the calf whisperer
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October 8, 2026
Promises, promises It’s party conference season here in the UK – a time for big speeches and bold pledges. Gheallfadh siad grian agus gealach duit In this week’s IrishFootprint
Michael Lynch
Stories from the road In 1955, the Irish Christian Brothers established the Stella Maris College in Montevideo, Uruguay. A decade later, its former pupils formed a rugby club, the Old Christians; they played with a green shamrock on their jerseys in tribute to their former school. In October 1972, a plane carrying the Old Christians crashed in the Andes. Two members of the team trekked over 110 kms across the mountains to summon help. Of the forty-five people on board, only 16 would survive. According to one, the teamwork and resilience instilled by the Brothers helped them get them through their ordeal. When news of the crash had reached Ireland, prayers were offered at the Christian Brothers College in Cork city. The principal there had taught many of the players in Montevideo some years before. Read the full story → (2 minute read) Smidríní #1 (smid – reenie)– bits & pieces Child abandonment A bridal party at the Slieve Russell hotel in County Cavan engaged in a curious ritual recently, on the night before a wedding. In an attempt to persuade the gods to favour the big day with fine weather, the group buried two sausages, bared their chests to the moon, chanted a spell and placed a Child of Prague statue on a window ledge (we are unable to confirm if drink was taken). The weather on the day turned out great. After the wedding, however, the party left without the statue. A bridesmaid sent an email to the hotel (she signed it ‘Chief Sausage Burier’), hoping that the statue could be returned. She was worried that she was guilty of child abandonment. The week in history 9.10-16.10 Last week’s Footprint told the story of Irish-Argentine Eduardo Casey, and Venado Tuerto the town in rural Argentina that he had founded. Casey was, among other things, a rancher and a breeder of horses (he once provided Buffalo Bill with ten gaucho horse-breakers for his travelling show). Culture The group have an unexpected Hollywood connection: band members Brian Dunphy and Darren Holden were involved in two traditional songs that appear on the soundtrack of Ryan Coogler’s movie Sinners:Will Ye Go, Lassie Go? and Rocky Road to Dublin. (Sinners won four Oscars in 2026). * In Australia, the 2026 Irish Film Festival runs from 8 October to 9 November, with screenings in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra. The festival is showing the newly restored 1990 film Hush-a-Bye Baby in Sydney on 11 October. It features the acting debut of a very young Sinéad O’Connor, who also contributed the soundtrack. The Irish Film Institute restored the film in 2025. * Elsinore gets its European premiere at the BFI London Film Festival (October 7-18). * Martin McDonough’s Wild Horse Nine, is sold out at the festival. We’re really, really looking forward to this, the director’s follow-up to Banshees of Inisherin. In the UK, we’ll have to wait till November 4 – release dates elsewhere, and a trailer, here. John Malkovic, won Best Actor at the recent Venice Film Festival for his performance in Wild Horse Nine. The film also got a 13-minute standing ovation there, which is a good sign (although the luvvies have a tendency to lose the run of themselves with ovations at these events). Malkovic was visibly moved by all accounts (report, here). Smidríní #2 Seamus Clarke, an 86-year-old Mayo man living in Florida, recalls seeing the Sam Maguire in his family’s house in Mayo in 1951 (in the pre-curse days). After the many subsequent years of disappointment, he reveals that, this year, he placed a bet on Kerry to beat his home county in the All-Ireland final. Seamus made the mistake of telling his Mayo friends; they are demanding an apology. The retired Clarke has a farm in Florida where he recites poetry to his calves as therapy for both himself and the animals (story, here). Sport AFL Gatecrasher Last week, we noted that Tyrone’s Conor McKenna had become the only Irishman to win two AFL medals when the Brisbane Lions beat Freemantle in a very exciting Grand Final. Conor’s father, Pat, was at the game. The excitement got too much for Pat. At the final whistle, he ran onto the pitch to join the celebrations, only to be tackled by Security. AFLW Top Irish performer of the week was Laois woman Erone Fitzpatrick, with two goals in Carlton’s rain-soaked game against Hawthorn; ‘… great Irish weather’, said Fitzpatrick, ‘the Irish are used to this’. The Galway goal machine, Áine McDonagh, is becoming difficult for AFLW defenders to stop. She has 18 goals in eight games and is at the top of the AFLW goalkicking table. TG4 names all Irish players on AFLW Club lists for 2026 (their AFLW clubs and their home county) OK, not an Irish story, but too good to pass up The hand of God! Three years ago, the Chicago White Sox had the worst season of any team in modern baseball history (121 losses). This year, with three regular season games to play, they have made an improbable return to the playoffs (after a regular season of 165 games, the top 12 teams enter a playoff stage; the playoffs culminate in the World Series). Recently, travelling by plane on his visit to France, Chicago-born White Sox fan Pope Leo XIV was asked by a reporter if he had anything to do with the remarkable turnaround of his team. ‘No comment’ answered the pontiff, declaring only that ‘Great things happen in Chicago’. He was opting for the diplomatic, non-committal response, after getting into a pickle recently with Barcelona fans when he declared his support for Real Madrid – read about it here. Waterford’s Séamus Power lost his full PGA Tour card at the end of the 2025 season and is trying to regain it. To do that, he must finish in the top 100 of the FedExCup Fall standings. At the recent Bank of Utah Championship (1 – 4 October), Power followed a fantastic bogey-free 64 (-7) in the third round with an impressive 67 on the final day. He finished the tournament on 17 under, tied 21st. After the weekend, Power stands 101st in the Fall FedEx standings – nearly there! We’ll let you know how he gets on. Formula 2 We’ve been following Alex Dunne’s progress in Formula 2 (no races last weekend – next up is Lusail in Qatar, 26-28 November). He is doing well, third in the championship with two rounds to go; in with a shout (standings, here). Football No top flight club football in the UK recently as international competition continues to take centre stage. Smidríní #3 A few bonus not-even-remotely Irish Smidríní, to lighten the week… the battle of the bulge Recently, Katmai National Park in Alaska held its 13th Fat Bear Week where voters select the brown bear they think has put on most weight ahead of their winter hibernation by comparing photos of early and late summer. The US National Park Service calls it ‘a battle of size, skill, snack acquisition and strategic loafing’. Rear guard action In Zimbabwe, farmers are painting or attaching fake eyes to the rear ends of livestock to try to fool predators into thinking they have been spotted. There’s a photo in this article. Man headbutted by emu (watch, here, 21 seconds). That’s all for this week’s ramble |