ARBOUR HILL VISIT
Today, we visited Arbour Hill for a commemoration mass for the soldiers of 1916. Many of the members of the government were in attendance, including the Taoiseach and the President, Michael D Higgins.
We came at just the right time, as the army was marching in.
We stood in the gallery, to the right of the altar. The mass was very long, nearly two hours. It was a bit boring, but it was a solemn occasion, so wasn’t meant to be fun and exciting. We sat in the same seats as prisoners a long time ago. I don’t know why the president was there, as he did nothing. He just sat there, showing no interest.
We passed through a guard of honour, formed by the military, and the President laid a wreath. It was really hard to keep a straight face. They had perfect formation. Someone shouted gibberish and they moved their guns. We all jumped.
After the ceremony, we went to Collins Barracks for refreshment. Peadar got a plate of food and ate it in front of us. All the boring bits were made up for a in a massive all-out buffet. There were greasy sausages, tender chicken dippers and nice spring-rolls. The food was sooooo good. Some of us took biscuits for the journey back to school.
We all got our picture taken with the President, and we shook hands with him as well.
“I shook his hand twice and ate3 chicken nuggets.”
“Mass was long. There was a long lecture about shepherds.”
“I got hit by the branches form the graveyard.”
“The priest was called Michael Jackson.”
“It was a child’s heaven.”
“After the buffet, it was greatt o come back and brag to 5th Class about how good it was.”
“ I had at least 20 chicken goujons.”
