A glorious Autumnal evening lights the road for us down to rural South Wexford. We enjoy a trouble free drive, appreciating the 'fruitful mellowness' and some useful agricultural observations from George Markham. Rev Maria Jansson has invited us to sing at the Harvest Festival service at Horetown, in the Wexford Union, and the preacher is to be Canon Dermot Dunne, Rector of Crosspatrick and Carnew Union.

Before the service, parishioners Marianne and Robert Young generously invite us to tea in their spacious modern home. Robert is a son from the Big House, 'Horetown House'; Horetown Church is the estate church. Marianne, an Australian, a keen local historian; has written a short history of the house and church. Ruth Carnegie and family know Horetown well and over the years have spent many 'horsey' holidays in the area.

In the simple peaceful candle-lit church we sing the well-loved harvest hymns: 'Holy is the seed time', 'Come, ye thankful people come', and of course 'We plough the fields, and scatter,' and the anthem: 'Thou vistest the earth'. Canon Dunne, the preacher, is impressed and kindly invites us down to his parish, to sing at his 'Nine lessons and Carols' before Christmas. More homemade goodies at the back of the church, to compliment the marrows and mushrooms in baskets; we are treated to a lavish supper. We meet amongst many others, Terry and Ann McCabe who hails from Wexford town, and singing friends of our organist Siobhan Kilkelly. We also meet Georgian Rothwell, a 'Boys' Brigade' friend of our rector Kevin Dalton, and former captain of the 1st Wexford Company.

Sleepy and contented we wend our long way home from Wexford in the happy knowledge of a job well done!

C.C.