“I’ll be 86 on Saturday, but my life began at 80, and it gets more and more interesting as time goes by. After my wife Ina died, I had much more time. I was invited into the druids, where I met many different people I never knew existed. That triggered off a whole new outlook for me which changed my life.

Very few people are interested in druids now, but they forget that Christianity is only very recent. Before Christianity, druids were philosophers, judges and teachers. And for generations, were highly respected and powerful.

Through the druids, I have learned a lot more about nature and balance. I have learned to appreciate what I have. I also discovered powers that I never knew I had. This was like opening a new book, and I couldn’t stop. It’s still developing where one thing leads to another, making life very interesting.

I began my life in Killoughey, but now I live at the foothills of the Slieve Bloom mountains. It is a magical place, and I feel very privileged to live here in an old house that was built when Clonaslee was just a river ford. I continue to meet new and interesting people, and I believe you never meet people by chance. There’s no such thing as coincidence.”

Fred Mathews passed away on Friday, 10th December 2021. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.