This is a great post, was actually a cliff-hanger, and has left me wanting to know more. These coastal saints draw me, unsurprisingly. Next week is St Patrick's Day. All the local pubs round here in Wessex are already decked in green plastic banners and have ordered more Guinness for 'St Paddy's Weekend'.
St Declan's feast day is 24th July. Seeing as Declan was the first of the two to bring the faith to Ireland, surely his feast day should be celebrated worldwide with equal fervour? May I suggest an entire weekend spent retreating to beaches, paying close attention to rocks, avoiding all but peaceful company, tending sacred springs and spending time in contemplation? (I may inadvertently be listing most of my favourite activities here.) Who's up for a secluded summer coastal hermit-in as a massive uncivil inverse to the giant booze-up that modern urbanised St Patrick's Day has become?
But I thought that if squeezing under rocks allowed people to be playing a little bit, ESPECIALLY ADULTS, then why not ?
I recently told a friend that it was not good news that the words "spielen/play/jouer", associated with theater and music ("playing a role", "playing the piano") did nothing for encouraging "sedate" and... contemplative ? adults to engage in such vital activities.
I was never masochistic enough to get rolling drunk, but really, you have to find relief from social pressure to be ADULT somewhere...
...
I can understand why Declan would want to get away from all the people who maybe wanted to just touch him to be healed. Jesus wanted to get away from them too, sometimes...
Thank you for the (nail-biting) visit this morning, Paul.
Lovely story! Now you have left out a NOT in this sentence. Perhaps you can edit your post. “You may have spotted the fresh flowers in that picture. It’s just one indication that the cult of St Declan is not only dead, but in rude health.” You surely wanted to say “ the cult of St. Declan is not only not dead, but in rude health.”
Thanks for this, excellent post. I was particularly interested in the frieze as none survive in England except in fragments. Now I know what they probably looked like.
I love the layers of story and history in this piece!
All I knew about the name Declan before reading this was that every third boy 10 and under seems to be called Declan. (I’m in the Canadian west, nowhere near Ireland nor any Irish saints). One of them was my eldest daughter’s close friend in preschool/kindergarten. (His mom told me she hopes they date one day. LOL) So it was interesting to read about the original (?) Declan.
It is unusual in my part of the world to find a place that is visibly “written on” or imbued with the consciousness of long ago people, unless you happen upon one of the few places with indigenous carvings. I did encounter this experience of tangible time when I visited the island of Kefalonia in Greece, and this also reminded me of that. There are these fragments of stone walls and buildings everywhere and it feels like stories are seeping out of them.
Best foot forward nerds, hanging cliff paths and all! Has the archaeology made sense of the dates? the official version, i think, has St Patrick a citizen captured from the still existing (just) western empire across the way on the main island, roughly somewhere in what was to shortly become Rheged? It is not clear to me when those Alexandrian Christians might have got to Ireland, perhaps during the centuries of periodic persecution before that Imperial version? Move the dial a bit, around 7 centuries, and we get those Romanesque carvings - quite something, agree with Ewan - the monastery and the whole 900 year pilgrimage to this day of flowers?
PS The tide came up on the western side of these islands and drowned forests in some places not that far back in pre-history. Could that be a neollithic megalithic tomb on the beach perhaps? Was that fun clip really from after when my parents were born, I ask myself?
I'm going through a rough patch in my life as caretaker to a close family member with a serious illness - a time of sorrow and fatigue. When I read one of your 50 Holy Wells posts, I find myself smiling and uplifted. Thank you for writing about them with such care along with the joyful playfulness of faith.
I haven't been on the St. Declan's way pilgrimage and given my ongoing decrepitude I don't think I could manage 110km these days anyway but I might manage part of it this year! This is a report from the inaugural pilgrimage in 2019.
Thank you for such a delightful post Paul! I especially enjoyed the little film, the sheer number of pilgrims going to the well lifted my spirits somehow. The men climbing under the rock at the beach brought a big smile, I was anxiously awaiting one of the women bustling about in their bustles to attempt it as well, but I reckon that would’ve been considered unladylike.
Loved the film clip! The imagery of the bustled ladies, apparently there to be spectacles, juxtaposed with the farmers with hats in hand, also apparently, there in contemplation was emblematic of the common occurrence in churches everywhere.
The man emerging from under the stone brought to mind the Holy Saturday passage under the epitaphios/plashchanitsa - entering the tomb to emerge with Him.
This is a great post, was actually a cliff-hanger, and has left me wanting to know more. These coastal saints draw me, unsurprisingly. Next week is St Patrick's Day. All the local pubs round here in Wessex are already decked in green plastic banners and have ordered more Guinness for 'St Paddy's Weekend'.
St Declan's feast day is 24th July. Seeing as Declan was the first of the two to bring the faith to Ireland, surely his feast day should be celebrated worldwide with equal fervour? May I suggest an entire weekend spent retreating to beaches, paying close attention to rocks, avoiding all but peaceful company, tending sacred springs and spending time in contemplation? (I may inadvertently be listing most of my favourite activities here.) Who's up for a secluded summer coastal hermit-in as a massive uncivil inverse to the giant booze-up that modern urbanised St Patrick's Day has become?
I was chewing my nails while watching the film...
But I thought that if squeezing under rocks allowed people to be playing a little bit, ESPECIALLY ADULTS, then why not ?
I recently told a friend that it was not good news that the words "spielen/play/jouer", associated with theater and music ("playing a role", "playing the piano") did nothing for encouraging "sedate" and... contemplative ? adults to engage in such vital activities.
I was never masochistic enough to get rolling drunk, but really, you have to find relief from social pressure to be ADULT somewhere...
...
I can understand why Declan would want to get away from all the people who maybe wanted to just touch him to be healed. Jesus wanted to get away from them too, sometimes...
Thank you for the (nail-biting) visit this morning, Paul.
Huge fan of the carvings and stonework on this one! An incredibly serene looking place
Apologies for going off-topic, but I was so pleased to see the referendum results yesterday.
Well done to the Irish.
Lovely story! Now you have left out a NOT in this sentence. Perhaps you can edit your post. “You may have spotted the fresh flowers in that picture. It’s just one indication that the cult of St Declan is not only dead, but in rude health.” You surely wanted to say “ the cult of St. Declan is not only not dead, but in rude health.”
We really were an Orthodox nation a long, long time ago! My friend's son is called Declan. I will be sharing this. Thank you.
Thanks for this, excellent post. I was particularly interested in the frieze as none survive in England except in fragments. Now I know what they probably looked like.
Beautiful post, love the two minute film!
I love the layers of story and history in this piece!
All I knew about the name Declan before reading this was that every third boy 10 and under seems to be called Declan. (I’m in the Canadian west, nowhere near Ireland nor any Irish saints). One of them was my eldest daughter’s close friend in preschool/kindergarten. (His mom told me she hopes they date one day. LOL) So it was interesting to read about the original (?) Declan.
It is unusual in my part of the world to find a place that is visibly “written on” or imbued with the consciousness of long ago people, unless you happen upon one of the few places with indigenous carvings. I did encounter this experience of tangible time when I visited the island of Kefalonia in Greece, and this also reminded me of that. There are these fragments of stone walls and buildings everywhere and it feels like stories are seeping out of them.
Best foot forward nerds, hanging cliff paths and all! Has the archaeology made sense of the dates? the official version, i think, has St Patrick a citizen captured from the still existing (just) western empire across the way on the main island, roughly somewhere in what was to shortly become Rheged? It is not clear to me when those Alexandrian Christians might have got to Ireland, perhaps during the centuries of periodic persecution before that Imperial version? Move the dial a bit, around 7 centuries, and we get those Romanesque carvings - quite something, agree with Ewan - the monastery and the whole 900 year pilgrimage to this day of flowers?
PS The tide came up on the western side of these islands and drowned forests in some places not that far back in pre-history. Could that be a neollithic megalithic tomb on the beach perhaps? Was that fun clip really from after when my parents were born, I ask myself?
I'm going through a rough patch in my life as caretaker to a close family member with a serious illness - a time of sorrow and fatigue. When I read one of your 50 Holy Wells posts, I find myself smiling and uplifted. Thank you for writing about them with such care along with the joyful playfulness of faith.
I haven't been on the St. Declan's way pilgrimage and given my ongoing decrepitude I don't think I could manage 110km these days anyway but I might manage part of it this year! This is a report from the inaugural pilgrimage in 2019.
https://fsspx.ie/en/news/inaugural-st-declans-way-pilgrimage-22307
Thank you for such a delightful post Paul! I especially enjoyed the little film, the sheer number of pilgrims going to the well lifted my spirits somehow. The men climbing under the rock at the beach brought a big smile, I was anxiously awaiting one of the women bustling about in their bustles to attempt it as well, but I reckon that would’ve been considered unladylike.
Got a chuckle at the start.
Wondering if some readers are not finding 50 holy Wells as exciting as your more political/social commentary articles :)
Loved the film clip! The imagery of the bustled ladies, apparently there to be spectacles, juxtaposed with the farmers with hats in hand, also apparently, there in contemplation was emblematic of the common occurrence in churches everywhere.
The man emerging from under the stone brought to mind the Holy Saturday passage under the epitaphios/plashchanitsa - entering the tomb to emerge with Him.