Dingle
Last Saturday I was in Dingle, speaking on the Church and my dealing with the CDF, as part of Feile no Bealthaine, an annual weekend festival held in the town.
It was held in the old courthouse at 2.00 in the afternoon. The format that was decided by the organisers was an interview. And the person chosen to interview me was Dominican, Michael Commane.
The format worked really well. Michael is experienced in the media world, and he did an excellent job, and made the whole thing very easy for me. There was a large crowd, which really packed the old courthouse. It is a cosy setting, and the people were all around, and over our heads in the balcony. So there was a great intimacy about it. The people who came were a more varied and diverse group than would normally come to events at which I have spoken in recent years. They were from many parts of the country, drawn to Dingle for the festival. There was a great variety of ages, and a fair amount of people who are not practicing Catholics but who are interested in the subject. Then there were some unexpected people, like a reporter for America Magazine, and Brendan Ryan, former Labour senator.
The event went on for nearly an hour and a half. The interview lasted about fifty minutes. We covered a wide range, from the details of my experience with the Vatican to the general state of the Church today. Then there was about a half an hour for the attendance to get involved. That was lively. I was asked some very personal questions; why do I still stay in the priesthood and religious life?; do I still believe in God?: do I pray?: and many others.
Of all the talks I gave in the past few years, I think this was the one I enjoyed most.
There was great demand for my book, A Question of Conscience. It is now out of print, but the publisher has given me the last few ‘remainder’ copies, which I am selling for €5.00. If anybody wants one, please email me your address, and I will be happy to post it on to you.
