It Occurs To Me: Richard Hurst's distinguished service

For lovers of Bluegrass and proper old-timey country music, the annual IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) awards take precedence over the increasingly pop-crossover CMA (Country Music Awards) awards, and what a proud moment for Rossnowlagh and Donegal when this year’s Distinguished Service Award went to Richard Hurst. 

Susan Newberry presenting Richard Hurst with the Distinguished Service Award at the annual IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) awards

One student who was in the visual arts program went to study with a County Tyrone potter. Other students in the education program worked with teachers there. And so on…All through those awful and uncertain days, Richard made sure that the students were cared for, and most importantly that their parents knew they were safe. He worked literally from dawn to dusk every day until we were able to get everyone home. He is a mighty good man to have in your corner.” 

                                           A great honour

Susan went on to say that many other organizations recognise Richard’s many abilities.

He is an alumnus of the US State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program, a past Chairman of the European Bluegrass Music Association and a member of the Leadership Bluegrass Class of 2008. She finished by saying that “ Richard’s exemplary work and visionary leadership shine a bright light on the power of culture, arts, and music to bridge cultural

divides, and to make real changes in the way we see ourselves and the world around us.

So, it is my high honor and great privilege to present the IBMADistinguished Achievement Award to Richard Hurst.”

Richard responded by saying: “I am truly honoured to receive this Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association. When Greg Cahill gave me the news back in the early summer that I was to be the recipient of this much coveted accolade, I was speechless and if you knew my wife Ann, she would say that was a first! 

Having had time to digest the news, I began to think of all the wonderful musical moments created at the Bluegrass Festival in Omagh since 1992.  It is of course important to remember the highlights of the past and acknowledge those achievements, however I am sure you will all agree, the main focus should always be on what the music we all love is bringing us at this time, and nurturing today’s talent to ensure a bright future.  That said, my mind is flooded with the many hundreds of talented artists who came to Omagh from near and far over the decades and brought so much joy and love with them through their music making. I wish to say, thank you, to each and every artist who performed at Bluegrass Omagh. “

His list was comprehensive and generous and on a personal note, I’m chuffed for him…sometimes it’s hard to be a prophet in your own land, so it’s entirely appropriate that he is acknowledged by his international peers. He’s a serious man when it comes to his work, but he combines that with a self-effacement and modesty that all ‘leaders’ should embrace. However, once the work is done, he is a great actor, singer and raconteur, and since his retirement from the Folk Park, he can be found extolling the virtues of the Sliabh Liag Distillery in Ardara. Being a lover of a good Scottish malt is no deterrent to his lauding our own Donegal whiskey. 

If I may copy a phrase he often uses himself…”Lang may your lum reek!” ( "long may your chimneys smoke").

                                    What’s in a typo?

I was reminded of the dreaded typo recently when my piece on  Mary O’Rourke referred to the PPS, instead of PD’s! I’m sure many of you have had problems with autocorrect in texts or WhatsApp, and I have learned too late to always have my reading glasses on before I send a message. There are many funny examples of same and one of my favourite gaffes concerns a young lady who was going to a job interview with a very eminent accountancy firm. They sent a text saying: “Hello Ms. ‘Jones’, this is ‘Jonathan’ from HR confirming your interview for 1.30 pm tomorrow” to which she replied “Thank you, I’m looking forward to sleeping with you.” followed immediately by “OMG! I meant “...looking forward to speaking with you!” I don’t know whether she got the job or not. Nor do I know if another client was reprimanded for being late for work and sending a text which read: “Sorry, I’m a big behind!”. (bit).

In any event, typos didn’t begin today or yesterday. In 1631, a small but significant typo shook the religious world. In a reprint of the King James Bible by royal printers Robert Barker and Martin Lucas, the word “not” was mistakenly left out of the Seventh Commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” which was mistakenly printed as “Thou shalt commit adultery.” The typo appeared in about 1,000 copies of the text, which later came to be known as the “Wicked Bible” or “Sinners’ Bible.” It isn’t clear how the misprint happened. Some theories over the years have suggested that a rival printer might have done it deliberately, but the more likely cause was simple oversight. When the error was discovered, the ramifications were swift and severe. The King fined the printers £300 (around $70,000 today), revoked their printing license, and proceeded to find and destroy as many copies of the Wicked Bible as possible, turning it into a rare collector’s item. Today, only about 20 copies remain in circulation.

Thou shalt not commit typos!

                                  The Wild Atlantic (No) Way!

Following on from my feature on the closure of Mickalene’s in Ardara and Chris McNulty’s interview with Jo Daly of Quay West in Donegal Town - regarding a possible “tsunami of closure”, I saw an interesting quote from Connemara publican Micheál Ó Cadháin of Coyne’s Gastropub, who was part of the big protest outside Leinster House last week.  Michéal said that Ministers and civil servants ‘lacked understanding’ of rural Ireland and the hardship faced by small family businesses .“Businesses have no reserves, they’ve cut back as far as they can. Overheads and Government are killing rural businesses. What will be left of the Wild Atlantic Way? It’ll just be a drive, no restaurants, pubs or shops,” he emphasised. 

Last week, a friend sent me a headline which read: “Magical' Irish county secures top spot in Lonely Planet's global travel rankings for 2024. The rural Irish county of Donegal has been named as one of the top ten places to visit in the world by Lonely Planet, ranking higher than destinations like Tuscany and Thailand.” 

Lovely jubbly…but no point visiting if you can’t get fed or watered!

                     Fascinating Monreagh talk this evening

Before retiring to Cape Cod, Massachusetts in 2019, Margaret Maxwell McLaughlin had over 30 years of federal and non-profit experience in international and national development settings: Peace Corps, US Aid, US Department of State, and the National Corporation AmeriCorps program. With an Ed. D. focusing on teacher training from the University of Massachusetts, she focused on girls and women in international and domestic development. Her specific work experience has been in US Title I schools as an English teacher and advisor within national education systems in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, specializing in women in crisis settings. Now, when she is not researching, writing and offering talks about Irish history and women’s voices, she is volunteering as a life coach in the women’s unit of the Barnstable County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts. 

Margaret is a fascinating lady and I’m looking forward to meeting her tonight at 7pm in Monreagh Heritage Centre near Carrigans, when she will give a talk and read extracts from her recently published book, Beloved Reconciliation.