Aaah, I do miss Ireland sometimies.
"Oh, my heart is weary all alone
And it sends a lonely cry
To the land that sings beyond my dreams
And the lonely Sundays pass me by
Agus och, och Éire 'lig is ó
Éire londubh is ó
Ah, the Quiet Land of Erin"
Gotta go to Dublin sometime, see what changed in the... almost 20 years now.
I wish I could take you back to the Dublin of my childhood :) Was Dancing Mary still around when you were there?? She was the very elegant blonde lady who used to dance and sing all day for Our Lady on the crossing opposite North Earl Street and Clearys. She had the rosary beads in her hand. You'd remember her if you ever saw her.
If you go back Torq, please try to see some of the wonderful places outside Dublin. With your religious proclivities you simply have to visit Clonmacnoise and the Rock of Cashel amongst others.
Btw on the same theme, I think this will interest you:
rte.ie/news/leinster/2026/0123/1554627-uncovered-human-remains-offaly/
"Lemanaghan is already recognised as one of Ireland's most significant archaeological landscapes, encompassing an early monastery, a unique surviving oratory, a medieval togher, medieval shrine, holy wells, cross slabs and internationally important relics."
A local woman Aoife Phelan was the one found the remains on her annual visit to the site for the feast day of St Manchán.
"The discovery feels like a message from our ancestors," said Ms Phelan."It is a moment when a sacred landscape has spoken again, revealing that Lemanaghan still yields the secrets of a deeply rooted past. They have quite literally lifted their heads from the earth after 1,300 years, and to do so on St Manchán's feast day is astonishing," she added.