Day 7: July 6 - Journal Entry
Today is our first Sunday in Ireland. We decided that Sundays would be our day of rest each week. We have found a branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Mullingar. The church website says they start Sunday service at 10:30am. Their meeting house is about 15-20 minutes away, so we don’t have to leave until after 10 to get there. That will make for a nice slow, low stress morning. We got ready and made our way into Mullingar, but google maps has taken us to what looks like a warehouse building or business building. Yep, we are in the right place. We found a sign by one of the doors that states The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We found a place to park and walked in the glass doors. A little confused, we could see a handful of people in one of the offices, but we could also hear people upstairs. We ventured into the downstairs office first. At least a half dozen African Irish adults sat in the room. Were we in the right place? A woman walked up to us and greeted us kindly. We told her we had come for church services. She assured us we were in the right place, and that sacrament would begin at 11am. Right place, wrong time. Better early than late I guess. We met more people as they came in. And found everyone to be very friendly. It was a small branch compared to the large ward we attend at home in Utah. After sacrament Molly went into Sunday school with a few other youth and Jonathan and I stayed in the room used as the chapel for adult Sunday school class. It was very eye opening to feel the same spirit and hear the lessons of the gospel, even though the setting was not quite the same. After church a very kind member, Veronica, gave me her phone number in case we needed anything while visiting Ireland.
Abby Blooms Garden
We made our way home, changed out of our church clothes, and ate a little lunch. Then we decided to take a walk through Multifarnham. We talked to Pat, and took Poppy with us on our walk. We walked over to Abby Blossoms Botanical gardens first. Wow, it was beautiful, and made me wish I put more effort into my own yard. We found a structure that looked like a very large version of the climbing dome we currently house a chicken and rabbit in. But this one had wisteria climbing the sides and a lovely fountain in the middle with all sorts of flowers and greenery. We walked the rest of the gardens, admiring the beautiful plants, flowers, and roses with such sweet smells. They have a little cafe there, as most places do. We thought maybe we would come back another day for lunch.
Old Friary
Just next to the gardens is an old Abby/Friary. So we continued our walk through the grounds there. We took turns going into the cathedral, because we had Poppy with us and felt we shouldn’t take her in. The architecture, stained glass windows, and carved decor was truly impressive. You could read the christian stories in the art work.
We continued our walk along the grounds and gardens, they even had a few statues as well as a peaceful cemetery. Everything was quiet and green.
Visit to the Park
As we left the Abby, we headed down towards the river and on to the park. Molly found a fun zipline, and Poppy picked up every stick she could find. We took some time at the park to let the two get some good wiggles out. Then we headed back home.
Live Music in the Pub
I made a pot of potato soup for dinner, it was good after a long walk. Pat told us they would have live music in the bar tonight, so after dinner and a bit of a rest, we walked round to the restaurant and found a seat near the bar to enjoy the music. It was wonderful. Two men and a few instruments, playing and singing. We didn’t know any of the songs, but they were all good. At one point a woman stood up and sang as the men played a tune, her voice was amazing. I hope we get to enjoy that again before our trip ends.