Time for a brief visit to Oriel College, Oxford – where I read theology from 1973-5. As you will see if you take a look at the sermon I enjoyed my time there but had slightly mixed feelings about it. But I know that the reality is that I could never have moved to Scotland if I had not had the experience of moving away from Ireland for a while at that point in my life.
The Chaplain, Rev Robert Tobin showed me the restored Oratory of John Henry Newman which is behind the window on the right hand side of the photo. So I joined him there for Morning Prayer before we took our leave. Very evocative in the light of the Pisky connections with the Oxford Movement
As a Scottish Traveller my Alma Mater were a few primary schools I went to now and again while my family were being moved by the police about every fortnight. And some of the teachers I had should never have been allowed anywhere near a child, unless screaming hysterically into a child’s face is a method of teaching. So all in all from my school days I barely learnt to read.
When I was 22 I felt that God was calling me to a theological college, unfortunately the minister I expected would refer me wanted me to give up being a traveller for a time before I applied so that I would not have to tell them I was a traveller.
So instead of going to theological college I became a house painter. A few years ago I met an erstwhile friend who did get a referral from the same minister and asked after him, he said “O I’m afraid he’s been dead for years, he dropped dead while painting his ceiling.”