It’s been another packed weekend at the Teach! Of course, for a little over a month now, “packed weekend” has meant “we have lots of fun things to do with friends,” not so much “retreats and workshops and rehearsals” like earlier in the year. But this was a strange weekend for a few reasons.
First, our Mass schedule was all mixed up from normal. The Vigil Choir and Youth Choir provided the music for 10:00am Sunday Mass (instead of 6:00pm Vigil Mass on Saturday), because South East Radio broadcast Mass from Clonard this weekend. The last time South East Radio was here, the Family Liturgy Group sang for the 10:00am as usual, but the parish decided to rotate the choirs for radio Masses. So, Saturday night choirs on Sunday morning! Everyone came across very well over the airwaves, we’ve been told. Great job, choir members! I should also point out that Teach Bhríde is halfway through our last month of Sunday night shows with the Christian Media Trust. Be sure to tune in to Nicole’s show this Sunday at 8:30pm GMT (that’s 3:30pm for you East Coast folks)!
As you might have guessed, we did not have any responsibilities for the Saturday Vigil Mass this weekend. So, Nicole and I went with a group from the parish to the National Vigil for Life on Merrion Square in Dublin. (Side note: I think this may have been the first time I was awake for the entire bus ride to and from Dublin, ever.) Neither of us had ever been to a pro-life rally before, so we didn’t quite know what to expect. What we found there was, as I called it, a very ruly crowd of over 40,000 around Merrion Square. (I dare any other crowd of 40,000+ to be so well behaved.) Everyone chanted only as long as the emcee directed us, and we all listened attentively to speakers from Youth Defence and Women Hurt, and to others including Celeste Beal King (grand-niece of Martin Luther King, Jr.). Hopefully these peaceful protests will encourage the Irish government not to legalize abortion in Ireland. See a little more about the rally here: http://www.prolife.ie/news/2013/06/10/massive-crowd-demands-scrapping-abortion-bill
At the National Vigil for Life on Merrion Square
With some other members of the Diocese of Ferns, on Merrion Square
Besides strange Mass schedules, we took an outing with our friend Ruaíri this weekend to a place that is just plain strange. We had never been out to Loftus Hall before, the most haunted house in Ireland, and they opened the place up for tours last October. So, away we went! In addition to marvelous mosaic and parkay flooring, and a grand staircase identical to the one on the Titanic, the 700-year-old site boasts a couple gruesome haunting stories. Supposedly, the devil came to stay for a few days. When he was discovered during a game of Whist (a card game), he turned into a ball of fire and shot through the roof! The roof in that spot has never been successfully repaired. The girl who discovered him became a maniac and was locked in her room for the rest of her life. That room is now supposed to be the most haunted room in the most haunted building in Ireland. I have to admit, it was pretty spooky. Here’s their site: http://www.loftushall.com/
Outside the most haunted room in Ireland. Ooooooooo!
We took the risk.
So, it’s a good thing that the last weird thing about the weekend was the absolutely gorgeous weather! Seriously, it was sunny for over a week, and the weekend had to have been around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. For those of us acclimated to the cooler temperatures of Irish weather, it was actually hot outside. We took a sunny stroll on Hook’s Head, and finished the evening with a session at our house while Emily’s cousins were in town.
At Hook’s Head Lighthouse
