Frontline Shoes

I wasn't aware that today was the day of annual National Frontline Services Parade, or that they'd be gathering just outside the door of my workplace, the Irish Writers' Centre, where I was due to give a  New Irish  Communities workshop (for non-native English speakers). 

Barriers were up to prevent parking so I had to drive around the corner and park opposite the flats on Dorset St. On the way back I took this, of a group of shiny cop-shoes, which amused the wearers. 

Workshop went well I think. I started it by asking the seven participants, from Germany, Brazil, Hungary (and Dublin) to each select a painting from the  Frank X Buckley late 20th century art collection, that fills every room of the grand old Georgian building: abstract, figurative, landscape, portraits, rural, cityscapes... quite an eclectic and varied range. The idea was that the painting should mean something to them, move them in some way. I had brought some ekphrastic examples to show what I meant but they understood instinctively, judging from their responses.