Why the Irish Speak English

Flag Day, 1942. Eighty-two years ago today. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad. ❤

Something's happening here, what it is ain't exactly clear...

But I like it.

"I am standing on the threshold of another trembling world. May God have mercy on my soul." -- Bobby Sands, March 1, 1981

My cousin Orla. Again, I agree with her.

Some years ago, I wrote a book called The Metaphysics of Media. In it, I spoke of the postmodern mindset that dominates our culture, a mindset that, even when it is allowed to see and recognize the suffering and injustices of the world, shies away from them because "I'm just one person, what can I do?"

Orla is "just one person," and in the face of the enormity of the injustices she sees has decided to do SOMETHING. Anything.

"In a space-biased culture such as the one in which we twenty-first century, consumerist, postmodern, materialist, affluent, technologically developed Westerners live, we surrender our individualism by failing—or refusing—to ask certain questions. Questions of God, of transcendence, and of timeless, eternal truth—all sound quaint and naïve. Those who ask the questions appear silly, superstitious, credulous, and even reactionary.

"Such are the occupational hazards of the harvester of transcendent truths laboring in the vineyards of immanent experience. One might be inclined to advise any who fit that description to “get used to it,” because “that’s just the way it is,” and “you’ll never change it, because you’re just one person; just go about your business.”

"Can this be what human beings were meant to do? Can this be what human beings were meant to be?"

Orla gives a fantastic reading of her poem in Midleton today.

Kind of big news: I've been invited to present a paper this July in France at an international symposium on the work of Jacques Ellul, co-sponsored by the International Jacques Ellul Society and the Association Internationale Jacques Ellul. I'll be one of only a dozen (or fewer) presenters, half English-speaking and half Francophone. This is a really big deal for me, and I am honored beyond words to be invited.

Here's the deal: institutional funding being what it is today, I can't possibly get there, find (and pay for) accommodations, and pay for incidental expenses on my own.


So, as paradoxical as it seems (and if you know anything about Ellul, you know exactly how paradoxical it is), I've taken to social media for assistance. I launched a Kickstarter™ campaign to raise funs for this trip. As with all Kickstarter campaigns, I've had to pledge certain rewards to donors if the campaign is successful. I think there re some pretty good rewards.

So, please, click on the link below, check out my Kickstarter campaign page, read about the project watch the video, check out the rewards, and consider donating. And please share this link with others who you believe might be interested. Thanks.

Propaganda 2.1: A Guide to Peaceful Totalitarian Rule I'm writing a new book on Propaganda and I've been invited to an international symposium on Jacques Ellul in France. Help me get there.

Just for the craic...

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Somewhat simplistic in its argument, but basically true none the less.

Why it is too late now to save the Irish language Efforts to revive it have come far too late.

The legacy of colonialism, as tragic as it is, is not all evil.

William Butler Yeats on Modern Poetry (1936) Background and context: ...

A way with words...

Top ten Irish insults - the sharp tongued wit of Ireland Are you researching Irish last names or your Irish genealogy? IrishCentral.com offers a large range of resources to help you trace your Irish roots.

The legacy of colonial subjugation.

Does it matter if the Irish are portrayed as bullies and drunks? Who created the original stereotypes and who do they serve?