At The Table I remember certain tables long after the meals served upon them have been forgotten. Almost thirty-five years have passed since I found myself sitting at one in Darjeeling, in the foothills of the Himalayas. I had travelled there for a few days' respite from the heat and humidity of…

Before the Door Opens There are certain houses I remember long after I have forgotten the conversations that took place within them. I left them with the curious feeling that life somehow became more spacious while I was there. It is difficult to explain why. Atmosphere is an elusive thing. It…

Learning By Heart Every so often, a bird of prey circles above the fields beyond my house. Whenever I see it, Gerard Manley Hopkins quietly enters the scene. I have not read The Windhover for many years, yet the opening lines return almost without invitation. They seem to have been waiting…

What Small Economies Know A row erupted in Irish media this week after a former politician made comments about the economic imbalance between urban and rural Ireland. He pointed to taxation, output and measurable contributions from urban centres. Perhaps unwisely, he then pointed to subsidies and…

The Case for Pope Leo XIV In a presidential term characterised by jaw-dropping moments, last night’s attack by Donald Trump on Pope Leo XIV made my jaw drop even lower than what has become usual. The pope was described as weak and unfit, as though the measure of his office were the same as that of…

When faith mirrors power Sometimes language fails in plain sight, and folk carry on as if it has not. This year’s Good Friday gathering at the White House offered one such moment. A number of Christian leaders stood alongside political power and spoke with certainty about what they believed they…

Saint Patrick’s Day and the Seven Deadly Sins Each year on St Patrick’s Day, Ireland performs a curious ritual. The country celebrates a saint belonging to a religious tradition that much of the population now keeps at arm’s length. Churches that once structured everyday life are quieter than they…

War: when words changed In the first year of the Peloponnesian War, the Athenians gathered to bury their dead. According to the historian Thucydides, it was the custom that a prominent citizen speak over those who had fallen in battle. That year the task fell to the statesman Pericles. The speech…

What Education Is For My teacher asked me to rewrite a paragraph. The first draft was hurried and vague and the teacher knew I could do better. The request was simple. Try again. Be more precise. Cut the excess. Support the claim. I sighed, probably even rolled my eyes, but I returned to the page.…

Imbolg and the work of fire Imbolg is arriving quietly here. There is no drama to it, no obvious turning of the year that announces itself with surprise. The fields are still bare. The air still bites. Winter has not loosened its grip. Yet something has shifted. The days lengthen almost…

Remembering John O Donohue on his Seventieth Birthday It’s easy to imagine John somewhere in the west of Ireland still. I can picture him walking the hills and gathering the vocabulary of his next book. His death in 2008 was a rupture, but his voice still resonates. John knew our culture moves too…

Remembering John O Donohue on his Seventieth Birthday It’s easy to imagine John somewhere in the west of Ireland still. I can picture him walking the hills and gathering the vocabulary of his next book. His death in 2008 was a rupture, but his voice still resonates. John knew our culture moves too…

The Sky and the Cosmic Christ On winter nights my fields become a kind of open chapel. Darkness gathers without resistance. The hedgerows fall silent. The faintest movement of the Atlantic air some 40 miles away seems to pass through the grass and into the lungs. There is no interference from…

On Shadow and Leadership I have been spending these weeks with Rilke, Weil, and Kierkegaard as part of the preparation for the next Hedge School. Their writing doesn't stay politely on the page. It gets into you and asks questions you thought you had already settled. Almost without noticing, you…

Listening for Truth: Weil, Kierkegaard, and Rilke in the Life of a Leader Leadership is often spoken of in terms of action, influence, and performance. We imagine leaders as people who stand at the front, who speak with clarity and carry a group from one place to another. Yet those who have led…

Didn't I say, "Don't go there, I am your friend"? But if your anger takes you a hundred thousand years, in the end you will return, for I am your goal. Rumi, 13th century #Photography #Wisdom #Poetry #Malaysia #SpeirGorm #EastCoastKin #PhotographersOfBlueSky #ArtofBlueSky #StreetPhotography

Some stoic thoughts on autumn wp.me/pfMewq-l6

Rosroe, 1948: Wittgenstein, a fading language, and the silence of the Atlantic. wp.me/pfMewq-kM

America’s pursuit of happiness has always carried a shadow, from slavery at the founding to the evasions of painless politics today. My new essay traces how this pursuit weakens democracy and why Ukraine is a test of whether freedom still matters. mattershttps://wp.me/pfMewq-kD

Was Blake mad? Was Margery Kempe? Or did they see something the rest of us try not to? This is about mystics, grief, vision, and what it costs to tell the truth with your whole body. consilium.education/2025/08/03/m...

Today, the festival of Lughnasa celebrates Lugh, god of craft and harvest. Today is also the feast of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, a guide in mercy and conscience. Both remind us: wisdom isn’t just knowing, it’s doing things with care. What we do, and how we do it matters. #Lughnasa #StAlphonsus

"Jesus is not knocking on the door of our minds, asking for intellectual agreement, but on the door of our hearts, asking for a response of love." — The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

Introduced to Æ (George Russell) by my friend Áine years ago and I'm forever grateful to her for that. Mystic, co-operator, poet of soil and spirit. He died this day 90 years ago. Still, his voice lingers: rooted, visionary, decent and honest. Requiesce in pace, anima pulchra

A few years ago I renovated a derelict house in rural Ireland and slowly turned it into a hedge school for Stoic exploration. This short film tells that story. www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYMg...

Writing at consilium.education about presence, grief, attention, and the Stoicism that existed before being hijacked by productivity culture. Building quiet community around the things that matter.