Good Friday

athlone's burgess park in bright april sunlight Folks, I am sitting here in my sandles and shorts enjoying the sunshine. It is absolutely gorgeous; warm and the sun is shining brightly, as it has done for the last few days. Truly, I am beginning to think that April may be the best month for visiting Ireland. I’ve discussed this before, but every year early April seems to get some wonderful sunny days and there are almost no tourists to speak of. Wifey and I were in Ireland during this time on our honeymoon and I recall it couldn’t have been nicer weather.

So today, aside from being a good Friday, is Good Friday. This is one of the three days of the year when Ireland becomes a dry country - pubs close, off licenses shut their doors and supermarkets barricade the alcohol section with signs apologizing for the lack of alcohol sales on the day. A good number of regular shops are closed as well today, but many are open. It wasn’t always this way.

I walked into a flower shop in the afternoon and asked if they would be closing early, on account of it being Good Friday. “No, the lady replied, “and it used to be the shopping centre would be closed from 2-4 as well, so we wouldn’t have been open at all.” Commerce marches on folks, kind of steamrolling over occasion and tradition in my opinion.

In any case, it was hardy’s birthday and wifey and my fifth wedding anniversary - a good Friday indeed.