Author Archives: Gerry Lynch

A Tallinn Memorial from the Days before Nationalism

Posted on June 7, 2018 by Gerry Lynch

Our past was at times profoundly different from our present in ways we little appreciate; this memorial in an Estonian church survives from a time when nationalism was not a given, not too long ago. Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Europe | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on A Tallinn Memorial from the Days before Nationalism

Mariken van Nieumeghen aka Little Mary of Nijmegen

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Gerry Lynch

This bronze statue has been on Nijmegen’s Grote Markt, by the entrance to the Stevenskerk, since 1956 and was executed by Vera Tummers-Van Hasselt. It represents Mariken van Nieumeghen (Little Mary of Nijmegen) one of the symbols of the city … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Mariken van Nieumeghen aka Little Mary of Nijmegen

Why This Liberal Catholic Will be Praying #ThyKingdomCome

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Gerry Lynch

The last thing the disciples are recorded as saying to Christ on Earth: “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” After all they’d been through, they still didn’t get the point. They were looking … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglicanism, Christianity, Evangelism, Prayer and Worship | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Why This Liberal Catholic Will be Praying #ThyKingdomCome

Meet the Box-Setts: the Demographic that Will Decide Britain’s Future

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Gerry Lynch

Originally posted at Slugger O’Toole… David Box gives his partner Seema Sett the dorky, Mr Bean-ish look, with the back of his tongue poking out of his gob that he knows always makes her smile when she’s had a rough … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Europe, UK | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Meet the Box-Setts: the Demographic that Will Decide Britain’s Future

Boxing, Sculpture and ‘Degeneracy’: Joe Lewis, Max Schmeling and Rudolph Belling

Posted on April 13, 2018 by Gerry Lynch

Bronze “Der Boxer Max Schmelling” by Rudolf Belling, 1928. The divergent fates of sculptor and subject of this work are fascinating. Belling held radical views on the theory of sculpture, and his works were damned as ‘degenerate art’ (entartete Kunst) after the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Germany, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Boxing, Sculpture and ‘Degeneracy’: Joe Lewis, Max Schmeling and Rudolph Belling

Statues of Kleve

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Gerry Lynch

Kleve, best known as the home of Anne of Cleves, is a county town in the German state of Northrhine-Westphalia, just 10 kilometres from the Dutch border, with a population of just under 50,000 – and an interesting collection of … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Germany, Photography, Travel | Tagged , | Comments Off on Statues of Kleve

Who Benefits from the Collapse of Power Sharing?

Posted on February 22, 2018 by Gerry Lynch

Cross-posted at Slugger O’Toole… We’re unlikely to know for a long time exactly why talks on restoring devolved government collapsed in such spectacular fashion last week. It’s always worth asking, in those circumstances, ‘cui bono?’ A long-term collapse in devolved … Continue reading →

Posted in Northern Ireland, UK | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Who Benefits from the Collapse of Power Sharing?

South Africa: The last days of the Zuma presidency

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Gerry Lynch

My latest blog for Prospect Magazine on Zuma’s departure and the prospects for Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency of South Africa… Cyril Ramaphosa, leader since December of South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC), which has governed the country since its transition to … Continue reading →

Posted in Journalism, South Africa, World Politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on South Africa: The last days of the Zuma presidency

Buckfast Abbey

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Gerry Lynch

A meeting recently took me to Buckfast Abbey, a first visit. This is a Benedictine Abbey in the heart of rural Devon. It was a midwinter day of strong sunshine and stronger showers, which allowed for some dramatic photography. Dating … Continue reading →

Posted in Photography, Travel, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Buckfast Abbey

On The Twelfth Day of Christmas

Posted on January 4, 2018 by Gerry Lynch

I’m still wishing people a Merry Christmas, because it’s still Christmastide: today is the Twelfth Day of Christmas, and traditionalists will take their decorations down tonight. In fact, this year, most churches will have an unusual thirteenth day of Christmas. … Continue reading →

Posted in Anglicanism, Christianity | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on On The Twelfth Day of Christmas