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‘In Memory Stickers’ Are A Thing

3/12/2024

Today, for the first time that I can recall, I saw a Commemorative Sticker.

Commemorative roadside memorials, yes - I have recorded over a thousand. Commemorative benches, yes – becoming much more evident.

R.I.P. t-shirts I learnt of earlier this year from Dr. Kami Fletcher’s interview on the Death Studies Podcast (21:20) . I saw a video clip of a funeral in Carlow earlier this year and noted that t-shirts of the deceased had arrived in Ireland.

But a sticker – not until today – and it was by chance and curiosity.

I have been photographing many stickers on display in the public realm – but do not have any image of a Commemoration Sticker.

A web search for ‘Commemoration Stickers’ will confirm that they are a thing. ‘In Memory Decals’ similarly throws up lots of options. I did not know one could purchase Craig Breen Memorial Stickers Vinyl decal with proceeds going to the Irish Motorsport Benevolent Fund. Proceeds from Manus Kelly Memorial Sticker go towards Donegal Downs Syndrome.

Stuck in traffic on Summerhill this afternoon, I noted that a pedestrian stopped in his tracks and went to look at something in/on a car rear window. That was enough of a prompt for the direction of the route for the dog walk this evening.

It was then that I learnt of Mathew Troy, who died earlier this year. He was a Boston Firefighter – and 10 was the number on his fire hat, which I understand to be his Engine Company. Aged 30, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Liver Cancer. He died aged 32. Occupational Cancer.

Tonight’s viewing has been on Firefighter Cancer – a term also new to me. BURNED: Protecting Our Protectors is well worth a half-hour of your time.

Today, I learnt something new but know that there is much more to learn.

Why there is an In Memory Decal for Mat Troy, I do not know.

Why there is a sticker on a 152-C car that was parked on Summerhill, I definitely do not know.

The Order Of Listing The Dead

13/11/2024

Crew -Not Aplhabetical

Passengers - Alphabetical

Yesterday was the 23rd anniversary of the crash of flight AA587. A Bluesky post from Christopher P. Hood linked to his article on the memorial and the crash.

I have spent some time online looking at different images of the memorial and the commemoration events.

The memorial has gone on my TO VISIT map – not sure I’ll ever get to New York again, but it is on the map just in case. However, it is the apparent random order of the names recorded on the memorial which has me intrigued. It sent me on a little investigation that will no doubt lead to much more time and episodes of Dark Tourism, particularly commemoration of transportation crashes.

Rockaway Memorial Park – Flight AA587

Appears that there is a random order of names of the dead.

Buttevant Train Crash – 1st August, 1980

The names of the 18 who died are not listed alphabetically – a random order.

Pan-Am Flight 1-10 – 15th April, 1948

Grave at Drumcliffe, Ennis lists the passengers in alphabetical order but the crew in a seniority ranking

‘Frank Carl Jakel, aged 35, Captain Pilot, married, from New Hyde Park, New York
Carlton Monroe Henson Jr., aged 27, First Officer Pilot, from Forest Hills, Long Island, New York
Everette G. Wallace, aged 28, Second Officer, married, from New York
Hector R. LeBlanc, aged 29, Third Officer, married, from New York
Stanley J. Frank, aged 31, Assistant Aero Engineer, married, from New York
James Victor Sexton, aged 31, Radio Operator, married, from New York
Bruce J. Nevers, aged 32, Assistant Radio Operator, married, from New York
John J. Hoffmeier, aged 40, Purser/Chief Steward, married, from New York,
Bernadine Marie Feller, aged 23, Stewardess, from New York, and Victor, Iowa’

FindAGrave

Aer India Flight 182 – 23rd June 1985

Passengers are listed on the memorial at Ahakista in alphabetical order. The 22 crew are not listed alphabetically. The New York Times printed the job of each crew member. Putting them in the order of the memorial does appear to signify a grade ranking system – similar to Pan-Am

NARENDRA. H. S., captain
BINDER, S. S., captain
DUMASIA, D. D., flight engineer
LAZAR, S., flight systems manager
SINGH, S. P., purser
THAKUR, K. M., purser
THAKUR, I., purser
SHUKLA, S., purser
RORICKS, F. S., flight attendant
DINSHAW, P., flight attendant
GAONKAR, S., flight attendant
PITASEKAR, R. R., flight attendant
KAJ, L., flight attendant
GHATGE, S., flight attendant
LASRADO, S., flight attendant
BHASIN, R., flight attendant
RAGHAVAN, S., flight attendant
VAID, N. purser
SHAH, B. K., purser
KASHIPRI, N.,purser
SETH, K. K., purser
DINSHAW, J., purser

Extracted from New York Times

Non-Transportation Disasters

The various memorials to those who died at Hillsborough; as well as those to the Stardust and the Dromcollogher Cinema Fire all appear to list in alphabetical order.

Hopefully my sample size for this study will increase with visits over time.

... one day, the here and now will meet the long way off, and they will become one and the same moment. What will that moment look like?

28/10/2024

I have just finished reading Ashes to Admin by Evie King. I had to specially order it from Waterstones. Part way through the book, for the first time for any book, I was thinking that this is a book that Waterstones should have in stock and on display. I was thinking of approaching John B in Waterstones and offering to underwrite the cost of 10 books – if he orders them and offer them for sale, I would buy any unsold and gift at Christmas. That is how much I was enjoying the book.

I learnt of the book from the Death Studies Podcast and do recommend a listen of the chat with Evie King. It definitely shortened my early morning drive a few weeks back.

I have stopped writing notes on the flysheets of my books – now, I have a notebook page folded into each and every book that I have read with my notes and observations. These include words that are new to me – Evie King introduced me to bodged; badinage; shonky; yomp; yoots; and Dunbar’s number. I am glad that as I write this two of those are new to Microsoft word as well – it is always good when one is not alone.

There was one expression early in the book that stayed with me

‘ … death is more than expected, it is guaranteed. Should our brains slip up momentarily, say when passing a graveyard or funeral home, and remind us of this, our ultimate fate, we rally, assure ourselves that it won’t be for a very long time. We dye our hair to fool ourselves into believing that this time is even further away than it is, a time which is so far removed from the moment we are inhabiting right now that it bears no relevance. But one day, the here and now will meet the long way off, and they will become one and the same moment. What will that moment look like?’

Eighteen months ago, I was dead. Without consulting me, CPR and defibrillation restored a beating heart and I am here to continue blogging – even I still have not written a digital will (read the book on that one….)

Maybe that event has made me relate more to the words. ‘But one day, the here and now will meet the long way off, and they will become one and the same moment.’. Reading that sentence brought be back years to when I first learned of the graffiti at Paddington Station – Far Away Is Close At Hand In Images Of Elsewhere which was applied 1974; was demolished in 1981; and reapplied in the 1980s before being removed again in 2004.

I never saw the graffiti – only images of it. It did resonate. It lodged in the grey matter. In mid 2000’s, as a supporter of Munster, I was active on Munsterfans. I had the words as my tagline – Far Away Is Close At Hand In Images Of Elsewhere.

Photo from theawl.com

For the last 15 years or so I have not been a regular on the Munsterfans Forum. I did wonder if that was still the tagline – it is not and has been replaced with
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams, this may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness. But maddest of all -- to see life as it is, and not as it should be!"

I could not remember the source of that tagline. Web search revealed it was from Man of La Mancha – Dream the Impossible Dream, fight the unbeatable foe, bear the unbearable sorrow, and run where the brave dare not go, and all that.

Both of those taglines reflect me – then and now. If I were still an active Munsterfans Forum participant, I would be tempted to change the tagline to ‘But one day, the here and now will meet the long way off, and they will become one and the same moment. What will that moment look like?’

Recommendation enough.

Triptych of Triptychs

27/10/2024

Is there a name for a Triptych of Triptychs?

A Nanotych maybe?

It is strange the thoughts that ramble around the ehadspace when stopped on Gurranabraher Road admiring, yet again, a newly spotted art installation by Peter Martin

Answers on a postcard very welcome ……………….

Vernacular

26/10/2024

Cloghane Old Cemetery, Co. Kerry

I spotted this grave back in the Summer of 2021. The surround erected to the grave definitely, to my mind, qualifies as unusual. On that wet August day three years ago, ‘vernacular’ was the word that sprung to mind – the seed having been planted in a lecture by Shane Lehane on a folklore module a few years before.

Reverting to my notes from 25th May 2019, Shane outlined traits that might qualify as vernacular, including:

Like a basket and many other items of vernacular material culture, it is not intended to last forever and is but one in a continual line of such artefacts that are repeatedly replaced as they wear out through use or neglect. With the raw materials at a minimum, all you need is the TIME and KNOW-HOW, much know how passed on through generations
Materials are inexpensive and easy to source. Tools are generally limited in quantity needed.
This process demanded that we embrace tedium, repetition and graft. It made us connect with a pre-industrial system of material culture where hard tedious seemingly never-ending work demanded psychological resolve.
The experience of doing, making, creating, enacting is in itself as important as the end product. What is precious is how things were made – not the things that were made.
The vernacular object merely needs to be fit for purpose – it does not need to be best in class.

I have often thought of this grave and whether the family Ó Sé were plumbers.

Today is day 26 of the hashtag 31 Days Od Graves on Twitter – the name I still use for that social media. The theme for day 26 is ‘Unusual’ and I think that the work that surrounds the grave of Eamonn Ó Se, his wife Cáit Uí Shé, as well as Eamonn Ó Sé and Cáit Ní Shé qualifies.

Remembered With A Smile

25/10/2024

As epitaphs go, that is probably as good as it gets.

Nothing more needed for this blog post

VV

24/10/2024

I have just finished reading W or The Memory Of Childhood by Georges Perec. The book was nearly 8 years on my bookshelf.

It was purchased in Shakespeare & Co on our visit in November 2016. The two other books purchased were read long ago – John Berger on flight home; James Joyce early the following year. The lucky dip purchase, Huxley, remains in its box unread, so far.

It is strange what prompts the taking of a book from the bookshelf. There are so many unread books on my shelves – and many more that cannot be accommodated on the shelves and are stacked in different places.

Sometimes it can just be a spine that I spot as I am finishing a book. Sometimes, an observation in one book can prompt another to be taken from the shelf for early reading. Occasionally, a recently purchased addition to the stacks will jump the queue.

Last week, my listening choice for the long journeys was the Illuminated series from BBC Sounds. My introduction to this BBC Radio 4 series was a story about a one legged man doing the Camino and the remaining episodes followed, as they do.

An episode from June was called The Beauty of Everyday Things. It was by poet, Ian McMillan. He cited another book by Perec, An Attempt At Exhausting A Place In Paris and quoted from it.

That was prompt enough for it to be taken down as next reading distraction.

A Lingering Illness Did Me Seize

18/10/2024

A LINGERING ILLNESS DID
ME SEIZE AND NO PHYSICIAN
COULD ME EASE ALL MEANS
WAS SAUGHT BUT ALL (?IN VAIN?)
TILL GOD WAS PLEASED TO ???
?? ME PAIN HASTE PREPAR?? ???
??? DELAY FOR IN MY PRIME
??? ?AS SNAT????

I suspect that on any given day, there are not many people who think of John Driscoll but he did come to my mind today – today being day 18 of #31DaysOf Graves for the month of October on Twitter. The theme for day 18 is poem/verse which reminded me of this to John Driscoll who died in July 1840.

It also acted as a memo to self to get back to Kilbarry Cemetery in Dunmanway to try to establish those words that are not legible from my photographs – any suggestions welcome.

With Which Wife To Be Buried ......

22/9/2024

Upto recently, I had it in my head that traditionally when a wife died young, she would generally be buried in her own family plot – not the grave of her husband. I cannot recall the source of my understanding but it was firmly rooted and long established – possibly to facilitate the burial of the husband with (possible) future mother of his children,

My meeting with Henry Waters early one morning last July started a serious challenge to what I believed to be the norm. Henry rests in Courthoyle Cemetery in Co. Wexford with two wives who predeceased him. Mary Josephine died in 1957; Mary in 1994; and, Henry in 1996.

Later that day, I was chatting with Alan as to Henry disabusing me of my undertsnding when he told me of a relative whose parents are buried in separate graveyards as her father is buried with his first wife.

Recently, reading Catherine Corliss’ book Belonging, she told of a similar burial arrangement in Tuam.

‘Some time previously, the head of the committee had shown me the grave where Julia Devaney was buried. It was a single plot as her husband was buried with his first wife. It had a cement base with a simple iron cross with her name and age and date of death, which had rusted over time.’

Belonging – A Memoir of Place, Beginnings and One Woman’s Search for Truth and Justice for the Tuam Babies – Catherine Corless

So it stands as 3 – 0 against what I was convinced was tradition – I must try to find out how I came to believe that the body of the young wife returned to her own family.

The Dead No Longer Write

21/9/2024

This blog post germinated at 8:30 on a July Thursday morning as I pulled up outside St. Mary’s graveyard in Old Ross, Co. Wexford. I had come to visit the grave of Margaret and John Hornick but before I even exited the car, it was the postbox on the entrance walls that got my attention; or, more particularly, the ‘Out Of Service’ message signalling the death of the postbox.

My mind went into overdrive. ‘Postboxes being only for the dead’; ‘letter writing being a dead art’ were among the thought rattling around my brain as I travelled back towards the N25 Wexford road. Just past Courthoyle Cemetery, another postbox, another ‘Out Of Service’ notice.

That evening, driving home, I took a road not travelled before. My first visit ever to Castlecomer, brought me face-to-face with my third terminal notice. ‘Out Of Service’ related not just to the postbox but also the post office. Just like the R.I.C. before it, its time had passed.

A few weeks later, This American Life threw up an episode called Letter! Actual Letters which shortened the journey to Carlow but did not do much to provide hope for the humble postbox.

Since that July day, I have been thinking of the many disued postboxes that I have met on my travels. I have written more handwritten letters in the last month that in the previous year but I suspect that they will not be sufficient to stave off even more ‘Out Of Service’ notices.

“On Sunday morning, the 4th of March, 1923, a pony and cart was discovered on the side of the road. Inside, in a pool of blood, lay the bodies of John and Margaret Hornick, both brother ad sister. John was 25 while his sister was only 12. Both were the children of a well known farmer from Kilgarvan, Taghmon and they had set out the previous evening in a spring cart drawn by a pony heading to their grandfather’s house where they usually spent the weekend.

In the subsequent inquest that followed, Free State Soldier, Private Phelan, who was on sentry duty at Palace East described how he became aware of the cart after they passed the railway bridge. He called on them three times to halt. When after receiving no reply, he fired a warning shot into the air. The cart kept moving and he fired again but this time aiming in its direction.

It subsequently came to a halt but he was refused permission to go and inspect by his superiors. The cart therefore wandered the countryside throughout the night. It was found the next morning by passers-by several miles away.

The medical evidence described how both victims had bullet wounds to the heads despite there being only one shot fired.”

The Railways and County Wexford’s Revolutionary Period – Barry Lacey, Historian-in-Residence

Just Me, The Bees & The Dead

16/8/2024

On the journey home last Tuesday, I stole some time-out, some me-time. Killermogh Graveyard was perfect – quiet, solitary, peaceful.

This plot had no headstone that I could see. Close up inspection of the lavender revealed that I was not alone.

The Suspense of The Lamb

16/8/2024

I received this photograph this morning from GMac who is on holiday in Valencia.

I have since learnt that this is the Postal Palace , Palacio de Comunicaciones; it is now longer the Post Office; and, that the five statues represent the five continents.

It took me a little while to even see him, but I have failed in my search for the answer to GMac’s query – ‘Wonder what the significance of the lamb is……..’

Winner - Today & Forever

27/5/2024

I definitely was not expecting that.

I have seen a number of political posters that have been amended with graffiti or stickers. I cannot recall any adornment that might have been appreciated by the candidate.

Passing over the railway bridge by Leixlip station a few times last week, I spotted but could not make out the black sticker – placed directly between the eyes. Yesterday afforded time to stop and read the message. My first surprise was that the wording was in German.

HEUTE UND FÜR IMMER SIEGER

My second surprise arrived compliments of Google Translate – Winner Today & Forever.

A first for me.

Turning Politics On Its Head

21/5/2024

A few weeks before an election, there appears no such thing as bad publicity.

The Faythr, Wexford

It was most certainly put up in that position. The cable ties are tight.

To my mind, it must be deliberate. I accept that there is a slim chance that the poster may have been accidently put up the wrong way up but it must have been inspected before the campaign team drove off. It must have been a deliberate decision to leave it as currently configured.

Whatever about new voice, energy or generation, it ticks the box on new ideas.

If the intent was to prompt debate and to make Robbie Staples the topic of discussion – it worked.

Adjoin – Is that what it means?

20/5/2024

Entering the New Cemetery in Kilavullen, I had no expectation that I would be searching for a dictionary. A graveyard is a great place to chill out and let the words, the fonts and the style of headstones take one’s mind on adventures.

I have used the word ‘adjoining’ to refer to items on the same horizontal plane – adjoining bedrooms in a hotel; adjoining fields; adjoining houses in a terrace. The neighbour each other and share a boundary.

‘adjoin verb (adjoined, adjoining) to be next to and joined to something. adjoining adj. ETYMOLOGY: 14c: from French ajoindre, from Latin ad to + jungere to join.’

Chambers Dictionary

I have used the word ‘adjoining’ to refer to items on the same horizontal plane – adjoining bedrooms in a hotel; adjoining fields; adjoining houses in a terrace. The neighbour each other and share a boundary.

The third and fourth floors in a building would not have been described by me as adjoining but according to Chambers Dictionary, they could be. I just never thought of adjoining in a vertical plane- until the Nagle brothers in Kilavullen last week.

I get that the coffins may be next to each other vertically in a single plot but I have not yet reconciled how they they share a common boundary, how they are joined, except in death.