Lifting the spirit
A fundraising Garden Party at his home in Brannockstown next month will be Robert Dunlop's last official function for the World Vision charity.
The reason for stepping down is his current poor sight, a restriction resulting from a sudden and very serious bout of ill-health following his retirement as pastor a few years ago.
The Garden Party on August 16 will be in the form of an Open House, with everybody welcome to come for a short or longer period, during which they can donate to the fund. A variety of local performers will entertain for the afternoon, with song, music, poetry, drama and prose recitals.
To undertake such a venture, with the help of his wife Olive and a number of his many friends, is also a signal that Robert Dunlop is continuing on a path of recovery which might have daunted others. But a dogged persistence in the face of difficulty has always been part of the nature of the man who first came to Brannockstown as pastor some four and a half decades ago.
He has also gone back to writing, something which has been at the core of his being all his life. In addition to a significant body of published poetry, he has also been a longtime contributor to Kilcullen's community magazine, 'The Bridge'.
The National Council for the Blind in Ireland has provided him with a large-text monitor for his computer, and this has enabled him to write even with his limited remaining sight.
Facinated all his life in Brannockstown by the local La Touche family, Robert is now considering a historical novel based on them.
With the help of a network of friends, Robert walks through nearby Harristown Estate almost every day, with his dog Aslan. He finds that though his sight may be compromised, a greater acuity with his hearing has him more aware of birdsong, which he says 'lifts the spirit'.
Lifting the spirit of those helped by World Vision, with the garden party fundraiser, in particular the people of Burma suffering almost beyond belief following the recent cyclone is in part Robert Dunlop's thanks for what he can still enjoy.
Brian Byrne.
