Once More, Ireland

It's spring break at my University and once more, I am visiting Galway, Ireland. It's still beautiful, green and bustling with life, both of the capitalist and human varieties. Some things, of course, have changed since my visit here last year, including the internet cafe where I am presently enscribing these words. All in all, however, what I remember is as it was, including St. Nicholas (Church of Ireland) Church where I worshipped this morning. For a small congregation inside an 800 year old building on which Oliver Cromwell paid a not-so-pleasant theological call during the Commonwealth era, St. Nicholas does very well for itself, better, in fact, than some American parishes who somehow have gotten it in their heads that only the choir should sing and everyone else should sit like stone faces for an hour. As Clifford used to say, "it"--the Bible--"doesn't say make a beautiful sound. It says make a joyful noise." As in many other things, Clifford was right and he would have been pleased, I think, with our sounds and noise this morning (even if, as a Baptist, he might have thought we were a bit too much with vestments and choir robes and liturgy). Heaven knows, at the same time however, that the sort of replaying of God among us through liturgy--another word for drama and God's people finding our "place" within the divine spirit--laughter, children scurring around (and their parents, of course, worrying about them making too much noise), music--even some magnificent antiphonal chants--and fellowship in the Anglican sense of having coffee and snacks afterwards made today's worship a marvelous experience for me once again.
Seeing my friends--with more to follow--at the place where I stayed last year also makes my trip all the more worthwhile. It seems as if we almost picked up where we left last March 15 when I left last year to return home. We've laughed, joked, teased and even talked some politics, which I usually want to avoid these days, but oh well, the disease still grabs me every so often. To make matters even more enjoyable, North Carolina beat Duke last night in the second round of their yearly grudge match, which sets up the Tarheels well for the upcoming ACC and, in all likelihood, the NCAA tournaments in the next few weeks. My beloved Memphis Tigers, at the same time, should have little trouble in the Conference USA tournament and since we recently lost to the Orange Evil Empire from Knoxville, we won't have the pressure of an undefeated season hanging over our heads when the Dance--our American euphemism for the NCAA tournament--starts, I believe, one week from Tuesday. In the overall scheme of what is, I am presently pleased and looking forward to the next several days here. Then it's home and back to the grind. At least Shakespeare awaits--as does Miss Lannah. That's a rather pleasant set of prospects.