Fourteen brethren from the Lodge of Dawn, plus two guests from Lodge of Fidelity No. 289 and one guest from Zetland Lodge No. 1311, took a two-day trip to Dublin to visit Leinster Lodge No. 141 as well as taking in the sights, sounds and drinks of Ireland’s capital city.
The visit was arranged by Worshipful Brother, Robert Phillips (below), Master of The Lodge of Dawn who hails from Dublin and whose father was an active Freemason in Dublin for over 50 years.
Following a very early morning flight from Leeds Bradford airport to Dublin and a hearty breakfast, the brethren visited Ireland’s Grand Lodge Freemasons Hall on Molesworth Street. Right Worshipful Brother Selwyn Davies took the time to show the party around Dublin’s fantastic and spectacular Masonic Hall, its museum and a range of temples including those of The Knight Masons, Mark Masonry and Royal Arch. He also gave all those in attendance an insight into the history of Irish Masonry and the differences between the Irish and English constitutions.
In the evening, the party were due to attend a 3rd degree ceremony. Worshipful Brother Eddie Brownell of Leinster Lodge, very generously paid for the pre-ceremony drinks for all visitors which was very gratefully received. Unfortunately, the scheduled 3rd degree ceremony had to be cancelled due to the on-going Corona Virus. Nevertheless, the visitors were able to see an opening, lodge matters being discussed and a closing, allowing them to get a taste of the similarities and differences between the two versions of the ceremony.
The evening was completed with a wonderful buffet Festive Board and a charity raffle consisting of a quite amazingly large and varied array of prizes, some of which were won by visiting brethren.
All the visiting brethren already consider the experience, the brainchild of our Worshipful Master and superbly organised by him, one of the highlights of their Masonic careers, as well as having the opportunity to experience the legendary Irish hospitality and ‘craic’. In retrospect, with the Covid 19 outbreak commencing that week all brethren were blessed that the event took place at all. The Lodge of Dawn hopes to reciprocate the warm welcome we received from our brethren, Leinster Lodge 141 at some time in the not too distant future.
The social aspects of the trip including visits to the Guinness Storehouse and Jameson’s Distillery are here, and definitely contributed to the enjoyment of the trip. The photos below show the tour around Freemasons Hall, the Grand Lodge Temple and pre- and post- ceremony.
Visiting other lodges is one of the highlights of Freemasonry. It is a major part of the social side of Freemasonry, giving everyone the opportunity to meet, and make new, friends and acquaintances as well as watching ‘same but different’ ceremonies. The Lodge of Dawn is very active in arranging lodge visits and you can read all about all of our most recent visits here.
If you are interested in joining The Lodge of Dawn please take a look here or simply drop us an email and we’ll get back to you asap.