We began our Sunday with worship at Christ Church Cathedral, in the heart of Dublin, built upon the foundations of the much older walls laid by Viking settlers over a 1,000 years before. We sat up front (later we learned it was where the mayor sits when present).  A marvelous mixed choir led much of the liturgy, and a personal tour of the Cathedral followed afterward by a older gentleman—Des—who took us under his wing. He shared some of his “inside knowledge” about the Cathedral’s history and quirks. (For example, the money face a mischievous sculpture carved into one of the arches of the nave!) Then it was downstairs for refreshments and fellowship in the crypt, where we also discovered the mummified cat and mouse made famous by the quote in James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake: “…As stuck as that cat to that mouse in that tube of that Christchurch organ…”)

In the afternoon, we took the train down to Manooth to see the Davis family – Paul and Grannier, their children Thomas and Hannah, and Paul’s parents Paddy and Deirdre.  As a high school exchange student, Paul had come to Seaside, Oregon, which is where Chris first met him.  Then, during her visit to Ireland in 1984 Chris had spent time in a home stay with Paul’s parents Paddy and Deirdre.  It was a lighthearted gathering, full of good humor, and the as a bonus the kids came away with a bag full of St. Paddy’s Day paraphernalia!