I got off the bus in Patrick Street so that I could walk up Francis Street. I checked out St. Nicholas of Myra (the church where my parents were married) but everything was locked up tight. I walked around to the front of Francis Street School then walked up along the Iveagh Market into Cornmarket.
St. Catherine's Church
I headed back up Thomas Street to check out St. Catherine's. Last year there was a fire that destroyed a big part of the roof and interior. The church now has a visitor centre but even though the signs said that it should be open, it wasn't. I went down a narrow lane alongside the church and found a park that was the original cemetary.
I continued up Thomas Street into James' Street. There was a great buzz of activity outside St. James' Church. I decided to go inside to investigate. St. James' is the Irish starting point for the pilgrimmage to Compostela. There is a mini pilgrimmage of seven Dublin churches as part of the Eucharistic Congress. I went inside and got in line to have my "passport" stamped by the nuns. The present building was built in the 19th Century. Daniel O'Connell laid the foundation stone. His head is carved above the main entrance wearing the crown of Ireland. There are also some stained glass windows by Harry Clark.
On the way back down James' Street I stopped at St. John's Lane Church for another stamp in my "passport".
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