Lorna Byrne

LEARNING FROM THE PAST is not easy. We are inclined to forget the lessons and repeat the same mistakes; learning the same lesson over and over again until we get it right, but I do believe we are learning, slowly.

From the time I was a child, the angels have brought me back into the past so that I can share the experiences they show me with the world. It is so I can remind us all to do our best to learn from our past mistakes, from all the upheavals in life, to make our path much smoother as we journey through life.

As a child, I loved going into Dublin city with my mum to go food shopping. One Easter, I remember being on the bus with mum. I always loved the bus journey into Dublin, sitting on the seat and looking out the window. The bus would stop along the quays, we would get out there and then we would walk up O’Connell Street.

Every time we walked up O’Connell Street, I would pray that my mum would take the left turn that I knew to be a shortcut to Moore Street. It was just before the GPO, and if she took that turn it meant we wouldn’t be going into the General Post Office. I would beg the angels, saying, ‘Please, please don’t let my mum go up to the GPO.’

On this particular day, however, my prayers went unanswered. I was horrified, but I couldn’t allow my mum to know so I gave her a big smile. I couldn’t tell her about the angels, about the way that they often brought me back to the past when we stopped in the GPO.

As we approached the GPO that day, mum stopped at one of the big doors and said to me, ‘Lorna, I will only be a few minutes, so you can stay outside. You mind the shopping bags for me.’ Relieved I said, ‘Okay.’

Then my mum pushed open the big, heavy doors of the GPO and disappeared inside. Immediately three angels came and stood with me, and of course my guardian angel was there too. One of the angels said, ‘Lorna, look who’s coming.’

There, through the crowd, I saw the Archangel Michael walking towards me. He was dressed like anyone else. Angel Michael came and stood beside me. I knew this meant the angels would bring me back to the past even though I hadn’t actually gone inside the GPO. Angel Michael reached out and took hold of my hand and said, ‘Don’t be afraid.’

I said to him, ‘I’m not pretending to be brave.’ He just smiled down at me and said, ‘Lorna, we’re going to bring you back to the past.’

At that very moment, things started to change. I heard gunfire and the sound of bullets ricocheting off the building and the pillars. People were shouting. It seemed to last forever but it was really only for a few moments. For me, as a young child, it was very frightening.

Archangel Michael was holding my hand all of the time. He said to me, ‘This is one reason why you must always pray, Lorna, for peace in Ireland and Northern Ireland.’ Then he disappeared and everything turned back to normal.

Since then, when I was still a child, Angel Michael explained that Northern Ireland was a wonderful place as we were building peace there. We were all moving forward towards a brighter future for our children with lots of laughter and joy.

Another day, one of the other angels in my life, Angel Hosus, told me, ‘Lorna, war is easy to make. Peace is the hardest thing to keep. Northern Ireland is the cornerstone of peace for the world. If Northern Ireland can do it, so can the rest of the world.’

I knew all this and I knew it was important to see the terror of war but I was still happy when mum came out through the big, heavy doors of the GPO and said to me, ‘There you are. I wasn’t too long, was I?’ ‘No,’ I said, as she took the shopping bags from me and we headed for Moore Street.

On many occasions, right through my life and up to today, I am still taken back to the past. Sometimes, it’s sad but many, many times, it fills my heart with joy.

It is important that we learn from the past so that we stop making the same mistakes and instead, create a loving, kind world to live in and to pass on to future generations. That is why the God and the angels have me share these experiences with you all.

Angels at My Fingertips by Lorna Byrne has just been published by Coronet. To coincide, Lorna Byrne Talks 2017, in association with Eason, will take place from April 9 to 23 nationwide. Tickets from lornabyrne.com

It is important that we learn from the past so that we stop making the same mistakes and instead create a loving, kind world for future generations