ST. PADDYs DAY

In the ancient world, Ireland was the very edge of knowledge, a mysterious island with fertile soil but inhabited by strange and savage people. Ireland was never conquered by the Romans, indeed, the island’s recorded history did not begin until St. Patrick visited the island in the 4th century AD.

Saint Patrick (c. 387 – 17 March 460) was a Roman Briton and Christian missionary, most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland. When he was about 16, he was captured from Wales by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. After entering the Church, he returned to Ireland as an ordained bishop in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked. By the seventh century, he had come to be revered as the patron saint of Ireland.

The Book of Kells is the most treasured piece of literature in Ireland. Its origins are shrouded in a haze of mystery due to the chaos of the seventh and eighth centuries, but despite the ravaging of many a monastery in those days, the Book of Kells survived.

What makes the Book of Kells so fascinating and astonishing is the intricate illumination work done on each page of the text. Few examples of such quality medieval illumination exist elsewhere. The Book of Kells is a manuscript primarily dedicated to the four Gospels, and each page is a work of loving, carefully rendered art.

The Book of Kells now resides in Trinity College in Dublin, encased in glass, with one page turned every month for the viewing pleasure of visitors.

Thanks to everyone inquiring about my health - the fever lasted three or four days which is longer than usual. After the doc diagnosed pneumonia the antibiotics went to work. I was out of work for a week - which for me is unheard of - had some lingering chest congestion for a week after that but the thing that really got my attention was the weakened state this thing left me in. It's 2+ weeks and only after getting on the Guiness Recovery Diet am I now getting back into my workout routine. Happy Saint Paddy's Day!

- STORMBRINGER SENDS

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