MICHAEL WALSH has been putting pen to paper for over 60 years during which time he has earned awards and international recognition for his media columns, news stories – and his poetry. Until his poetry – and other literary works were banned by Amazon and LULU online publishers, […]
MICHAEL WALSH COLUMN: There was a time when tipping a waiter was a matter of choice. If you thought the service was good you would leave a gratuity. If the meal or service left a bad taste in your mouth you didn’t. This kept the cook and the […]
These days few boys have meaningful relationships with male mentors and father figures, men who can teach and inspire growing boys. Many boys grow up without having been taught by a male teacher or are taught by teachers who have no life or work experience outside of a classroom. In Britain, 85 per cent of school teachers are women. The boys in many a modern British home may have several ‘fathers’ over time. How times have changed.
Like Japanese infantrymen emerging from Far Eastern jungles Britain’s tabloids remain convinced that WW2 still rages. For most of us it is a fading memory but never to be forgotten the four women singers who evoke the troubled period like no other.
Was there ever more elegance and style than when women wore fur stoles, veils and dress gloves? I am reminded of U.S. President Reagan’s wife Nancy Reagan when being received by the Pope. Wearing a veil this otherwise ordinary lady is transformed into an almost saintly figure.
One of the most surprising discoveries for me was to learn that Franz Lehár, whose operas and waltzes compare with those of the Strauss family, lived and worked in my lifetime. Much as I love the melodies and waltzes from The Merry Widow and Wiener Frauen (Viennese Women) I was ignorant of the fact that Lehár was a contemporary of The Beatles and Elvis Presley.
Although 23 years have passed since I missed that telephone call, I never forgot the message left on the answering machine. The caller was one of the world’s most successful balladeers. Charlie Landsborough’s voice was unmistakable as he thanked me for the impact my poetry had on him.
Though they’re very real, castles are still the stuff of dreams and legends. From the glories of King Arthur in Camelot to the fairy tales of Beauty and the Beast, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and of course Cinderella, a castle always plays a starring role. Then the castles from our legends found homes in Disney parks all over the world.
In 2018 Laura Young purchased a bust at Goodwill, a second-hand shop in the Texan city of Austin, for just $35 (£28). She photographed it strapped into the passenger seat of her car. An independent antique and vintage dealer, she told media she went into the thrift store ‘hoping to find something cool’.
Mata Hari spent much of her career falsely claiming that she was raised as an Indian temple dancer. In reality, however, she was born Margaretha Zelle on August 7, 1876, and grew up the daughter of a haberdasher in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden.
Michael Walsh Stories and Books 
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