Hahahaha

Oisin in Avoca - my son, the born clown.


Daddy and Ghin take five minutes out of post-Christmas shopping.




Victoria Square, the new mecca to consummerism. We've been there twice in the last two days for the sales.




Mairead Maguire from the Peace People was at a Gaza Solidarity demo outside the City Hall. We ditched Marksys for the demo instead. She first met Oisin when he was Ghin's age and we've kept in touch through the years. When Oisin was five, he had a phone call conference with Vanunu, the man who exposed the Israeli weapons programme.


It was really interesting the reaction we got from people in Belfast. There were a fair few hecklers because the Palestinian/Israeli conflict has been written over by the local one. The Nationalist/Republicans see the Unionists as settlers like the Zionists and the latter see the formers as terrorists. So we got a few older men shouting at us, what about the IRA then???!!!! I see their point though. However, i had never been heckled before - in Derry you would have never been heckled at. It was very very interesting.


I don't know if my friend Josh reads this blog, but i want to say that i do not think that the Palestinians are entirely blameless. As i said to Kevin, the Chair of Peace People, both sides need to forgive each other, only then will things get moving. It is more easily said than done, of course. But then most things are. And it is also so easy to hold on to your pain, when that is all you have been given. When all of your identity is invested in it. And i see it in the people here as well who refuse to move on. Of course loss is dreadful. I will never be able to say how dreadful, until i am there myself. I do not know if i will be able to forgive like i suggest, but i do knew from where i am standing now, it is the only thing that can be done. To live in the present. A while back, Josh posted a picture of a young man, who had been abducted by the Palestinians who was a friend of his. I watch the news and hear that almost 400 people in Gaza have died in the last attacks, some 30 of those children. Five in a family were killed in a air strikes. I cannot fathom this -but for the mother of the abducted man and the mothers of the dead children i feel their anguish - it wells up and the whys just keep coming. Is it worth it? Is it worth one single drop of blood split in pain. One single sleepless second? What is it about human beings that we love this pain and we love causing this pain? Why can we not stop? It's like being on a drug... this pain is a drug. A drug that keeps us coming back for more and more despite the horror. Words are useless. Words are utterly useless. Only actions make any difference - and not my actions etheir. I cannot help. No one can help - only those who are involved must make that decision and all i can do is pray for them - is to say, please, let us love.



I've tried updating my blog every morning three times now. But each time i've been interrupted by the rest of the day. It's nothing, the rest of the day. Just children, shopping and cinema with friends. We went to see Twilight yesterday. It was a real triumph of style over substance. Lara who had read the series in one week was crushed and apologestic. I was very amused, having not read the series. And having seen the film, i also do not want to read the series. Her sister Amy was really annoyed that there wasn't much gore. What kind of vampires are they anyway? she complained. They give a bad name to vampires.

I'm sorry, i have to go. I was interrupted half an hour ago by children and a through round of pancake making.

For evidence i post the fragments of my previous blogs over the last two days and resolve to wake sooner - or at least allow myself the time to blog properly. I will not be deterred but like water flow around my little obstacles and use them to create my rapids, eddies, torrents and whirlpools.