Those of you who read my blog will know I’ve been working hard on getting published the sermons of a great Durham scholar and Methodist, C.K. Barrett, and his father Fred Barrett, in a series called Luminescence, of which the first volume is available on Amazon, and the second is on the way. Ann and I returned to Durham where we lived for three years in the late 1970s (B.C.— before cellphone, B.C. before computers). I was the last doctoral... Read more

You’ve heard of haunted castles, how about haunted cathedrals? The Roman Catholic Cathedral in Drogheda is very large indeed, and includes, in a glass case, the head of a martyred saint—Oliver Plunkett, who was martyred at Tyburn in 1681. The shrine contains the preserved head of the saint. Another showcase displays his shoulder blade and other bones as relics. Also on exhibit is the cell door of Newgate prison in which he spent his last days. So, let’s get this... Read more

The last day of our tour was spent in Drogheda (pronounced Draw-he-da). It’s not far from Dublin, and it was an ancient walled city, as we shall see. The city has gone through many changes over the years, and here is what it used to look like. The city has its usual pubs, with cheeky signs like this– Being a river city, with a river that goes out to the sea, Drogheda is a fishing city hence…. Perhaps its most... Read more

On our last day in Dublin, after giving some lectures for the Irish Bible Institute, they took us out to dinner, and we say ‘the spire of Dublin’, sarcastically called the Needle, since this part of Dublin is where a good deal of the drug trade happens. The spire seems to be right in the middle of an intersection at first glance, but really it’s in a square. It’s proper name is the Monument of Light and it is a... Read more

One of the great, newer museums in all of Europe is the Titanic Museum in Belfast. Indeed, it bills itself as the most visited museum in Europe. And the museum sits right in front of the very slip, where the Titanic was launched into the water and began its fateful journey towards America. The poles on either side of the concrete designate where the Titanic was launched from. Here’s what the shipyard looked like back then… And here’s the grand... Read more

Other than Trinity College, Dublin, Queens is probably the most famous University in either Ireland or Northern Ireland. Here are a few shots I took of it, and its statue of Galileo (whom I am sure never visited as I did). The students mostly seems to be out playing games, or at the pub. Maybe they were playing with these lads from northern Ireland… Wiki says—“The university was chartered in 1845, and opened in 1849 as “Queen’s College, Belfast”, but... Read more

The very long driveway through green fields, leading past an onsite golf course, eventually comes up a hill to Cabra Castle. This was where we stayed almost on our last night in Ireland, and it was an adventure. Here it is from the back, which is where we stayed. You can tell that its been added onto again and again, and once more, it isn’t like a purely medieval castle, its a manor house sort of castle. You are greeted... Read more

Certainly one of the most spectacular sites in all of Ireland, in terms of ancient history are the various mounds, and tombs you can find in the Boyne valley. Here’s a little map… This is a World Heritage Site, and well worth the visit. It’s stone circle and passage tomb may date as far back as 5,000 years, making it older than the pyramids and stonehenge. The Irish have done an excellent job of preserving the site, and the visitor... Read more

Russborough House. One of its claims to fame seems to be the 700-foot long limestone façade stretching left and right from the main entrance. This country estate looks out over Blessington Lakes. The Leeson family moved from England to Ireland in the late 17th century. Their fortune was made in the brewing industry. Joseph Leeson built this Palladian style home between 1741 and 1755. Joseph was rewarded with the title of Earl of Milltown in 1763. The home remained in... Read more

For Jews the hot August week in A.D. 70 when Titus finally overcame the resistance, breached the Jerusalem city walls, and burned down the Temple, was one of the worst weeks in their entire history. For better or for worse it changed the nature of their religion from being a Temple-centered religion to being almost entirely a Torah-centered religion. It also eliminated most of the sects of Judaism (including Sadducees and the Qumranites) other than the Pharisees. All three or... Read more