Monday 11 September 2017

An Almost Floating House.


We sat in the car after our rambles on the shore at Tracht, - see my previous post :https://aheronsview.blogspot.ie/2017/09/tracht-beach-flowers.html discussing all that our eyes had feasted on and the conversations we had been part of with people who were previously unknown to us - and still are because we never exchanged names.
An interlude of silence followed, broken by Mrs H who said she would like a cup of tea. I suggested that perhaps a delicious ice cream from Messrs. Linalla at Finavarra would soothe her, as it was only a few minutes drive away. 



Map of Finavarra

The area around Fhíonaigh Bheara, Finavarra is rather special to me for several reasons.
There is a Martello tower on the point jutting out into Galway Bay, a place that I frequently visited in the past when wanting time alone with the elements and the curlew. 



A view of the countryside from outside of Messrs. Linalla's.


Quite close to the village is the ancient site of The O’Dálaighs School of Lyricists and Poets in Finavarra. It is commonly known as a Bardic School however, as the Bards were seen as low class poets who were largely uneducated and whose functions were story telling and satire, I think ‘lyricists’ is a better description of the Schools’ function. 
The higher classes of Poets were the Fillidh who were trained in rhythm of both words, music and mastery of the lyre, later the harp. The Fillidh functioned as Poets, Historians and Panegyrists. The head of the school would have been an Ollamh, the highest grade of the Fillidh (master poet)  attached to the court of each of the provincial kings and sub-kings. There were periods when an Ard Ollamh (High Ollave) was appointed to exercise authority over the provincial Fillidh.



another view from the same place

Another similar establishment was Cahermacnaughten, near Ballyvaughan along the coast, where the once great Brehon Law School was held under the auspices of the O’Davorens. 
Originally these laws were handed down by word of mouth, passed from master to student, but from the seventh century onwards they were written down. One of the most important recorded sources of Brehon Law is the manuscript Egerton 88, now in the British library. This was copied in the 16th century from older documents at the law school of Cahermacnaghten.




 inland bay




The other end of the same bay



'The Almost Floating House'
and I always wonder if the occupiers ever fish out of there windows 
from the comfort of an armchair.

This whole maritime landscape is steeped in all that is precious to me, Irish culture, seats of ancient learning, wild nature and deep peace.










23 comments:

  1. Stunning Mel. What a beautiful interest photography is. One I hope to pursue....sometime😚

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    1. It is never too late to take up Mary all you need is a good camera and a steady hand.

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  2. I enjoyed the pics and descriptions, friend Heron ... blessed be ... smiles ... meanwhile in Canada it's seriously getting to be autumn ... had 2 night frosts here in the valley ... am trying to rescue from my garden what I can ... tomatoes are gone, so are the beans as they do not like frost ... no more mosquitoes either though as they do not like frost as well ... still leaving my carrots in for one more frost as they taste mighty sweet after three cold nights ... summer's end is here ... and I like it as have all my fire wood stacked and ready to go (poplar and spruce) ... bring it on, old man winter ... smiles ... meouw ... Love, cat.

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    1. Hello Cat ! Well goodness yours is the second email I have had in from Canada within a minute of each other - makes me a bit suspicious... [not serious am only joking :-)]
      Very glad you enjoyed the blog and thanks for the comments xx

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  3. Jack L in Canada said:
    Hello Mel,
    Many, many thanks for sending this out...especially right now for me. The scenery is magnificent and I can 'hear your voice' when you describe your love for this special place and the bards, Fillidh and the authority exercised by the Ard Ollamh.

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    1. Hello Jack !
      I kind of had you in mind when I wrote part of the blog, so not surprising that you heard my voice. Oh sneaky old druid that I am... thank you for commenting.

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  4. It appears to be the ideal place in which to learn to be a poet, almost impossible not to break into verse in such gorgeous scenery. I'm told there used to be a pub beside Ennerdale Water in the English Lake District where one could fish in the lake while still sitting in the bar. I don't remember that one, but I have been in a pub in Boulmer, Northumberland where bird-watchers set up their telescopes by the windows and watch the shore-birds from the warmth and comfort of the bar.

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    1. Thank you very much for your interesting comments John. I think that people generally make the best of situations of where they live :-)

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  5. Hi Mel - seems to be your ideal place ... I can read into that in the post and those pictures tell more of the tale - the setting perfect for solitude thoughts, poets and time to be ... that house is wonderful - I wonder if they fish straight out of their windows... fantastic thing to do though - cheers Hilary

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    1. Yes Hilary, an ideal place for me to visit and clear my head... not though to live. Sometimes it is better to have places to visit, enjoy and go home from.
      Many thanks for your interest.

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  6. Lovely piece. Wonder how the water is in winter.!

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  7. I twist my tongue around the names, but do my best. It does appear to float. With the storm surge we had the lagoon behind our house came up to the back steps and we had turtles swimming there. And the Ogeechee river came down our street and half covered our front lawn. Thankfully they both receded fairly quickly.

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    1. I thought the title was appropriate considering what was going on with Irma.
      Sounds like you and Mac had a fortunate escape with the lagoon and the river trying to visit your home.
      I spent a lot of time watching youtube CNN and Fox news to keep abreast of what was going down, absolutely horrendous damage in quite a few places and so very upsetting for the citizens too.
      Thank you for commenting Janet.

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  8. Just beautiful, Mel. I so hope I live long enough to make a return trip to Ireland and experience this for myself!

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  9. You asked me if I had seen your latest post, now I have and its brilliant. You do live in the most exciting spot on Earth and you have the ability to appreciate it too. Thank you!!!!

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    1. Solveig you are as ever very welcome and thank you for visiting the blog.

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  10. A fascinating insight into a small part of your world and its past.

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    1. Glad that you appreciate my part of the world and most oddly: today we (Mrs H and I ) visited Kildare and entered a Catholic Institution solely to meet up with a group of American pagans who have been touring the ancient sites of Ireland.

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  11. Thanx 4 the sharing Mel, interesting info :)

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