Click on selected iunderlined item:
​
What happens when your watch thinks you have had a fall.
​
Going for Gold
​
(Submittted by Margaret Maher - February 2024)
(Submitted by George Carter - December 2023)
​
(Kieran Coyle - November 2023)
​
On Getting through the Pandemic
(Peggy Connolly - October 2023)
​
​
​
​
A Hard Fall
​
‘It seems that you have taken a hard fall”. That was the message suddenly displayed on my smart watch.
An alarm also sounded, and there was an electronically generated tap on my wrist.
​
If I did not respond by cancelling the message, the emergency services would be called within about a minute.
I immediately pressed the cancel option.
​
I had been vacuuming the floor under the kitchen table at the time, and the unusual movements recorded by sensors in my Apple Watch may have suggested that I had fallen.
​
In this case the algorithms had simply gotten it wrong, but there must be a growing number of incidents where lives have been saved by our new, increasingly smart, devices.
​
Whether we like it or not, technology has continued over many millennia to make us what we are.
​
We don’t think of the act of writing a shopping list for TESCO on a piece of paper with a ballpoint pen as using high level technology, but the development of writing was one of our first major information technology achievements.
Writing was invented as far back as 3200BC, in what is present day Iraq, and paper was invented in China around 105AD. As for the ballpoint point pen, it first went on sale in Gimbels department store in New York City in 1945
​
Without the invention of writing we might have neither the texts that comprise the Bible, nor the supposedly single text that comprises the Koran. Hinduism, another of the world’s great religions, predating Judaism, Christianity and Islam, might also not have endured without its ancient manuscripts.
​
It is not just the smartphone that is making such a difference to our lives. A relative newcomer is the smartwatch, sometimes keeping an eye, not only on how we move about, but also our heartbeat and the quality of our sleep.
The technology often knows not just who you are, but where you are, how healthy you seem to be, what you are doing, and how fast you are travelling; and not just by the hour, but by the fraction of a second.
​
There is now much talk about how artificial intelligence may change our lives. In fact it already has, if you include our use of Google Maps, Siri, Alexa and countless other applications.
​
The big question is what may happen if artificial Intelligence reaches the point where it achieves independence from human control and can, among other things, switch off our access to the internet and deprive us not only of Google, WhatsApp and Netflix, but also our water and electricity supply.
​
There is no end to the dystopian scenarios that can be imagined. Yet many of these scenarios are made a daily reality, not by artificial Intelligence, but by the species we have named homo sapiens. You have only to consider what we are doing to each other, as I write, in places as diverse as Ukraine, Gaza, Afghanistan and the Sudan. There must be very few species that have so mastered the art of mutual killing and destruction as well as we have.
​
It is worth considering if an independent form of artificial intelligence might not terrorise us, but instead help us to stop slaughtering one another, in conflicts that have roots not so much in history as in our jealousy, pride, and simple stupidity.
To put this to the test I recently asked a version of ChatGPT to provide a set of proposals with a very high probability of ending the present hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. (You can read its response at this link)
​
As we continue our search for intelligence deep into the cosmos let us hope that it will first be found on planet Earth - and meanwhile be grateful if our phone calls the ambulance should we fall down the stairs, irrespective of whether we are Christians, Muslims,Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Ukrainians, Russians - or even people who believe in neither God nor artificial Intelligence.
​
A Reflection on Summer 2024:​
Going for Gold
As we approach the Autumn, after the summer season (what summer you might say), thoughts come to mind regarding the month of September. What thoughts? We associate September with the return of pupils to various schools. Training returns in sporting groups like Ayrfield Soccer Club, and O’Toole’s GAC. The Circle of Friends and the Men’s Shed resume and continue to provide an excellent outlet for members. Dublin City Council and various colleges offer a variety of courses and Edenmore walking group look forward to returning to normality.
Whether you’re into sport or not, you must admit what kept us all going was the Olympics. We needed a boost and by God, we got it. People who know about sport and people who know nothing about sport (I know at least one person who falls into the latter category) can enjoy gymnastics, swimming, athletics and dare I say it, boxing. Personally, I’m not into boxing, especially women’s boxing. But Kellie Harrington’s achievement of winning the gold and her rendition of “Grace” won it for me. It brought back memories of a guided tour of Glasnevin Cemetery when I was requested to sing “Grace” by members of Ayrfield’s Circle of Friends at the graveside of Joseph Mary Plunkett. Even back then I struggled to remember the words. Ireland fell in love with Katie Harrington, the working class humble heroine who has never forgotten her roots.
The Olympics were not just about sport. They were about extraordinary young people, their life stories, sacrifices, characters, winning and losing. The spirit of Italia ’90 was rekindled when the whole country celebrated. The dust has barely settled on the recent Olympics and now we are back in Paris for more extraordinary physical feats of speed, bravery and skill during the Paralympics. There’s no excuse for not cheering on our heroes from the comfort of our armchairs.
Back to reality. The housing and homeless problems, refugee problem, layoffs in the tech sector, I could go on and on. And that’s only Ireland.
To quote the author and columnist Brendan O’Connor “something Irish in us is telling us not to lose the run of ourselves, that our comeuppance is coming. Ireland is full…full of joy, pride and togetherness”.
So, for now let’s enjoy this togetherness.
​
​
On Getting through the Pandemic............Peggy Connolly (October 2023)
Looking back on those 2 years I wonder how we got through them. Of course I had great plans to clear cupboards, wardrobes and paperwork. Sadly none of this happened and I just don't know where all the time went. One of the many good things about Covid was it made us more aware of friends and neighbours.I did catch up on letter writing, knitting and card making. Unfortunately lots of shops, cafes,restaurants etc did not reopen due to loss of revenue and a lot of the staff did not return to work. While the dreaded virus is still with us it is not as fearsome as it was and we are all protected with vaccines, I have just had my 7th jab and I intend to have as many as is deemed necessary.
Keep safe and God Bless
Peggy Connolly
In Praise of the Ukulele............Kieran Coyle (November 2023)
Like many people in Ireland, I started learning to play the ukulele during Covid, and indeed like many, I am still learning. (I suppose you could say it is a long term symptom.). The ukulele is a wonderful little instrument that can trace its origins back to Hawaii, influenced by the stringed instruments brought to the Islands by Portuguese immigrants and the rest, as they say, is history.
​
As an instrument, the Uke has many advantages.
​
1) It is relatively inexpensive to buy. €60.00 should buy a fairly decent soprano (the smallest sized) ukulele. While it is possible to buy one for as little as €30.00 these go out of tune very quickly and are really not worth the money. There are a number of sizes one can chose from,i.e. the Soprano, the Concert the Tenor, and the largest one, the Baritone, varying in price but a serviceable model in any size shouldn’t break the bank.
2) It is small, light and easily transported form place to place, or, if you play a lot, from venue to venue.
​
3) It is not difficult to learn, but it does require some dedication. While it has only four strings, it can be tricky enough to master the instrument. However, an investment of about 10 minutes a day for a month will give one sufficient mastery of the instrument to be able to switch between 4 basic chords and once these chords are mastered, there are countless tunes that can be played. An Australian group, “The Axis of Awesome” demonstrate the usefulness of these four chords on YouTube (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I Indeed Ed Sheeran did something similar on late night TV a number of years ago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQKZfvet2mc) when he claimed he could play all the songs in the charts using four chords. So a little perseverance with four chords pays huge dividends.
4) Ukulele players are very social. Many Ukulele groups have sprung up around the country and welcome members and visitors to sing and jam along with them. Ukulele Tuesday in the Stags Head on Tuesday evening is probably the biggest (and craziest). Mind you, Ukulele Tuesday play everything in the original key so some of their songs are difficult to play. But like many other groups, they don’t care if you can play well, badly, or at all. In fact they will hand out ukuleles and encourage you to strum any way you want (See https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=559870084154184 for their rendition of Psycho Killer)
5) There are ukulele festivals around the country each year. The biggest and oldest is Dun Laoghaire’s Ukulele Hooley that takes place at the end of August each year. There is one in Skerries, Sligo, Cork and Galway to mention a few. These festivals have formal concerts, guest appearances, lessons and open sessions where anyone can play along.
6) There are many ukulele songbooks available online. Dun Laoghaire’s Ukulele Hooley publishes a songbook with words and ukulele chords for each festival. Ukulele Tuesday updates its songbook almost weekly (with special songbooks for Halloween Christmas etc.) The Kent Ukulele & Banjulele Appreciation Society (KUBAS) has in addition to its “normal” songbook a nice Beatles songbook, http://www.kubas.co.uk/Songs/Songbook_Beatles_KUBAS_PDF/1_Songbook_Beatles_Rev1_KUBAS.pdf. And other groups also publish their own songbooks.
7) There are many resources online. A good starting point is “Bernadette Teaches Music and especially, her 30 day beginner challenge. If you want to play along, there are many groups who record some of their songs and you can play along with them. One I particularly like is the Austin Ukulele Society (on YouTube) who play many well know tunes that are easy to play along with, and more importantly they show the chords being played on screen to help.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your Uke, waken the cat, annoy the neighbours and strum like you never strummed before!
Postscript: The four basic chords mentioned above are C, A minor, F and G
​
Kieran Coyle
Obituary for John Farrell
It is with sadness that we all learned of the recent death of John Farrell. John was a stalwart worker for his community and if Ard-na-Gréine has been described as a housing estate that wants to be a garden it is surely due to the community spirit of which he was such an outstanding example.
I got to know John well when he was the chairman of the residents’ association and I was the secretary. It was a time when the estate was going through a difficult patch and herculean efforts were required to badger Dublin City County into replacing vandalised trees, and maintaining green spaces. He excelled at badgering.
John believed in doing and not just talking and was often to be seen setting the example - out street sweeping, or picking up litter, and never without a smile and a sense of humour. He organised countless cleanup days and also managed to invest them with a sense of fun.He was also the perfect Santa Claus to many of our children and grandchildren.
When it came to party time we saw yet another John, the professional singer and entertainer. Someone who added life and merriment to an occasion - the engaging and witty master of ceremonies - a man of many parts.
Ard-na-Gréine was one of the first participants in Neighbourhood watch and I well recall the meetings we attended together in Coolock Garda Station at a time when some were giving up hope for the estate - but John was never one of them.
I admired his commitment and how he instilled the confidence that helped build up what is probably one of the most active residents’ associations in Dublin, if not in all Ireland.
May he rest in peace.
​
(submitted by George Carter)
The Patience of Job
(Submitted by Margaret Maher - February 2024)
When I first made reference to Job I didn’t really give him a second thought. I was referring to Kieran
Coyle's patience during his task of photocopying issues of The Echo and Ayrwaves, for the purpose of
displaying them on our website. That was until I listened to the first reading from the book of Job
while attending Mass in St. Paul’s Church recently.
A reading from the book of Job (Job 7: 1-4. 6-7)
Job began to speak:
"Is not man’s life on earth nothing more than pressed service, his time no better than hired drudgery.
Like the slave, sighing for the shade, or the workman, with no thought but his wages, months of
delusion I have assigned to me, nothing for my own but nights of grief. Lying in bed I wonder, ’When
will it be day?’ Risen I think, ‘How slowly evening comes! Restlessly I fret till twilight falls. Swifter
than a weaver’s shuttle my days have passed, and vanished, leaving no hope behind. Remember that
my life is but a breath, and that my eyes will never again see joy."
Now I’m no expert on the Liturgy of the Word, but I’d like to share Fr. Donal Neary’s, S.J
interpretation of the reading:
Pastors Desk entitled Darkness and Light.
The first reading is tough to hear, and we admire Job. We talk of ‘the patience of Job’. Job is the
example and the hero of depression. He just had it bad. All had gone wrong, and he felt no good, no
hope, no meaning. His family collapsed, his wealth disappeared, and he cursed the day he was born.
He went through all the depressions people have, but somehow kept that glimmer of light alive. He
never totally lost God, and God never lost him.
Depression is a huge illness. Many suffer; many are affected. Treatment can be of help, and the
listening times of friends as well as therapy is healing. A great priest wrote: "At the worst of the
burn out I couldn't say mass, never mind preach. Dry, empty, without light or life. Thanks again for
the card you sent. It means a lot to me now. Funny, in the worst of my anxiety, nothing, no
compliment, and no reassurance meant anything to me"
There are many helps on the human level. There is the help also of faith and prayer at times. And the
help of someone who, listens, sympathises, doesn’t judge nor give easy cures. Love from God never
ends even though it may not appear near just now. This is the Jesus of the gospel – bringing the
grace of healing, of freeing from any evil, of constant love.
Imagine a time of darkness in life; picture it in its colour and imagine the bright light of Jesus
penetrate that darkness. Ask for help and give thanks for help. Give light, Good Lord, to all who live in
the valley of darkness and the shadow of doubt.
Fr Donal Neary S.J