Will tree stump virgin move to save the hare?

THE Virgin in the Tree Stump controversy that hit the headlines last week intrigues me. It has brought forth the predictable howls of ridicule to match the intense religious devotion of those who believe in the reality of a divine presence in the tree.

I disagree with the remark of the local priest who said “you can’t worship a tree”. Why not? If you look at any of the objects of worship associated with religious creeds you don’t adhere to, you’ll possibly be tempted to make similar pronouncements.

Personally, I’m delighted that so many of the people in Rathkeale, Co Limerick, are engaging in this gentle demonstration of faith in the supernatural. It makes a pleasant change from the annual hare coursing savagery for which the town and district including, in the not so distant past, its clergy, is also famous — or infamous, depending on one’s view of blood sports.