AN ANCIENT FRIaRY IN KILLARNEY

November 6, 2022November 6, 2022 | gaiainaction

It is with great enthusiasm that on this very wet November morning I finally sit down to write another blog post. Life is busy and it travels very fast. Lots of nice things have happened during the summer and the beginning of autumn. It has been a most beautiful, warm and sunny summer season here in West Cork, very enjoyable to have door and windows open and to practically live outside, this I adore! We have had good days and bad, one of those was Ian’s fall, but he has healed well and is back in good form now. He has been busy designing and making a glorified Zimmer frame which will help him not to have another fall.

I have attended a short course about biodiversity in West Cork run by WILD WORK and facilitated by SECAD, which I thoroughly enjoyed and learnt from. It was run locally in a most beautiful natural setting, there was also an online part to it.

But right now I would like to share some photos and chat about a visit to a Franciscan friary which my daughter and I visited during September. We were on a rare outing; in fact, we had been given the chance to go away for a weekend while Ian’s daughter Anna and her partner came over to be with him. To say that I enjoyed that weekend is an understatement, and it did me the world of good. My daughter Tjorven’s company was lovely as always.

So, we visited the interesting Muckross Abbey in Killarney which according to the Annals of the Four Masters was founded in 1448 as a Franciscan friary. It is situated on the site of an earlier monastery which was built by a Saint Fionan in the 6^th century. It’s remarkable that the site is still so well preserved keeping in mind its turbulent past, but with many repairs and restructuring it stands well preserved today. The building style is Hiberno Romanesque. In the embrasures of eight of the windows of the dormitory are fragments of wall paintings, this is not very noticeable, and I regret that I did not see this, only read about it later.

In the middle of the courtyard which is surrounded by a vaulted cloister stands a magnificent ancient Yew tree. It is thought to be as old as the abbey itself. Surrounding the abbey is an old graveyard and yew, beech and other native trees. The church of the abbey also contains some tombs, one of them seems to have a rusted handle!

We visited in the late evening and the place gave us that special feel that goes with observing ruins, thinking about the life the monks will have led, the stillness of the peaceful and natural surroundings felt by us now, and yet knowing what violent encounters those monks would have had over time, being driven out, returning and rebuilding, to be finally driven out in 1652 by Cromwellian forces.

This was just one of our exploits during out visit to Killarney, it was well worth spending the time there, but more of that in another blog post. Here follow some photos that speak for themeselves.

Muckross abbey lies peaceful in its natural surroundings, a beautiful memorial of the monks who spent their lives there.

AN AUTUMN DRIVE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 | gaiainaction

A week or so ago we took a drive along the road taking us over Lick Hill and further along towards Ballyalla lake and Trabano Cove. It was a pleasant drive and it was something that I wanted to do for a while, mainly because it’s rather trilling to know that the Atlantic Ocean lies a little way beyond this hill.

A few kilometres further we reached Trabano Cove, to the right we could see Bullock island which lies at the entrance where Loch Ine enters the ocean via the rapids. Loch Ine is a Marine Nature Reserve.

People enjoying the kayaking or swimming in the cove.

The young people set off on a kayak spin towards Loch Ine.

I have been looking up more information on the hills surrounding the town of Skibbereen. I found some interesting facts about Lick Hill but that is for another blog post, I will do a bit more work on this. While it is recommended that we travel no further than 5km from our homes for the next six weeks, I am taking even more interest in my immediate surroundings. Might as well.

LATE SUMMER COLOURS

September 6, 2020 | gaiainaction

In the hedgerows the colours of the heathers and other wild flowers are adding spice to the landscape.

Finally my Mexican Tarragon is flowering. The leaves are very fragrant and it’s a lovely plant.

A collage of the colours of our garden at present, and a late small tortoiseshell butterfly.

CONNEMARA MEMORIES

October 16, 2019March 15, 2023 | gaiainaction

I would like to share some scenes of Connemara, I hope that it captures for you the rugged beauty that Connemara is. Situated in the West of Ireland it is a most fascinating place for lovers of archaeology or geology, or just for lovers of peace, quiet, and a special type of beauty. This view is of a stone beach near Galway city, it was a paradise for me.

Inland the landscape is quite barren with bogland, rushes, and low growing gorse which gave a yellow hue to the most fantastic shades of brown and ochre all around.

In all its barren land, there is lushness to be found too, the tender young green here of rhododendrons.

Dull days, showers of rain, mist. And as a little diversion some cattle being moved to another field. I love cows in a landscape, in paintings of pastoral life they often make the painting work I think.

On the road again, I was driving very slowly indeed so I could watch the scenery, as long as there was no traffic behind, and I was lucky that the roads were relatively quiet. I am used to driving along country roads and I usually take in plants and other interesting things that I pass.

The last day we just chilled out in the hotel, I read, drank cups of tea with Ian, and I also visited the rocky beach across from the hotel where I had a very interesting time looking at and for rocks. It was a very windy day indeed, with rain thrown in as well.

The variety and beauty of the rocks at this beach was amazing.

Peaceful lake, lovely scent of autumn, and the air as fresh as is possible to imagine, you could taste it on the tip of your tongue, delicious!

Here is one of the authentic longish cottages in the vernacular style. A little gem. And another mysterious scene from the mountainous regions where the clouds hung low.

These are lovely memories of our time spent in Connemara. I hope you enjoyed a bit of our journey too.

We took this journey during early autumn 2019 to celebrate our marriage a few days earlier, it was a fantastic journey and I am thinking back to it during this time of lockdowns, no doubt we will be travelling in Ireland and no further afield this coming summer, we hope so anyway – a staycation they have called it – well we cannot complain, we are not short of interest or beauty in this island.

A JOURNEY INTO CONNEMARA

September 30, 2019November 2, 2019 | gaiainaction

Connemara was not as isolated and remote as I expected it to be. At least the part of it that we toured was not so. Even on narrow roads that literally just lead to the coast over several causeways, houses and schools were frequently dashed over the otherwise barren landscape.

Connemara was magical, the more so because the mountains were half hidden in the mist and in low clouds, throwing an un-earthly light over the bogs, highlighting the rusty colours, the sepias, the deep chocolate browns, the ochre. Sometimes the sun would briefly take away the veil that covered the land, at other times the sky would darken and a very heavy rain would pour down on us. But the rain did not bother us, we were after all on honeymoon and it was hard to take the smile off our faces.

The old cottages dotted here and there took my interest but the roads made it so that I could not stop easily to observe them better. I did take in their oblong shapes however, many seemed to be empty and ruined, others were still very much lived in.

My favourite area was the road (R344) we took from Kylemore Lough, on to Recess. On our right were the Twelve Bens, a very beautiful mountain range which unfortunately was mostly hidden in the clouds, and to our left we saw some of the Maumturk mountains. Rusty bog land, softly covered in pale lilac heathers, and in strong yellow gorse, drew the eye further along to some lakes and more bogs. This was for me one of the highlights of our journey, the beauty and serenity that I felt there was incredible and filled my heart with joy. The scents of autumn-like growth and fresh mountain air were invigorating. My excellent navigator and new husband Ian had suggested this road, and I am so happy that we explored this area of Connemara.

A little fishing village called Roundstone lies on the R341 coast road, it is such a picturesque village, one that you would want to stay for a week and just soak up the atmosphere, and the views. We had a lovely lunch there in a little place overlooking the harbour.
Connemara has a lot of small peninsulas, connected by land via causeways.

CORK CITY – FULL OF INTEREST

May 26, 2019May 27, 2019 | gaiainaction

Cork city and the river Lee in evening light

Historically speaking, this beautifully ornamented building is found in what was one of the main financial centres of Cork City. It is found on the South Mall and has recently been restored to its former glory. It is a branch of the Allied Irish Bank, the building was constructed between 1863 and 1865. To say a few words about the South Mall, this street is in the location of a former river channel and some of its 18th century buildings retain evidence of street-level boat houses which fascinates me but I have not photographed any of it to date.

The red brick houses form a terrace dating back to the beginning of the nineteenth century, one wonders if they could have been old merchant houses lining the river? The bridge (St.Patrick’s) takes people and cars over the river Lee connecting Saint Patrick’s street and Bridge Street, and upwards to Patrick’s hill which is very steep. The bridge is built from limestone, and it’s a 158 years old. The interesting bit I read is that this bridge was originally set up to provide the butter merchants with a good link between the North side of the river and the warehouses and docks in the centre of the city.

Stairway at the Crawford Art Gallery in the heart of old Cork
Upcoming and ongoing art exhibitions at the Crawford

Red brick used in the building of the St.Peter and Paul church
Neo-Gothic architecture

What we saw when we stopped for coffee in Carey’s lane in the heart of the city, was part of the present Saint Peter and Saint Paul church, which has been built on the site of the original parish chapel which served the centre of Cork city centuries ago. But what we see now dates to the beginning of the 19th century when a larger church was built in neo-Gothic architecture. It is said to have some fine features, but I have not been inside. Some of these appear to be the altar which is made from Sicilian marble, and the apse which is highly decorated, including blue and gold ceiling panels and beautiful stained glass windows. Russian oak has been used to create the pulpit and some of the carpenters were said to have been Flemish and Irish. Just as a note of interest, Gregorian masses are still being sang every Sunday at 12noon. (Photo above)

View of City Hall from across the river
Clock tower of City Hall

Pleasant lanes in the heart of Cork
When weather is nice this is a lovely area

Branch of the AIB building at South Mall, Cork

Wow factor of all the red bright colours at the Everyman Palace Theatre, a fantastically busy place to date.

The Shandon tower in between the roof tops

I always enjoy going up to the city of Cork, it is the nearest city to us and takes two hours driving these days because of road works among other things. But as of any city the history is always so very interesting even if it is only bits and pieces.

RIVER LEE FLOWING THROUGH CORK

January 31, 2019 | gaiainaction

I was very lucky today because I seldom go to Cork city these days, it so happened that for the past few days I was there, unfortunately most of that time was spent with Ian in hospital, but while on the way back from parking the car in the multi-story carpark I took these snaps today. Most importantly Ian was seen to and is doing fine, and we are home again tonight. But as you can see for yourselves Cork, which is the largest city in County Cork, and to us the nearest city, an eighty minutes drive on a good day (without roadwork stops), it is above all a beautiful and charming city. Population is only about 417,211 souls. Cork was originally a Viking trade settlement around the year 915 and is now a thriving and very popular place to shop and visit.
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The river flowing through Cork, the river Lee, flows from a lake in Gougane Barra in the Shehy mountains on the Western border of county Cork, it winds its way down other lakes and eventually reaches Cork city where it splits into two, creating an island on which the centre of the city is built.

A lot more could be told about this lovely river but I will carry on and show you today’s photos of the views I enjoyed so much and which I hope you will enjoy too.
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Another iron bridge, this time it is just a narrow foot bridge, very much in use!

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Here are some interesting and beautiful gables along the streets near the Lee river, I could not resist taking some photos of these too. Just love that gate!

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NATURE TRAIL – BALLYDEHOB

January 21, 2019 | gaiainaction

Ballydehob is a small and very charming village on the coast of West Cork, and along the Wild Atlantic route. It was once a thriving mining town, now-a-days it is still overlooked by Mount Gabriel which is where copper was mined back then. Its beauty is superb, and last Saturday we decided to go on the Nature Trail which leads around and over the old railway bridge which leads over one of Ballydehob’s two rivers, the Bawnakeane and Rathravane, but I am not sure which of the two it is! We took along one of my granddaughters, she is a real nature child and took delight in drawing pictures of some of the scenery in her note-book. Ian was well able for this walk and enjoyed it too. I took note of all the new growth along the way, there were several flowers open, Lesser Celandine, Daisies, and Herb Robert were among them. I also noticed young leaves of the March Violet, a wild Geranium, and quite a few very pretty ferns. The walk along the trail is easy for anyone and the views are magnificent. We finished our walk in the village with coffee and delicious cake at a delightful eatery called Budd’s.
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TEXTURE, COLOUR AND BEAUTY

September 28, 2018February 2, 2020 | gaiainaction

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Yesterday found us in one of the most beautiful places in West Cork, a small fishing village along the coast. It was a quiet and a sunny day, a day like you might get in September or October, when the sun is golden, bringing out the colours everywhere and in everything. The air was crisp, and all along the hedgerows lashes of bright red fuchsia were still proudly in bloom, lifting the landscape and infusing in us a feeling of vibrancy and beauty.

20180927_133454 — We stopped for a bite to eat, seafood chowder and smoked salmon on homemade brown bread, it was delicious.

We walked to the pier to watch the fishermen mend their nets, bright colours were everywhere, whether the nets were new or old, or whatever other materials are used by the fishermen, there is a wealth of texture and colour to be seen.