Grand Master’s Address to Grand Lodge on St. John’s Day 27th December 2010

Brethren all,

18/10/10 Lodge 184 Magheralin                           
I was very impressed by quality of working and unity of purpose exhibited by the Brethren as well as the especial performance of the Lodge Secretary, W.Bro.Trevor Waddell, whose administration skills and dedication to the task were superb.  He personally exercises a great interest in building and preserving a successful Lodge and I congratulate him for that. The brethren were obviously committed to attending and received much pleasure from their membership. The Secretary sent me a very nice letter where he stated that I did not realise the tremendous lift which my visit had given to their small growing Lodge and, I must say, which gave me equal satisfaction.

20/10/10 Lodge 68 Youghal                                  
I travelled to Youghal via Dublin with the Grand Secretary, which was a visit I looked forward to making, as my memories of Lodge 68 go back to my time as Secretary of St. Columb’s Lodge, Moville, Co. Donegal, when we made annual payments to them for the purpose of improving their Lodge premises. Our view at the time was that they were very much in the far flung frontiers, just as it was with us.  It was a wonderful visit which impressed me considerably.

14 – 21/11/10  Hong-Kong & Singapore – P.G.L. of The Far East & South East Asia
Our visit to Hong-Kong and Singapore was a wonderful experience.  The weather was ideal in both Provinces and we were treated exceptionally well.

The Provincial Grand Lodge of the Far East was constituted in 1989 since it was an Inspectorate and had since qualified as a Province due to the increase in its Lodges. The outgoing Provincial Grand Master was R.W.Bro. Chamson Chau, who succeeded R.W.Bro. Arthur Gomez as Inspector and is well known to many in Ireland, was a wonderful P.G. Master in his time.  He was succeeded by R.W.Bro. Brendan Bong, whom I installed on my visit and whom I also rate very highly. The P.G.L. of the Far East has been in good hands and will continue to be well led by the new P.G. Master. I wish him every success.

The Provincial Grand Lodge of the South East was constituted earlier by the P.G. Master of Sri Lanke, R.W.Bro. Harindran who also had also installed the new P.G.M. R.W.Bro. Lau Kee Siong for which I thank him sincerely. The new P.G.M. is most active and very capable, in unison with his Deputy Grand Master, to develop this Province in a meaningful and appropriate manner.  Again, the generosity of the South Eastern Brethren was outstanding and I am very confident that we will see significant development in these two theatres of Irish Freemasonry. I wish the Brethren every success knowing that in their hands new levels can be achieved and I am confident that I can expect no less. I also wish them every success.

2/12/10 Lodge 598 Randalstown                         
My visit to Lodge 598 in Randalstown was an enjoyable experience where, once again, the quality of the Lodge Secretary was most apparent in that he was well organised and most professional in his performance.  My task was to present two 60 years medals to W.Bros. S.J. Millar (1947) and David Jamison (1950), elderly Brethren who had given their all to the Lodge and to Freemasonry.  I thank them for that and wish them continued good health and long life. I also presented 50 year medals to W.Bros. J.C. Luke (1953) and C.W. Cullen (1955).  These members have given commitment and energy to the well-being of 598 and to its glorious antiquity.

Lodge 598 was the Lodge of the late William Mawhinney who served as Assistant Grand Master when I was Deputy and with whom I had very good relations.

16/12/10 Lodge 799 Castlederg                           
Lodge 779 invited me to present 50 year medals to two Brethren, one of a long standing involvement and one who has achieved much in Freemasonry and now prevails as the Provincial Assistant Grand Master of Tyrone & Fermanagh, namely R.W.Bro. Norman Humes.   Norman has coped with a serious illness for sometime and faces more treatment at the present time. I wish him well and may he see this difficulty through and emerge at the other side undamaged.

Castlederg hosts a Weather Station in its precincts and sets the standard for the rest of Northern Ireland in relation to temperature. I visited the area on a night when -17oC was prevailing.

Young Musician of the Year Competition         16/10/10                    
As we said on the Final night, it was an occasion on which to remember that Mozart was still a youth when he was first helped on his way by the patronage of Freemasons in Vienna.  Later, when he became a Mason, his Lodge was called ‘Beneficence’.  He knew how much a young musician is in need of support and beneficence – and he certainly knew a brilliant clarinetist when he heard one.  As the Irish Freemasons send Macdára Ó Seireadáin on his way as their Young Musician of the Year 2010, they surely have Mozart’s blessing.  Eamonn Lawlor

5/10/2010 Sligo
On 5th October in Sligo I was pleased to meet with her Excellency The President, Mary McAleese at a Samaritans Conference there and was privileged to be photographed with her on that occasion.

Keep up the good work and God bless you all.

M.W. Bro. George Dunlop
Grand Master