On Saturday (21/04/07) I went up to Dublin to help celebrate my cousin Paddy Corish’s 80^th Birthday.

Paddy is my only remaining first cousin on my father's side -  just him, my brother Gerry  and myself  remaining -  more's the pity, for all six Fitzpatrick cousins, born and brought up in Lisburn, County Antrim, have died.  

Fortunately I  profoundly believe in the resurrection of the dead, through the power and love of Jesus, so I am not unduly depressed or worried.  They were all fine, honest people with a great faith in God and his beloved son.  I look forward to meeting them once again, in the body. In the meantime we must be content with this life of pain and sorrow, glad that we can enjoy some of the great things of life, such as meeting old friends and new at events such as this.

So it was a grand little party, with great food and a real Irish welcome.

 

 

This is Paddy, splendidly 80, enthroned on a magnificent couch in his son, Eoghan';s house, where the party was held:.

 

It's not a great photograph, from any pointy of view.
I was too busy eating and drinking (modestly - within driving limits!) to act and think like photographer.

 

 

This next one is a little better - well, it's actually three pictures stitched together, to give an overall impression of some of the guests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Festivities more or less over I sped away to Shankill to find if my two grandchildren were still up.

Well, only Oisin was there.  (Maya was with grandmother Breda .)
I got there before bedtime, and Oisin gave a remarkable gymnastic display.
He loves to move to da musik, snapping his fingers on the final upward movement of his arms.
His Da is, of course, entranced………

 

….. but he does spend the odd moment or two with beautiful Maya – who appeared next morning -
(beautiful that is until she opens her mouth to display big gaping hole where teeth ought to be. 
Sorry I don’t have a picture to illustrate this!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…. Well, maybe I do, to a certain extent, as she tortures her little brother.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ... torture?  Just look at his face!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hey! Look who appears at the bottom of the back door to see what I am doing sitting out there with a little
brown thing stuck in my gob puffing out beautiful white clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

….. and he actually comes to the front door next morning to wave goodbye – except that he is distracted by an aircraft,
or a bird, or Superman – something like that …...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… So that was me, and I was away North, refreshed by the sight and sound of the Southern branch of my family.

PS: There was a strange female bird there who should have been Audrey, but she had a smooth haircut that curved
into her chin and wore loads of makeup, masquerading as a geisha girl called Shirley who appeared with
Jack Nicholson in Chinatown . 

I don’t dare show her photo. .

That’s me. I’m away,