We're Going To The Zoo, Zoo, Zoo!

Or rather, we've already been to the Zoo: Dublin Zoo.

It's been a couple of years since I was last there, and they've continued to make improvements to the habitat and viewing possibilities for all the wonderful animals in the Phoenix Park venue.

Here are a few of my favourites:

This cheeky monkey giraffe had his tongue out!

The red pandas were more active than I'd ever seen them before.

Ring Tailed Lemurs.

Pink Flamingo.

A scruffy penguin, reading for picking up!

A swimming penguin.

Mother and Baby.

Baby hippo.

Tiger standing proud.

Book Review: Dead Interesting

A couple of weeks ago, a parcel landed through our letterbox, having journeyed the whole way from Dublin (via our old address!). Inside, I discovered a book that was fairly quickly read and immensely enjoyed.

Dead Interesting is a compilation of stories from the graveyards of Dublin, written by one of the tour guides at Glasnevin Cemetery, Shane MacThomáis, and is a fascinating dander through not just the graveyards, but also the full sweep of modern Irish history. Each chapter is short, just a couple of pages, with at least one illustration (one of which is a picture I had taken). This book is guaranteed to make you laugh, cry, and learn, in equal measure.

Where else would you be guided through the graves of famous and infamous Irish men; the resting places of Jews and Hugenots; the cholera pits and mass graves; and be informed about graverobbers and funeral rites? There are many memorable and quirky stories contained within, of which these are just a small sample: the boxer's mother who bared her breasts in public; the two brothers buried side by side, one a British soldier and one an Irish rebel; fighters from both sides of the Spanish Civil War; and perhaps the most strange of all, the Belfast member of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) buried in the Republican Plot at Glasnevin.

There was just one tiny error in the book, as the author deals with the story of Margorie McCall, with the claim that her burial place was the Shankill graveyard in Belfast. It's actually the Shankill graveyard in Lurgan, from which she emerged to live again for a while, frightening her family as she landed on the doorstep fresh from her grave. But it's an easy mistake to make, given that most people would think of Belfast as being the Shankill in question.

All in all, this is a great little book, and one I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I'm very grateful to Shane for sending me a copy of it on its publication, and wish him every success for the book. Copies are available from the publishers.

A Day in Dublin

Saturday afternoon found us on the road to Dublin - but not to see Lady GaGa who was in town at The Point O2. Instead, we were meeting up with a French friend, Clotilde, who was in town for a few days with her work.

The journey down was smooth, with just a slight delay due to the 40mph and 30mph speed limits on the roadworks around Newry as they labour to finish the new dual carriageway by-pass and associated works. When it's all done, it will be fantastic, and a vast improvement on the way things were not too many years ago with single-carriageway bumpy roads and long delays getting through every town and village along the road. The most impressive section has to be the new bridge right over the top of the Cloghogue roundabout at the southern end of Newry - I was over it and then realised what had just happened! You can tell it's been over a year since we were last on the A1 that far south...

Anyway, back to Dublin. We enjoyed a great meal with Clotilde down by the riverside in a nice Italian restaurant opposite the Millennium Bridge, then took a dander through Temple Bar and round by Trinity College and St Stephen's Green before returning up O'Connell Street to the hotel and car park. I even got a few night shots, one of which is my 365 for the day:



The journey home was interesting, to say the least. It had been cold all day, and the trees lining the motorway at Dundalk were like a Christmas card scene on the way down. The snow came on as we journeyed north, and it was like a retro trip back to the old days of the starfield screensaver as the snow came straight for us.



All in all, a nice return to my former stomping ground, a great reunion with Tilou, and a good day off.

BTh

BTh
Originally uploaded by Gary McMurray.

Things have been quiet on the blog over the weekend. The reason? We were off on a wee break. Thursday was down in Dublin at the Trinity College Commencements (graduation), hence the photo with my new hood - which I realise now can't be seen very well!

After a wee trip out to the Theological Institute, we stayed over in Dublin and then headed up to Donegal on Friday to stay in a friend's rectory. A nice weekend by the fire with good company ensued. More from the weekend to follow in due course.

Ordination Picture

On Sunday, Stephen was ordained deacon, as I've already said. After the service I pulled out my wee point-and-shoot camera to get a photo of him. Sadly, the batteries failed at the crucial moment. So, thanks to the Dublin and Glendalough website, here are the three candidates, Dean and Archbishop prior to the service:

Dublin Ordination

The first of my classmates is now a deacon! I was down in Christ Church Cathedral Dublin for the ordination of Stephen Farrell, now serving as Curate Assistant of Taney Parish, Dublin. Also ordained were Robert Lawson and Anne-Marie O'Farrell.

As if the events of last week weren't enough to make it all very real - the buying of clerical shirts, the peek at the draft order of service - today was firm reality. Stephen is now a minister! And in just seven days, so shall I.

I'm off from Friday until Sunday on my pre-ordination retreat, so if you need to get in touch, do so in the next few days!

All are welcome to attend on Sunday night - the service is at 6.30pm in my home church, Dromore Cathedral.

Redding Out

The word in the title may not be a proper word, but it's a phrase you would hear about home. We're just going to redd out the cupboard, meaning to clear it out, or gut it. Or at the end of a work shift, you would redd up. Not sure if it should be spelt read (as in I read a book last week, past tense).

By and however, I've been redding out my college room this evening. Just two evenings left in Dublin now, and I'll be doing exams the next two afternoons, and then the farewell Communion service and dinner. So any spare moment is gladly snatched to do some clearing. Cupboards that have been ignored all year are opened to see what they contain, and papers I won't need are set aside for recycling.

The joy of such task is that you never know what you might find. For me, the greatest joy wasn't in finding some money in an envelope (no, not a brown envelope...), but rather in coming across the cards, letters and notes that I received in my first term here three years ago. Reading again the warm wishes and prayerful words was truly a serendipity - I wasn't expecting to see them this evening, but I'm glad I have. So while other things are left behind or chucked out, these cards and letters will go with me to pastures new, reminders of where I have come from, and how God has led me on.

In moving on, it's important to not forget how God has been gracious and faithful in the past. After all, it's one of the lessons we see in the Old Testament, as the children of Israel come out of Egypt and move into the promised land (eventually).

It's what is happening in Joshua 4, when the twelve stones are set up on the bank of the Jordan. 'When your children ask in time to come, "What do these stones mean to you?" then you shall tell them that the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So there stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial for ever.' (Josh 4:6-7)

Or think of Ebenezer. No, not Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. In 1 Samuel 7:12, Samuel takes up a stone as a memorial of victory in battle against the Philistines. Its name was Ebenezer, because it means 'Thus far has the Lord helped us.'

As I prepare to finish in Dublin, I can declare Ebenezer - Thus far has the LORD helped us.' And so he will continue, for He is a faithful God.

Linfield's Got The Blues

St Pat's 2 - 0 Linfield.

This evening I was just settling down to write an essay, when John came into the room, with a strong temptation. Linfield were coming down to play St Patrick's Athletic in the Setanta Cup. Could we possibly get tickets?

Initially, I was going to write the essay. But then the thought of watching the Irish League leaders in Dublin grew stronger, and I grabbed the car keys. Quick check online as to where they play, and a check of the map to see where to go, and we were off to Richmond Park.

Got parked outside the ground handy enough, and managed to get tickets in the home stand - after having proved that we were adopted Dubliners (by me producing my Trinity College student card). As a security measure, no one was allowed to buy tickets without proof of being non-Linfield fans.

So there we were, in the home stand - two seats away from me, and over the wall in the director's box was the Lord Mayor of Dublin (with a portrait of King Billy on his mayoral chain of office, nonetheless). Sitting right at the halfway line. Game on.

Linfield weren't at the game at all - maybe one chance in the first half, and a couple in the second half. St Pat's however were in a different league. The forwards seemed much faster, getting past the defenders time after time after time. After seven minutes, they were 1-0 but they should have gone in at half time leading by at least 10, the number of chances they squandered. At times it seemed as if the ball was simply refusing to go in for them.

Linfield started better in the second half, but soon St Pat's were back in their rhythm, with more relentless pressure on the Linfield defence. Near the end they got a second - a cracker goal from the edge of the box, with the Linfield keeper not even moving as he watched it fly into the net.

So a convincing win for the side that started the match bottom of the Setanta Cup group. All in all a great game to watch for the neutral supporter.

Just a few wee things were a bit troubling. During the game, some in the St Pat's terraces were chanting 'The IRA...' and waving a huge tricolour. That was at the other side of the ground from me, but it surely made me uncomfortable. the Garda operation at the end of the game was interesting, to say the least. When we made it out of the ground (well after all the Linfield supporters' buses had left), the Garda had erected a barrier across the road - with my car on the other side! A huge number of uniformed officers as well as dog handlers, horses and cops in riot gear were manning the barriers, and in the end myself and maybe twenty or so others were trapped between police lines when the riot cops moved in and drove most of the crowd back down the road (those wearing hoodies and covering their faces). Thankfully we eventually got through, but not before some of the other men in the crowd made their feelings very well known to the policemen on duty.

But the disruption wasn't too bad, and didn't spoil a good night of football, when Linfield truly had a bad case of the blues...

It's Just Like Watching Brazil

A common chant around Windsor Park at Northern Ireland games. Well tonight for me, it wasn't just like watching Brazil, I actually was! Brazil came to Croke Park to take on the Republic of Ireland, and the Reverend John managed to get us tickets through his network of Donegal contacts.

This was my first time at Croke Park, and I have to say, I was impressed with the size. Roughly 88,000 people jampacked into the stadium - an awful lot bigger than Windsor Park on match day. However, the stadium doesn't look right - it looks sort of half-done, as the stands aren't the whole way round. One end only has about half a stand, on the bottom deck.

Yet despite the number of people there, I think I have seen livelier funerals. Give me the 14,000 passionate Northern Ireland supporters of the Green and White Army any day. At Windsor we sing from start to finish (and after), but there seemed to be little passion in the Irish fans tonight.

To give them their dues, Ireland played well, with some good moves. In the first half, the Brazilian right-back didn't win a chase at all, and he wasn't much better in the second half. Duff and Keane seemed to work well together, and I was impressed with McGeady as well.

Yet I wasn't there to see the boys in green. It was all about the team in yellow; the nation who have set all the records in the World Cup; the team who showed their outstanding class and skill in simple but elegant football, threading together passes and not hurrying shots - as someone behind me remarked, 'they're trying to walk the ball into the net!' And on the 66th minute, score they did - Robinho finishing a good advance up the pitch.

For me, though, while the whole Brazilian team was impressive, my man of the match would have to be Julio Baptista, their number 7. No matter where the action was, he was involved; he seemed to always be on or near the ball, and covered every inch of the pitch.

All in all, a good evening, and us country boys managed to negotiate our way through the heaving streets of Dublin - the crowds that were out, you would think it was the Twelfth day!

A Matter of Life and Death

Today has been a strange sort of day. Death has been hovering in and around everything I've been doing. This morning I was at a funeral in Dublin, then went for lunch with John and Carmen and did a bit of exploring. We called into St Michan's Parish Church to see the mummies. The crypts under the church provide excellent conditions for preserving bodies, and they have some mummies on display in one of the vaults. You can see the toe nails of a nun from 400 years ago, and shake the hand of a crusader from 800 years ago. Creepy stuff! However, the best part of the tour is the guide, who throws in jokes and 'theatrical winks' (to quote a Divine Comedy song - small prize perhaps for the person who knows what it is) as he tells the stories of the dead.

We also showed John into Christ Church Cathedral for the first time, and again visited the crypts. But no mummies there; well, none without daddies too - but a different sort of mummy. Instead, you will find some of the equipment used in the Mass for James II before the Battle of the Boyne, and the celebratory silverware and Communion Plate given by King Billy (William III) after the Battle of the Boyne. The chalices and patens are huge!

This evening I've been writing a sermon for Thursday's exegesis class on the raising of Lazarus (John 11). So after all the death, it has been comforting and encouraging to hear again the words of Jesus - 'I am the resurrection and the life.' Amen.

The Cross

The Cross
Originally uploaded by Gary McMurray.

Taken in Phoenix Park, Dublin

2007: The Year In My Pictures

I had intended doing this at the end of last year, but didn't get around to it. Being in bed because of the snow means that I have the excuse to do it today! According to my Flickr stats, I took 2587 photos in 2007. I've now sifted through them, to bring you the best, and my favourite images from the year - one from each month. I was going to include honourable mentions, or pictures I couldn't decide between, but that would have been far too many! Pick your favourite at the bottom!

So here, for you, is my year in pictures:

The Spike, Dublin was taken on 30th January. I liked this one because of the intense winter sun and the shadow of the Spire on Dublin's O'Connell Street.

The view from my breakfast table was February's favourite. It was taken in a cafe in Edinburgh, when I was on my way to see Lynsey in Dundee! The view of Edinburgh Castle was amazing!

In March, I was exploring the Legacy of the Past: Belfast Shipyard. The black and white rendering added to the sense of dereliction.

This photo of the Spelga Dam was taken in April when I was out for a photography drive. I loved the blue of the water against the surroundings, and it received a few comments on the lead in using the big rock in the foreground.

Downshire Sundown was my favourite capture in May. The silhouette of the monument and the trees against the backdrop of the setting sun made this a special one.

Scotland makes another appearance in June's selection. The Ladybird was wandering about on a leaf in St Andrews when I was there.

If you have been following my blog at all over the past while, you'll probably know this image well. Craigmore and Beyond was taken in July, from the top of the village of Bessbrook, looking towards the Mournes. The Craigmore in the title is Craigmore viaduct, on the Belfast - Dublin railway line. This image was used in an exhibition in Glasgow's 'The Lighthouse.'
In August, I got this photo of a Grasshopper in Milltown Cemetery in Belfast. An ugly brute, if I may say so!

In September, just before I started back to college, I went off on a roadtrip with Stewart to Sligo. On the way home, we stopped at Glencar Waterfall.

October was the month of Hallowe'en, and some of us from college went down into Dublin to see fireworks. This amazing photo of a wee man spinning in a fireball caught my eye.

For Lynsey's birthday weekend I was flying over to Scotland on the dawn flight from Dublin. One of the shots I took was the Plane Sunrise. Thought the colours were magnificent!

My final image of the year is from Belfast, and is titled It's Wheely, Wheely Big By Night. The lights in the trees, the Belfast Wheel lit up, the City Hall lit up, it's all looking very festive.

So now it's over to you. Out of my choice of the twelve, which is your favourite image of the year? Answers in a comment.

Repent! A sermon preached in Ballyward and Rathfriland on 9th December 2007. Matthew 3:1-12

A few weeks ago, we were coming out of a lecture in Trinity, when we noticed a lot of security around the campus. Being kind of nosy, we asked what was happening, and we were told that the King and Queen of Belgium were due to arrive soon. So we decided to wait around to see them. There were TV crews, a group of students dressed in the colours of the Belgian flag, security guards, police, the whole works. There was even a man with a hoover, sucking up the leaves from the courtyard!

Eventually, the police outriders on their motorbikes came through the front gate, with lots of cars in the convoy, and finally, the car carrying the king and queen themselves. How did we know to get ready to see them? The outriders were coming in front, preparing the way, making it was clear.

In our Gospel reading this morning, we encounter the ‘outrider’ in front of Jesus, preparing us for the coming of Jesus. That outrider was, of course, John the Baptist. He is even introduced to us in that way by Matthew. Look at verse 3: ‘This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”’ (Matt 3:3).

Long ago, God had spoken through the prophet Isaiah, and had promised that before Jesus arrived, there would be a messenger, an outrider to prepare the way for him. We’re going to think about that voice in the desert, to see what his message was, the effects of his message, and what it means for us today.

So what was the message? What was the voice crying out? We see the summary in verse 2. ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ Within the message, John tells us some news, and what to do about it. Notice that he says the ‘kingdom of heaven’ is near. The kingdom of heaven speaks of the kingship of God. God’s rule on earth is coming near.

The Old Testament prophets had spoken of how God’s king would come and reign. But from the time of Malachi, there had been four hundred years of silence from heaven. No king had come. Then suddenly, John appears on the scene and declares that God’s king is coming. What the people had to do was ‘repent.’

But what does that mean? Sometimes we use words in church that we think everyone understands, but because they’re used so often, we forget what it is all about. So I ask again, what was the message?

When John called out to the people to repent, he was calling them to turn around. It wasn’t in a Simon says kind of way, not a physical turning, but a turning of their ways. You see, they, like us, had been going in their own ways, doing whatever they wanted, running away from God.

John calls them, and us, to repent, to turn around; to stop going our own way and to turn and go God’s way. Imagine that I was heading to Dublin after church and set off in the car. But rather than heading for Banbridge, Newry and onto the new M1, I was going towards Belfast and on up towards Coleraine. Whenever I realised my mistake, I could either keep going the wrong way, or I could turn around, repent, and go the right way.

This is what John was telling the people to do. For so long they had been running away from God. Now he calls them to repent, to turn around, and go towards God.

So what were the effects of John’s message? If you remember that John was preaching in the desert of Judea (verse 1), out in the wilderness, then it may surprise you to read that ‘people went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan’ (3:5). Despite the distance and inconvenience, people went to hear what he had to say.

More than that, they took on board what he was saying and obeyed him. As we read verse 6 today, we may not grasp the scandal of what’s going on there. It says this: ‘Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River.’

If a Gentile wanted to become a Jew, they would undergo a ceremonial washing, to purify them. This was their baptism. For a Jew, therefore, to be baptised was a scandalous thing. They were admitting their need of God, rather than dependence on themselves, or on their heritage.

The people confessed their sins, acknowledging how they had failed in the past, how they had gone their own way. Then they were baptised for repentance, a sign of washing, and a symbol of turning to God.

But notice that it isn’t enough just to be baptised; it isn’t enough to just repent. More than that, he urges them to ‘produce fruit in keeping with repentance’ (Matt 3:8). It’s not enough to just talk the talk, you also have to walk the walk.

This is what John is saying to the crowds, and to the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to hear him. They thought that they were ok with God, because they were part of Abraham’s family. But John quite clearly says that what we do is as important as who we are. Look at verse 10. ‘The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’

Are you producing good fruit in your life? It’s easy to say that you’re following God, that Jesus is the Lord of your life. You might even think that because you have been baptised, that that is enough. Yet John says that God is looking for the fruit of repentance, for evidence of the changed life. Is it obvious to those around you that you have repented, that you have turned around? Can people who have known you for a long time, or even a short time, see that there is something different about you?

As we think of John’s words today, do you see the urgency of them? John was the messenger, the outrider, preparing the way for Jesus. He was calling people to be ready for Jesus. This is also what our season of Advent is all about. We’re preparing for Jesus’ coming – while we remember his first coming, we look to his second coming, as king and judge.

Look at verse 12. The image is of Jesus as a farmer, threshing the wheat. Just as David reminded us last week of the two destinations, heaven and hell, so John speaks of them here. ‘His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’

On that day of judgement it will be too late to change your mind, or to turn around and repent. Where we finish is determined by our course. Will you continue to set your own course, going your own way, running from God? Or will you hear and heed the words of John the Baptist, preparing the way for Jesus – ‘repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’

The Wait is Over!

Well folks, the waiting has finished. The Curacy List (yes, another post about that!) is in our hands. Immediately after the Communion service last night we were ushered into the principal's office and given an envelope with the list of vacant parishes for us to choose from. Quite a shock actually, as we were mentally preparing ourselves for the list on Thursday. So to get it on Wednesday was surprising.

The List itself, well, it appears to be interesting - a wide range of parishes with a good geographical spread. Some that we're interested in from the off, but it'll be deciding after a lot of prayer and thinking; oh, and the chance to get the parish profiles and meet the rectors. I'm not going to publish the list online, but if I know you, I may just talk to you about it...

Yesterday was a busy day, as it turned out. Last night (not very long after the list emerged) I was down in Temple Bar at the Delirious concert. Different sort of a concert to what they would normally do - certainly not the 5000 people in the King's Hall or a couple of thousand at the Waterfront. We reckoned there was about 600 in all? Six from college went, and we enjoyed it. It seemed strange, though, singing praise in the middle of Temple Bar, with a bar at the back of the venue...

Anyways, that's my update for now. Still in Dublin tonight as we have a College Day tomorrow. More updates in the near future!

Careers Advice?

The only item in my post this morning was a big brown envelope that had come the whole way from Dublin. Wondering what it could be, I quickly opened it. What did I find inside? The latest edition of the Trinity Careers Advisory Service newsletter for final year students!

I wonder if Trinity is trying to tell me something? Let's hope I don't need the careers advice, because I find a Curacy in the coming months!

Exam nearness

This time next week, the first exam will have been done. I'll be into the swing of writing non-stop for two or three hours. The first one will be forgotten almost immediately as the next one comes the following day. Then the rest will come speeding through.

But for now, I revise and relax. Managed to get five topics covered today, which was good. Then this afternoon walked over to Nutgrove Shopping Centre as the ink on my printer was low. Nice sunny day. A day for ice cream as we walked back. And the rain came on as we were in the centre. Amazingly it stopped as we started walking back; and started raining again when we got back. So a dry walk back - except for when Robert hit a tree and the leaves yielded the water lying on them!

Soon it will be time for a hot chocolate - our way of relaxing and socialising in college. The problems of the church and world are resolved over our cup of hot chocolate. And good times are had.

CITC from above!

Check it out here.

Irish drivers!!!

It seems that on my last few journeys northwards, I've encountered at least one driver on each occasion that amazed me with their stupidity, or just poor driving. As I drive along, I've formulated the blog posting, but then when I get home, the offence doesn't seem too bad, and the delights of being home press the posting out of my mind.

Until last night's experience! The M50 ring road motorway around Dublin was quite busy - bumper to bumper, but we were travelling at about 60 mph. I was in the outside lane, although both lanes were travelling at roughly the same speed. knowing the dangers of a motorway pile-up, I made sure that I had left at least a car length or more between me and the car in front. Only a fool breaks the two second rule, and all that.

The Ford car behind me was right on my bumper. Basically, I could see what she had had for breakfast that morning from her teeth as she was so close behind me. If I braked at all, we would be exchanging insurance details - if we were lucky. So I made sure that there was the good gap in front.

All of a sudden, we came to a space in the traffic on the inside lane of maybe the length of a car and a half. The car behind accelerates leftwards into this tiny gap. I think - that's good, they're pulling off at the next exit, moving over in good time, I'll not be bothered by them any more. Boy was I wrong! Their manoeuvre wasn't over. They kept accelerating and suddenly lunged right again, into the little bit of space between me and the car in front. My braking distance was gone, with the car invading it! Rage!

Another thing I've noticed is that drivers seem to think it is their right to sit in the outside lane, no matter what speed they're driving at. So they sit at 60mph, or maybe even (as I saw one day) 50mph on a motorway which the speed limit for is the equivalent of 76mph (speed limits are in kilometres per hour in the Republic of Ireland - motorways are 120 km/h). Yet if you encourage them to move over, or decide to pass on the inside, then they get all cross and look at you as if you're in the wrong!!! I just don't know.

I wonder if it has something to do with the way they learner to drive in Ireland. Learner drivers with their L Plates up can merrily drive about on their own! It can't be helpful for learning good driving skills.

Second year coming to an end

It's hard to imagine, but this is the last week of term in my second year at college. With only 10 more teaching hours to go, we should have most of the information and inspiration for the exams - which start in four weeks time. AAAAGGGHHHH!!!

After this week, we have three weeks of 'study leave', which is free to be spent wherever we decide, and then a week and a half of exams. So by 1st June I'll be free for the summer, and also will be a final year student (almost!)

I'll probably be in Dublin quite a bit of the three study weeks - I know if I were to be at home I would get no work done at all... instead going out for random drives and stuff. That's not to say it won't happen in Dublin too, but there's less chance of it.

In the middle week we also have the excitement of the Church of Ireland General Synod, this year being held in Kilkenny. I'll be there, representing the good folk of Dromore Diocese. Then on the Saturday following, I'll be back in Kilkenny for the Leahy - Avila wedding. Can't wait!

So now I need to get a prayer letter written - it's been a while since I managed to get one out, hopefully before Late Prise in the Chapel... and a few other matters to attend to. Like revision. Maybe!

Sir Edward Carson forgotten in modern Dublin?

Stormont and Carson
Originally uploaded by Gary McMurray.

On our way into Dublin each day on the Luas, we pass the birthplace and childhood home of Lord Carson - formerly Sir Edward Carson. Carson was the leader of Irish Unionism, and then Ulster Unionism during the Home Rule crisis of 1912-14. He was also a leading barrister, involved in the famous trial of Oscar Wilde.

Up until recently, there was a Dublin Tourism plaque on the house in Harcourt Street (just off St Stephen's Green). But now it has gone. I wonder why... Let's hope it is returned to its place soon, and that an important Dubliner can be remembered in his own home!