Momentoes Archive
These personal, yet public, creative momentoes here have been submitted to the artist by visitors to The Linen Memorial. These form the opinions and gestures of the person expressing them.
From Warrenpoint
September 17th 2014
Warrenpoint Presbyterian
Newry, Northern Ireland
From The Dominican
August 2014
Newry, Northern Ireland
From Dezzy
late August 2014
The Dominican Priory
Newry, Northern Ireland exhibition
Lycia wearing an Irish woven (man's) belt, July 27 2011.
"crios (kris), an crios, an chreasa (un HYRAS-uh), na criosanna; belt, the belt, of the belt, the belts."
From Irish Lesson 96. See a lovely blog about this craft: Handfasting.
"A handfasting ... using a Celtic custom of ‘tying the knot.’ In Ireland the Crios, (pronounced “kriss”) was / is a traditional woven woollen belt, used as a handfasting cord."
"Seamus Heaney, Ireland’s living poet laureate, recalls ideas of intimate
connectedness through the repetitive, shared performance of folding sheets
off of the laundry line with his mother...evoking the sentiments of touch,
intimacy and love (24). Heaney wrote a poem to commemorate his mother's
life, entitled ‘In memoriam: M.K.H, 1911- 1984’. This is an excerpt
from the poem:"
"Compassion alone can protect you from becoming irritated, angry, or full
of despair...when you listen deeply to someone who suffers, you step into
a zone of fire. There is the fire of suffering, of anger burning in the
person you are listening to... your equipment here is compassion... and
mindful breathing."
"Anger: Buddhist Wisdom for Cooling the Flames" Thich Nhat Hanh 2001 pp. 93 - 4
A resource for memorial, mourning, sentimental jewellery and art
Commemorative Colour Prayer about reconciliation (Digital Print) by
Rev'd David Poulton, Uniting Minister, UK (Canadian/USA educated)
Marilyn Suday, California, USA, Global Volunteer
The Croi building, Corrymeela, 2008
Colourful 3717 Prayer
Thank you for giving me
the opportunity in NI and for taking the time to help and inspire, meant a
lot and still does!
I've done some reflecting on the NI issues in relation to CP [colour
prayer] for there are many as yet unlinked colours for various physical
actions, as opposed to the emotional actions, which are currently
connected with CP. Tell me, what is like to be an Northern Irish - born Brit, educated
Canadian, naturalised Australian?
“The Troubles” 1966-2007
Irish Linen Memorial
Embroider the past but simply
Link those ordinary names –
Muriel, Peter, Monica-
All dead by crusted enmities
Pretended relevant to the now
But why?
Embroider each link for memory
Crawl those dead, ordinary names-
James, Michael, Ida,
Across the linen-wove
Hankies for tears
Bandages for wounds
Quality text
To raise the hackles
Lest we forget
Chain-stitch the shadow presence
Julia Bovard
May 2009
© Frank Chan Loh
It's not your war
Let your finger linger on the trigger, Digger.
Let go of your hold on the cold A-grade grenade.
Set aside your bayonet; get inside for a cigarette.
Soldier, certainly you're in the corps
but plainly it's not your war.
You're not immoral; you're not amoral;
you have no quarrel
with the man caught in your line of fire;
it's a plan thought up by men of ire,
old men sending young men to shred and kill;
old men spending their time on Federal Hill;
old men whose design is to sell and buy;
old men who consign young men to die
so, Soldier, don't shrug a shoulder; be bolder.
You should shun shell fire; you're no gun for hire;
you're no whore and what's more, it's not your war.
Come, see the light; you're in the right to refuse to fight.
Hell, how these old men crow they're right - they lie;
well, let these old men go and fight and die.
Frank Loh's book "When Dining with Tigers" is dedicated to Kong Ai-ling
From Maki & Akemi Endo, Tokyo, Japan, Oct 31st / Nov 1st, 2002
400 Origami Peace Cranes "Senbazuru"
The cranes are a metaphor for the peace movement; symbolic of hope, consolation, peace.
Memorial embroiderers
From Professor Gordon G. Wallace
Wollongong, NSW, Australia
In Memory of his best friend Edward Wilson, killed at aged 16 on January 26th 1975
Guitar Solo
Eddie
Was it meant to be a life so slight
Was it meant to blow on Friday night,
They came, they did, they didn't do right,
And I'll walk by myself now forever.
At ten and a half he could hardly fight,
But he turned out some threat to their military might,
They laid down the wires, Christ they did it right,
And at sixteen he's gone now forever.
Eddie's gone tonight
In a blinding light
And he always told me, it would be alright
I'll walk home by myself on this cold Friday night
I'll walk by myself now forever.
The weeks had gone by
I still didn't cry
I still heard Eddie, could still see his eyes,
Then no-one spoke back to me one Friday night
I'll be by myself now forever
I'll walk by myself, talk by myself, live by myself now forever.
From Violinist/Musical arranger
Robert Candeloro “Candy”
Adelaide , South Australia.
My contribution
of music to your Linen Memorial is about reflection, emotion. It begins with an
Irish melody sung in its purist form then interrupted quickly and violently for
no reasonable explanation.(as it would have been, because of the mind set). The music
then takes you on a journey with its dark mood and at times light hearted if only
brief to allow you time to think and reflect of the senseless suffering and pain
inflicted on the poor souls who have lost their lives and their families. A time
to reflect.
LEST WE FORGET.
A TIME TO REFLECT
LET THE JOURNEY
BEGIN TO FORGIVE AND START AGAIN. 2006.
Lest We Forget extract MP3 © 2007
From Martin Hayes,
Renowned Fiddle Virtuoso, Ireland/USA:
“I think your cause and your efforts are very worthwhile, I agree one hundred percent with the sentiment and thoughts behind your project.” April 6 2008.
Irish Linen Tea Towel
From Rev. Diana Cullum-Hall, September 2008
Fine Irish linen to wipe away tears,
Bandages winding to bind up and heal.
Embroidered names that recount our fears
Roses and hearts that tell how we feel.
The grief of an island – the shame and the pity;
The flags at half-mast; paint bombs and old scars.
The violence that haunts the green hills and each city,
The soft Irish voices that sing in the bars.
There is beauty and hope, but still there is tension,
The peace dove flies up from the old Derry walls.
There is talk of forgiveness, of love and redemption
But names still divide – Bogside, Omagh and Falls.
So artists and poets and angry peace-makers
Bring balm to hurt hearts that are troubled and aching.
It takes talkers and listeners, movers and shakers
To find the sweet peace we are seeking and making.
November 27th 2008
"architectures speak of the joy the soul is here for." (Barks p. 5)
A Rumi poem ...
Leaves about to Let Go
This world of two gardens, both so beautiful.
This world, a street where a funeral is passing.
Let us rise together and leave this world,
as the water goes bowing down itself to the sea.
From gardens to the gardener,
from grieving to a wedding feast.
We tremble like leaves about to let go.
There is no avoiding pain,
or feeling exiled, or the taste of dust.
But also we have a green-winged longing
for the sweetness of the friend.
These forms are evidence of what cannot be shown.
Here is how it is to go into that:
Rain that has been leaking into the house
decides to use the downspout.
The bent bowstring straining at our throats
releases and becomes the arrow.
Mice quivering in fear of the housecat
suddenly change to half-grown lion cubs,
afraid of nothing.
So let us begin the journey home,
with love and compassion for guides,
and grace protecting.
Let your soul turn into an empty mirror
that passionately wants to reflect Joseph.
Hand him your present.
Now, let silence speak.
As that begins, we will start out.
From Rumi: Bridge to the Soul
Journeys into the Music and Silence of the Heart (p. 32-3)
Newly Translated Poems to Commemorate Rumi's 800th Birthday by Coleman Barks, with A. J. Arberry and Nevit Ergin. Harper Collins, NYC, 2007
about The Soul Bridge: Khajou Bridge, over the river Zanayeh, Isphahan, Iran.
From Award-winning Blues singer-songwriter Paul J. Miles Detroit, U.S.A.
“Dr. Lycia, I have been waiting since 1976 to bring my music along
with my spiritual growth to where I can do heartfelt projects to promote humanity
and the peace and healing processes we all need at this time. I want the lyrics
for
'Don't Forget About Us' to be sensitive and politically correct for what is
still going on; as a songwriter I can make adjustments to the song. I'm honoured
it was presented at the candle-light ceremony for
The Day of Reflection. You may
want to have it as a possible fundraiser for victim’s families. . I would love to
perform it one day, live, for you. Peace, Love and Happiness to you.” Paul
June 21st 2008
Another song about
PEACE. with lyrics
music
Paul J. Miles (c) 1995.
First performed
Jan. 1996, San Diego, USA at a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King.
I think your Linen Memorial is lovely to look at as well as a beautiful
idea.
Water Lily by Pamela Jablonski
Florida, U.S.A. 2008
© Lizz Murphy
Born in Belfast, N.Ireland (1950) lives in Binalong, rural New South Wales, AUS.
She was awarded the 1998 ACT Creative Arts Fellowship for Literature.
Lizz Murphy's nine books include the poetry collections Stop Your Cryin (Island), Two Lips Went Shopping (Spinifex), and the anthology Wee Girls: Women Writing from an Irish Perspective (Spinifex).
Black Taxi
It takes a few days for my own
accent to be
everyday again for the internal
compass to
not swivel the head except when
there is a
variation of dialect a new end of
the city or
a sharp twist in a stone walled
country road
Or a Swedish backpacker asking
directions
in the Sinn Féin bookshop Can I
walk she
says Oh yes you can but a black
taxi tour
will tell you everything you want
to know
And you know she is really
asking is it safe
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