I took this photo last evening on the main street of Carrigaline, Co.Cork to mark Culture Night.  

Culture night is an annual All Ireland public event that celebrates culture, creativity and the arts. In Carrigaline there were many events taking place including different choirs singing in the church from 5.30-6.30. Overall it was an outstanding success and of course the beautiful weather helped considerably!

On This Day 

On September 21st 2016 a migrant boat carrying 450-600 people capsized off the Egyptian coast and only 163 rescued.

On September 21st 2016 three genetic studies published in “Nature” concluded that all non-Africans descended from one migration out of Africa 50-80,000 years ago

On September 21st 2022 Putin started recruiting between 300,000 and 1.2 million men to fight in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting demonstrations around the country

Birthdays Today

Liam Gallagher (Rock Singer) is 52

Saint For Today

Today September 21st is Saint Matthew, apostle and evangelist

Significance Of Today

Traditionally today is the Autumn Equinox with equal daylight and darkness but in fact the scientists tell us that for 2024 it will be tomorrow Sep 22nd

Interesting Quote for Today

“You don’t need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” ~Martin Luther King Jr.

Did You Know😇

Refrigerated rubber bands last longer when a rubber band is placed inside the fridge. The polymers in the band will become more relaxed.

 

My latest new video has just been posted below

 

My Latest Video 🎥

This is my latest and newest video and it is called – What can we learn from the monks especially all about balance

 

This is a recent video called ‘My Beautiful Old Teapot – you are unique and special’.

Thought For Today

Last Sunday Tracton Abbey Parish, which is about 25km south of Cork city, celebrated the 800th anniversary of Tracton Abbey. It was 800 years ago on the shoreline at Ringabella, where the first Cistercian monks arrived from Wales. They located their monastery very close to Minane Bridge and lived here for many years.

Their influence is still felt today. One of the stones from the old monastery can be seen as you walk into the church at Minane Bridge today. To celebrate the occasion a special Mass was organised in Minane Bridge and the main celebrant was Bishop Fintan Gavin. Lots of planning went into the event by Tracton Abbey Parish Council. It was a lovely occasion and after Mass there was refreshments for everyone.

Tracton Abbey Parish is famous for its good land, its coastline with beautiful sea views and some of Cork’s well-known beaches such as Fountainstown, Robert’s Cove and Rocky Bay. Most importantly it has a lovely vibrant community, with a great community spirit and where you will find a welcome for everyone. Agriculture is of course the backbone of this rural parish.

Even though the Cistercian monks are long gone, it is good to remember their presence in Tracton. We can still learn so much from the life they lived. Our busy and modern world needs some of the basic principles they lived each day: prayer, work, study, hospitality and renewal. For the monks having balance was the key to happiness and to having a deep sense of meaning and purpose in life.

In the world we live in today, we are out of balance. Our lives are so busy today, there is little time for quiet prayer, for reflection, for reading a book, for a quiet walk, for relaxing mindfully and so on. It is all about finding the balance.

We congratulate Tracton Parish this week. We congratulate a close community, who are remembering an important part of their history, while also looking forward in hope. For all of us, we try our best to find balance in everything we do in life.