Michæl McFarland Campbell

We were lucky last year and this year to see an orchid growing in our front garden. This occurred because neither Andrew nor I is an intrepid gardener. We quite enjoy letting the grass grow long and then getting it cut back later in the summer, which gives the orchid the chance to grow and be seen.

Many people across Ireland are helping to record the island’s wildlife. We can do this by recording what we see with the National Biodiversity Data Centre. There is an iPhone app, an Android app, and Ireland’s Citizen Science Portal to record entries. I encourage everyone to get involved.

Last year, 163,502 records were submitted through Ireland’s Citizen Science Portal.

Records were received from 8033 individual recorders across all 32 counties. An interesting trend with data submitted through the Citizen Science Portal is that more than half of recorders only submit one record during a calendar year. In contrast to this we had 38 recorders who submitted over 1000 records, nine of which submitted over 2000 records.

https://biodiversityireland.ie/irelands-citizen-science-portal-recording-activity-2023/

Will you join me in recording the wildlife you see?

I look forward to using the app as I walk around the country. I am sure I will be able to get my entries up from the four current ones in the coming days and weeks. Will you join with me in recording the wildlife of Ireland?

We have been very busy in the last few weeks. Yesterday was no different. We got up very early (for us) and caught the seven minutes past seven train from Monasterevin to Kildare, waited there and then got the train to Waterford. We didn’t go as far as Waterford on this occasion, disembarking in the cathedral city of Kilkenny. The purpose of yesterday’s outing was to visit the Rothe House and have a day wandering in the city as a day out to celebrate Andrew’s birthday which was during the week.

On arrival in MacDonagh Station, we walked down St John’s Street and across the bridge over the River Nore. We then walked down the walkway out of Canal Square below Kilkenny Castle for a little while. Along the way, we heard the weir but didn’t see it as the river flowed over it away from the bank we were on. On arrival back in Canal Square, we decided it was time for some refreshment before heading to the merchant’s house. So we enjoyed the sun as we drank our drinks and ate a pain-au-chocolate (in my case) on the first floor of Wild Tails Cafe, just above the hurling statue in Canal Square. The upstairs of the cafe allowed us to sit in the sun and watch the world go by. Should I find myself travelling to spend the day in Kilkenny again, I am sure that it will become a firm favourite place to sit. Were I on my own, I suspect that I would find myself writing in a book. That is something for which I should look forward.

We came up with a new phrase whilst in the cafe, it is sort of an answer to anyone suggesting that we were loitering with intent:

No, we’re not loitering with intent. We’re meandering with purpose.

That was really how we visited; we were there to have a day out, and we meandered the city’s mediaeval street layout and enjoyed ourselves.

Having finished our refreshments, it was time to walk into the city and visit the Rothe House, which we had wanted to visit for many years but just needed to manage.

Visit Ireland’s best-preserved medieval Merchant House

Located in the heart of Kilkenny on Ireland’s Medieval Mile, Rothe House & Garden was built between 1594 and 1610. This was once the home and place of business of John Rothe and Rose Archer, one of Kilkenny’s wealthiest, most influential merchant families. The three-storied houses are connected by cobbled courtyards, expansive enough for a family that grew to have eleven children, as well as the house & garden staff that would have been necessary to run such an important household.

rothehouse.com

As the top of the first house was the most glorious attic room that I have seen for a long time. On the wall was a catholic banner that brought to mind the seventeenth century banner that is now in the care of the National Museum of Ireland on loan from the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. This banner was believed to to date from the Confederacy hidden in the walls of Rothe House. It depicts the Coronation of Mary by the Holy Trinity. It is understood to have been displayed in a procession that welcomed the Papal Nuncio, the Most Reverend John Baptist Rinuccini to Kilkenny city in 1645. The banner on the wall depicts the Blessed Sacrament in a Tabernacle.

The second house is full of artefacts, and the third house has an event space in the ground floor where the kitchen was formerly. Behind the third house is the restored seventeenth-century garden which extends to the end of the burgage at the mediaeval city wall.

As I said before, the reason for visiting Kilkenny was to visit the Rothe House, or at least that was what I thought it was. It turns out that the real reason was lemon meringue pie (at least according to my now diabetic husband, Andrew).

After I helped Andrew finish his lemon meringue pie, which, as he says, was delicious, we went on to visit Kilkenny Castle. The castle has been a mediaeval castle, a restoration château, and a Victorian stately home. I got thoroughly confused about what was going on and how it was in such good state now because we went straight from the ticket office in the imposing gate house to the door of the castle without watching the audiovisual show which we saw at the end of the walk round the castle. It would have been very much more understandable if I had seen this first. I may yet suggest that this is highlighted to visitors by the OPW staff. Although, to be fair to them, Kilkenny Castle is a huge tourist attraction and there were hordes of visitors yesterday.

Andrew has some photos of the inside of the castle on his post about yesterday’s trip on typo2.ie. I only took one looking towards the city — where you can make out the mediaeval cathedral of St Canice and the round tower to the right of the photo.

More to follow…

I want to say that I woke up yesterday morning after a night of bad sleep, but it would be more accurate to say that I woke up after a night of very little sleep due to coughing because of a chest infection.

Andrew went to our pharmacy as soon as it was just about to open as I had run out of my Salamol inhaler and needed it. He got it and came back quickly. After using it, my breathing was much better, but I still reckoned that I needed to see a GP. So, it being Saturday morning and our regular GP being closed, we rang the out-of-hours service and got an appointment for 11:15. This meant we had to get to Port Laoise by then. Andrew then had to go to the pharmacy again so that I could take a Covid-19 antigen test. So that was his pharmacy visit number 2.

The antigen test returned negative, so we were clear to head on to the out-of-hours GP clinic. The easiest way to get there was to walk to the bus stop, get on the airport bus to Port Laois, get off at the hospital, and walk down the road to the out-of-hours GP clinic.

We arrived ahead of time, entered, sat down, and then I was called by the triage nurse to have my stats checked. Pulse of 94, SpO₂ of 94, too, my temperature was 35.9ºC. She didn’t check my blood pressure, but I was pretty certain it would have been high, as usual, as well.

I went back out to wait for the GP to call me in. Within a couple of minutes, he called me, and I entered his consultation room. I explained what was going on. He listened to my chest and said that there was a bit of a wheeze, so he prescribed

1. Amoclav 500mg/125mg one tablet, three times a day, spaced evenly through the day for seven days.
2. Deltacortril Enteric 5mg, six tablets, once a day with or after food for five days.

On our return to Monasterevin, we visited the pharmacy again, the third time for Andrew in one day, to have the prescription dispensed. Then we returned home. Yesterday, I had two of the Amoclave tablets and one of the Deltacotril enteric doses as well.

I am sure that these medications will help the chest infection go away. Today, I managed to walk to the main street of Monasterevin to visit a cafe for lunch. On my walk back, Andrew nipped into the local SuperValu, and I waited in the sun on a public bench. It was lovely being out in the sun in shorts and a T-shirt. Now, I am sitting back at home in the sitting room while Andrew naps upstairs in his office. This evening I will take the second Amoclav tablet for today with the Deltacortril enteric dose for today with some toast and jam.

Originally posted on HIVBlogger.com.

Yesterday, while I was on dialysis, a secretary from the Vascular Clinic at Midlands Regional Hospital in Tullamore called to schedule an arm scan. I’ve been waiting for this scan for several months to determine if there’s enough space in my arm for another arteriovenous (AV) fistula, which would aid in dialysis access. Given the opportunity to attend today’s appointment, I eagerly took it and travelled to Tullamore by train.

Upon arrival, I was asked to remove my t-shirt, which seemed excessive for an arm scan, but I complied. The nurse then informed me she was ready to scan my right arm. This surprised me because I thought the scan was for my left arm. The nurse went to consult another professional, but they were unavailable. She returned, and we had a discussion about the situation.

The main reason I don’t want a fistula in my right arm is due to the loss of dexterity I’ve experienced in my left arm since having an AV fistula there. As an organist, maintaining dexterity in my right arm is crucial. Additionally, I was frustrated that I had travelled to Tullamore for a scan of the wrong arm. Had I known it was for my right arm, I would have cancelled the appointment to avoid wasting both the nurse’s and my time.

On a positive note, we learned that placing another AV fistula in my left arm is impossible. The team usually starts with the forearm and moves up if necessary. Since my current fistula is in my upper arm, there’s no more space for another one in my left arm. This means we need to explore other alternatives. I have requested to speak with another renal consultant with whom I have a good rapport, partly due to our shared Scouting connection. I hope we can find a suitable solution from now on.

Originally posted on Hivblogger.com

In January 2024, I was diagnosed as autistic. This diagnosis confirmed what we had suspected for some time. Nothing has changed since then, and I am still me. But, with the diagnosis, it is easier to explain to others why I react in ways that most people do not. I still find it difficult when things are done in different ways. I like the routines. The main place that this comes out is in my dialysis clinic. Since I help with the setting of my machine that makes things a lot simpler – at least for me.

Andrew also got me an autism support bear in the same manner as Liam the dialysis support bear. The autism support bear is called Otto von Bearsmarck – and he comes to dialysis more often nowadays than Liam. He has recently taken to Instagram to post about how he supports me. You can follow him there.

I am always being reminded by my renal medical team that I need to be physically healthy for a kidney transplant were one to come up; therefore, I’m looking at renewing my active lifestyle to help with that. Follow the Positive Exercise blog for future updates there.

I have just been sent (and have now completed) the EMIS study (European Men’s Internet Sex Survey) 2024. It is completely anonymous and provides vital information about gay men’s health in Ireland and Europe. 

EMIS, a collaborative effort involving the academic, community, and governmental entities throughout Europe, was initiated in 2010 and reiterated in 2017, generously supported by the European Union Health Programme. Its primary objective is to inform interventions concerning sexual health among men who have sex with men (MSM).

The overarching goal of EMIS is to delineate the divergent sexual health requirements among various demographics of men, alongside estimating the prevalence of distinct risk and precautionary behaviours.

As a result of EMIS, an extensive array of technical and community reports have been generated, accompanied by numerous scientific publications. Moreover, the project has established 26 indicators spanning 60 countries across four continents, integrated within the UNAIDS Key Population Atlas.

The profound impact of EMIS is evident in the transformation it has instigated within the landscape of gay health across numerous European nations.

If you live in Europe (including the United Kingdom), it would be great if you could participate. The survey is at http://www.emis-project.eu/.

There is a lot of information about the survey, please click on the number 2024 to bring you to the survey. 

Please encourage your friends or family who are gay or bisexual to complete it, too. 

Thoughts on Palm Sunday 2024

Today, many Christians hold palm branches in their hands. In the ancient world, palm branches were the symbol of victory. For the Israelites in the Old Testament, this tree’s elegance, strength, and simplicity became a symbol of the just man or woman, the one in whom God’s law triumphed. It also symbolised victory for the Romans. Palm trees were not native to Italy. When the Romans started conquering other nations in the Mediterranean, the generals brought palm trees back to Rome as souvenirs of their victories.

The crowds waving palm branches as Jesus entered Jerusalem were declaring his victory.

Today, we echo them, we join them, and we declare and celebrate Christ’s victory. But what victory is it? How did Christ win it?

It is the victory over original sin. Original sin was mankind’s disobedience to God and obedience to the devil. It shattered God’s plan, it let loose the scourge of evil, and it gave the devil a certain power over earthly society.

Jesus, through his passion, death, and resurrection, reversed the disobedience of original sin by obeying his Father’s will in spite of all the devil’s attempts to thwart him.

Judas’s betrayal, the apostles’ abandonment, the false accusations, the condemnation, the humiliation, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, and the torture of the crucifixion, all of these were the devil’s attempts to get Jesus to say “no” to his Father just as Adam and Eve had said “no” back in the Garden of Eden.

But Jesus defeated the devil. He continued to love, to forgive, and to obey through it all. And so he, unlike Adam, unlike every other person in history, can say, “I have not rebelled.”

His obedience establishes a beachhead in this world that is under the devil’s sway: Jesus’s Passion is D-Day for the devil, and liberation for us. This is the victory we celebrate.

It is often said that the truth is stranger than fiction. On Tuesday, Rachel Phelan A-ICRI, the lecturer at the first of the “Of the Cloth” lectures at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, brought together three unlikely strands that told the story of two altar frontals.

For those who don’t know, an altar frontal is a cloth that covers (at least) the top and front of an altar or Communion Table, particularly in Roman Catholic and Anglican traditions. Often made of silk damask of the liturgical colours, they may also have Christian symbols embroidered upon them.

The story begins

Rachel’s story began with her being asked to conserve one such altar frontal in Kilternan Church of Ireland in south County Dublin. The frontal in question is somewhat of an oddity in that it is in quite a rich blue. Blue is not one of the more normal liturgical colours (white or gold, red, green, violet or purple, rose, and black). Not only is the frontal blue, but it has lots of fleurs-de-lys embroidered upon it. When Rachel saw the frontal, it was very threadbare after constant usage.

Information from the parish

She didn’t know who had made the frontal, but a parish member came forward with the information that a Mr Myerscough had commissioned it with his winnings from the 1943 Irish Derby. It was stated that he had also commissioned another frontal for St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. The latter piece of information surprised Rachel as she had worked on conserving the frontals in the National Cathedral, and she had no recollection of such a piece. However, she did recall something from the back of a cupboard in the diocesan Christ Church Cathedral.

The frontal in Kilternan had a maker’s label on it,

St John’s School of Embroidery,
Sandymount, Dublin

Where was this school of embroidery? Who ran it? Rachel contacted St John’s Church in Sandymount. It became apparent that the St John’s School of Embroidery was run by the Community of St John the Evangelist (CSJE), founded in Sandymount in 1912 by the Reverend Sheridan Fletcher Le Fanu. The first nuns, including Sister Edith Mary Whiteman, came from St Mary’s Wantage. The members of CSJE were referred to as the Protestant nuns.

On arrival in Dublin, the nuns did not know how to sew. But they took lessons from a Dublin seamstress, and having seen the work on the frontal in Kilternan church, Rachel confirmed that their work in 1943 was excellent.

Rachel contacted Christ Church Cathedral and discovered a green frontal for the high altar, which dates from 1943 and has similar flowers, though it is different from that in Kilternan.

Other examples of altar frontals worked on by the St John’s School of Embroidery include that on the high altar in St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick.

More about the CSJE

By the 1960s, the work of the CSJE changed as they moved from their original home to that of the Community of St Mary the Virgin, another Irish Anglican religious order for women, where they took over looking after the nursing home there. St Mary’s home was relocated to St John’s House on Merrion Road in November 2019, when only one member of the CSJE left. Sister Verity Ann Clarendon CSJE said at the time of the final service in St Mary’s Chapel,

I’m the only one left.

She added that the demise of the Community was a great loss. With its demise the expression of the religious life within the Church of Ireland more or less came to an end. It is not quite at an end with there being members of the First Order and Third Order of the Society of St Francis, as well as the fledgling Community of St Benedict.

And The Phœnix?

Now, I’ve not quite explained everything have I? Where does The Phœnix come in? That was the name of the horse that won the 1943 Irish Derby owned by Mr Myerscough. Without the winnings from that race, the two altar frontals would not have been commissioned by him, and we would not have had the lecture on Tuesday.

Of the Cloth: a series of four lectures

Tuesday’s talk was the first of the “Of the Cloth” series of lectures organised by Christ Church Cathedral Dublin for the Tuesdays during February 2024. The second lecture will be by Dom Colmán Ó Clabaigh of Glenstal Abbey on Medieval ecclesiastical and liturgical vesture. The third lecture will be by the Very Reverend Niall Sloane, Dean of Limerick, entitled “Robing the righteous: From ruffs, rochets, and caps to frockcoats, cassocks, and gaiters”. The fourth lecture is by The Venerable Peter Thompson FBS, Archdeaon of Armagh, entitled “Dressing by degrees: the convergence of ecclesiastical vesture and academic dress”. The four lectures are at 13:10 in the Chapter House of Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin on the Tuesdays of February 2024. Find out more.

Reflections on Readings for the First Sunday of Advent (Year B). Isaiah 64:1–9; | Psalms 80:1–8, 18–2; | First Corinthians 1:3-9; | Mark 13:24–37;

God knows the limitations of our human nature very well — after all, he created it. We can only focus our attention — really focus it — on one or two things at a time. We cannot keep everything in mind all at once. On the other hand, we cannot focus our attention on the same thing all the time either. Variety is what we need, otherwise we become depressed.

It is these limitations of our human nature that caused God to inspire the Church to divide the year into different liturgical seasons. The mystery of our salvation includes the whole Bible, the whole life of Christ, and the whole history of the Church. But we cannot possibly keep all of those things in mind all the time.

So we focus on different aspects of them at different times of the year (which has the added benefit of giving variety to our spiritual lives):

• in Lent we focus on the reality of sin and mercy and the need for repentance;
• during Easter we focus on the power of God and the Resurrection;
• during Ordinary Time we focus on the everyday life and teachings of Christ and the wisdom they impart for our everyday lives;
• and now, during Advent, we focus on God’s faithfulness.

St Paul puts it briefly in today’s Epistle Reading: “God is faithful.”

God did not abandon the human race after original sin. He promised to send a Saviour, and he fulfilled his promise on the very first Christmas.

And God has also promised that this Saviour, Jesus Christ, will come again to bring our earthly exile to its completion, just as in Old Testament times, God brought his Chosen People out of their exile in Babylon, as today’s Old Testament Reading reminded us.

God is faithful; he will fulfil his promises – that’s one of the key themes for Advent.

Multiple symbols in the Advent wreath

Perhaps the most familiar and universal symbol of this beautiful truth is the Advent wreath with its four candles, which Christians have used for over 1000 years.

The wreath’s circular shape gives it no beginning or end — perfectly symbolizing the eternity of God and His love; and the everlasting life Christ wants to give to each of us. Traditional wreaths include evergreen trees reminding us that Christ’s love remains fresh and strong even in the most difficult moments of life. He never abandons us. Many wreaths contain laurel and holly branches. The laurel branch is an ancient symbol of victory, reminding us that on the first Christmas Christ came to bring victory over sin and the Devil. The holly branches are bordered with prickly edges, reminding us of Christ’s Crown of Thorns, and the suffering by which He won His victory over sin and evil.

Christ has promised us all of this, and he wants us to rejoice in these promises, confident that since he is faithful, he can and will fulfil them.

Cleaning out the corners

In today’s Old Testament Reading, Isaiah says,

Lord, you are our Father.

Isaiah 64:8

By reminding us today that God always fulfils his promises, the Church wants to put that same prayer in our hearts.

God is our Father. He is always looking after us, protecting us, and loving us. Unlike our earthly fathers, God’s fatherly love has no limits, no imperfections, and no blind spots. Advent is meant to be a time when we renew our awareness of the perfect Fatherhood of God in our lives, letting His love for us renew our spirits.

The best way to do that is to spend more time with God in prayer during this Advent season. But that will be impossible unless something else happens first. Prayer is a funny thing. Even though we usually do not see God with our physical eyes or hear Him with our physical ears, when we turn our attention to Him, He is really present, and we know it. As we become aware of His presence, we also, almost automatically, become aware of our own sinfulness because God is truth, and His light shines into all the hidden corners of our hearts. If in those corners, we have been hiding some sins which we have not repented of, or some sinful habit we are harbouring, as soon as we try to pray sincerely, they come into view and distract us.

Therefore, if we want to spend more time in prayer this Advent, filling our hearts with the Father’s goodness and wisdom, the first thing we need to do is to clean those dark corners of our lives by confessing our sins to God.

Today, as we begin this sacred season, let us promise that we will let Him clean up our dark corners, so that we can enjoy His presence as we prepare for the great commemoration of Christmas Day.