It Is Illegal To Look At Nuns

The Carmelite nuns don't want to be seen, even by someone over one hundred meters away, and an Irish judge has found in their favor.

The cloistered Sisters sold off a portion of their real estate in Stillorgan, County Dublin back in the 1970's. Like so many religious groups, they were running short of funds and what better way to raise capital than to part with unused ground?

When the property was sold off, it was known that it would be used for housing. But the nuns also wanted to maintain their privacy. You aren't supposed to see one of them. That's how the Carmelites operate. So forty years ago, they arranged things to suit their unusual rules.

Houses are bought and sold over the years. John and Ita Murray came to own one of the homes that happened to back up to the Carmelite property.

Like so many homeowners, they modified their digs to suit their lifestyle. They tacked on an addition to enlarge their living space, and they came up against restrictions and covenants that they didn't know existed.

Forever and into perpetuity, no home could have a window more than ten feet above grade if said home were overlooking the convent grounds. Unfortunately for the Murrays, their remodeled space included a master bedroom with a window on the upper floor...looking out upon the convent's property.

God in Heaven, the eyeballs of the laity!

It was off to court, to put an end to the horror of possibly being seen.

Mr. Murray knew nothing of the covenant. No one picked up on the restrictions when they granted him permission for the construction. He wasn't interested in looking at cloistered nuns when he had the window installed, either. It's the only source of light for the en suite.

No matter. A binding covenant is a binding covenant.

The judge has ordered the Murrays to block up the window. Mr. Murray has noted that by blocking up the window, he is in violation of the fire codes, and cannot use the room for anything besides storage.

Couldn't the Murrays just agree to don blindfolds when entering their bedroom? Wouldn't that accomplish the same thing?

How about if they draw the curtains? Or build a very, very, very tall fence?