March 2025

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A Celtic St. Patrick

We don’t know who drew this glorious image of our patron saint but it is in the Capuchin annuals online archive. It was on the cover of a Redemptorist pamphlet so we presume it was the work of a Redemptorist priest.

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Nearly Gone

They’re clearing the last of the stock in New Look, Ballincollig, as a Buy one Get one Free deal.

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What a difference a Year Makes?

This was Market Street flowerbed on March 7 2024

One year later to the day and it’s all looking a bit weary and bedraggled…a bit like ourselves!

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Summer Time in Winter Time; Old Time in New Time

It all started with this and my comment that I was surprised that Listowel was still in summer time in December 1942.

Kathy Reynold knew why and I learned a bit about our wartime history as well. Since we observe Greenwich Meantime our clocks tell the same time as clocks in the UK.

“During the austerity of WW2, Double Summer Time was introduced in the UK as a way of saving fuel. This saw clocks being put forward two hours ahead of GMT. I assume Ireland must have also made the changes.

Double Summer Time was triggered on the last Sunday of October in 1940 when the clocks were not put back from Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time. The result was that Summer Time continued throughout the Winter of 1940/41. On the last Sunday of March in 1941, the clocks were put forward an extra one hour, effectively putting the country two hours ahead of GMT. This meant that dark evenings were two hours shorter, so the time for which heating was required was also two hours shorter, thus saving on fuel. The delayed darkness in the evenings also meant that people had more time to get back home before the blackout.

WW2 Double Summer Time ended in the Autumn of 1945 when clocks were set back to the previous cycle of Greenwich Mean Time over winter and British Summer Time in the Summer.”

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New Postbox

In Moynalty, Co. Meath, I’m told. It’s a bit unusual looking. I wonder if anyone has seen it in reality or is it something a collector has cobbled together. Apologies if this is a genuine post box.

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Hope Micheál has the good suit Dry Cleaned and Ready

In these days when we are concerned with what is and is not appropriate apparel in certain places, here is a story from The Gazette in 1797.

John Hetherington was arraigned before the Lord Mayor yesterday on a charge of breach of the peace and inciting to riot, and was required to give bonds in the sum of £500[b] [for having] appeared upon the public highway wearing upon his head what he called a silk hat… a tall structure, having a shiny lustre, and calculated to frighten timid people…. several women fainted at the unusual sight, while children screamed, dogs yelped, and a young [boy] was thrown down by the crowd which had collected and had his right arm broken.

(Heatherington was an eccentric milliner and he was merely showing off his latest creation.)

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A Fact

When was St. Patrick’s Day not celebrated on March 17th?

Answer; Not that long ago, in fact. In 2001, at the height of the Foot and Mouth outbreak, the Dublin parade was postponed until May.

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