diff --git a/src/doc/user/usermanual.sgml b/src/doc/user/usermanual.sgml
index 1e98d818..19f4df6e 100644
--- a/src/doc/user/usermanual.sgml
+++ b/src/doc/user/usermanual.sgml
@@ -2670,10 +2670,7 @@ while query.next >= 0 and query.next < nres:
           url="http://www.jedrea.com/chmlib/">chmlib</ulink>).</para>
 	</listitem>
 
-	<listitem><para>ics: iCalendar files need Python and the 
-        <ulink url=" http://codespeak.net/icalendar/">icalendar</ulink>
-        module.</para>
-	</listitem>
+	<listitem><para>ics: iCalendar files need Python.</para></listitem>
 
 	<listitem><para>zip: Zip archives need Python (and the standard
 	zipfile module).</para>
diff --git a/src/filters/rclics b/src/filters/rclics
index e0fee210..f9f0d6c9 100755
--- a/src/filters/rclics
+++ b/src/filters/rclics
@@ -1,25 +1,48 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 
+# Read an ICS file, break it into "documents" which are events, todos,
+# or journal entries, and interface with recoll execm
+#
+# For historical reasons, this can use either the icalendar or the
+# vobject Python modules, or an internal splitter. The default is now
+# to use the internal splitter, the other modules are more trouble
+# than they're worth (to us and until we will want to get into date
+# computations etc.)
+
 import rclexecm
 import sys
 
-try:
-    from icalendar import Calendar, Event
-except:
-    print "RECFILTERROR HELPERNOTFOUND python:icalendar"
-    sys.exit(1);
+# Decide how we'll process the file.
+modules = ('internal', 'icalendar', 'vobject')
+usemodule = 'internal'
+forcevobject = 0
+if usemodule != 'internal':
+    try:
+        if forcevobject:
+            raise Exception
+        from icalendar import Calendar, Event
+        usemodule = 'icalendar'
+    except:
+        try:
+            import vobject
+            usemodule = 'vobject'
+        except:
+            print "RECFILTERROR HELPERNOTFOUND python:icalendar"
+            print "RECFILTERROR HELPERNOTFOUND python:vobject"
+            sys.exit(1);
+
 
 class IcalExtractor:
     def __init__(self, em):
         self.file = ""
 	self.contents = []
         self.em = em
-        em.setmimetype("text/plain")
+        self.em.setmimetype("text/plain")
 
     def extractone(self, index):
         if index >= len(self.contents):
             return(False, "", "", True)
-        docdata = self.contents[index].as_string()
+        docdata = self.contents[index]
 	#self.em.rclog(docdata)
 
         iseof = rclexecm.RclExecM.noteof
@@ -30,13 +53,39 @@ class IcalExtractor:
     ###### File type handler api, used by rclexecm ---------->
     def openfile(self, params):
         self.file = params["filename:"]
+
         try:
-            self.cal = Calendar.from_string(open(self.file,'rb').read())
-        except:
+            calstr = open(self.file, 'rb')
+        except Exception, e:
+            self.em.rclog("Openfile: open: %s" % str(e))
             return False
-        # Skip the top level object
-        self.currentindex = 1
-        self.contents = self.cal.walk()
+
+        self.currentindex = 0
+
+        if usemodule == 'internal':
+            self.contents = ICalSimpleSplitter().splitcalendar(calstr)
+        elif usemodule == 'icalendar':
+            try:
+                cal = Calendar.from_string(calstr.read())
+            except Exception, e:
+                self.em.rclog("Openfile: read or parse error: %s" % str(e))
+                return False
+            self.contents = cal.walk()
+            self.contents = [item.as_string() for item in self.contents
+                             if (item.name == 'VEVENT' or item.name == 'VTODO'
+                                 or item.name == 'VJOURNAL')]
+        else:
+            try:
+                cal = vobject.readOne(calstr)
+            except Exception, e:
+                self.em.rclog("Openfile: cant parse object: %s" % str(e))
+                return False
+            for lstnm in ('vevent_list', 'vtodo_list', 'vjournal_list'):
+                lst = getattr(cal, lstnm, [])
+                for ev in lst:
+                    self.contents.append(ev.serialize())
+
+        #self.em.rclog("openfile: Entry count: %d"%(len(self.contents)))
         return True
 
     def getipath(self, params):
@@ -48,12 +97,84 @@ class IcalExtractor:
         
     def getnext(self, params):
         if self.currentindex >= len(self.contents):
-            #em.rclog("getnext: EOF hit")
+            self.em.rclog("getnext: EOF hit")
             return (False, "", "", rclexecm.RclExecM.eofnow)
         else:
             ret= self.extractone(self.currentindex)
             self.currentindex += 1
             return ret
 
+# Trivial splitter: cut objects on BEGIN/END (only for 'interesting' objects)
+# ignore all other syntax
+class ICalSimpleSplitter:
+    # Note that if an 'interesting' element is nested inside another one,
+    # it will not be extracted (stay as text in external event). This is
+    # not an issue and I don't think it can happen with the current list
+    interesting = ('VTODO', 'VEVENT', 'VJOURNAL')
+
+    def splitcalendar(self, fin):
+        curblkname = ''
+        curblk = ''
+
+        lo = []
+        for line in fin:
+            line = line.rstrip()
+            if line == '':
+                continue
+
+            if curblkname:
+                curblk = curblk + line + "\n"
+
+            l = line.split(":")
+            if len(l) < 2:
+                continue
+
+            # If not currently inside a block and we see an
+            # 'interesting' BEGIN, start block
+            if curblkname == '' and l[0].upper() == "BEGIN" :
+                name = l[1].upper()
+                if name in ICalSimpleSplitter.interesting:
+                    curblkname = name
+                    curblk = curblk + line + "\n"
+
+            # If currently accumulating block lines, check for end
+            if curblkname and l[0].upper() == "END" and \
+                   l[1].upper() == curblkname:
+                lo.append(curblk)
+                curblkname = ''
+                curblk = ''
+
+        if curblk:
+            lo.append(curblk)
+            curblkname = ''
+            curblk = ''
+
+        return lo
+ 
+
+##### Main program: either talk to the parent or execute test loop
+
 e = rclexecm.RclExecM()
-e.mainloop(IcalExtractor(e))
+ical = IcalExtractor(e)
+
+if len(sys.argv) == 1:
+    e.mainloop(ical)
+else:
+    # Got a file name parameter: testing without an execm parent
+    # Loop on all entries
+    if not ical.openfile({'filename:':sys.argv[1]}):
+        print "Open error"
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+    ecnt = 0   
+    while 1:
+        ok, data, ipath, eof = ical.getnext("")
+        if ok:
+            ecnt = ecnt + 1
+            print "=========== ENTRY %d =================" % ecnt
+            print data
+            print
+        else:
+            print "Got error, eof %d"%eof
+            break
+