A lucky Irishman

As a 5-year-old boy, Arthur was curious why his father and mother’s homebrews tasted quite different – yet they used the same four ingredients? From Celbridge, in 1725, a small town in County Clare, his quest to understand the mysteries of homebrewing changed the domestic lifestyles of families, when he extended the drinking lifespan of homebrews from days to weeks. He unknowingly, started the brewing industry and business, big time.

Do not go on an African safari without reading this book. The Lucky Irishman planned for an ideal 12-weeks safari into Africa and got tangled in the Sudanese civil war: was taken prisoner: commandeered to escort Sudanese military families through 500-miles of landmines, bombs and being shot at. The safari managed to see the Egyptian pyramids and tombs, lots of Africa’s wildlife and unique attractions, Including Nairobi and Mombasa’ hidden sex industry in 1984 – the year AIDS emerged. This eventful and dangerous Safari involved 12-months of unplanned good, bad and awful, surprises.

The End of an Irish Era 1943-1955.
This interesting era has passed and there are few books written about life of the forgotten peasants, to record their Irish slum lives, their survival methods and poverty, during the World War 2 and afterwards, A new priest is sent to a small town, to set up a peace plan, and he was exposed as a former Irish/ US World boxing champion – who had vanished 7-years previously. The newspapers wanted his story, and Catholic Church was set alight – professional boxing was being considered immoral, and so was its huge prize monies? Eventually, the College of Cardinals in the Vatican must decide: Is Boxing Immoral? Is Professional Boxing Prizemoney Immoral? The International sports boxing world declared war on the Catholic Church.

An invitation arrived to photograph and film an unusual family Cremation in Bali, Indonesia – the land of spirits. It was an assignment, too good to be missed. Our Lucky Irishman took up the challenge and was soon entering the strange world of the spiritualists, deities, and black magic. Attempting to verify the identities of these long dead relatives, getting permission from their dead spirits to attend ceremonies and the cremations. To be present when their spirits joined the cremation family. Neighbours would not go near the graveyards at night, or witness the exhumed remains being unwrapped and washed, they feared a Black Magic curse would possess their minds and souls. One of the team became spiritually obsessed at the grave-digging ceremony and had to be shipped back to London.

Using a stranger’s, unused return airline ticket. I watched many young people, examine airline tickets, being offered cheaply, on customers’ noticeboards, in various supermarkets, in South Africa’s Johannesburg. I could find no information, in newspapers, or at airline offices, or at the police headquarters, about any airline passengers, being caught on an outbound flight, using a stranger’s, unused, airline ticket. Why were no airline passengers ever caught, or prosecuted, using a stranger’s, unused return airline ticket? It had to be possible to do it. Lots of second-hand airline tickets, were being bought and sold? I just had to give it a chance!

Visiting Ulster after an absence of 65-years turned out to be a surprising experience. All I had ever visited on my many return journeys back home, during the ‘troubles’ were families, weddings, funerals, graveyards, and the pubs. In 2024/5 I decided to take a deeper look into Ulster, I was fascinated by what I discovered about a small country with a big bad reputation. Ulstermen and Ulsterwomen have produced a number of world class inventions, many surprising firsts. I learned a lesson, to investigate a lot more, and visit libraries and museums. I was to get my eyes opened, about inventions Unique to Ulster.