Camp Day Four, Trim Castle, and Howth

Thursday was Philip Morrison's and my day off, so we took the bus out to do the Trim Castle tour.  Trim Castle was built in the 12th century and served as the backdrop for 4 different cities in Braveheart.  It's amazing what props and angles can do when filming.  This was all before CGI - I think the old school directors (take a bow Mel Gibson) were even better than the ones today since they can't cheat with computer technology as much. 

Anyway, we had a blast doing the tour and were able to get back to Raheny in time to grab a burger and listen to Kevin Ronne, the All Saints rector, explain how Christ is using him to serve in Ireland.  

The teens finished day four of camp and again had 16 campers who were all given a brand-new Bible.  As they had done all week, they poured their hearts and souls into the children, and I have no doubt that they made a lasting impact.  

 After praying with Kevin, we all walked over to Flourish, the non-waste, organic grocery store run by our old teammates, Craig and Merschon Hutson.  They described how they are using their business to both support themselves and their ministry and to serve God by caring for his creation in a sustainable fashion.  They are able to offer hope in the Raheny community through their efforts, and they are finding common ground with the locals, as sustainability is very much en vogue in Ireland.  

We then had to quickly dart over to the Dart to catch the 16:33 train to Howth where we did the cliff walk out to a view of the Bailey Light House and then hiked back into Howth village for dinner at Findlaters. 

We managed to arrive back at the hotel around 10:00 PM and I hastily packed up, as my flight back home left on Friday morning.  But thankfully, the teens and most of the adults still had one more day in Ireland.  Though I wasn't there with them, I'll do my best to describe what they did in the next blog.  Until then. - Shay           

From Iran to Ireland (and remembering an Irish legend)

On Wednesday, the Holiday Bible Camp was 100% larger than on our first day (16 kids!).  The teens continued to walk the children through the story of the Bible, which of course climaxes with Jesus!  After the HBC ended at 1:30, we enjoyed some chicken fillet sandwiches from the SuperValu in Raheny before we were blessed to be joined by Davood H. M. and Ali Reza of the Iranian Ministry Ireland, who shared their personal faith stories and informed us about the work they are doing in Dublin and beyond.  

I first met Davood about 15 years ago, when an Iranian English student of mine from the Abbey Street Methodist Church introduced us.  Davood was a young student who supported the Iranian revolution in 1979, but like many Iranians, he soon realized that those who had taken over the country were as bad or worse than the regime they had replaced.  Davood was forced to flee Iran to Germany in the early 1980s for being the wrong kind of Muslim.  He returned in the 1990s to bury his mother and father but was denied return to Germany for having broken his asylum plea.  Though he was a mechanical engineer, Davood lost hope and soon lapsed into drug addiction - culminating in a debilitating dependence on heroin which nearly cost him his life.  By the grace of God, he was given a job by an Armenian Christian who not only offered Davood the purpose that meaningful employment provides but also offered him the hope that only the gospel of Jesus can offer.  He became a believer, but after sharing the good news of Christ with others, was again forced to flee Iran.  He eventually made his way to the UK and then later to Ireland where he has been sharing the gospel with Iranians and other Muslims for the better part of two decades.  You can learn more about his ministry here - https://www.irishchurchmissions.ie/church-planters/iranian-church-dublin .

Ali Reza has been working with Davood for 2 years now and has a similar story.  If you are interested in supporting their mission, you can reach out to them, and they would be happy to share with you how you might help.  

After our two Iranian brothers shared their stories, Arthur from the All Saints Church put us to work doing a deep clean of the parish hall and the main church building.  We also topped up the driveway with gravel stones and some of the teens painted an entryway, though I think they may have got more paint on themselves than the structure.  

Wednesday evening was spent in a joint teen night with the Christ Connect Church and the All Saints Church of Ireland, Raheny.  Of course, we had pizza and then the Irish teens taught our kids some "somewhat" traditional Irish dancing, while our Kansas teens taught them some "kinda" country line dancing.  

Following the teen night, Juli and I met up with Simon and Liberty Finnegan for a chat at the Manhattan in Raheny.  We chatted about this and we chatted about that.  It's been two years since all four of us were together.  One topic of conversation was the devastating loss of Glen Hansard early Wednesday morning. https://www.npr.org/2026/07/29/g-s1-136080/glen-hansard-obituary

Juli and I first saw Glen's band, The Frames, at South by Southwest in Austin in the spring of 2002.  We saw them again just a few months later at Emo's in Austin, and on that occasion, I had a lengthy conversation with Colm, The Frames violin player, and co-founder.  As I was wrapping up my chat with Colm, Glen came around the corner and as I was about to introduce myself, he quickly asked, "Where's the toilet?"  I pointed him in the direction of the men's room, and that was my only ever interaction with the poetic and musical genius.  But by God's grace, I at least had the privilege of having any interaction with one of Ireland's finest ever!  

The news of Glen's death hit me hard and is still a shock to my system.  For 24 years I have found inspiration from The Frames, The Swell Season, and from Glen Hansard's solo work.  What a shame that he died at only 56 and how tragic that he leaves behind a wife and 4-year-old son.  May he rest in peace.  I look forward to experiencing his music at an ever more heightened level in the renewed creation in the age to come.  Glen's death reminds us that life is a precious gift, and that we must embrace every day as the gift from God that it is.  May we all make the most of this day and the days to come. - Shay    

Hillwalking and Hitchhiking in Ireland

 

Since we have more than enough adult help with the Holiday Bible Camp, half of the trip sponsors helped out at the HBC on Monday, while the other half took their turn on Tuesday.  So, with a free morning, Philip Morrison and I took the Dart down to the far southside of the city where we took a hill walk over Bray Head and down to Greystones.  The cross at the top of Bray Head is worth the hike alone, but when you add in the added beauty of the coast and the Wicklow Mountains, there's not a better way to spend a Tuesday morning, especially when the weather is as good as it was today.  A while back, the cliff walk between Bray and Greystones was closed due to erosion (parts of the hill crumbling into the sea isn't ideal).  So, we traversed the trail to the top and then tried to navigate our way down to Greystones using an alternative trail.  The alternative meant that we didn't wind up in Greystones, but some out of the way farm.  After exploring a potential road that would have gotten us to the village, but after a very long walk on a winding and dangerous road, we were blessed by an ecologist who had just finished up a survey on one of the nearby farms.  Hanna, from Sutton, offered us a lift into Greystones, provided we weren't a couple of crazies.  I told her we were Americans and though that definitely qualifies as "crazy", she gave us a lift anyway.  Philip and I enjoyed some local refreshments before catching the Dart back to the city centre.

After Philip left me to head back to the hotel, I continued north to Raheny where I met back up with the teens who had completed another fantastic day at the Holiday Bible Camp.  The numbers of kids who attended grew by 50% and we were all blessed with a special guest after our lunch of sandwiches and crisps.  Ronan and his fiancé, Arianna shared their faith testimony and a little bit about the ministry they are presently involved in.  Ronan, who grew up in the southeast of Ireland had a nominal faith in his youth and became an atheist as a teen.  However, through time he began to search for something more than the materialist/atheist story had to offer and after a long journey, became a Christian around the age of 30.  His fiancé, Arianna also came from a very secular background, but after being touched by God through Ronan and others, came to faith recently as well.  Arianna is a neuroscientist and Ronan is beginning a new work as a campus minister here in Ireland.  Our group was extremely encouraged by these two stories, and we look forward to hearing from my friend, Davood, who will share his unique Persian/European conversion story tomorrow.

Mid-afternoon, the group split into three, headed down to the city centre and explored, shopped, and ate before arriving here at the hotel.  We are about to have another devotional and reflectional session before bed, and we all hope to get to sleep early tonight, as tomorrow will be a long day - a long day, but we also pray, a very good one! - Shay       

Camp - Day One

Having been a bit rushed to get to Raheny on Sunday, the group made sure to leave in plenty of time to make it to All Saints Church on Monday morning, the first day of camp.  It was a good thing we gave ourselves plenty of time, because one group got on a bus going the wrong way, but thankfully figured it out in time to make it back to the others before the event kicked off.  

The Holiday Bible Camp runs from 9:30 AM to 1:30 PM and features drama, arts and crafts, games, music, dance, and plenty of other frenetic activity.  Our teens fully embraced each and every child who arrived and they immediately put the children's parents at ease by their sheer enthusiasm and joy.  A couple of the teens from the All Saints Church are also involved in leading the camp and it's been great to them and our group interact together.  The youth did such a great job of leading the activities, a few of us adults went out to spread a some more leaflets around the community to promote the event.  

After camp wrapped up, we had a quick lunch of sandwiches, crisps, and fruit before heading back into town for a Viking Splash Tour of Dublin!  

We next had a great wood-fired pizza dinner, before Juli and I split from the group to enjoy a birthday pint at TP Smith's.  Yes, I celebrated my 49th birthday yesterday - I am officially in my late 40s now!  At 9 PM, the group gathered for a devotional in the courtyard of our hotel, as is the daily custom.  Beth Abraham has put together written devotionals that our group reads together and discusses each evening, and they have encouraged deep reflection from the group.  Not only did I, but Jennelle Hunnicut also celebrated her birthday yesterday (I'm sure she's much younger than me), so we were serenaded by the group before we all wandered off to our respective rooms.  As I type this, the gang is about to head back to Raheny for camp day two! - Shay    

Blended Worship - Anglican / Free-Church Style

On Sunday morning, the Christ Connect Youth Group felt far more alert than they did the day before - having had hot showers, hearty meals, and eight plus hours of sleep.  We traveled to Raheny via the Luas, bus, and Dart, and were in place for the 11 AM joint worship service with All Saints Church, Raheny, and St. John the Evangelist Church, Coolock.  The liturgy consisted of a mix of evangelical free church elements and traditional Anglican ritual.  It was an enriching experience for all in attendance.  Terry from Christ Connect delivered the 10-minute homily, and we all discovered that we have a potential bank robber in our midst (you'll have to ask him about that!). 

After our worship service, we were given a tour of the All Saints building by Seamus, one of the parishioners.  The church was built by Arthur Guinness, Baron Ardiloun, the great-grandson of Arthur Guinness, the founder of the Guinness Brewery.  He and his wife, Olivia are buried in a crypt within the church building, which our teens found to be very strange.  Despite our unfamiliarity with having burials within church buildings, we were all greatly impressed with the architecture and beauty of this elegant structure of worship.  Our youth group will spend some time doing some refurbishment on the church grounds this Wednesday afternoon.

After our impromptu tour of the facilities, we joined our co-worshipers for some hotdogs and tea and cake.  The teens then spent the rest of the afternoon decorating the church hall for our Bible camp and I must say that they did a fantastic job!  They created the designs and did 95% of the setup.  While they were busy at work, I took a few adults over to the Raheny Inn (one of my old Arsenal viewing pubs) to watch the All Ireland Gaelic Football Final.  County Mayo, who had not won the title since 1951 and had supposedly been suffering from a curse delivered by a priest for the past 75 years, upset County Kerry and delivered the trophy to the northwest of the country.  

We all made our way back to the city centre in the evening, where the Mayo fans had taken over and were appropriately celebrating this epic victory in true Irish fashion! 

Nearly everywhere we turned, the Mayo faithful were pouring out of pubs and restaurants, and many of us took the time to congratulate them and wish them well going forward.  We were all in bed by 11 PM (ish) and ready for a new day in Dublin. - Shay      

We're Not in Kansas Anymore Toto

 

I arrived in Dublin two days ago.  Over the past 48 hours, I've reconnected with old friends over cups of coffee and other select beverages, while enjoying fine food and live music.  I've also had the opportunity to visit some of my old haunts in Dublin's fair city.  After catching a gig late last night and even later, enjoying some curry chips with a friend, I woke up at 5:30 this morning having only had 4 hours of sleep.  But the Christ Connect Youth Group arrived around the same time, mostly having not slept a wink.

Once they all cleared customs, we caught the Aircoach down to the city centre and made our way over to our hotel via the Luas tram and a brisk 10-minute walk in the cool morning air.  Unable to check into our hotel until 3 PM, we scarfed some grub at the St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre where the teens were introduced to an Irish breakfast including bacon rashers that resemble but taste different than Canadian bacon and black and white pudding (congealed blood mixed with a variety of spices and fried up in a sausage like patty).  We then went north to Raheny via the Luas, the Dart train, and our two legs and two feet.  No one is going to fail to get their steps in over the next week!

In Raheny, we passed out leaflets advertising the Bible Camp at the All Saints car boot sale and we explored St. Anne's Park (Dublin's second largest park and a former estate of the Guinness family).  Juli arrived via a later flight and met us all in the park where she also reconnected with an old friend.  

The group was exhausted, so we mercifully made our way back into town where we have now checked into our hotel and most everyone but me are fast asleep.  Tonight we'll dine at Gallegher's Boxty House in the Temple Bar area and tomorrow we will worship with the All Saints Church, experiencing an Irish picknick after services.  Hopefully everyone will refreshed and ready to embrace what this coming week will bring after a hearty meal and a good night's sleep. We'll keep you posted. - Shay  

A Trip 14 Years in the Making

I met Jim Carroll, the rector of the All Saints Church of Ireland located in Raheny, the north Dublin suburb Juli and I lived in from 2010-2015, in a local coffee shop back in 2012.  Jim noticed that I was reading a Eugene Peterson book and so he immediately struck up a conversation and when he learned that I was a fellow pastor, he gave me a tour of the beautiful All Saints building and invited me to be the guest speaker at their Harvest Sunday worship service.  In October of 2012, I spoke at the event and a couple of years later, Ashlyn enrolled in the Springdale National School which is run by the All Saints parish.  I continued a friendship with the new rector, Reverend McCausland, when Jim retired, and I have since come to know, albeit only briefly, Kevin Ronne, the current All Saints rector.

Through this relationship with the good people of All Saints, Ashlyn's youth group will partner with this Raheny parish to run a Holiday Bible Camp from July 27-30.  I will be arriving in Dublin tomorrow and the youth group and some other adult sponsors will be arriving on Saturday.  It will be good to be back in bubblin' Dublin and it will be fantastic to reconnect with so many friends and loved ones in Ireland's fair capital city.  I plan to update this blog daily over the next 10 days or so to capture at least some of the shenanigans the group gets up to.  Who could have imagined that a "chance" meeting in a coffee shop 14 years ago could continue to be so fruitful?!!! - Shay