DEEP IN THE FOREST

Whenever I see the wild deer I am always reminded of the Goddess Sadbh [Sive] for these to me are her special creatures, that is if any animals can be deemed  ‘special’. Sadbh is I think a most likeable personage, so very nimble and lithe in her cloak of green as she fits through the woodlands nurturing the wildlife that share her home.

Many of Ireland’s wild Fallow  Deer escaped in the early 20th century from private park lands and supplemented the old wild herds introduced by the Norman's soon after their arrival in 1169. 

They are now our most widespread species of deer and are found in most woodlands countrywide, both hill and lowland.

One of their favourite foods are the wild Bilberries that grow on the mountainsides, intermingled with the heather blossom. I was told as a young lad that where you see bilberries there are deer - perhaps they help to spread the seeds after digesting the berries.

The bilberries are a lot smaller than blueberries

but just as tasty especially as they are free!

These lads have a very keen sense of smell and are acutely aware of any foreign sound. One has to tread very warily making as little noise as possible to photograph them, otherwise they are off as quick as lightening, deep into the forest and you will not see them again.

I was very fortunate in being able to photograph the deer that you see here, that the wind was on my face and that even though they were perhaps aware of my presence I kept very still and managed to blend in with the trees.

CILL DARA - KILDARE

Round Tower at St Brigid's Cathedral

We awoke on Monday morning to a bright blue, sun filled sky and I felt this was a sign to rid ourselves of the cabin fever which we had both been aware of for sometime. 

"Kildare is calling us” I said to Lady H.

"Which way shall we go ?” said Lady H.

"We will take the stress free route and take the old road towards Dublin.” 

So we did, for the old roads are a pleasure to drive on these days and relatively free of traffic for most people use the motorways.

Kildare in Irish it is Cill Dara meaning the Church of the Oak, made famous by St Brigid who had her monastery there complete with a perpetual fire which was kept burning until the 15th century.

On our arrival Lady H hopped out of the car and went off to take photos and on her return said we'd visit the Parish Church next. 

“Hang on a minute" I replied “just behind us is the Cathedral with St Brigid’s Fire pit and the round tower, it’s important that I go there first.”

The first and last time I was at the Cathedral was in 1993 when I took a few friends to visit Kildare.We spent most of our time sitting in St. Brigid's Fire Pit chatting and when we decided to leave, we found ourselves locked in after the caretaker had chained the entrance gates together. 

We tried to attract attention to our plight by shouting but to no avail.

The youngest member of the group, a lad by the name of Tolly, climbed over the gate and went to the nearby pub for help, but not until he had tried to

con us all out of money. We were not so easily fooled and understood that if he was in funds he’d be in the pub for hours whilst we’d be still behind bars! 

After twenty minutes or so the landlord came across with a tray of free drinks and passed glasses of Guinness

through the gate to us. Tolly was dismayed after being told he was underage and about thirty minutes later the key holder arrived to let us out us out.

St Brigid's Fire Pit

On arriving at the cathedral we found the building locked, not that it bothered me for I have no love for church buildings.

www.chooseireland.com/kildare/st-brigids-cathedral

Lady H was keen to move on to the Parish Church which has doors decorated with Brigid’s Crosses and bronze hands. 

I explained it was just across the hill as I’d noticed a spire as we drove into town.

Over the hill we went and arrived a large church. There were doors but no bronze hands were to be seen, however we entered, lit a candle as requested for by a friend and left. 

Lady H disappeared (again!) and I was left alone to my own devices. This time I noticed two signs one said White Abbey Church and the other Carmelite Convent 

In my mind I said ‘Whoops I have erred! This isn’t the right church at all.”

Never the less during Lady H’s absence I went for a wander as you never know what may be discovered. 

Find something I did, something that I can best describe as a breasted tree with a ring seat around the trunk

'the breasted tree'

www.carmelites.ie/whiteabbeykildare.html

Finally returning to the car Lady H produced a map and she was right, the Parish Church was elsewhere. We drove down to the correct church, parked outside

and herself took off to take photos of the bronze hands, while I contented myself with a pipe of baccy. 

Our next stop was St Brigid’s Well and I spotted the sign easily so was able to direct my driver on her return.

St. Brigid's Well is in the countryside and it is in 'Nature' where I think you can best connect to any deity and by whatever name you care to use.

Brighid’s Day February 1st

Today is Brighid’s Day, an internationally known Goddess and Saint of Ireland, She is in fact the only female Christian deity that I know of who is revered as a saint and who was never actually canonised. Such is the power of the people and the whimsical nature of the church -  however, that is a debate for another day.

Below is a link of to a fabulous programme about Herself which I encourage you to watchhttp://www.tg4.ie/en/player/home/?pid=4730382145001

A few years ago I composed a poem with Her in mind, although I did not name it so and today I have added two more lines below the original.

SOME CALL HER MOTHER.

Some call her Mother. The Mistress of this land

Her body hidden haunts wild places for man

Whose calloused raw hands worked nippled

Cairns to stand proud on mountains

Hunted, fought bloodily among heathered tresses

Ploughed deeply her fertile plains to feed

Warrior lords, foreign, crippled with greed.

In Her a sea smooth cave, that once sheltered Fintan.

Crabs with dead mens fingers, sought a womb watery grave.

To rebirth rebellion - Freedom and the marrow

Of Her Favour!

She walks still this land breathing out love and inspiration

To those who seek justice for all of her people.

Today here in Ireland this day is also the beginning of Spring and in my garden the Snowdrops are in full bloom and a crocus has just popped out.

Wishing you all a Happy Brighid's Day wherever you are in the world.

Amongst Trees and Roadside Things

Nut laden overhanging Beech Tree

macro shot of a Beech Nut

The Beech trees almost olive green are laden with nuts and soon squirrels will

dance on thin branches & to gather their winter fayre. 

A rare road marker

At the road side a rarity sits, it is almost a monument to old travellers, a

hand carved Milestone. The thoroughfares were littered with them once on main roads and byways, at junctions and forks in odd out of the way places; these sentinels stood marking the path and telling the distance.

A surprise came my way the other day. A call from a friend who said

'Can I use your poem "Moon Is" to decorate an entrance for the 

Body and Soul Festival at Ballinlough Castle?'

Needless to say I was delighted with this to me novel way of viewing prose.

Details:

Ballinlough Castle is located on the N52 (Kells to Mullingar road) approximately 3 miles south of Clonmellon and 4 miles west of Athboy. www.ballinloughcastle.ie

Body & Soul Festival bodyandsoul.ie

The words are :- 

Moon is 

                  subtle

Oval ivory white

                  countenance

A sensuous glow

                  disturbs

Who sits in quiet

                  encourages

Observance

                  merriment

At least

                  pleasures         

Tempts one

                  desires

To believe so

                  love 

Innocent  

                  lust

       

    She is an Earthy Woman

© MRL 2014

A DAY OF DELIGHTS

The day started at about 4-30 a.m, as it always does whenever the First Light filters through the curtains. My time of rising varies throughout the year, subjected as I am to the Sun. The one blessing is that now that I am retired I can always slip back into bed for a short sleep. 

The Waning Crescent at 5-00 this morning 26th April.

Sunrise was at 6-10. We are approx GMT -30 minutes.

Our bathroom goddess Boann.

We have given our bathroom a going over (a make over) and she who has been gracing the wall above our bath was included in the process. Mrs H gave her |(Boann) a repaint plus with the addition of crystals, pearls and shells. In candlelight she positively glows

giving the setting a peaceful atmosphere, whilst one relaxes in a hot bath.

A 6 year old Pear Tree

I have never seen so much blossom on our pear tree, unfortunately if we are to have any decent sized fruit, we shall have to drastically remove many of the small pears. For  I think that it were let go then many of it's slender branches would break off.

A macro shot of a pear floret.

While  taking a few photo's of the tree I was unable to resist the beauty of the floret.

A mixed fruit cheesecake.

This last photo is actually some research. That Mrs H and I felt that we had to undertake, in order to fully prepare for our visitors who will be descending on us early next month.

Our unanimous verdict is that this cheesecake is one of the finest that either of us has ever tasted. In a word it is truly Sumptuous!

So much so that I am wondering if it might be too rich for them and am considering

whether it is possibly a Health and Safety issue. I shall be guided on this by the blog readers comments.

Funeral of Olivia Melian Robertson - co founder F.O.I.

Oliva Melian Robertson

13th April 1917 - 14th November 2013

St Fiaacs Church

C of I

Clonegal

Co. Wexford

Olivia's coffin carried from Huntington Castle by six female relatives

The mourners follow the hearse on foot

Led by a Piper the funeral procession walks through Clonegal

In the blue robe is the hierophant priest Paudrig O'Rahilly and to his far left
in the grey robe high priestess Patricia Griffin who are now the elders.

The Vicar of St. Fiaac's Church The Reverend Michael Stevenson at the top of the steps.

Post funeral gathering in Osbornes for songs and refreshments.
From the left on the bodhran is Lydia Lyte, standing is Marian Smiles, with the guitar
is Julie Felix and singing with arm outstretched is Chello.

All coloured photographs are the copyright of Seán Gilmartin © 2013

Exhibition photo's

1. The Artist: Jane Brideson with her friends

2.                                     Three likely lads !

3.                                 An honoured guest & self

All photo's by courtesy and copyright of The Tullamore Tribune

BIRR - revisited

The Birr Civic Offices & Public Library are housed in a revitalised Gothic building that was formerly owned by the Sisters Of Mercy and designed by A.W.N. Pugin.  The library holds as part of it's treasures an illuminated copy of the Macregol Gospels, the original of which was written in 800 AD in Birr and now sits in the Bodelian Library in Oxford, England. Incidentally 2012 is the bicentenary of the acclaimed architect who works span England & Ireland. 

The former convent has an internal cloister and the south-eastern cloister has been extended into an internal quadrangle to provide an exhibition & tourist information area. The extension consists of a frameless glazed roof, which is supported by a masonry wall within which six old stained glass windows have been restored and relocated. The overall ambience within this building needs to be experienced to be properly appreciated, for there is so much peace and tranquility present that it as if the former occupants were still in residency.

Dr. John Feehan & Bernie in discussion

Maid, Mother & Crone (Cailleach)

Fred salutes a Lady

A profound conversation perhaps ?

Everywhere it is the paintings that sit as

silent witnesses to conversations

To read the opening speech by Dr John Feehan please visit http://theeverlivingones.blogspot.ie/

Brú na Bóinne & exhibition extra's

The silent stone that greets visitors.

The ornate entrance gates with a triple spiral design.

From the car park the approach to the visitor

centre is via a sloping pathway covered by a

pergola.

Along the entrance path the trees and shrubs are named

and the Ogham hieroglyph is shown when appropriate.

The view of the ancient monument from the upper floor of

the visitor centre, in the bottom left corner of photo the river Boyne

can be glimpsed.

Flor who kindly modelled for

the God Manannán

Flor & partner moved by the painting

perhaps ?

The Healing God Dian Cecht witnesses a téte á téte

between lovers !

Exhibition at Brú na Bóinne

Mrs H is currently working away, as she has been for several years now, on a new series of paintings depicting Irish mythology connected to sacred sites in the landscape.

She has done a tremendous amount of research, hours and hours, running into days for each painting. The project started about five years ago from an idea which came to her in the night and then came the preparatory work up of drafting out exactly what had to be done long before a brush came into contact with paint and board.

Unfortunately it is more than my life is worth to show you any of her pieces of art.

What I am able at this moment to announce is that her work will be on view from 14th June for 14 days at the Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre for Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth in Co. Meath.

In a few weeks time I will be able to show you a small detail along with an open invitation to view

her work.