Today is the feast of St. Finbarr (550-660), who is the patron saint of Cork. He's mentioned in the motto of University College Cork: "Where Finbarr taught, let Munster learn." Which I like because it's both religious and provincial-- literally provincial. (Don't people get tired of everything being about the world, the world, the world, global, global, global, international, international, international?)
Finbarr is also the name I chose for my confirmation name. I chose it entirely because I liked the sound. I didn't know anything about Finbarr. I'm not even confident I knew he was a saint.
I had my confirmation (with the rest of my class in school) in Our Lady of Victories church in Glasnevin (a very modern church with a lot of stained glass and which somewhat resembles some alien spaceship). I would have been eleven or twelve. I remember I wore a new cream safari suit, which I had for a considerable time afterwards. I also remember my sponsor (who was my uncle) saying: "A bit of an anti-climax, isn't it?". How edifying!
A confirmation name is a strange thing. You never really use it. I only use mine when I'm using my name and I want to sound pompous (like I have to try, right?), styling myself: "Maolsheachlann Tiernan Finbarr Ó Ceallaigh".
Every now and again I do remember to pray to St. Finbarr, at least in recent years. I'll do so again now. Watch over me, St. Finbarr!
Even the darkness of the Dublin soul is penetrated by the intuitive call of the Light that tells thee to choose a Cork name for a moment of Spiritual Ascendency!
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