The last crusade of the Holly Bough... a Christmas gauntlet laid down for Corkonians!

IT all began on a car journey, when my son, Thomas, threw in one of those curveball questions that teenagers are wont to do.

“What’s your favourite Wonder of the World, dad?”

Momentarily stumped, I decided to stall for time: “Ancient or Modern?”

He was ready: “Modern.”

Damn, he wasn’t giving me any time at all here.

I seemed to recall in the far reaches of my mind that the pyramids of Egypt were both an Ancient and Modern Wonder of the World (I was wrong). I ran with it.

He was prepared.

“Which specific pyramid?”

Crikey, this was turning into a history version of The Chase, and I was losing badly. My Chaser took pity on me.

“The Great Pyramid of Giza?” Thomas offered.

Relief. “Aye, that’s the one.”

The lecture continued. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only Ancient Wonder of the World of the seven left standing, and it was the oldest of them all - but it isn’t one of the seven Modern Wonders.

Chastened, I asked him to expand on what had clearly been a far more recent history lesson for him than it had been for me.

“What are the seven Modern Wonders of the World, then?”

He reeled them off:

Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca citadel built 7,970ft up a mountain in Peru.

Chichén Itzá, a city built by the Maya people in modern-day Mexico, most famous for its step-pyramid temple.

The Colosseum in Rome, Italy.

Christ the Redeemer, the statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,

The 21,196km Great Wall of China (which, my son tells me, contrary to common opinion, cannot be seen from the Moon).

The Taj Mahal, a marble mausoleum in Agra, India, built to house a grieving emperor’s favourite wife (the other wives’ views on this are not recorded).

Petra, an ancient city in the desert of Jordan, best known for its temple hewn into rock - and, my son reminded me, scene of the epic finale of that favourite Christmas movie, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade.

I idly speculated that, if any of these iconic structures were to suddenly crumble, perhaps Shandon Church could step in from a reserve list of Modern Wonders of the World.

Then a thought struck me.

Had the Holly Bough visited all these seven Modern Wonders of the World, via its popular Picture Gallery? And, if not, then why the bloody hell not?

I dug into the archives, and sure enough, began to tick off the seven wondrous landmarks where the Holly Bough has been proudly held aloft.

Reader, you were doing so well ... until we came to No.7 on our list. Petra in Jordan. Our archives drew a blank.

So, this Christmas, I am sending out an appeal. Without being too over-dramatic, I am calling it - cue Indiana Jones music - The Last Crusade Of The Holly Bough.

A million tourists a year visit Petra. If any of you are passing it in the next 12 months, and you have a copy of this year’s edition with you - would you mind awfully sending in a snap so we can complete the full set?

Once we have that done, we can turn to the seven Ancient Wonders of the World.

Now, the Lighthouse of Alexandra... is that out beyond Roches Point? The Hanging Gardens of Babylon... would they be in Fitzgerald’s Park by any chance?

In this year's Holly Bough, you can also read about the last five U.S states left for the Holly Bough Picture Gallery - on sale now in shops, €6, and online at hollybough.ie