Precious Memories “Precious memories, unseen angels, sent from somewhere to my soul. How they linger, ever near me, and the sacred past unfolds.” We could say that these lines from a traditional gospel song, written by J.B.F. Wright in 1925, and put to music by great vocalists such as Jim Reeves, Aretha Franklin and Alan…
In Memoriam The morning meeting started right on time …..Kalaupapa time that is ….which usually means after the participants have done hugging, kissing, talking story and visiting the cooler for some libation. This day’s libation was cold, clear, refreshing Kalaupapa water, the best water I have tasted since my childhood days in the west of…
To Tell The Truth “Tell the truth and shame the devil.” When I was a growing boy in the west of Ireland, a few moons ago, this was one of our moral mottos. As I grew into adulthood, I tried to live by this motto though this was not always easy. In the course of…
And Then The Rains Came “When the rains came, I looked to heaven. When they washed away my dreams, I cried all night. In my heart I knew you’d be there because I felt the love and then I saw the light.” As a lover of good vocalists who give us good music and meaningful…
Wild Is The Wind “The wind is wild tonight, there’s battle in the air. The wind is from the west and it seems to come from Clare.” These lines from poetess Emily Lawless speak of the eve of the Battle of Fontenoy (May 11, 1745) when the charge of the Irish Brigade turned back the…
Return to Morrow County
Barging In And Out It became visible in the distance at about 8:00 am on the 28th of July. Pulled by a leading tugboat and nudged by another tug, it slowly became more visible as it made its way in the direction of Damien’s Landing (Kalaupapa Pier). By 10:30 am it had nestled against the dock…
Catmantic With a little coaxing and a firm push, I had managed to put Maka Reilly, my oldest cat, into a cat carrier in order to fly him to Topside Molokai for a scheduled checkup with Dr. Jayne, the veterinarian. Maka Reilly was not happy when I closed the door of the carrier and immediately…
Why We Fly Makani Kai The plane banked to the left over Topside Molokai, glided smoothly to the runway below and touched down with the now familiar slight bump (I call it ‘Bimp’) at Hoolehua Airport. It was my second touchdown in four days on Makani Kai Air on the runway of the Friendly Isle….
Looking Out To Sea I took a seat at the table nearest the entrance with a clear view of the road, giving me easy access to escape in case the party got too wild and rowdy. The ladies of the settlement began to arrive, on Kalaupapa time, laden with dishes of delicious home cooked foods,…