The Feast of All Saints. Went to Holy Communion. The bliss of a free day! Wrote to Joe and Fräulein Engelmann, piano and harmony, and settled down to enjoy myself. Finished ‘The Blindness of Dr. Gray’. I enjoyed it immensely. It taught me what wonders…
Dr. Scannell told us all about the murder of the Czar and his family during the Russian revolution of 1917 in class this morning. Eugène Beauharnais, who became Duke of Leuchtenberg, settled down in southern Russia. His children’s tutor later became tutor to the Czarovitch,…
This morning I showed to the lads of my class a wonderful book, ‘Deutsche Dome’ [German Cathedrals] in which are given pictures of many glorious cathedrals throughout the Vaterland. Determining to have their joke at my expense, with Irish wit they burst into laughter at…
Had very interesting history class. Dr. Scannell told us how the Vatican and Castle Gandolfo outside Rome are ex-territorial, but still the Pope is hampered by censorship of letters, etc. Mussolini, the Prime Minister, evidently intends to grant the Pope a narrow strip of land,…
1st Friday. A terrible rush to get to school in time – Saw in paper that the Pope has just married his niece, and thus broken a tradition which has lasted since the Renaissance! Mussolini’s life has been attempted upon for the third time this…
While playing with my new hurley, I got the ball in my face to-day. – Read in German something about ‘the man with the iron mask’. The story has a great fascination for me and I suppose for all boys. Dr. Scannell looked up the…
Worked till dinner. Mám had an at-home this evening. Mrs. Stockley and Sophia, Fr. MacCarthy, Dr. and Mrs. Donovan, Dr. Frend, Miss O’Brien came. I must say it was rather boring. There was no interesting conversation, and there was the mighty Sophia and I had…
Dr. Donovan is now beginning German, and he gave Mám a few hints that it would be splendid for him if I could help him with it. I would love to, and would learn a great deal myself, besides being very much honoured, but he…
Was sent by Dr. Scannell on a message to Blarney Street schools. They look pretty dilapidated. These are in a part of Cork in which I never was before. As small as Cork is, I am sure I have not been through 2/3 of it….
Saw in paper photograph of newly-married bridal pair, the Crown Prince Leopold of Belgium (whose mother was daughter of King of Bavaria) and Princess Astrid of Sweden. They look a charming couple such as one would read of in fairy-tales. – Was singularly depressed all…
