Sean's Space

Click on thumbnails to enlarge; click again to enlarge further.

Saturday 17 September 2011.

I decided to take it easy today and neither exercised nor showered. Listened in my black collared robe, short pyjamas, white Reef flip flops; to Ireland score a famous victory 15 – 6 over Australia in a World Cup match described in New Zealand by that peerless commentator Michael Corcoran. I think I may have had the heat on and anyway I felt very comfortable. I am not sure but I think Rosanna returned unobtrusively this morning from her short “holiday” in Greenore. Grilled German sausages, fried potato, beans in tomato sauce, boiled Roosters in their skin, an orange; for lunch. I think I took a siesta in preparation for the “broadcast” mass. News gradually filtered in to the church that The Pat’s scored an impressive victory over Mattock although they had been reduced to 14 men for most of the second half. The mass was a kind of victory, too. Everything went ahead with good forward motion and the choir was assertive even if the sound was not always top quality. Catherine banished me into the back row along with the men where I felt less isolated and more relaxed and had a good view of everything. Had a few chats with Eddie Caffrey who did the recording. Very personable, talkative, in good humour, he told me he likes the look of the church and had not been aware of its existence until very recently.

· Majesty

· Psalm. Like The Deer

· Alleluia. Liam Lawton’s (Speak, O Lord)

· Offertory. Be Still

· Holy Holy

· When We Eat this Bread and Drink this Cup We Proclaim your Death, Lord Jesus, Until you Come in Glory.

· Amen

· Lamb of God

· Communion. Only A Shadow (Catherine Baldwin, Frances McCrystal; duet). Instrumental (Young Arthur, flute; Leanne Caraher, violin; Ann Murphy, organ). Jesus, Name Above All Names

· Exit. Our God Reigns

My best note “glory” turned out to be the worst in the recording when I heard it tomorrow morning? I took a group photo afterwards; a shot of Fr. Murphy and Eddie Caffrey in the vestry; one of Christine Gallagher and Eva Hamill in the aisle behind the organ. Ate a sausage sandwich made with barrel bread and drank a cup of coffee before I went to bed. Postponed my journal. I think, somehow, that I did not wash my teeth. Silvia made her way over to me after mass and presented me with a little paper parcel, “A gift from Argentina.” It later proved to be a medal, a Madonna inscribed, “Italy.”