October 1, 2021 ON THIS DAY
FROM THE ARCHIVE OCTOBER 1, 1981
DOES Ireland have another saint in the making? The Vatican has been called upon to beatify West Cork girl, Mary Therese Collins. Born in 1913, near Drimoleague, Mary Therese died aged just 16. The inscription on her gravestone, written under guidance from a local priest, says her body is incorrupt – a sign of saintliness.
Two years ago, a pair of gravediggers discovered her preserved coffin. After half a century in the ground, they were shocked to find her body intact. Her hands were joined, her cheeks were a little brown, and her eye was open. Even her shroud was as new.
Mary Therese’s closest friend, Sister Alberic Murphy, is championing the cause for beatification. The Church, however, remains sceptical.
OCTOBER 1, 1991
THE Sealink ferry ‘Felicity’ has finally docked in Rosslare after 40 hours at sea. The ship faced a terrifying ordeal when a force ten gale stopped her making land in Co. Wexford. The crossing from Fishguard should have taken only four hours.
The 570 disembarking passengers were generally happy with their treatment by the crew. ‘They gave us all cabins, fed us and it was quite nice really,’ one man told RTÉ News.
BORN ON THIS DAY
RICHARD HARRIS (19302002). Born in Limerick, Harris, right, was destined either to be an international rugby player or screen legend. He chose the latter route. His first film role was in rugby league movie, This Sporting Life, for which he was nominated for an Oscar. His first stage role – in Brendan Behan’s The Quare Fellow – was the result of some exceptional blagging. The character he played, Mickser, is 50, but an impoverished Harris, 25, didn’t let that stand in his way. He borrowed money to call the producers and told them: ‘I look f***ing 50. I haven’t had a good meal for four months and I haven’t slept for days. Just take a look at me!’ He got the part. LAURENCE HARVEY (1928-1973). The Lithuanian-born British actor, right, starred in Room At The Top and The Manchurian Candidate. His three wives included Margaret Leighton, and he was friends with Elizabeth Taylor. Not everyone was a fan. Co-star Jane Fonda said: ‘There are actors and actors, and then there are the Laurence Harveys. With them, it’s like acting by yourself.’
ON OCTOBER 1 . . .
In 1761, the Whiteboys begin their violent campaign to defend tenant farmers’ land rights. In 1911, the statue of Charles Stewart Parnell is unveiled in Dublin. In 1979, RTÉ broadcasts Pope John Paul II’s visit to Ireland. In 2000, President Mary McAleese leads tributes to the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Luciano Storero, who died in the Mater Hospital. In 2001, journalists from all over the country pay tribute to colleague Martin O’Hagan who was gunned down by Loyalists. Around 1,500 people attend his funeral Mass, which is celebrated by Father Brian D’Arcy.
WORD WIZARDRY
GUESS THE DEFINITION: REFULGENT (C1500S) A) Repellent. B) Shining brightly. C) Shy, retiring. Answer below. PHRASE EXPLAINED No strings attached: meaning without any conditions; the origin is directly tied to fabric merchants of the 18th century who marked flaws in the woven cloth by tying strings to the bottom of the bolts.
QUOTE FOR TODAY
The best way out is always through. Robert Frost, US poet (1874-1963)
JOKE OF THE DAY
HOW do artists protect their castles? With drawbridges. Guess The Definition answer: B.