News from Drumcondra Community

The 12th of July in Ireland is synonymous with the marching season north of the border. I understand the bonfires are bigger than ever and while the size of the parades may be smaller than usual, the number of parades may also be bigger than normal. And there’s that word again: ‘normal’! The heart’s desire of so many people during the time of pandemic was frequently expressed in the hope that we return to ’normal’ - whatever that might mean in real time.  

The 65,000 spectators in Wembley would seem to suggest that our nearest neighbours across the pond are back to normal but our medical gurus on this side are unconvinced and counsel “festina lente” or hasten slowly. It appears that we’ll only return to normal when the hospitality sector - and particularly the pubs - are open for business with minimal restrictions. But we are not there yet - or even close to it. 

While we can’t go to our local pub for a social lubricant, the mega-billionaire Richard Branson hops into his plane for a 90-minute trip to space before returning to earth for his dinner. It’s going to be a sign of the post-pandemic new normal, and he says  “It’s a way of just trying to get lots of people who couldn’t otherwise afford to go to space, to go to space.”  What a beautiful aspiration! He’s going to make space-travel accessible to ordinary people - even poor people - on condition that they have about $500,000 in their back pocket! We all could do with a collective re-booting of our way of thinking.

The EU have a Digital Covid Certificate in operation since 1st July which will entitle you to travel relatively freely and without restrictions within the EU. The DCC will provide digital proof that you have been vaccinated against Covid-19, that you have received a negative test result or that you have recovered from Covid-19 in the past 6-months. The DCC will come into operation in Ireland from 19th July onwards. It will rule out the need to quarantine when entering the country. The need to quarantine was a huge disincentive to anyone thinking of coming to Ireland; who wants to spend 10 days quarantining in a Dublin hotel at a cost of about €2,000 when he’s already paying at least that amount per month for an apartment on the other side of the River Liffey?

We are expecting our first visitor here in Cottrell Lodge shortly. It will be great having a new face around the place, a different voice. It will be a small sign that we are beginning to return to normal here in Drumcondra - as normal as the twice-daily commuter traffic congestion which reminds us all that while we may be returning to some kind of normal here, it is certainly doesn’t have the appearance of a better normal. 

Enjoy your summer!

- Kevin

"When this is over, may we never again take for granted

A handshake with a stranger

Full shelves at the store

Conversations with neighbors

A crowded theater

Friday night out

The taste of communion

A routine checkup

The school rush each morning

Coffee with a friend

The stadium roaring

Each deep breath

A boring Tuesday

Life itself.

When this ends

may we find

that we have become

more like the people

we wanted to be

we were called to be

we hoped to be

and may we stay

that way — better

for each other

because of the worst.”

- Laura Kelly Fanucci,