A tale of two Castles

I

If I were to wake up one morning and say, hey, I would go buy a castle, no one would believe me. For a start it takes a lot of money to buy one. And even if the owner is desperate enough to make a cheap and quick sale, chances are it will also cost a lot to restore it.

Well, Jeremy Irons bought a castle in West Cork  and out of curiosity more than anything else, I went to St Mary’s Cathedral in Limerick to listen to his presentation on the restoration of his 15^th century Kilcoe castle. This was in conjunction with 'Limerick City's Georgian Buildings and Streets' weekend of traditional Building Skills demonstrations and conservation talks.

I was not disappointed. 

Jeremy Iron’s deep and rich voice brought life to the many slides on how he purchased the castle and restored it. For someone who knows nothing about architecture except to admire it, I was immensely taken in by all the renovation works which spanned a total of six years. There was meticulous building and rebuilding of parts to meet perfection that one workman was said to have lamented, ‘When you work for an actor, there are too many rehearsals’.

The word castle is derived from the Latin word castellum which is a diminutive of the word castrum, meaning "fortified place". In medieval times, a castle served as a haven for soldiers during attacks, thus enabling small armies to defend themselves against larger armies.

Castles are impressive symbols of prestige and power. Castles are imposing and we gape at the magnitude and the opulence often associated with them. Kings used them to exert control over regions they thought to be hostile Aristocrats used them to display their status.

It is a given that kings and queens live in castles but to actually go out and buy one? Or better still, seek out one who inherits big castles and work towards seducing them into marriage.

So with my mind saturated with images of castles, I then attended another talk about a different kind of castle.

This time round it was by Alan Graham from Belfast. Alan, together with his wife Dorothy has established Zimbabwe Orphan Care (ZOC) to help care for some of the 800,000 orphans who live in Zimbabwe.

Sensing the immense need, Alan and Dorothy bought a site in  Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe in 2008. On it, they developed an orphanage called Jabulani for 14 children who would call it their home. Jabulani is a Zulu word meaning rejoice.

Metaphorically, I would call Jabulani the children’s castle. In this case, the castle is the children’s place of refuge. It is a place where they can be safe and wanted.

As Alan was narrating his experiences, one particular account struck a chord in my heart.

There was a time when sewage pipes were clogged up and workmen were called in to solve the problem. The reason for the blockage was a ghastly discovery of over 20 foetuses, possibly aborted. Thousands of babies were literally ‘thrown away’ by teenage mothers because of rape, often by AIDS victims.

I can’t help but think of the castle in West Cork and the castle in Harare.

Both are beautiful and located in a faraway place. The one in West Cork houses a family of four against a background of soft carpets, beautiful furniture, collectibles from distant lands ….lit by ornate lamps and chandeliers. The one in Harare houses 14 children (and possibly more to come ) and dedicated caregivers against a possibility for a great education, love and a meaningful life… lit by a vision of hope.

When I think of buying a castle, the question is, what will my motive be?

Source: http://www.nst.com.my/node/26176