Saturday 14 October 2017

The Hill of the Witch


We took to the road last weekend intending to ramble around the area of Loughcrew otherwise known as Sliabh na Cailleach and to view the paintings of a Dublin based artist Lar Dooley, which had caught Mrs H’s eye on Facebook.

It was a soft day, meaning that although warm it was very damp, with fine misty rain. Not the type of day for me to walk up the hill to the cairns although I have done so in the past. The climb is quite easy when going up but coming down it can be very treacherous and my old bones no longer appreciate tumbles.

The hill of the witch - the Cairns of Loughcrew, a quick guide by Anthony Murphy


Instead we headed to the new to us visitor centre, several buildings, one of which was once a cottage home. The cafe was inviting and the staff friendly so we partook of a great up of coffee then went into the gallery to view the work of Lar Dooley. Each image was inspired by the landscape of Loughcrew and the ancient cairns with their stone art. His technique was unusual, to me it seemed almost ceramic in texture, with symbols seemingly carved into stone. Mrs H fell in love with an illustration of the stone which sits in a chamber inside Cairn T and is illuminated by the sun at the Equinoxes.

https://www.loughcrewmegalithiccentre.com/tips-for-visiting-loughcrew

This over looks the childrens' playground.


The courtyard where an old bone shaker leans next to the wall.


A fairy bridge - not that I was aware of any!


EQUINOX


We wended our way homewards stopping in Oldcastle Co. Meath which I was surprised to learn is a relatively new town, created by the Naper family in the 18th century.


This auction house had some classical pieces of furniture on show.


I can only presume that the people from these cars were
propping up the pub counters.


A memorial to two sons of Ireland who lost their lives
when fighting of independence in the 1920's


A colourful corner in Oldcastle

The link below has an audio which goes into great detail about the town of Oldcastle and I suggest that you read and hear for yourselves all about the place.


We shall shortly be revisiting the megalithic centre and hopefully to meet and speak with Lar Dooley
so I will keep you informed. Until then take care of yourselves.





14 comments:

  1. WE actually had sun today, it was rather warm! Very surprised

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    1. Snap!
      So did we it was very pleasant for awhile and tonight there have been a few strong gusts of wind - my guess is that it is leading up to something a bit stronger :-(

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  2. Hi Mel - sounds a lovely day out ... and it is still warm ... lovely to be able to explore and see new areas - cheers Hilary

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    1. Yes even though most of the journey was a revisit. Thanks for the comment Hilary.

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  3. Stay safe as the storm passes over you.

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    1. Thanks Pat we did and it was a novel experience !

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  4. Thank you for letting me ride along in da back seat and see what you saw, friend Heron ... Love always, cat.

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    1. It is always a delight to carry you as a back seat passenger Cat !

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  5. What a lovely day out, Mel. I love the colour of the buildings in the towns. Are many Irish towns so colourful? I like the fairy bridge too. It must have been such an enjoyable day!

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    1. Thank you Val. There is a growing trend across the island to make the smaller towns more colourful. The very first was Eyeries on the Beara Peninsula in Co Cork and they brought in an expert to advise on what colours could be used to carefully contrast according to size and shape.

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  6. Mel, lovely meeting your kind self, and the very youthful and gracious young lady who graces you arm. Thank you, especially for the good company, for gracing the Loughcrew Megalithic Centre with your (joint) presence, and, especially, for the gracious comments about my art. Hopefully this will not be the last time our paths cross and looking forward to another enjoyable chinwag --

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    1. Hello Lar thank you for your generous comment. We share a mutual satisfaction and recognition
      of having a similar outlook on life, for meeting you was like meeting a no longer lost relation.

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  7. My hometown! I missed you by a couple of days. Lovely photos
    E

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    1. Ha, ha' and I did actually remember while I was there that it was your home place too.

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