I love your written stories Gerry and it was so good to hear you reading it yourself and bringing it to life in your soothing voice. I came across your video while stuck in my car in a traffic jam that went on for over an hour because of a traffic accident ahead of us on the N17 on the way to Sligo to pick up an elderly relative whose car had broken down and left him stranded in the middle of nowhere.
My young teenage grand daughter was with me. I asked her to get my laptop from the back seat and spark it up. Brought up Substack and there you were Gerry. We watched you reading your lovely story and the spirit of Clonmacnoise must have been with us and the frustration of being stuck in the traffic jam didn't seem so bad and we would get there eventually and as it happens we did and all was well.
We enquired about the people involved in the accident and thank God there was no fatal or life threatening injuries .My young co-pilot loved your story too and our next trip together will be to Clonmacnoise. I believe you have a new fan. Thank you Gerry.
Hi Aoife, What a lovely message to receive! - Very happy that you and your grand-daughter enjoyed it and no one was hurt in the accident. Clonmacnoise is a very special place and I try to get there once a month, I was there last Saturday which gave me the idea to re-post the piece. Keep well!
Thank you Gerry! We did enjoy listening to you tell your story and we look forward to the you reading all the others too. We have planned our trip to Clonmacnoise just before Easter. Great you got there last Saturday and I've heard one feels a great peace there, which is hard to find these days. Enjoy the Spring days and safe travels to you and Brigid 🙏
Yesterday in Athlone an incredible Eucharistic Procession took place with 1000 + people bringing Jesus Our King onto the streets bringing Graces and blessings on the people present as well as our whole country🙏
This follows on from another Eucharistic Procession took place in Dublin last May in Dublin at the end of the Wslk the Cross for 2024. It was incredible with great crowd and huge response from passers by🙏
Another wonderful Eucharistic Procession took place in Derry on February 1st in Derry🙏
All a powerful uplifting of faith and a recognition that there are no secular solutions to the evil in our world which seeks to crush us!
Our rich spiritual history, great Saints and martyrs confirm that only deep faith in God and love for our neighbour can bring back peace, love and harmony to our world🙏
The reflections in your piece gerry - coincide with a short essay on spirituality that I came across just a few hours ago. I ended up posting the following on a number of groups.
SISTERS OF ST LOUIS HAVE LEFT MONAGHAN- (to be replaced by lads loaded in from Lagos??)
Their take on Paddy Kavanagh- that oddball poet fella.
WARNING - Christian, non secular content within. Can U handle it ?
To read your article was one thing. To have you read your article was something very much more to me. Authentic, uplifting and full of hope.
There is a greying soul in our faith and I don't mean age - we are slowly growing darker. Your observations show a lighter and brighter soul descending. To have this come from the North where the soul was nearly lost to darkness is so promising.
May the light of our creator be reflected brightly through us.. Let us all polish our souls as bright as we are able to do and show the dark and greyness a new luminosity - a new Plan A.
I'll be honest you're a better man than me, I can't see me praying for Starmer or any of his crew.
The experience as you presented it had the feeling of a mission about it.
In Poland for the Feast of the Assumption pilgrims walk up to 600 kilometres from all over Poland to Czestochowa to hear mass said, they carry crosses and icons of our lady of Czestochowa, I was there in 1964 as a 13 year old one of the most moving experiences of my life.
It must have been the same pilgrimage that the youngsters I bumped in to around Kielce about 12 years ago - making their way along quiet by- roads . My Polish host referred to a pilgrimage- forget wher he said they wer going but Czestakova has a familiar ring to it.
My Dad was born there in 1921 and 1964 was the first time he had been back since the Germans invaded and killed his fiancee, he demobbed in England in 1946 and produced me and others .
Lol..you don't need that ,your stories create the images themselves ..I'm getting images of you and maybe others reading your stories live at an event ..in a cosy setting or outside around a fire in summer etc . We are missing real community ..even community that lasts for a few hours .
I love your written stories Gerry and it was so good to hear you reading it yourself and bringing it to life in your soothing voice. I came across your video while stuck in my car in a traffic jam that went on for over an hour because of a traffic accident ahead of us on the N17 on the way to Sligo to pick up an elderly relative whose car had broken down and left him stranded in the middle of nowhere.
My young teenage grand daughter was with me. I asked her to get my laptop from the back seat and spark it up. Brought up Substack and there you were Gerry. We watched you reading your lovely story and the spirit of Clonmacnoise must have been with us and the frustration of being stuck in the traffic jam didn't seem so bad and we would get there eventually and as it happens we did and all was well.
We enquired about the people involved in the accident and thank God there was no fatal or life threatening injuries .My young co-pilot loved your story too and our next trip together will be to Clonmacnoise. I believe you have a new fan. Thank you Gerry.
Hi Aoife, What a lovely message to receive! - Very happy that you and your grand-daughter enjoyed it and no one was hurt in the accident. Clonmacnoise is a very special place and I try to get there once a month, I was there last Saturday which gave me the idea to re-post the piece. Keep well!
Thank you Gerry! We did enjoy listening to you tell your story and we look forward to the you reading all the others too. We have planned our trip to Clonmacnoise just before Easter. Great you got there last Saturday and I've heard one feels a great peace there, which is hard to find these days. Enjoy the Spring days and safe travels to you and Brigid 🙏
Yesterday in Athlone an incredible Eucharistic Procession took place with 1000 + people bringing Jesus Our King onto the streets bringing Graces and blessings on the people present as well as our whole country🙏
This follows on from another Eucharistic Procession took place in Dublin last May in Dublin at the end of the Wslk the Cross for 2024. It was incredible with great crowd and huge response from passers by🙏
Another wonderful Eucharistic Procession took place in Derry on February 1st in Derry🙏
All a powerful uplifting of faith and a recognition that there are no secular solutions to the evil in our world which seeks to crush us!
Our rich spiritual history, great Saints and martyrs confirm that only deep faith in God and love for our neighbour can bring back peace, love and harmony to our world🙏
How absolutely wonderful 🙏
Great to hear the procession got such a turnout. Good to bump into in Clonmacnoise Saturday. Keep well!
The reflections in your piece gerry - coincide with a short essay on spirituality that I came across just a few hours ago. I ended up posting the following on a number of groups.
SISTERS OF ST LOUIS HAVE LEFT MONAGHAN- (to be replaced by lads loaded in from Lagos??)
Their take on Paddy Kavanagh- that oddball poet fella.
WARNING - Christian, non secular content within. Can U handle it ?
https://stlouissisters.org/2023/12/13/the-spirituality-inherent-in-the-poetry-of-patrick-kavanagh-is-close-to-that-of-laudato-si/
That's a lovely essay !
To read your article was one thing. To have you read your article was something very much more to me. Authentic, uplifting and full of hope.
There is a greying soul in our faith and I don't mean age - we are slowly growing darker. Your observations show a lighter and brighter soul descending. To have this come from the North where the soul was nearly lost to darkness is so promising.
May the light of our creator be reflected brightly through us.. Let us all polish our souls as bright as we are able to do and show the dark and greyness a new luminosity - a new Plan A.
In essence back to the future.
God bless you Gerry.
Really enjoyed your story. Especially loved this: The curse of not being able to ignore the stirring.
Thanks Alice, much appreciated.
Thanks Gerry,
I listened to it twice.
I'll be honest you're a better man than me, I can't see me praying for Starmer or any of his crew.
The experience as you presented it had the feeling of a mission about it.
In Poland for the Feast of the Assumption pilgrims walk up to 600 kilometres from all over Poland to Czestochowa to hear mass said, they carry crosses and icons of our lady of Czestochowa, I was there in 1964 as a 13 year old one of the most moving experiences of my life.
It must have been the same pilgrimage that the youngsters I bumped in to around Kielce about 12 years ago - making their way along quiet by- roads . My Polish host referred to a pilgrimage- forget wher he said they wer going but Czestakova has a familiar ring to it.
Yes that sounds right 👍
Thanks for sharing that Alan. I find that Polish story fascinating. No wonder we rub along with them so well in Ireland.
My Dad was born there in 1921 and 1964 was the first time he had been back since the Germans invaded and killed his fiancee, he demobbed in England in 1946 and produced me and others .
Very nice ..much better than the bot readings .
Thanks Sarah, I might read One Enchanted Moment next, Might need to utilize the image from a famous artist tho :-)
Lol..you don't need that ,your stories create the images themselves ..I'm getting images of you and maybe others reading your stories live at an event ..in a cosy setting or outside around a fire in summer etc . We are missing real community ..even community that lasts for a few hours .