On a visit to Cape Clear Island a couple of years ago a particular field on a steep slope behind the Youth Hostel was pointed out to me. It was nothing special to look at (rougly near where the top photo was taken from). I was told that this was the site of the former Church of Ireland church, which had been dismantled in the 1930's - and that the stone was taken and used to build the AIB bank in Schull.
There was a time, I am sure, when it was beyond the comprehension of the people involved that the church building would ever be dismantled and yet that time came. It was no longer financially viable to keep the church open, numbers had fallen and the stones (which had come from Cornwall) had to be dismantled.
There was a time too when the AIB (along with the other banks) seemed totally secure. Banks (like churches) were built with stone to convey solidity, security and permanency. Yet it seems that were it not for our children (and goodness knows how many further generations down the line that will be paying to keep the banks open for business) then they also would be going the way that the Church on Cape Clear did all those years ago...
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