I DID not know that the
shamrock, like the haggis, gets piped in (below), but so
it was on St Patrick's Day in the village of Garvagh. The Church of
Ireland parish in Garvagh (diocese of Derry), and
the Glenullin GAA club, held a joint celebration of food, music,
and dancing.
It brought together members
of the Anglican congregation and members of the Protestant
community for what the Rector, the Revd Paul Whittaker, described
as an evening to build relationships, and to learn about each
other's culture. The music was provided by the parish music group
and the Hampsey Harpists, with plenty of dancing and Irish stew.
Local politicians and business people joined in.
The parish was warmly commended by the Bishop of Derry &
Raphoe, the Rt Revd Ken Good, who was among the guests. "On this
island," he said, "we have a tremendous capacity for relationship.
Sadly, the events of the Troubles damaged those relationships." He
hoped that such events would go on to deepen local friendship and
trust.