Assignment Ireland

A call came late Tuesday night, another secret and special assignment for Bingo, and soon we were on our way to Ireland, told only to seek out a man with a red beard and green hat and walking stick, standing near the entrance to Trinity College, and he would tell us the rest. An odd sort of disguise, we both thought, until we realized that today is St. Patrick's day--in Dublin--with about 150,000 people (it's the national holiday) crammed in to see the parade.

As it turned out, there were men in green hats and red beards in countless variations. We can only assume that Bingo saw him because he gave us a sign to let him go into the crowd. I panned the video around but he was already gone.

Cheryl and I are are on own while Bingo saves the world (or helps do it in). The plan is to meet up with him in Shannon next week.

The parade ended at 2 pm, and within minutes every pub in the city was overflowing out into the street, laughing, singing Irish songs. We walked and walked but the crowds never thinned out. Young boys in T-shirts and girls in short skirts, like you might see at any any mall in Florida, only it's about 48 degrees with a wicked wind.

At the Trinity library we saw the Book of Kells, probably the most famous illustrated manuscript in the world. No crowds there. We're back in our room by 8 pm. It's seems the party is going on without us.