The Truth is (probably) out there. Ghosts, monsters, UFOs, alien abduction it all conjures up images of crackpot conspiracy theorists and unstable sci-fi freaks who have watched one episode of The X Files too many.
A refreshing alternative to paranoid paranormal hysteria can be found at Blather. Blather is a haven for paranormal reportage, musings and general information that is not a sounding off pad for lunatics, but the brainchild of Dubliner, Dave Walsh. It amuses, entertains, informs and provokes thought. Basically it gives you umpteen good reasons for logging on.
Walsh took his cue from the great Irish literary master of the surreal, Flann O Brien. When Flann O Brien was in UCD he put out about six issues of a magazine called Blather, explains Walsh. I remember reading it going hmm, this is similar to what I m doing as well . I loved the approach and one lovely quote just went Blather doesn t care! which to me sums so much of it up!
But having said that, I can t write about something without researching it as much as I can. If I have dodgy sources I ll say so. I like to think of it as something which while being completely entertaining is, dare I say it, also educational.
I have a problem with most people s conception on what I do, he continues. People always ask me you write about ghosts, cults and UFOs. Does that mean you believe all that shit? No, I just write about. When someone writes about different strands of politics it doesn t mean that they believe it. There is never an absolute fact, but I am also careful not to damage its mystic essence by saying it is a load of rubbish. For somebody it s true.
Another way in which Blather both amuses and entertains is through its features on Irish history that didn t quite make it onto the Leaving Cert syllabus. For example, Blather did extensive features on the Hell Fire Clubs.
I can find no reference to suggest that they actually worshipped Satan, he says. They engaged in parodies of the mass rather than actual black masses again it is a question of interpretation. It s a fascinating period, as you had the craziest shit going on. It was a time when duelling played a large part of social and political life. When parliament was in College Green, Henry Grattan lost his coattails trying to run out of Parliament to go to a duel. They would always close the doors if an argument broke out because it was probably going to end in a duel. This is how politics used to work! Daniel O Connell was also a famous duellist most people don t realise that.
Dublin fascinates me. Sure you can talk about Joyce and what a wonderful book Ulysses is, but everywhere you walk you re standing in at least six layers of craziness. You can hardly walk on a piece of footpath without finding out who had a bit of swordplay there or got arrested there or whatever. I just find it fascinating lumping all this stuff together. I did one on Ancient Irish Astronauts because I got sick of people accusing me of being too sarcastic. I said fuck this and went hell for leather at this piece on the third man on the Apollo mission being Michael Collins. Therefore our own Collins was the first Irish man in space and so on.
A regular contributor to Fortean Times, Walsh writes their Millennium column entitled PMT.
At the moment, there is a lot of British hysteria about the millennium and a hell of a lot of American hysteria. Yes, Bank of Ireland is spending a fortune on their computer systems, but there is a lot of apathy amongst small businesses. If my TV and computer don t work on January 1st, big fucking deal. The only religions that are saying it s the end of the world are the more fundamentalist organisations. There is also an Irish attitude of yeah alright .
On the other hand there is a lot of confusion between the millennium and millennialism. Millennialism is nothing new. Since the Middle ages there has been millennial and crazy religious anarchy. People have been claiming it s the end of the world for the last 1,500 years.
Even on a more direct level, the word is misused. When friends ask me what are you doing for the millennium , I answer well I certainly won t be alive for all of it . The British Millenium Commission stated that it is all about glitz and glamour and that s all its going be. People need to celebrate something. I certainly don t have a problem about that. People are surprised that I do a millennium column and haven t made any plans yet. I might go to the pub. n
Blather - http://www.blather.net