To no one’s great surprise, there are a lot of churches in Ireland. We can thank St. Patrick for that, no doubt. What’s striking is the staggering number of church ruins, many of them with active cemeteries. Yesterday, at the old Hook church ruins, we could clearly see modern tombstones with fresh flowers. I suspect a more modern (modern, in this context, means in the last half-millennia) church can be found nearby.
Just down the road from the home we are presently staying at lies an old church with a well-populated local cemetery. Next to that rests the ruins of the previous church.
Both buildings, I’m guessing, are active parts of the community, linking the people here to their shared heritage and history. History and culture run deep here…I sometimes feel a bit of awe looking up at the frescoes in our little St. Stephen’s church back home, imagine passing by the structure of the 13th century community church on your way to the 18th century “modern” church…