Some of God’s creatures are out of the choir
Both occupy a special place in the winter landscape and in the hearts of Irish nature lovers. Yet both are also victims of man's inhumanity.
The robin's claim to fame stems from the legend about how it got its red breast: the story went that a little brown bird had nested in the stable at Bethlehem and saw St Joseph attempting to light a fire to give warmth to Jesus and Mary. The bird flew down from the stable eaves and fanned the flickering flames with its wings.
Its breast feathers got burned in the process, and God allowed the robin to retain its red breast forever to remind people that while love can hurt, it leaves "a mark of beauty" on the one who gives unselfishly.
The second legend relates to a fox cub that one of the Three Wise Men gave to Mary and Joseph during their visit from the East. The cub went everywhere with them and, when the holy family had to flee to Egypt, the fully grown fox threw Herod's hounds off the scent to save the Christ child.
The Dominican Church in Limerick honours this legend by including a fox in its crib every year a fitting tribute to an madra rua.
These are, of course, just legends. Reality is different: the robin is one of many songbirds targeted by gunmen who flock to Ireland at the behest of tour operators. They trawl the countryside in search of winged singers.
God's bird, the robin, has its red breast speckled with blood. Its little life is shattered and broken by a shotgun blast. Sport hunters, as they like to call themselves, kill the symbol of Christmas for a cheap thrill.
And foxhunters uphold the downside of the other legend... recalling evil King Herod's passion for hounding his enemies to exhaustion or death. They mock the Christmas spirit by turning a 'winter wonderland' into hell on earth for the untamed dogs of field and forest.
Foxes are run to earth, then dug out of the ground to be tossed live to hounds.
Something to think about the next time you see a colourful hunt scene on a Christmas card, or a picture of a robin redbreast sitting gracefully on a tree branch against a snowy backdrop.
John Fitzgerald,
Lower Coyne Street,
Callan,
Co Kilkenny.
