Last week saw my daughter Tjorven, my five grandchildren and myself visit a most lovely and atmospheric open garden in West Cork. It had been a very long time since we had the privilege of doing this and luckily the weather was with us. The garden is situated at the site of a 19th century dairy farm and there are fabulous ruins to be found there. The townland of Breeny Mor (Na Bruine Mora in Gaelic – meaning “Great dwellings of the fairies) lies a few kilometres south of and uphill from the village of Kealkill. Close by is the beautiful Mealagh Valley and also Coomhola. I tried to find some more information about this dairy farm by checking the Census but the earliest records I could find for Breeny Mor was of one family by the name of Cronin where both the man and wife were dairy workers and that was in the Census of 1901. There were no other records of dairy men to be found and so I am wondering if this farm was still a working farm in the beginning of the 20th century and if these people were descendants of the original dairy farmers or were they just working at that site.
The ruins are quite well preserved and I found the window slits interesting, the present owner of the place said they would have been great for airing the place. In my imagination this building was a dairy where from the fresh milk the butter, cream, cheese, and yogurt was made, but maybe this was just a stable for the cattle? I am not well up on this sort of thing. I’d love to know more, visiting this place has made me very curious about the history of farming and especially dairy farming in this region of West Cork.
Close by this garden there are to be found a stone circle and boulder burials, which we did not visit this time but I would like to do this in the near future.
But for now I will let you all just wander around this place via my photos, I let you loose on this garden and hope you enjoy it too. For us and for the children it was a magical place.
More information on this garden can be found at: Click on this link please: Breeny Mor – West Cork Garden Trail
that looks like such a magical place! I guess my imagination will go in overdrive if I ever visited this site! Thanks for sharing your thougths and pictures with us.
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Likewise Vanessa, and this particular place was especially atmospheric.
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It does look enchanted.
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Yes thank you, it sure was.
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The ruins and relics add interest to this garden. I love the name: “Great dwellings of the fairies.” 🙂
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Thank you Eliza, to look at the translation of place names is very interesting isn’t it 🙂
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I’ve enjoyed that Agnes, thank you. It does indeed look like a magical place and your wonderful photos have done it justice from that aspect. So close to us and have never been – i must put that right very soon – a lovely day out for young and old(er) lol! xx
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Thank you dear Debbie, yes it is close to you and I think you would enjoy it too. Hope all is well, might see you soon at the market in Skibb.xxx
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A most rewarding wander
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Thank you very much Derrick.
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This does indeed look lovely! The walls give it a ‘secret garden’ feeling 🙂
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Thank you very much Sarah, yes I agree with you the feeling was lovely, the garden is rather special.
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Looks like an interesting place
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It does that, I am intrigued by it very much.
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🙂
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L.O.V.E.L.Y xxx
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Hartelijke dank David en Stefanie ❤
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Prachtig! Doet me echt dromen en verlangen naar reizen in de natuur. 🌳
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Dank u Lut en ja kan het wel geloven, we hebben de natuur brood nodig. Groetjes x
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Lovely plants you have in your enchanted garden
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Thank you very much Roy, it is not my garden though but a garden which you may visit, I agree with you that it is a lovely garden.
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Magnificent place
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Thank you MaryLou and it sure is a lovely area.
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