Just time for a rapid pre-Christmas visit to Dublin, mainly to gather up the older generation for a spot of lunch. The Celtic Tiger has of course become something of a flea-bitten ally cat so it was interesting to find out how things were. To which one of our friends responded, ‘Nobody knows what is happening’.
As always in Dublin, the nebbing is interesting. I travelled from Blackrock to Howth on the DART enthralled with a 30-something couple sitting next to me discussing their drinking capacity – as if that was the most natural thing in the world. And on Ryanair on the way home, a line of girls sitting in front of me explained to some random guy who was trying to chat them up that, ‘She and I have the same Dad and those two have the same Mum’ So unlike the home life of our own dear etc., etc.
Anyway, time to dig myself into the faithful Passat at Edinburgh Airport – now about to reach 170000 – and on to preach in St Salvator’s in St Andrews this morning. And then a really impressive afternoon event to mark the end of Inter-faith Week. I had a four minute slot. Pity it was badly supported. And on to the Daily Service from Edinburgh on Radio 4 tomorrow morning.