BENCHMARKS continued
A few weeks ago the writer, Brian Friel, was announced as 'Donegal Person of the Year'. Although a native of County Tyrone, Friel was given the honour mainly because many of his plays relate to, or are set in, fictional locations in County Donegal. Amongst them, Translations deals with events surrounding the original 6 inches to the mile ordnance survey of 1833 in the fictional village of Baile Beag. The play's title derives from the fact that as the survey was carried out, an Anglicized version was generated of the Irish names of the various towns, villages and town-lands etc. and it was these versions only that were subsequently printed on the maps.
Before the fictional cartographers and orthographers and all the rest of them moved westward towards the fictional village of Baile Beag, they would have earlier carved a fictional benchmark on the factual Courthouse in Leitir Ceanainn (translation: Letterkenny).
It is appropriate therefore that the actual factual benchmark on that very courthouse still survives. It so easily could have been lost because a couple of decades ago the building was renovated, extended, plastered and the walls covered in a white all-weather paint. Clearly though, a decision was made not to cover over the 'mark because - like a teetotaler - it survives today in its own little square of unplastered space. However, a small criticism; it would look much better had it not, like the surrounding wall, been covered in the white paint.
8 out of 10 then, but could try harder.
Below: The 'mark on Letterkenny Courthouse.
Above: Letterkenny Courthouse seen from the High Road, with the 'mark just to the left of the bench to the right.