I just got this email from a friend of mine, Hilary Griffin:
Dear Michael,
You might be interested in a film that’s entitled ‘ Philomena ‘ – released today, I think. It’s about an Irish woman who was disowned by her family for conceiving a baby out of wedlock. I think she was forced into an Irish mother & baby home where she kept her beautiful little boy for 31/2 years. Then without warning this toddler was snatched from her. It’s a poignant & tragic story. Film stars Judy Dench & is based on a book by Martin Sixsmith. Both mother & son tirelessly tried to trace one another but the nuns obdurately refused to release their contact details. Eventually, Martin Sixsmith, the journalist, traced him to the US. He had died of AIDs but requested that his ashes be sent to Ireland, obviously still yearning to be reunited with her mum.
We do intend to go an watch it. In fact Maggie and I visited the farm where my own mother now lives in Conemara at the age of 83yrs, but did not of course contact her as I am a secret from the family.
I did climb Croagh Patrick while we were there, passing penitents climbing the high, rugged and inhospitable mountain barefoot so as to gain absolution for sin, and indeed, my own mother had the penance to do just that for giving birth to me.
It was on the summit of Croagh Patrick that St Patrick vanquished the ‘she-demon’ Corra (= spirit of place’), consigning her to the lough at the foot of the mountain, and proceeding to convert Ireland to the Roman Catholic Church. The mountain was actually also sacred to Llugh, the Sun God, as well as having Corra as its ‘goddess’, but after St. Patrick, a Christian Church still tops the mountain.
Look out for my dramatic forthcoming novel, Druid, which portrays the visions and insights I had about Corra and St Patrick, and the need and the call to restore the Mountain to the spirit of the land.
See my YouTubes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-uu0U-DxuM
See my novels website: www.inspirationalnovels.org
see the Trailer for the film: Philomena: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG3QP8foCvg