of seeing the same fellow patients every day I got to know some of them quite well. They all had interesting stories to tell. The whole experience has confirmed to me what a precious institution the NHS is. When the National Health Service was created in 1948 it was the envy of the world. Everyone in Britain was entitled to free health care regardless of their status. I believe that the vast majority of people in this country still support the NHS and want to see it continued and adequately funded. 

There are certain figures though in politics who would like to see it sold off and replaced with an American style insurance system. So, if you support the NHS, next time you go to vote, I hope you remember which government established the NHS and ask yourself which party is most likely to protect it for the future. The other point I want to make is that we don’t have a national screening programme yet for prostate cancer although it is the most common male cancer, so if you have any concerns ask at your local surgery for a PSA blood test. It might save you a lot of trouble further down the line. I have another blood test at the end of May and a final appointment in June when I’ll find out if my treatment is a success. I was told to take it easy for a while because of side-effects. However, the weather has been so good this week I have been doing some gardening. I’ll try and tell you about that later in the weekend. 

The Pathless Country by James Harpur

It is Sunday and as I have the day to myself, I thought I would tell you about the book I have enjoyed reading for the past couple of weeks. It is called The Pathless Country, the debut novel by an Irish writer James Harpur published in 2021. James was born in 1956 and resides near Clonakilty in County Cork. He is best known as a poet, having won many awards for the eight volumes of poetry published prior to this novel. If you have read this blog page for a while you will know that I am an admirer of the Indian spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti. In 1929 when Krishnamurti dissolved the Order of The Star in The East which had set him up as the new ‘world teacher’ he famously said, ‘I maintain that truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect’. This is what drew me to reading this book because when reading Krishnamurti’s entry on Wikipedia it said that he is featured as a character in James Harpur’s novel The Pathless Country. K isn’t the only famous person to appear in the book, some of the most notable figures of British and Irish society in the early 20^th century walk across the pages of this book.

Painting by Degas

The central protagonist is a young carpenter from Galway Patrick Bowley the son of Joe a Quaker, and Bridie a Catholic. Joe experiences mystical visions such as whilst working at Tullira Castle the home of playwright and republican Edward Martyn he is transfixed by a painting of ballet dancers by Edgar Degas which has a profound effect on him. He also has a brief romantic encounter in a Galway church with Nora who later becomes the partner and muse of James Joyce. Patrick eventually moves to London to live with his aunt Faith who is influenced by theosophy and the suffragette movement. After attending a talk by the socialist and theosophist Annie Besant at the Queens Hall Patrick and Faith have a chance encounter with Jiddu Krishnamurti and his brother Nitya. This leads to a friendship and regular correspondence between Patrick and Jiddu. In London he also meets Agnes who becomes the love of his life. Later, back in Ireland he visits Achill Island and encounters the painters Grace & Paul Henry. I first thought they were fictitious characters, but on investigation I found they were real artists of repute.

Painting by Grace Henry.

The first world war arrives and Ireland is in turmoil. Irish soldiers are dying in their thousands fighting for the British Empire, while at home people like Padraig Pearse are making fiery speeches demanding independence from Britain. In the north the unionists under Edward Carson are preparing to fight to stay with Britain. Militias are training for war throughout the country. Agnes’s husband Dominic is killed fighting in France, Agnes and Patrick are now free to marry. Due to Patrick’s Quaker sensibilities and the influence of Krishnamurti he believes violence is not the way forward and he begins giving speeches appealing for unity. This gets him in trouble with the British authorities and the Irish republicans. Finally, he and Agnes set off across Ireland on a pilgrimage of peace. The book reaches its gripping climax when they arrive in Dublin on the eve of the Easter Rising 1916. I won’t tell you anymore because you also might like to read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it because James Harpur has a poet’s eye for detail. There are some wonderful descriptive passages of the Irish landscape and people.  If you are interested in such subjects as spirituality, philosophy, art, poetry, or Irish history then I think you might enjoy this book as well.

 

 

 

Small Prophets

I’m a bit busy for the next month or so. It’s possible I might not have time for much blogging for a little while. However, I thought I would just tell you quickly about a wonderful new TV comedy series I have been enjoying. It is called Small Prophets and is written and directed by the brilliant Mackenzie Crook. If you have read my blog for a while you will know I am a big fan of his work in such series as The Office, The Detectorists, and Worzel Gummidge. I think Small Prophets is arguably his greatest creation yet. The series stars Pearce Quiqley as Michael Sleep who is missing his partner Clea who disappeared on Christmas Eve seven years previously. You don’t need me to tell you what a comic genius Michael Palin is after Monty Python, Ripping Yarns, and his film roles and wonderful travel documentaries. After reading the script of Small Prophets Michael jumped at the chance to play Brian Sleep who is Michael Sleep’s father. Brian lives in a Care Home where he creates chaos for the other residents and carer Hilary.

Palin & Quigley

Mackenzie plays Gordon who is Michael’s boss at the DIY store. Lauren Patel is excellent as Michael’s workmate, friend and co-conspirator Kacey . There are also great performances by Sophie Willan and John Pointing as the nosey neighbours. Even the minor roles of Brigham played by Ed Kear and eccentric neighbour Olive played by Shola Adewusi are deserving of a mention. Mackenzie Crook always has great music in his programmes. In the past the likes of Johnny Flynn and The Unthanks have been featured. In this series the theme song is by a singer called Cinder Well. 

Cinder Well

I hadn’t heard of her before but will certainly listen to more of her music in the future. Mackenzie got the idea for the storyline after reading about a Swiss medieval alchemist called Paracelsus. His dad Brian gives Michael the recipe for creating little creatures called homunculi. They can predict the future and only tell the truth. Before long Michael is busy growing the Small Prophets in his shed. I won’t tell you anymore because I want you to watch it yourself. It is shown weekly on BBC, but I was greedy and binge watched all six episodes on BBC iPlayer. I just want to say that there are many worthy institutions in Britain that should be preserved and treasured, but to my mind the two greatest institutions to be proud of are the NHS and the BBC. There are forces at work in the world who would like to destroy the BBC, but I don’t think there is another television company in the world that nurtures such creative talent and produces programmes of the quality of Small Prophets, so I say well done to the BBC. I’m looking forward to the next series already.

Michael & Kacey.

The Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden

It is now the ninth day of February, and it has rained here every day this sodden year. That has meant that I have been cooped up indoors most days. On the positive side I have read more than I have done in a long while. Yesterday I finished reading The Safekeep, the debut novel by a Dutch author called Yael Van Der Wouden. It was short-listed for The Booker Prize in 2024. I ordered the book because a Yorkshire friend of mine told me that she was reading it. When the book arrived, I made the mistake of reading all the snippets of reviews by other writers in the front of the book, by such people as Rachel Joyce, Ann Enright, Tracy Chevalier and Maggie O’Farrell, and noticed they were all women. This made me slightly wary, wrongly thinking that this was going to be chick-lit written for a female audience. It also made me aware of what to expect in the plot.

The book is set in The Netherlands in 1961 fifteen years after the war. The main protagonist is Isabel who lives alone apart from a maid Neelke who comes in to help with the housework. She has two brothers Hendrik and Louis. Hendrick has a partner Sebastian who Isabel initially dislikes because he looks ‘foreign’. When they meet up at a restaurant Louis introduces his new girlfriend Eva who Isabel also takes an instant dislike to. The story gets underway when Louis asks Isabel if Eva can stay at her house for a month while he is away on business. I knew from reading the publicity blurbs that Isabel and Eva would form a relationship. The tension between them is electric. The writing is very erotic, especially chapter 10. The romance isn’t the main story however. Gradually a deep dark shameful secret is revealed which concerns Dutch history during and after the war. I won’t tell you any more in case you read the book yourself. I don’t think The Safekeep is one of the best books I have ever read, not by any means. It is a page turner though, I had to know what happened next. It is a very promising debut novel, and I think a lot remains unsaid. There could be another very powerful story to be told if the author wanted to explore the history of the characters further, especially during WW11. I will look out for more writing from Yael Van Der Wouden in the future.