The Salmon of Knowledge

Belfast has been enjoying a spell of warm and sunny weather this past week. My office backs onto the River Lagan near the docks and during a break I went to cool off by the river. I was surprised to see, for the first time there, a man fishing and decided to chat. He told me that he was fishing for mackeral. "A scavenger fish," I said. "Not at all," came the reply, "that's a myth. It doesn't deserve that reputation" and he went on to talk about its many fine qualities. He told me that, because of its cleaner water, fish have been returning to the Lagan. He was particularly delighted that salmon are also making their way back with a trap-counter nearby registering a thousand fish. As a fisherman, he was hopeful for the future.

There is a local legend about Finn MacCumhaill and the Salmon of Knowledge. The story goes that the salmon had gleaned all the wisdom of the world and had been given to Finn to cook. While he was cooking it, Finn burned his finger. When sucking on his finger to cool it down, he gained all the wisdom of the world.

News from Belfast has been dominated recently by some racist incidents. Many feel that the actions of a small band of troublemakers have damaged the reputation of the city as a welcoming place.

Like the mackeral, we have many fine qualities and will need to work hard to restore our reputation. We have burned our fingers on the heat of intolerance.

I hope that on sucking them, we get some wisdom and that the salmon will keep coming back.

The Refugee Woman and Child - 1974

I have been disturbed and ashamed at the scenes of Romanian families being forced from their homes to find refuge in a local church hall and a leisure centre. The news this evening reports that they have now gone to an undisclosed safe place with police protection.

Refugees from Belfast, 2009.

35 years ago I was living in a town in the centre of France. Large numbers of refugees had come to Europe from Chile following Pinochet's military coup. Those I saw appeared to have very little and one meeting is seared into my memory.

It was during Sunday mass and a refugee woman carrying a small child came into the church. She walked directly to the altar and asked the priest for money. An uncomfortably direct appeal. The priest took her to the side and I watched as he discreetly give her some money. Relief.

Then she turned and walked down the aisle holding out her hand in turn to each of the members of that small congregation. Some refused. Then, she came to me..... I can still see her face.

It was a poignant moment. I was disturbed then, still am, and on returning home spent some time putting my thoughts into a poem. Here it is, 35 years later and sadly still relevant.

"The Refugee Woman and Child"

This morning I met the mother of God

As she held out her hand to say

Give me some money for my child in rags

I have asked and been turned away.

I gave her some centimes in loose change

Her eyes questioned,"Is that enough?"

And the paper money in my wallet

Is still there, richly folded up.

And now I think only of that young child

That we are nailing to a tree

"What you do to the least of my brethren,

Then, that so you do unto me".

From 1974 to 2009; from Chile to France; from Romania to Ireland. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Maybe not this time. Chris Tracey.

Morals, Markets and Charity Shops

I listened this morning to BBC Radio 4's 2009 Reith Lecture. Professor Michael Sandel delivered the first of four lectures on a New Citizenship, this one entitled, Morals and Markets. I found it absorbing; delivered in a calm, reasoned and occasionally self-deprecating way. I was interested enough to want to hear it again and have subscribed to the podcast of the series. It has been in my mind all day. This evening, as we drifted into an evening of passive TV, we watched BBC 2's Mary Queen of Charity Shops. It, too, was absorbing but for different reasons. Mary Portas has set herself the task of remodelling a Save the Children shop to make more money for the charity. The senior volunteers had plenty to say and it became clear that there were two different value propositions at play. One was market driven, the other, occasionally in an opposing stance, was voluntary contribution.

Can we square this circle? I'm with Sandel in as much as I agree that there are some places where market forces should not penetrate. I am keen to listen to and watch the remaining episodes in both series. I am grateful to the BBC for this programming. Both made me think.