NUIMBER 896

BENCHMARKS continued

M.C. and Benchmarker have spent the Summer taking a complete holiday from benchmark hunting. But not so Michael Byrne who has been as active and keen as ever and has notched up several 'hits' to his credit. He writes about one of these in particular “I noted some time ago that you guys had recorded the 'mark on the RC church in Monkstown, and wondered why the one noted as residing on the front of the C of I church was "missed". As it's local enough to me, I slipped down to have a look for it, and had to assume that it was now below the car park ground level, as it was nowhere to be seen. Some months later, while in that church on a Summer of Heritage open day, I mentioned the missing 'mark to one of the ladies helping on the day. "It's there alright" she says, "we were only looking at it last week" and off she went with me in pursuit. We both stood staring at the right hand corner base stone where the mark should be, but neither of us could see anything. "There it is" says my missus, pointing to a spot on a little ledge at the top of the stone. And sure enough, though barely visible, there it was. After a brief trip back to the car for chalk, the 'mark was recorded - the one that nearly got away!”

The thing is Michael, we must have looked for this one about half a dozen times and failed to spot it. The excuse is that we didn't have your missus there to point it out to us.

Below: The 'mark near the entrance to Monkstown Church in County Dublin.

 

 Above: Looking north across the front of the church with the 'mark, outlined in chalk, at right.

NUMBER 881

BENCHMARKS continued

This one is not where it's supposed to be, according to the map, but rather a little further along on a perimeter wall of the Church of Ireland church in Inch in County Wexford.

Below: A 'mark on the perimeter wall at Inch Church in County Wexford.

 

 Above: A view of the church and perimeter wall with the 'mark at bottom left on the wall. (P.S. M.C. kept Benchmarker entertained with a gag about the two closest towns in Ireland. The punchline being 'there is only an inch between them'. It's the way he tells 'em!)

NUMBER 429

BENCHMARKS continued

As a combined force, and increasingly less confident of the presence of a 'mark, Benchmarker and M.C. scoured the exterior of the Church of Ireland on the North Strand in Dublin on two or three occasions with absolutely zilch result; it was not to be found. However it was then that M.C. came into his own, going back persistently until he eventually found it. And when he did it explained the earlier failures. It was a flatie, nestling away cosily in the corner of the entrance. Benchmarker has discontinued giving a reward for the benchmark hunter of the month - it's to make up for the deficit in the pension scheme - but feels some sort of an exception should be made on this occasion. A bottle of wine is in order and Benchmarker will enjoy consuming it tonight while raising a glass to toast M.C. Cheers!

Below: The 'mark at the Church of Ireland, North Strand Road.

 

Above: A view of the church. The 'mark is on the right side of the entrance.

NUMBER 416

BENCHMARKS continued

Along with a camera and a copies of the 25'' maps, an essential tool for any benchmark hunter is a machete or a garden shears. Fortunately M.C. didn't have to unleash his savage side in order to find this fine old 'mark which lurks behind a young cotoneaster (or is it a pyracantha?) on a wall of the Church of Ireland in Kilbride, Co Wicklow. 

Below: The 'mark on the Church of Ireland, Kilbride, Co Wicklow.

Above: A view of the church with the 'mark somewhere behind the shrubbery below the window.

NUMBER 184

BENCHMARKS continued
 

Winston Churchill was a fellow who indulged in the odd good rant. On one occasion shortly after the Great War finished he had a right old go at the two traditions in the North bellowing

“Every institution, almost, in the world was strained. Great Empires have been overturned. The whole map of Europe has been changed. The position of countries has been violently altered. The modes of thought of men, the whole outlook on affairs, the grouping of parties, all have encountered violent and tremendous changes in the deluge of the world.

But as the deluge subsides and the waters fall short, we see the dreary steeples of Fermanagh and Tyrone emerging once again. The integrity of their quarrel is one of the few institutions that has been unaltered in the cataclysm which has swept the world.”
Actually Benchmarker finds some of the steeples there far from dreary but rather quite charming and attractive. For example this one on Saint Eugene's Ardstraw, Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone.

Below: The 'mark on the Church of Ireland, Newtownstewart.

Above: Saint Eugene's Ardstraw with the 'mark just to the left of the door at bottom.