Dublin is the home of
James Joyce, Ulysses,
and the Book of Kells.
I was more a fan of the 9th century Book of Kells sheltered by
Trinity Church.
It had pictures.
I had been fascinated by the drawings in this book since I first saw photos of the Chi-Rho page, a huge letter P,
that is actually the Greek letter X,
surrounded by swirling fractals mythically merged with the pagan icons of invading Vikings. This was the monks' way of symbolically converting the heathen.
And the meek shall conquer the mighty.
The minds of the draftsmen who created this book existed outside of time, for how else could anyone take days drawing one letter? That's a priceless act of love — a true act of worship. Built like a cathedral, one stone, one letter, at a time, their care is almost impossible to comprehend by us who live where time equals money. Though these monks lived relatively short lives, their art spat in the face of their mortality. These illuminators were actually yogis breathing eternity as God
knows it.
My next stop was called something like the Bureau of Genealogy where I looked up the Quinn family crests. Although the Quins in Quin resembled my Quinns in Nashville, we were most likely more closely related to the Quinns in Northern Ireland. Why? Because we were Protestants and by tradition we had inherited our hatred of them Catholics. Aunt Willy did not vote for JFK because he was one of Them. Moreover, because the Pope lived in Rome, and still does, he was the leader of those evil Romans who had crucified her Lord. Think this sounds silly? Ask yourself why you believe so passionately in conspiracies such as chem trails, aspartame, UFOs, and you name it. Of course, it just may all be true.
Wrote Mom a letter and sent some Irish coins back home along with
sketches of family crests
all of which Mom kept buried in the back of a drawer forever covered with four leaf clovers.
Notice that both Quin and Quinn crests share a wild boar. Most likely they were once kissing cousins, or each had once kissed the same pig.
Once more the question arises: would you rather owe allegiance to a temporal or an eternal family? If you are a Mafia member, you would choose temporal; if a Mormon missionary, eternal. Can you be both? Many men have tried, usually abusing their biological families in the compromise. Women as mothers seldom have a choice.
And so my 7 day tour of Éire ended
having logged about 750 miles by thumb.
Slept on Harp Ferry to Liverpool.
In those days, Irish ferries displayed a harp insignia
in hopes of luring us back to its emerald towns.
Toura Lura Lura Toura Lura Lie...
