Celtic blessing no match for modern stupidity

Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2011 at 11:52 AM

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It's dark and damp in this part of Ireland today and for once that's not unwelcome. Large parts of the country have been ablaze recently as unusually dry weather has allowed ludicrously stupid people to set large tracts of land on fire. These wild fires are known as gorse fires here.

Early last month I read that an ancient Celtic custom with a Catholic priest and an Anglican reverend blessed the gorse on a hill overlooking Belfast. The hope was that the blessing would protect the hills around Belfast and save them from fire.

Unfortunately, the blessing was unable to prevent fires ravaging some areas - Counties Offaly, Tyrone & Donegal were particularly hard hit - and causing a serious nuisance in many others. Firefighters have been busy day and night fighting these wild fires, most of which were apparently deliberately set.

That's just it with the modern world, isn't it? I would bet that back in the days of the ancient Celts that no one would imagine deliberately setting fire to a field. Life was hard, plenty of toiling in the fields and the people had enough respect for God's creation not to go playing with something as dangerous as fire. These days, empty-headed, idle teens (and adults too) get their jollies lighting bushes on fire during a long dry spell.

I don't know what success the blessing of the gorse had in the old days, but it can't overcome the free will of those determined to act idiotically.

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NE.Walton | May 19, 2011, 06:34 PM EDT

Having lived in America for half my life, I can guarantee that there are fully as many American fools and idiots...and "fire-bugs"...as there are here...or any other country for that matter. Stupid, like sorrow, knows no cultural limits!

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jacersagain | May 09, 2011, 02:35 PM EDT

Years ago when I worked abroad, I worked for a firm that had an American accountant, a nice fella called Tom. One day he regaled us about the holidays he took – in Kenya, Tanzania etc. Tom told us that when he got back home to America for a break and told his friends there that he’d been holidaying in Kenya etc., they asked him where Kenya was. “Imagine that!” he exclaimed, tsk tsk’ing “These Americans were so stupid that they didn’t know where Kenya was!” A few minutes later, as we exchanged holiday stories, one chap said he’d had a great cheap holiday in Bali. Tom’s eyes darkened “Bali?.. Bali?? Where’s that??”asks he. You can imagine the guffaws; we had all just heard the ‘proof in the pudding’ on American stupidity. >> On the topic, I doubt that ALL the gorse fires were started deliberately; they are regular occurrences when Ireland has an extended dry hot period, usually caused by the sun shining through a broken discarded glass bottle. Now that is a stupid thing to do, anywhere.

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ellenfromcork | May 06, 2011, 11:18 AM EDT

Ah Yank, Have better sense than rising to George's bait. He's just cranky.

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TheYank | May 05, 2011, 04:46 PM EDT

GeorgeDillon,

Come on. I didn't say that and you know that there are as many stupid teens, adults in America. Are you telling me that there aren't idle idiots who'd only love to start a brush fire in America? I know there are ... and so do you.

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GeorgeDillon | May 05, 2011, 03:59 PM EDT

You're right. Ireland appears to have an unlimited supply of stupid people.

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