An old Irish friend that I had the pleasure of meeting many years ago in the beautiful Northern Irish village of Cushendall, responded to my recent post (Linkedin).

When I first met CJ he struck me immediately as a fascinating chap, and made an early impression. He was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his Irish roots and he invited me on a short guided tour of Cushendall, which included a brief history of Curfew Tower, the garrison’s controversial past and its role in the town’s once central crossing point.

The Tower is now owned by artist Bill Drummond; a friend of Bill and I was the connection and reason for that initial visit to this gorgeous part of County Antrim.

History and fond memories aside, CJ sent me an image (a cartoon that mirrored my reaction to what is going on right now in our COVID-19 world) which has since disappeared into cyberspace, but the message included a flabbergasted cartoon character expressing himself in reaction to some shocking facts – “WTF!”.

The image captured my thoughts when creating this blog. Words cannot express what is happening right now as COVID-19 rages and drags this world into a future of mortality and economic uncertainty.

WTF, alarm and shock? That’s how I felt when we first met as CJ’s history lesson about the tragic past unfolded and it’s my same reaction today, but in a very confused COVID-19 world. Same reaction – different time, but tragedy is again involved under very different circumstances!

Thanks again CJ for your wit and sharp mind even in these difficult times, and most importantly your longstanding friendship!

Stay safe my friend – thought you might recognise this image?