A Man of Wonder

I was saddened to hear of the death of Manchan Magan on Friday past. Manchan was an acclaimed writer, podcaster and documentary maker, and he died at the age of 55.

I loved the series of documentaries he made about travelling Europe by train about 18 months ago. During the making of that documentary, he was diagnosed with a rare, but aggressive form of prostate cancer.

He had a particular interest in the landscape and the Irish language and, as a native speaker, he loved to draw attention to how expressive the language can be. His last two books are good examples, as he rather quirkily documented the sentiment behind some of these uses of language. He published a book with the memorable title ‘Ninety-Nine Words for Rain (and One for Sun)’ and another entitled ‘Thirty-Two Words for Field.’

I had hoped to go see him perform his one man show, ‘Aran Agus Im’ (Bread and Butter), in Armagh in November but, sadly, it wasn’t to be. In this show he shared a bit about his life on a smallholding in Co. Westmeath, where he grew everything he ate and had a great love for making sourdough bread and churning butter.

He was a deeply spiritual man, and he had a great interest in native cultures, spending time with the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, some of the native American tribes in the United States and Mexico. He made many travel documentaries for the Irish language station TG4. He loved to immerse himself in the culture and lives of the people he was visiting, and there is this infectious curiosity as he tries to explain the realities he was encountering.

Through the marvels of technology, I was able to watch his funeral online as it was live streamed from the chapel of his old school, Gonzaga College in Ranelagh in Dublin. The chapel was beautifully decorated with foliage and greenery and wildflowers from his small holding. Each member of the congregation was given an acorn to plant to try to do something positive for the planet. He was a great champion of environmental issues and, in more recent years, had made a commitment not to fly and live more sustainably to reduce his carbon footprint and encourage others to do the same.

The ceremony featured some traditional Irish musicians who wanted to honour this man who loved music and culture, and some pieces were specially written for the occasion.

The ceremony was conducted in Irish and English, and the chaplain of the college, Fr. Tom Casey, in his opening remarks captured so much of Manchan’s vision for life. He was constantly seeking to awaken an awareness of the spiritual in the busyness of modern life. He was constantly encouraging people to slow down and appreciate the beauty and healing qualities of the natural world.

In a recent 2-part documentary called ‘Let the Land Speak,’ he explored the phenomenon of healing wells in Ireland, wells which were recognised over centuries to have healing properties for particular complaints. While Ireland has four provinces, Fr. Casey described the 5th province that Manchan sought to unveil to the world, the realm of the Spirit in which that thin place between heaven and earth is made more visible.

He memorably described Manchan as a fear d’iontach, (a man of wonder). For him, said Fr. Casey, every bush was a burning bush, a place where divine encounters could take place, and that his hope was that we, too, may believe in this hidden Ireland , the realm of the Spirit and rejoice in it.

In the last weeks of his life, he married his long term partner, Aisling, in hospital and she, in her moving tribute, described him as a connector and an opener. He was a man who brought people together, who tried to showcase the beauty and wonder of other cultures and saw them, not as a threat, but an enrichment for our fragmented world. He had, she said, wide open arms for the world. His sister read a beautiful Irish blessing . “May the road rise to meet you and the wind be always at your back and, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of his hand.”

By his own admission, he was quite an eccentric man, who loved solitude and stillness. He loved the land and the magnificence of God’s creation. He loved language and encountering new people and cultures. I loved the way he brought these things to life in his documentaries and, perhaps, he could inspire us all not to take things for granted, but to be people of wonder.

Over the next couple of weeks, as we prepare for our harvest services on Sunday 26th October, we will be inviting members of the congregation to bring apple tarts or fruit loaves for a supper afterwards. There will be a list at the back of the church if you can help with this.

We hope to also respond through a collection for the recent devastating earthquakes in Afghanistan, as we recognise the challenges and lack of infrastructure and how cut off many people are as a consequence.

Look forward to speaking again soon.

Much love to everyone,

Jono.

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