Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Ireland’s Eye is L’Osservatore Christina

Christina Gallagher of the House of Prayer is feeling the pressure of Dialogue Ireland’s school programme.

Dialogue Ireland received this note from the Far East .
 
Tuesday morning. Mike, There is a long attack in the current November issue of Ireland’s Eye on you and the Sunday World over the revelations about the House of Prayer.

I suggest you buy a copy while it is still in some newsagent shops.

Here are a few short quotes:  “…the few others have always sought to be faceless…and the publications by The Sunday World and Michael Garde – the latter described by TV3 on their programme as a “so-called cult expert” (!) – would always be to give each of these multiple identities to create an impression of “many”.”  Another quote:  “Such seems to be what the Sunday World desires…while Michael Garde and Jim Gallagher of the Sunday World follow gleefully.

It is regretful that some unsuspecting Catholic schools permit…and even pay (!) Michael Garde to be allowed to address vulnerable youngsters and to peddle his misconceptions and prejudices. He is supported by a charitable trust, yet invites funds while also charging a fee to addresses of schoolchildren. Perhaps some influential body may review this practice, given the individual’s crude tactics and lack of credentials?”  etc. etc.

The edited section above is a verbatim copy of the web site article.

I think you could buy the November issue of Ireland’s Eye at Easons or some other place downtown. 

None of the regular Ireland’s Eye  articles about the House of Prayer are signed. 

Copy seems to be delivered to the editor’s desk regularly by persons well connected to the HoP. 

These articles, largely repetitious, have appeared in every issue going back to sometime in the late 1980s. 

Issues since early this year have mentioned the ‘vilification’ by the Sunday World and RTE television. 

They haven’t said how much money is donated and how it is spent. 

HoP should be challenged to produce audited accounts. 

The magazine uses the printing presses of Topic Newspapers in Mullingar to keep production costs down. There seems to be a reluctance to use email communication.

Ireland’s Eye is not a publication the Director of DI reads but have seen it occasionally. 

It has an amazing archive of material on folklore, history and Irish identity which should be preserved for future generations.

Alas this will not happen as Dick Hogan the owner has elected to remain a Luddite and does not even have a telephone line to discuss his publication. They do not store their archive digitally and one can only assume this material will be lost. 

Dick Hogan appears on the web site of the House of Prayer http://www.christinagallagher.org/en/ to give an endorsement with his wife Margaret of the H of P. 

The web site is really not intended for the House of Prayer members who are generally warned off using the internet or are of an older generation who are threatened by this medium. 

It is part of their increasingly frantic efforts at propaganda.