A vehicle fit for the Pope
QUESTION
What became of the Popemobile used for John Paul II’s 1979 Irish visit? THE Popemobile was built especially for the 1979 visit to Ireland by the then Pope, John Paul II. After that, it lay idle for 30 years before being restored and put back into use by a Dublin-based entrepreneur, Paddy Dunning.
The Popemobile is currently in storage in Co. Westmeath, undergoing further refurbishment, before it’s put back into service in time for the present Pope’s visit to Ireland later this year, although of course, Pope Francis won’t use it.
In 1979, the Popemobile was built in just five weeks.
Contrary to reports, it wasn’t built at the Ford factory in Cork, because it didn’t have the right equipment, although Ford did supply the chassis. Instead, it was constructed by a Cork city coachbuilding company, Obam, which had been started in 1962 by Matt O’Brien and John Mulhare, who had been close friends since they both started work in CIÉ in the late 1940s. The firm became one of Ireland’s leading coach builders and had many firsts to its name, including the first refrigerated truck for the food industry.
But when Matt was 58 and John was 60, they decided to retire and sell off the business.
Their company designed the Popemobile based on the design of a Roman chariot, adding such flourishes as the Papal crest.
The vehicle had to be capable of carrying the Pope and 15 passengers. The 27 staff of the coachbuilding firm worked frantically to get the Popemobile completed, amid tight secrecy. After the Pope’s visit ended, the Popemobile went into storage and wasn’t used for the next 30 years.
Then in 2009, Paddy Dunning bought the Wax Museum, located near the Black Church, just north of Parnell Square in Dublin, and relocated it to a new base, just off College Green. He also acquired the Popemobile, which was little more than a shell at that stage, and had it refurbished, at a cost of €60,000. When that work was completed, the Popemobile was as good as new, complete with a new Mercedes engine. The original chair used by Pope John Paul II remained in place.
It was then used on tours to towns around Ireland, so that local heroes could be honoured. It was also put to good use in Dublin, where it could be hired for such events as weddings, hen parties and stags.
In 2017, the Wax Museum moved once more to a new location, at the junction of Westmoreland Street and D’Olier Street; then the Lafayette nightclub. Today, the Wax Museum is billed not so much as a museum but as a 21stcentury visitor attraction.
The Popemobile is still owned by Paddy Dunning and at a location in Co. Westmeath, it is currently undergoing further refurbishments, ahead of the visit to Ireland in August of Pope Francis. But as soon as it’s ready to hit the road once more, it will once again be rented out for tours and for parties, such as hens and stags, and certainly not for any religious purpose. Michael MacDonagh, Rush, Co. Dublin.
QUESTION
When did the expression ‘everything but/bar the kitchen sink’ come into existence? ACCORDING to the Oxford English Dictionary, this was originally World War II Forces’ slang to describe the weaponry used during intense bombardment. In fact, its use long predated this.
The phrase appears to have originated in North America. The earliest reference is from the July 10, 1911, edition of The Winnipeg Tribune, which published the description by a New Yorker of a meal he had at the house of a Russian princess: ‘First of all we had caviar. It was the real imported article, and it tasted not unlike bird shot pickled in hair oil. With the aid of a white dinner wine (also imported) I was able to wash down the first course without much of a struggle.
‘The next course was more difficult. A thick, sour soup, and I am sure it had everything in it but the kitchen sink.’ The ‘kitchen sink’ phrase is an adaptation of an earlier ‘everything but the stove’ or ‘everything but the kitchen stove’. An example of this is seen in the Jeffersonville National Democrat in 1894: ‘I sold the chicken and got a dollar for them... I got everything but the stove.’
J Gore, Lowestoft, Suffolk.
QUESTION
Is there evidence that historically classical music was played at a much faster tempo than it is today? YES, for a variety of reasons. The earliest forms, such as Plainchant, were without any indicated performing style or speed and modern interpreters must take their guidance from what the music was for – liturgical services of Matins through to Compline, Masses and saints’ days, etc.
The advent of polyphony did not improve the matter. When music began to be composed for pleasure, it took its cue from the coun- try dances and rhythms which influenced it. Performances were and are guided by the style of the dance: gavotte, gigue, minuet and so on. In the 19th century, when composers wanted a more disciplined approach, they marked movements and pieces with Italian words of description, and this continues. However, one man’s largo – broad – may be another’s larghetto – a little broad.
Other descriptions include andante – at walking pace – and andantino – slightly faster. This is muddied by composers adding ‘ma non troppo’: andantino ma
non troppo, or andantino, but not too much. Whatever ‘not too much’ means is open to interpretation.
With the advent of recording, speeds increased to fit pieces onto a single side of a 78rpm shellac record. An example of how speeds have changed is the adagietto from Mahler’s Fifth Symphony: for years it was performed as a dirge, a funeral piece – no doubt informed by the film Death In Venice. In fact, it is joyous – a love letter from Mahler to his wife, Alma. Edward Baker, Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
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