Pew Sheet – 28th November 2021
The Rector writes ‘Advent Sunday, the Advent Star shines brightly from our Church Spires. It is the first day of the new Liturgical year – year ‘C’ of our three year lectionary. This year, in our Services, we will hear mainly from the Gospel of Luke with of course plenty from John’s Gospel as well on special days. (year A is mostly Matthew, year B is mostly Mark), Those of you with email addresses will have received this lovely picture of Mary, Joseph, and the Donkey along with your Pewsheet this week.

I’m hoping that you will join me in changing the screensavers of your laptops and smart phones to this image for the four weeks of Advent. It will help remind us all of the journey taken by the pregnant Mary and her devoted husband on that first magical Advent. ’
Random Notes CDIV
John Norris from Farranacoush, Sherkin Island died in the last few weeks. He had a great interest in local history and was married to Monkstown girl Nuala O’Donovan. On a visit to the island, probably ten years ago, he told me of this little verse from Sherkin’s history:-
“Tis my father, he’s mounting the canon.
To destruction he fears it will fate;
If Hutchinson, Trinder or Shannon
Will enter the Garrison gate”
This was written by my great great Aunt Annie Young, who ran the post office and only shop on the island in the early 1900’s. It referred to her fears about how the family home at the Garrison (now the hotel) might fate if her brother, Robert, married badly.
There was an old canon at the gates to The Garrison which is now believed to be at the White House just across the bay on the mainland near Turk Head.
Nobody is certain how the Young family came to own The Garrison, but records show that there was a Captain Eddie Young somewhere in the history of the family. So perhaps he was a captain in the Royal navy when they had a base at the old O’Driscoll Castle at Dun na Long?
I heard recently that we have access to over 1000 percent more information than we did 100 years ago, via the internet. I’m not sure how this is really of benefit, but the small verse above reflects the thinking of ordinary people and their concerns in the last century.
There is a final line to the verse that goes:
“And Trinder got there”.
Don’t you just love the wonders of family history?!
RCE