LUNCH IN THE PRIESTS' REFECTORY, A GUIDED ANS SELF GUIDED LOOK AROUND THE KIERAN'S CAMPUS, AN AFTERNOON NAP, AND EVENING TEA...........

My first seven hours in Kilkenny, Ireland three decades ago, were a combination of food, meeting new people, who were priests and staff working at Saint Kieran's, seeing the historic St. Kieran's College grounds, a walkabout into the city, and a nap in the seminary, Birchfield Hall, senior house room, Father Martin Campion assigned to me for my visit and my first evening meal, in Ireland, known as, "tea"; in the European the lighter meal, following the  midday dinner main meal, at the lunch hour.  It was thrilling.  Fr. Dan and I arrived at the College, just as Dinner was starting and the priests were gathering in the priests refectory, the main staff dining room on the front first floor hallway.  As we entered the room, with damask wallpaper and large portraits of Diocese of Ossory Bishops hanging on the wall, sitting at the head of the table was St. Kieran's President, Reverend Monsignor Thomas "Tommy" Maher, and a younger priest, Reverend Father Willie Hennessey, a teacher on the "layside", of the College.  Fr. Dan introduced me to them and then directed to a side table where the dinner was laid out, buffet style.  A nice, hot, dark brown, beef soup, a lamb roast, mashed potatoes, flowery, boiled potatoes, carrots, and  apple tart, were set on the side table.  I went down the line, moved to the table and was invited to sit to the left side of Msgr. Maher, with Fr. Dan seated across from me, and Fr. Hennessey to my immediate right.  We ate and started chatting.  Shortly, we had been joined by Fr. Campion, and then Fr. Fergus Farrell, a St. Kieran's Professor, and profound Scripture scholar.  It was a very sociable meal, and my first excited impression of being there was how collegial, warm, and welcoming, it seemed.  They were interacting with each other and me in a very friendly and comfortable manner.  After finishing dessert with either a cup of brewed  tea or coffee, the priests took an afternoon walk around the, "pitch" the large lawn and games field, inside the front entrance, Callan Gate, just in front of the seminary dormitories built in the 1970's.  They invited me to come along.  The priests walked in groups of 2 or 3, and I joined Frs. Campion and Bollard, for more chatting as we circled the pitch on the path, two or three times.  The others al returned to their afternoon schedules.  Fr. Campion took me to my seminary guest room in Birchfield Hall, showed me the building and left me for the time being.  I settled in, and then took a nap, as I was still dealing with my jet-lag.  Awaking at 3:15 p.m., I got up, and walked outside the grounds down into the town, and got my first look at High Street and Irishtown.  I returned to the College, in time to look around the buildings a bit, and then made my way to the evening tea, which was sausages, chips, and tea.  More to Come after Noe and I head across the street for Dinner at the Legends Bar and Grill, here in Phoenix, AZ...........Fr.  Troy