Showing posts with label castle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label castle. Show all posts

Sunday, 9 September 2018

R and R

You may have noticed that I have been absent from the world of blogging for a considerable time and my excuse is that I accompanied Mrs H  who was exhibiting her artwork, for a little over 9 weeks, at The Loughcrew Megalithic Centre near Oldcastle in Co. Meath. It was very successful and we met a lot of interesting people from all over the world, as well as making lots of new friends and reconnecting with old ones.

Physically we both felt weary after the exhibition closed so we decided to treat ourselves to a bit of R and R to recharge our batteries.

We have a favourite place in which to do this, a world away from our habitat, a place that I can best describe as being an area of old wildness that is skirted by the sea, a place that has always revitalised us with it's gentleness.

Please enjoy the photos.
Tell me do you too have a favourite place where you recharge your inner battery ?



A refurbished Norman Towerhouse



A ladies bike with no sign of the owner and just to make sure that she had not
jumped into the sea I did take a look.



Seeing this oarsmen reminded me of a favourite piece of music, The Lonesome Boatman.



This old timer always catches my eye.



I'm not sure whether the yacht on the quay side has recently been removed from the water or if she has been there all summer. 

As for this green hulled boat I assume that it is a workboat of some kind or other.  
One thing is for sure it is the first craft I have ever seen to have exhaust pipes on 
either side of the wheelhouse.




A bird on the loose ?
Long ago, in a former occupation of mine, seagulls were known as being
re-incarnated Fleet Chief Petty Officers, others knew them as shite hawks.



Now here is a really tidy, neat and clean looking sloop to be proud of.



What about this elderly lady, isn't she in good shape for her age ?



I bet her owner is very proud of her !






Wednesday, 16 May 2018

POINTS OF VIEW

Since buying my new camera I have found myself becoming rather attached to it. 
There are times when it is not with me that I scold myself especially when I see a particular scene that, to my mind, would make an interesting photo.

So here are just a few of those photographs, things that have recently caught my eye.



The Ship on a Stick.

This can be found on the outskirts of Portumna, Co. Galway quite close to the River Shannon
upon which I doubt very much it will ever cruise again.



A conglomeration of coastal properties that sit under the Burren uplands and on the banks of 
Galway Bay. The smallest of them always attracts my eye.




The Keep

A very well preserved circular building made of local stone. 
I often wonder whether it was once a lot higher, though I guess that we shall never know.




Kiosk Lady

She must have plenty to natter about for she is always there, 
chatting away at all times of the day and night.





Rainbows on the wall

I captured these lads early one morning floating about and looking rather attractive, 
my one complaint is that the pots of gold are nowhere to be found.





Fresh leaves in Sunlight

The scene caught my eye this morning while visiting Mrs H in her studio, 
so I dashed indoors for my camera.




The Dog in the Doorway

How could I not resist capturing the magnificent Toby
guarding the entrance and enjoying the scent of spring.


It is a rambling garden that we have, with worn down paths that flow easily amongst 
whispering wild flowers where bees and other small creatures live in harmony.











Tuesday, 2 January 2018

Our First Adventure of the New Year

The day was bright, the sun low in the sky and the road surface was wet, making driving conditions difficult for our first adventure of the year. Despite passing over my peak cap to give some extra shade, Mrs H was dazzled but keen to be on our way!

We journeyed at a safe speed, allowing for sunlight conditions, passing the looming remains of O’Moore’s Castle on the Rock of Dunamaise.



The Rock of Dunamaise, a site of many battles, was an important fortification throughout Ireland's history. It was plundered by the Vikings in the 9th century, became a Norman stronghold in the 13th, was rebuilt by the O'Moore's in the 15th and was finally destroyed by Cromwell's guns from the east in the 17th century.


We stopped in Carlow for some freshly made sandwiches and coffee as break-fast had only been a single banana each, insufficient to travel on for long. 
Our destination was to visit to Clonegal, an attractive village that sits on the boundary of Counties Carlow and Wexford. Our last visit was in 2013, so it was good to see the changes that had taken place since then.




OSBORNE'S
Where I was disappointed by not having my thirst pint of the year!

I had hopes of having a glass of stout in Osborne’s but unfortunately it was closed, probably for them to rest up after the previous nights New Year’s Eve celebrations.  My thirst was quenched by Adam’s Ale (water) instead.



The smallest building in Clonegal known as The Weigh House


 The 1916 Memorial




The Derry River which always attracts me and so good to see the new railings.


Looking up  The Derry river and the garden with the protective stone bank.


Number one is one of the three stone pigs that sit next 
the Weigh House.


Number two is the sleepy pig who ate too much perhaps over Christmas ?
And number three 
is missing because he got away !

We shall return in May when the blossom is out to visit the gardens of Huntington Castle, a place where I spent many a happy hour in the company of Olivia Durdin Robertson and her associates in the Fellowship of Isis. https://www.huntingtoncastle.com



This shop is in the small town of Stradbally in Co. Laoise,
we often pass it on our journeys. It is the large ice cream cone that attracts me.
This time we stopped because Mrs H wanted a mineral drink and I an ice cream,
The message that she returned with made me laugh.
For she said that the man in the shop said that there was no ice cream to be had and
that there was only a cone on the roof because he was unable to take it down...
So I had a pipe of baccy instead.



Finally, I wish you all a very happy New Year and the courage to face up to the many changes that may come your way.










Sunday, 20 August 2017

OLD TIMERS

'Old Timers' are the many vernacular cottages and often deserted homes scattered across our rural landscape. The photo's that follow are a selection of some of the buildings in three counties.


Beneath the shroud of greenery lies a once handsome cottage with a tiled roof.
It caught my eye twenty odd years ago and I often wondered if anyone would appreciate its very private location and buy it, nobody did so nature has now taken over.





This one too has always attracted me. There were once figures on the porch roof but since the recent clean up they have sadly disappeared. I wonder if a 'For Sale' sign will shortly be seen, for it has a useful level field behind and would make a good wee home for someone with the energy to care for the place.



No hope for this old home I guess as it is only a couple feet from a busy road.



This old timer has seen it's folks move way and the present owner can see no value
in even maintaining it as a useful store. It is very sad to see unwarranted neglect.



A long house where music and yarns would have almost lifted the rafters off whilst the owners jigged the night away.




Once referred to as an Irish cabin, most likely thatched and now sheeted over with corrugated iron, then converted to a shed: the doorway increased in width to accommodate cattle.





All is not lost for this old gatehouse is now occupied and provides a sturdy home
for it's owners.



Yet another gatehouse that we often pass by. 
This was the original gate lodge for Castle Bernard, renamed Kinnitty Castle.
 The present entrance and driveway is now at Beech Lodge.








Thursday, 28 April 2016

The Banner County

“The custom of carrying banners goes back a long way in County Clare. There is little doubt but that the Dál gCais carried banners at the battle of Clontarf in 1014 or that the Clare Dragoons carried banners at Fontenot in 1745 and in the many battles fought by the Clare Regiments on the continent during the eighteenth century.”

We went on a day trip recently to re-visit one of our favourite counties, as there are so many  antiquities dotted around the countryside we still have not viewed them all. The one thing I learnt a long time ago, when looking for interesting vistas or ancient sites, is that when touring you need to slow down, drive carefully and be adventurous. The best type of narrow roads to take are those with a thin strip of grass growing up the middle as very often you will see something interesting.

This is how we found ourselves outside (1) Smithstown Castle and on another narrow road we saw a fingerboard pointing towards the (2) Blakemount Holy Well.
This tempted Mrs H to go and find it - now doubt she will reveal all soon on her own blog.
It was on yet another narrow road, that I managed to photograph  (3) a double donut shaped erratic which had been dumped there by the last Ice Age.
Photo number (4) A Sham was found on a tourist road on the outskirts of Kilfenora, it is not an ancient monument and was only constructed recently by a local resident.
Photo (5) was taken with my new camera along the road from Callan to Ballyvaughan - said as Bally vocken not vawn.


2. Stile to Blakemount Holy Well.

a 'double donut' shaped erratic.

A Sham.


5 Along the road from Callan to Ballyvaughan.

Our circuitous route took us from Gort in Co.Galway along the R460 towards a small town of Corrofin or is it Coroffin or perhaps Caroffin or even Corofin ? 
I mentioned to  Mrs H on our way in that I wondered which spelling was correct because every imaginable spelling could be seen on signposts and billboards. I also wondered if the local business people had found a new method of attracting trade or perhaps their signwriters  were drunk?

Well now guess what I read last night on a news channel..

“Local groups have formed in the towns of Lahinch, Ennistymon, and Corofin, with each group set write to Clare County Council later this week, to officially begin the legal process of changing the towns’ names. The local authority has confirmed it is the appropriate agency to deal with this issue and that a local vote, similar to that held in Dingle in 2006, may also be required.

This situation arose more than five years ago when Transport Infrastructure Ireland, formally the NRA, contracted Clare County Council to update signage on the N67 tourism route.

At this time the official legal spelling of the towns, which was derived from documentation written before the formation of the state, was used to replace the traditional local spellings which had appeared on all signage for the past 100 years.”

My online research says this :The origin of Name: Corofin takes its name from the Irish ‘Coradh Finne’ which means ‘The Weir of Finnia’.

So there we have it:Transport Infrastructure/National Roads Authority and Clare County Council please take note!


Thursday, 17 March 2016

A Trip Down the Road



We took a trip to the famous Lough Gur in County Limerick which has been inhabited for the last six thousand years. I looked at the map and it seemed to be an easy route by taking the M7 down towards Limerick City and to take a left onto the N24 and then a right onto a smaller road. What I had not realised was that there were other smaller roads that were not on my map and so we had to make a few enquiries along the way.  Our main complaint is that it is not very well sign posted and we did ponder on whether they actually want visitors judging by the lack of signs.

For Lady H it was her first time of driving for any distance on a Motorway and it did not please her, she gave me the very same dislikes as I had myself, that they are boring and mesmerising after awhile . Which is why I only used them when it was very necessary.


Nearby locations

Lough Gur locality

The tranquil lake where motorised boats and fishing on the lake are not permitted.

One of the remaining crannogs on lough Gur.
A crannog is a man made island created by the neolithic people as means
of making a safe haven

You might recognise these two from earlier blog posts?
They are taking their ease in front two buildings reconstructed in what is believed to be
a neolithic style -minus the glass windows of course.

Popping out of the trees on left side of photo is Bourchier’s Castle built in 1588 by Sir George Bourchier, the son of the second Earl of Bath.


We had a very pleasant day out and our Toby slept all of the way home.

For more information about Lough Gur please visit

Monday, 30 November 2015

Brian Boru and Old Magic

Cashel town

On Saturday morning we were up early (for us) to drive down to Cashel in Tipperary in order to meet with some friends. They were also driving down from somewhere in Cork.

Has that confused you ?

Here in Ireland no matter where you live or in what direction you are going the phrase used is ‘going down to’, people who live on the south coast will 'travel down to’ places in the north.

For a few days I had been keeping an eye on the weather forecasts to see what we could expect.
On Saturday morning there was an orange alert for a high, west wind and heavy rain with a variable temperature of 4 to 7 deg C. 
"Damn to hell" I thought that can’t be right, "ah’ we will give it a go anyway."
So we did.  As we left home the temperature was 5.5 deg C but after a few miles it rose to 7.4 degrees. I sat in the front passenger seat and in my mind kept focussing on seeing blue skies over Cashel.

When stopped for a while in Urlingford to have a sandwich we had sleet falling on the windscreen. That did not deter me though as I kept on focussing on fine weather. We arrived at our destination, the temperature had risen and it was dry but with a chill wind. We finally met our friends and repaired to a pub.We sat in a window seat chatting away and drinking coffee. Nothing stronger as alcohol during the day makes me sleepy and I recall, when I was a 'dry’ driver, how annoying the fumes of strong drink could be.
Towards the end of our meeting a burst of sunlight shone through the window and as I looked up the sky was blue. “Ah-hah the old magic still works” I thought to myself.


The Rock of Cashel

Outside the pub we said our goodbyes and returned to the car park in a strong biting wind, we were very glad of the shelter that the car provided. 
On leaving the town I asked her Ladyship to pull over so that I could take a photo of The Rock of Cashel from whence the town of Cashel gets its name.

In the 5th century, the Eóganachta dynasty founded their capital on and around the rock and many kings of Munster have reigned here. In 977 the Dál gCais usurper, Brian Boru, was crowned here as the first non-Eóghanacht king of Cashel and Munster in over five hundred years. His great-grandson, King Muirchertach Ua Briain, gave the place to the bishop of Limerick in 110, denying it forever to the MacCarthys, the senior branch of the Eóganachta. 
The bishops once had a famous school in Cashel and from there sent priests all over the continent.They even maintained their own monastery, called Scots Monastery, in Regensburg, Germany.

These days Rock is under the care of Heritage Ireland whose scaffolding can be seen over Cormac’s Chapel.
The project underway currently involves conserving the chapel, built from sandstone, which has deteriorated to such an extent that it is letting in water. 
A notice on their web site explains that access to the Chapel is limited from May till September each year for bus tours until the work is completed. Visitors are admitted in small groups for 10 minutes maximum.

We had a great day out and by the time we had returned the temperature had risen to 10 deg, which proves that it is unwise to believe everything that the experts tell us.
Our next adventure will be ……. ah you will have to wait and see :)

Saturday, 23 May 2015

MARRIAGE EQUALITY - YES !


Ireland is the first country in the world to approve same-sex marriage in a popular nationwide vote.

The official result was declared at Dublin Castle shortly before 7pm on 23rd May.

A total of 1,201,607 people (62.1%) voted Yes and 734,300 (37.9%) voted No.

It is a good feeling not only to be on the winning side but to be living in a country where democracy counts and all of it's people are valued.



The jubilant scene outside of Dublin Castle.














Following the formal announcement of a Yes vote in the marriage equality referendum, Yes Equality Co-directors Grainne Healy and Brian Sheehan addressed the crowds at Dublin Castle:
"Today, we are more truly a nation of equals. The people of Ireland have exercised their Constitutional right and by direct vote they have said an emphatic 'Yes' to Equality. We now join twenty other countries where same-sex marriage has been entirely legalized. We are the first country to do so by a vote of the people.
"This referendum was all about belonging - Irish lesbian and gay citizens had to ask the Irish people if they too can belong to Ireland and belong in Ireland. In their deep generosity the Irish people have said 'Yes'- Yes, we belong. Today's result means that having been 'branded and isolated' for decades, each lesbian and gay person knows now that they too belong in Ireland, as full, equal citizens.
"It means more. It means that lesbian and gay couples belong to each other in a rich, new, and profound way. That lesbian and gay parents belong anew to their children, and their children to them. And that mothers and fathers can now rest assured that their lesbian and gay children belong in the same way as all their children.
"It means that all of us - lesbian, gay, straight, family members, friends, colleagues, allies, voters - belong equally to the Irish national family.
"To the Irish people, to those who voted 'Yes', you have done something that should make you forever proud. Do not forget this moment, this moment when you were your best self, when you chose to make your mark for an Ireland that could be a better and fairer place.
"And to those who did not yet vote with us, we hope that, as lesbian and gay couples marry, you will see that we seek only to add to the happiness and the security of the diverse Irish national family.
"While today is a day for celebration, it is only right that we should remember those who over the years were deprived of the opportunity that this 'Yes' bringss, those who were deprived of a fundamental human right.
"We should remember the many lives blighted by shame, lives lived in loneliness and isolation, lives lost to hostility and fear. No longer should men and women have to hide a part of themselves from others and even from themselves, deprived of the opportunity to love and be loved.
"We should remember too and honour those who took the first brave and lonely steps that led us to this day: those who pointed up the discrimination, the inequality, the segregation; those who refused - often at great personal cost - to be silenced or intimidated by the voices of intolerance; those who fought for equality, inclusion and recognition. They laid the foundations for today's transformative and historic change.
"And there can be no doubt that this campaign for marriage equality has indeed been transformative. It has given LGBT people in Ireland permission to love ourselves and come out more comfortably and completely, some for the first time ever. It has generated a discussion and awareness among Irish people about equality and diversity and fairness - a discussion and awareness that will now flourish and grow."

Monday, 15 September 2014

KINNITTY, Co.Offaly


KINNITTY in Co.Offaly sits at the foot of the Slieve Bloom mountains and has had a variety of names throughout the years from Cinneity, Kernittys, Killenitty and the Irish Cinneitigh. 

Today in Irish the name is spelt Cionn Eitigh, meaning either the head or hermitage of Etech or Eitigh (St. Ita), who also gave her name to the neighbouring parish of Ettagh.  


One of the first notable things about Kinnitty is the very wide streets and it would be easy to believe that they were recently constructed until you see the age of the buildings which border them. The village consisted of five houses at the end of the eighteenth century and had grown to ninety-six dwellings by 1841.



The Green 



The Bernard family who were the estate owners built the RC Chapel circa 1841. They offered the then parish priest Fr. Delaney a house for himself and his successors and 10 acres of land if he would let them build a chapel at their own expense. Fr. Delaney refused but the Bernards went ahead anyway and the bishop compelled him to use the chapel. 
This picturesque chapel now hosts a great many weddings, with many of the wedding breakfasts being held in either Giltrapp's, The Slieve Bloom Bar or The Kinnitty Castle Hotel.

I wonder if the pump is dry too ?


A dry summer has almost dried up this river



A great pub for a good pint of Guinness !

I have always admired the four foliate heads above doorway


You might think from looking at the window that this is just a gift shop,
well you would be wrong for it sells groceries, bread, butter and ice-cream.



The Kinnitty Pyramid, the only one of its kind in Ireland, is situated in the graveyard of the Church of Ireland. It stands 30 feet in height and was built as a crypt by Lt. Col Richard Wesley Bernard for his family on his return from Egypt in the mid 1800's. 
It is an exact replica of the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt. 
The pyramid was completed in 1834 and it is now permanently sealed by 3 inch thick doors 
made from steel which lead down to the interior. The tomb holds 6 coffins belonging to the Bernards of Kinnity Castle with the last burial taking place in 1907.

Other places to rest your head




We often stop at Kinnitty on our way home from Birr with our weekly shopping as it is such an attractive, tidy and friendly village. For me it represents many of the Irish towns and villages across the island and is a place we never get tired of visiting.