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| Click the photo to enlarge it And see Scotland |
Today was a road day. We drove from the North Atlantic
(BallyCastle) to the West Coast. The Belleek china factory was our only stop on the way. The were no tours as it was Saturday but we still got a nice sense of the place, visiting the museum and gift shop. Belleek China is normally considered a collectible and is often handed down from generation to generation but I couldn't help but remember a news article that I read titled "Your kids don't want your stuff and nobody else does either". We left the China on the display shelf.
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| 800 year old baptismal font Made famous by the baptism Of Sean Joyce |
We are spending the night in Ballintubber, in County Mayo. It's a very rural community. A friend of ours, Sean Joyce, was baptized at the Abbey here. We attended Mass at 8:00 pm on Saturday and we were blown away! The church is 802 years old. I think I personally knelt on one of the original kneelers (LOL) but seriously folks, the Abbey was 300 years old when Columbus came to America. After Mass we asked the 83 year old priest if there would be tours on Sunday Morning but they didn't begin until after the 11:30 Mass, too late for us. However he brought us into the closed museum/gift shop and set us up with a video about the history and preservation of the church. "Turn the light off and make sure you close the door if you don't mind" he told us. Spoiler alert regarding the video - we don't like Cromwell and Priest Killers were a real thing.
Making the Balintubber Abbey even slightly more unreal if not un-nerving was that we parked
in the Car Park and walked through the cemetery, an easy walk before Mass but bizarre at 9:30 at night when we were very much by ourselves.
On to Galway!
good thing it wasn't Halloween walking through the cemetery. Can't help wondering how many people were at mass. Our minister this morning was telling us how so many churches in Europe are basically empty these days.
ReplyDeletedon't you own a camper older than that abbey? sounds like a great trip! have fub
ReplyDeleteWhat interesting commentary. Amusing as well. By the way, if you want some Beleek, you can have mine. I’m guessing if children don’t want stuff, nieces and nephews won’t either. I never knew Vlad was an Irish name. Thanks for the update. Now that Fall is officially over, you can imagine how much I look forward to your blog. Have fun in the West.
ReplyDeleteLoved your comment after visiting the china factory. My granddaughter's request for tableware was that it must be microwave safe, dishwasher safe, and oven safe. I really like the photo of you two by the baptismal font. The street in front of our houses is now filled with cars--must be almost time for a Packer game. Look forward to your next post.
ReplyDeleteAdventurous describes the 2 of you very well! Interesting about the church. And the 83 year old priest! Now we know why Europeans laugh at our American "antiques". Glad you made it safely through the cemetery and onto your next stop. ☘️
ReplyDeleteBy the way: I read that same newspaper article. Very true! Except for our daughter. Our basement is filled with treasures she found at Grandma and Grandpa's.
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