A LAST LEISURELY DAY IN KILKENNY CITY AND COUNTY 2010..........

It is my last full day in Ireland on this visit, 29 years, a a total of 881 days, since I was first here in August-Seotember of 1981.  It is a take it easy day, doing messages and  bits and pieces, before having dinner in Thomastown, County Kilkenny with the Parish Priest, Father Dan Bollard, who was my St. Kieran's Seminary Spiritual Director in 1982-1984.  After a splendid traditional Irish bacon and cabbage, with mashed carrots and turnips and potatoes, with apple tart for dessert, and as always an enjoyable, wellrounded, conversation with Fr. Dan, Oliver and I met up with Fr. Dr. Dermot Ryan, at the Left Bank pub, the former Bank of Ireland building on the Parade in Kilkenny, for a last round of pints and glasses of ginger ale and sparkling water, before departing for California tomorrow.  I did a bit of Kilkenny shopping and lookabout/walkabout in the city today and placed a few calls, including to the Bishop Emeritus of Ossory, +Laurence Forristal, and now have to finish packing for our 5:30 am drive to Urlingford, to go to Dublin Airport, with Uncle Father Eddie and J.J. Kavanagh, on Friday.....Today, September 9th, is Admission Day in California.  It was 160 years ago this day, in 1850, that the Golden State of California, became the 31st State of the Union in the USA.  It is also the liturgical feast of St. Peter Claver, a special patron of African American Catholic-Christians. My Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, has a Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver Ministry, that this Sunday, will be preparing the annual lunch for the Handicapables Ministry in the Sacramento, after they attend our 10:30 am Mass.  >> Here's To So Many Wonderful Hibernian-Iberian Summer Holiday Memories 2010..........Fr.  Troy