Sir, – Colette Sheridan’s Irish Diary on the station Mass (October 13th) and Gerry Christie’s letter (October 14th) brought back memories for my mother.
She remembers neighbours giving all the help they could, especially when a house was not as well off. They helped with the painting and decorating and brought in extra cutlery for the day. The oil paint of the time could take up to two days to dry. At one station Mass in a neighbour’s house, a member of the family had to stand by the wall to make sure nobody leaned against it and ruined their good clothes.
The priest said Mass and blessed the house with holy water, but the only thing he brought with him was the host. Everything else came from the house and the neighbours.
In my mother’s home, the threshing was the equivalent of the stations. There could be up to 14 men in the house to be fed, and the preparations were every bit as thorough. All that was missing was the Mass and the blessing with holy water. – Yours, etc,
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BARBARA CLANCY,
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.
