My best 40th Birthday Card

The line inside reads: 'Praise the Lord and have a Happy Birthday'

Paddy Anglican is 40!

What more can I say - The day has come - Life begins today.................

A new beginning for Islam's relationship with the West? Obama makes a good start!

Leaving Cert Twittered!

As soon as English paper 2 was opened in error yesterday in an exam centre in Co. Louth it was obvious that the paper was irreversibly compromised. In the age of social networking and text messaging the contents of the paper were nationwide as soon as the first students left the exam.
The question that I want to ask is this: Why is the reserve paper not more readily distributable? Surely working overnight this should have been possible! The resulting trauma to students is inexcusable. Listening to the radio this morning I hear that the 2 papers were the same colour! Perhaps the department might spend as much time on fine tuning the state exam system as they do churning out a steady stream of glossy brochures which serve little purpose but to add to landfill!

Obama Song for Hollywood!

The Corrigan Brothers hit song - No one as Irish as Barack Obama - is to feature on a movie soundtrack for an upcoming film about the life of President Obama. The song was an online hit earlier this year and between cover versions and original performances has achieved over six million youtube hits. Click here to watch. Ger Corrigan lead singer of the Corrigan Brothers is delighted with their first piece of Hollywood exposure, "this is incredible exposure for our band, we are delighted, to have a song of ours on a movie soundtrack about President Obama is wonderful". The Corrigan Brothers have just released their first album "An Irish Man invented Rock and Roll" and will tour the UK, USA and Ireland in September and October.

A Day in the life of a 'Woman'

In the picture above you see me (on the right) with Ivor Hayes, school principal in Cloughjordan. He and I spent an interesting day on the recent Bank Holiday Monday disguised (convincingly you will surely agree) as members of the fair sex. They say if you want to get to know someone you should walk a mile in their shoes - We did better than that; we ran (staggered) 10K in their skirts - while participating in the Womens Mini Marathon. The day started when Ivor arrived at the rectory to get into his ensemble. He and I (Now Ivana & Patricia) then set off together (women do everything together) for Shinrone, a ten minute drive. All was going well until we were forced to stop when the road ahead was blocked by a tractor loading a trailer. Slowing to a crawl to negotiate the obstacle we waved cheerily at the bemused farmers who quite clearly were facinated and possibly disturbed by the sight they were witnessing.
Having met up with the bus we set off for Dublin. En route the rest of the girls looked after our makeup and tried to make us look even more stunning! Using lipstick as blusher we looked more like a couple of clowns! We stopped in Bewleys at Newlands Cross for breakfast and a toilet break, and here we faced a quandry - Ladies or Gents? The risk in the former was being arrested and in the latter getting a hammering from some more conventional gentlemen - so we played it safe and used the wheelchair toilet. Then after a full Irish it was time to head for the main event. The bus parked up just off Baggot St. and we walked up to Fitzwilliam Square where the event was due to start. This was the hardest part of the day - Despite an abundance of water stations we stood for over an hour waiting to start and quite literally roasted. The combination of 28 degrees and 40,000 hot bodies in close proximity was quite overwhelming. When the start came it was a huge relief! Finally we could move and get a little bit of space, not much but a bit. Our group (about a dozen) tried to stay together but that proved impossible as the race progressed. It was all you could do to avoid falling over your neighbour, such was the congestion and jostling at the beginning of the race. In places the road was melting underfoot and so not only was the Sun beating down unmercifully but the heat was also rising up to meet us from the tarmac. If it wern't for the frequent water stations and the fire hoses courtesy of Dublin Fire Brigade I don't think I could have made it. I had opted to carry my handbag throughout the race - no real woman leaves home without it - but it got heavier by the kilometre! Admittedly I did have a lot in it and like my wife I found I could never find my phone before it stopped ringing! Ivana and I reached the finish on Stephen's Green in 1 Hr 48 mins which considering the heat wasn't bad going. We collected our medals, though the woman who gave me mine challenged my gender - I can't imagine how she knew but when I offered to prove it she gave in hurridly and gave me my trophy! After that it was over to O'Donoghue's pub on Baggot St for a post race celebratory drink and comfort stop. Here again there was the quandry - which loo? Ladies or Gents? No middle-ground here! I opted for the gents and was met by a young woman coming out of the gents who apologised for trespassing but said 'have you seen the queue for the ladies?' I said I had and had opted for the gents for the same reason - For some reason this caused her to crack up laughing! After that it was time to head for the bus and the road home - It had been a good day and an interesting insight into the world of women.

Mini Marathon Pics

This from Evening Herald!

More pics to follow but in meantime a few more pics here

It could happen to a bishop!

Fellow blogger Paul Newton sent me a Dave Allen sketch yesterday - not this one but I found this as a related video and had to share it. It brings back memories of St. Barthlomew's church choir in Ballsbridge where I was a chorister. It was a bells and smells church and in the light of this sketch there is something to be said for incense.

Patricia Anglican - Mini Marathon - The Music Video

Thanks to Pete Creighton master music producer & performer, Ger Corrigan lead singer with the Corrigan Brothers and wordsmith extroardinaire, along with Donncha Corrigan who despite an unfortunate accident with a drumstick managed to produce this visual treat. Thanks too to Brian Corrigan who was unavoidably detained elsewhere - or else he just couldn't cope with Patricia's unparalleled beauty ;-). What better friends could a woman have? In her hour of need this damsel in distress knew who to call (the A-Team being otherwise engaged).

If anyone suffers trauma from watching this video please call me on 087-2328172 and have your credit card ready - Alternatively you can sponsor my worthy cause 'Whiteboards for Cloughjordan School' by sending a cheque to: Cloughjordan No.1 N.S. Templemore Rd, Cloughjordan, Co. Tipperary, Ireland and write 'ref Patricia' on the back of the cheque.

And Finally could I thank the parents association of Cloughjordan No. 1 N.S who supplied my rather fetching outfit - Special thanks for the bra extensions - I never knew such things existed until this venture (It sure is complicated being a woman). And a word of thanks to fellow blogger Grannymar who provided my monogrammed bloomers - these are to be auctioned after the event. (Washed of course) Grannymar wins the autographed copy of the brilliant debut album from the Corrigan Brothers (Did I mention them before? ;-) ) An Irishman Invented Rock n' Roll. Download it from itunes at the link below:

Guardian features Corrigan Brothers MP Expenses song!

This is mad! - Such is the fascination with the MP expenses scandal that a song written by the Corrigan Brothers about the fiasco has gone viral in the UK and has come to the attention of the UK broadsheets. See the Guardian's take on it here. Extra verses are currently being written by the band as the pantomine continues and Lead singer Ger Corrigan says that individual MPs who wish to feature in the song should get in touch. "Ridiculous claims will be an advantage," he says.
The original song is here on YOUTUBE

Patricia Anglican - Training Video

Today my alter - ego Patricia hit the roads of Newport to train for next Monday's Women's Mini Marathon - I think you will agree she is a fine figure of a woman! Locals were enthralled at her natural beauty and graceful progress. Patricia was in Newport visiting Pete Creighton's Recording Studio where she and the Corrigan Brothers were recording a promo music video for her bid at Mini-Marathon glory. Watch this space for this audio-visual feast appearing here soon!
If you want to sponsor my charity go Here for details.

A witness tells his story!

This from Will Knott:
Michael O’Brien, former councilor and Mayor of Wexford attended the RTÉ programme Questions and Answers on 25 May 2009 and, after Minister Noel Dempsey, the sponsoring minister of the Ryan Commission report in to Child Abuse allegations spoke, Mr O’Brien spoke to the minister and to the panel.
Will produced the transcript of the video clip below because in his own words:'this clip seems to be the turning point for a lot of discussions. And possibly some action.'


—Start of transcript

Mr. Chairman, I’m surprised at the minister there now.

First of all Mr Minister (directed at Minister Noel Dempsey) you made a bags of it in the beginning by changing the judges. You made a complete bags of it at that time, because I went to the La Foy commission and ye had seven barristers there, questioning me and telling that I was telling lies, when I told them that I got raped of a Saturday, got a merciful beating after it, and then stuffed…

… he came along the following morning and put holy communion in my mouth.

You don’t know what happened there. You haven’t the foggiest, you’re talking through your hat there. And you’re talking to a Fianna Fáil man, a former councilor and former mayor you’re talking to, that worked tooth and nail or you, for the party that you’re talking about now. Ye didn’t do it right, ye got it wrong.

Admit it.

And apologize for doing that. Because you don’t know what I feel inside me. You don’t know the hurt I am.

You said it was non-adversarial.

My God.

Seven barristers.

Throwing questions at us.

Non-stop.

I tri.. attempted to commit suicide, there’s the woman who saved me from committing suicide, on me way down from Dublin, after spending five days at the commission. Five days I spent at the commission. They brought a man over from Rome, ninety odd years of age, to tell me I was telling lies.

That I wasn’t beaten for an hour, non-stop by two of them.

By two of them.

Non-stop from head to toe without a shred of cloth on my body.

My God minister.

And could I speak to you (comment directed to Leo Varadkar, Fianna Gael), and ask your leader, would you stop making a political football of this.

You hurt this when you do that.

You tear the shreds from inside our body.

For God’s sake, try and give us some peace.

Try to give us some peace and not to continue hurting us.

That woman will tell you how many times I jump out of the bed at night with the sweat pumping out of me. Because I see these fellas at the end of the bed with their fingers doing that (gestures) to me. And pulling me in to the room, to rape me, to bugger me and bate the shite out of me. That’s the way it is.

And you know what?

You know what, sometimes I listen to the leader of Fianna Fáil. I even listened to the apology. T’was mealy mouthed, but at least t’was an apology.

At least t’was an apology.

The Rosminians said in the report, they said they were easy on us. The first day I went to them. The first day to Rosminians in my home which is Ferryhouse in Clonmel, ’cause its the only home I know. He said “you’re in it for the money”.

We didn’t want money.

We didn’t want money. We wanted the pr… someone to stand up and say “yes, these fellas were buggered, these people were ra…”

Little girls. My daughter, oh sorry, my sister. A month old when she was put in to an institution. Eight of us from the one family, dragged by the ISPCC cruelty man. Put in to two cars, brought to the court in Clonmel. Left standing there without food or anything, and the fella in the long black frock and the white collar came along and he put us in to a van.

Not a van, a scut truck, I don’t know what you call it now. And landed us below with two hundred other boys. Two night later I was raped.

How can anyone…

You’re talking about constitution. These people would gladly say “yes” to a constitution to freeze the funds of the religous orders.

This state, this country of ours, would say “yes” to that constitition if you have to change it.

Don’t say you can’t change it.

You’re the governement of this state. You run this state. So for God’s sake stop mealy mouthing. ‘Cause I’m sick of it.

I’m sick of it.

You’re turning me away from voting Fianna Fáil which I have done from the first day that I could vote. Because. And you know me. You know me Mister Minister. You’ve met me on a number of ocassions. So you know what I’m like.

— End of transcript