Athgarvan Musings

This is the First Sunday of Advent so we have started the count-down to Christmas.
Our cleaning lady, Anne Scallan from Castlebridge, has presented us with one of her Christmas cakes. Isn't it very nicely iced?
Anne is noted in the area for her wedding cakes.

Check out Advent Reflections

and Short Prayer Services for Groups

Last night Peter, Marie, and I attended the launch in Poulaphuca Hotel of a book on the social history of Ballymore Eustace where I grew up. The book was produced by an ad hoc committee of the local Historical Society. There was a large attendance of local people and it was great to meet so many one knew 60 years or more ago! The book has so many photographs of people and places that bring the mind back over the years.

The Ballymore Brass & Reed Band 1946

The Ten Commandments
(Tennessee Translation)

(1) Just one God
(2) Put nothin' before God
(3) Watch yer mouth
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'
(5) Honor yer Ma & Pa
(6) No killin'
(7) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal
(8) Don't take what ain't yers
(9) No tellin' tales or gossipin'
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff

"The moon hath raised her lamp above
to light the way to thee my love . . . . . "
(Benedict's "Lily of Killarney")

Advent Reflections

euroernhub.livejournal.com/

The present dreadful floods throughout the country bring home to us the results of our neglect of our environment.

Last evening I had the most wonderful experience of attending the new Wexford Opera House for a HD live recording of Giuseppe Verdi’s AIDA straight from the Metropolitan Opera (Met) in New York. Another feather in Wexford’s cultural cap!

AIDA is considered one of the great Italian Grand Operas for its grand spectacle. Grand Operas usually consist of ballets, large processions, continuous music, and 4-5 acts. Last evening's performance ran for close on 4 hours.
It was a majestic production. Listen to a choral version of the Triumphal March or to an orchestral version Triumphal March
Set in ancient Egypt, AIDA is a heartbreaking love story and an epic drama full of spectacular scenes. A cast of powerful voices and a grand production brings the story to life on the Met stage in New York, and on the HD screen in Wexford Opera House!
Violeta Urmana starred in the title role of the enslaved Ethiopian princess, with Dolora Zajick as her rival. Johan Botha played Radames, commander of the Egyptian army.

Other Direct Live Broadcast (HD) operas from the MET. NY. to follow will be :
19 Dec. Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Offenbach) - live broadcast
09 Jan Der Rosenkavalier (Strauss) - live broadcast
16 Jan. Carmen (Bizet) - live broadcast
06 Feb. Simon Boccanegra (Verdi) - Live Broadcast
03 Apr. Hamlet (Thomas) - live recording of 27 Mar. performance.

Advent Reflection

Friday night I stupidly broke my mobile phone, so yesterday morning I had to go down town to get a new one. The streets were full of people doing their Christmas shopping in the rain. The O2 shop was full of shoppers who seemed, unlike me, to be interested only in the most expensive phones. I was reminded of a little story I had on the Blog about six months ago.

A young student was making his way home across the desert when he discovered a little well of delicious water. He decided to take some back to his master. When the master sipped the water he said,"What wonderful, wonderful water!" and thanked him profusely. Later, another student tasted the water and spat it out saying, "Uch! That was terrible!. Why did you tell him it was wonderful?" The master replied, "You tasted the water, I tasted the gift!

November list of the dead displayed at side altar in Bride St. Church. Bride St. has had 96 funerals to date this year. Rowe St. has had 50.

We pray for our dead:
Eternal rest, grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of the faithful departed
through the mercy of God rest in peace.
Amen.

In the 19th century the Devereux family were the merchant princes of Wexford town. Richard Devereux (1795-1883) owned the largest fleet of sailing ships in Ireland and brought the first cargo of Indian Corn to Wexford during the Famine. He amassed a fortune from his shipping and malting business and was a munificent benefactor in the interests of Catholic education and the church. He built and endowed the Convent of Mercy at Summerhill and enabled the Christian Brothers to establish a foundation at Wexford. He even built the monastery they still live in for them. It is interesting to note that triginometry and navigation were among the subjects taught in the CBS at the time. In recognition of his generosity he was conferred with the Knighthood of St Gregory by Pope Pius IX. He died in 1883.

His sons, John, Thomas, and Richard, continued to build on his success. The family owned numerous barques, brigs and schooners which were employed in the Mediterranean fruit and grain trades. A number of the ships were built in the family's own yards. The "May Queen", the "Saltee", and the "Hantoon" were principally involved in the Canadian timber trade. With the "Vision" (143 tons) Devereux, under his own flag (a white D on blue background), entered the Black Sea grain trade.

* Please keep a look out during Advent for some life-giving thoughts at:

Advent Reflections

* Other interesting links:
http://www.ercbna.org/
http://www.edmundrice.org/
http://www.edmundrice.ie/
http://www.cbnovitiates.co.za/
http://www.presentationbrothers.com/
http://www.edmundrice.org.nz/index.php
http://www.christianbrothers.com.au/erpm/
http://www.edmundrice.org/ernet/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=39&Itemid=60
http://edmundriceinternational.org/jpic/?page_id=79
http://edmundrice.org/archer/

The legend of St. Martin and the Wexford fishing fleet.
We're told St. Martin was the uncle of St. Patrick and his feast day is November 11th. There is a legend that no Wexford fishing boat will put to sea on that day. The story goes that on St. Martins Eve 1702, “Came a mighty shoal of herrings to the shores of Wexford Bay”. The fishermen of the bay decided to break with tradition and put to sea. As they rowed out from the harbour the figure of St. Martin appeared before them on a white horse, waving them back to port. Two crews obeyed the warning and turned back to the shore, the others cast their nets and prepared to make one of the biggest catches they had ever taken. Before they could haul in the nets a fierce storm came up and swept them to destruction. The story goes that 70 of the fishermen died on that night.

Read the story as told by poet John Boyle O'Reilly: www.from-ireland.net/ballads/trad/fishermen.htm

www.youtube.com/watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHU67jJQk4o&NR=1

Those interested in group prayer might find these useful:

http://curragh.livejournal.com/

Hello Senan. Have been reading (and reflecting on) your fine article on "Some Daring Thoughts . . "
on www.cbnovitiates.co.za/downloads/Dare_to_Be_Disciples.pdf

I was reading the life of Dom Columba Marmion (1858-1923) recently and became aware of his connection with Co. Wexford. He was born in Dublin (his father, William, was from Clane, Co. Kildare) and was ordained for the diocese after studying in Propaganda College, Rome (1881) but in 1886 he became a Benedictine monk in the Abbey at Maredsous in Belgium. In 1909 he became its Abbot.

He was a preacher of note and wrote many important books (Christ the Life of the Soul (1917), Christ in His Mysteries (1919), Christ the Ideal of the Monk (1922), and Christ the Ideal of the Priest (1952).

When war broke out in 1914 he tried to find a place of safety for his young monks. He found a suitable house belonging to the Power family at Edermine on the banks of the River Slaney, a few miles south of Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. Edermine House was the residence of the Power family who were associated with the distilling business (Powers Whiskey). The Powers had already built a private chapel at Edermine to the design of the famous architect A.W. Pugin. After the war, Marmion and his monks returned to Maredsous.

(Some have claimed that these monks were cowardly and/or unpatriotic WWI draft-dodgers, and that contemporaries said it resembled a youth hostel more than a monastery, and that it was closed by the Congregation for Religious in Rome following a mysterious crisis involving “young Fathers [who] oppose the letter of Canon Law to the spirit of the Holy Rule“.)

Dom Columba died on 30th June 1923 aged 65 and is buried at Maredsous. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in September 2000.

In 1975 a new bridge across the Slaney was opened at Edermine beside where the monks lived during World War I and called Dom Marmion Bridge.

Last night I attended the launch of the 22nd JOURNAL of the WEXFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY in Greenacres Gallery, North Main St. The book was edited by Hilary Murphy. It includes many interesting articles on: The Palatines of Wexford, Wexford in the Summer of 1914, History of the Colclough Family, Co. Wexford Newspapers, The Making of Wexford Opera House, etc, etc.
So I have plenty of reading for the winter nights!
The present Officers of the Society are: Billy Colfer (President), Helen Skrine (VP), Ian Hearn (Chair), Eithne Scallan (Sec.), Susan Kelly (Treas.), Hilary Murphy (Editor).

Yesterday, I also received an invitation from the Ballymore Eustace Historical Society (Co. Kildare) to the launch (27 Nov.) by Professor Jim Lydon (Professor Emeritus of Modern History, TCD) of their book "Ballymore Eustace: Portrait of a Village", in the Poulaphouca House Hotel.

Those interested in prayer in groups might like to have a look at :
http://curragh.livejournal.com/

Wexford rejoiced last evening on learning of the release from captivity in the Philippines of Fr. Michael Sinnott who had been kidnapped for ransom over a month ago.

Fr. Michael (79) is from Barntown close to Wexford Town. He was a member of the Columban Fathers and had been ministering in the city of Pagadian in the Philippines.He was snatched by six gunmen of an Islamic Liberation group.

Fr. Michael has relatives still living in Wexford and visited the place every opportunity he could manage. How relieved and happy they must feel now. Prayers had been offered for his safe release at every Mass and service in the churches of the diocese. I am sure that now prayers of thanksgiving will continue. In fact they have already begun as can be seen in this photo today of people praying in Clonard Church. Notice his picture on the front of the lectern.

This year the Opera Festival Season opened in Wexford  in a grand new Opera House. Last year the first all-digital cinema in Ireland opened in Drinagh, on the outskirts of Wexford Town.
The nine million euro Omniplex features eight screens with seating capacity of 1,600. It employs no projectionist as it is entirely run by computer. Films arrive on hard drive, with security keys, and are uploaded into a central machine. From there the entire schedule of film’s can be controlled from a computer downstairs.
The Omniplex has one old-style 35mm projector for any old stock or re-runs, but it’s not expected to see much action!!

If you are interested in Short Prayer Services for Groups check out:
http://curragh.livejournal.com/