Shorelines

This is my five-hundredth blog post and the last photos of our recent holiday

on the West coast of Co Clare.

It would be fair to title this photo 'Ancient and Modern'.

In the foreground is the traditional curach which has been in use for centuries 

by the inshore fishermen of Ireland.

Modern lobster and crab pots made of steel.

My eye was caught by the high trees, so close to the shore, an unusual sight

in this part of Clare for you can travel for miles without seeing any at all.

The glorious limestone of the Burren dominates all 

and provides an eye stopping backdrop.

The small harbour of Ballyvaghan and a large old anchor

The houses of Ballyvaghan seem to cling to the shore for survival, 

squashed as they are between the Burren hills and the sea.

Further along the coast is Fanore beach with its sand dunes. 

I imagine that it may be a good place to fish with a rod and line 

given the right conditions.

In the foreground are the feeding grounds of sea birds as well as herons and egrets.

The rocky isles are almost totally covered by the high tides each day.

Night falls slowly and the sea has a particular look about it 

that says winter is not far away.

The ever-present elements of wind powered waves crash upon coastal rocks

to shape the land that we call home.

****

My great appreciation and thanks to everyone who visits and reads this blog

and please leave me a comment for it is nice know who has visited.

Different Views

I really had to take a photo of the Heron hunting for food !

The poor quality of the photo above is because I was too lazy to use the tripod... 

and perhaps over fed.

LINANNE'S BAR at New Quay, Co. Clare.

This is my favourite Bar and Seafood Restaurant and so popular that the best time to visit to be sure of getting a table is in the winter on a weekday lunchtime.

Sea fresh lobsters stuffed with prawns are my favourite and if unavailable then I can recommend their seafood pie which is also delicious. 

Washed down fifteen minutes afterwards with a pint of Guinness!

http://linnanesbar.com

The Russell Gallery - http://www.russellgallery.net

A truly amazing place to wander around and see a great variety of arts & crafts.

There a great many very attractive and skilful paintings there, a few of which I would have brought home had we the wall space. 

One in particular, entitled 'Not all who wander are lost' by Roland Byrne 

really caught my eye - follow this link and see for yourselves.

The work of Roland Byrne

I love this old building which is so full of character and as well as the gallery it also has a small bistro that sells a wide range of organic wines with delicious dishes. 

Mine choice was their Antipasto which I did great justice to, not a crumb was left.

 I can also recommend their great coffee.

Reflecting on reflections.

Mrs H took this amazing photo of me looking out of the widow of our holiday home.

Here she is again beachcombing.

My good self with the amiable Toby.

I took dozens of photo's during our holiday and have lots tales about

our fun times too; so as they say watch this space for there is more to come !

ANCESTRAL BREATH

On Saturday we took a road that is now very familiar.

We were visiting a friend's art exhibition, titled 'Ancestral Breath', at the Loughcrew Megalithic Centre. This is Lar's second exhibition at the centre and it opened earlier this week, in time for Autumn Equinox.

Lar Dooley a with Mrs H

Lar is a Primitive Artist who has developed his own unique style of painting

which is very textured and almost tempts the onlooker to touch the surfaces.

He is inspired by Ireland's ancient monuments and carvings.

I am very attracted by his depiction of the Poulnabrone Dolmen, Co Clare

The artist himself - Lar Dooley September 2018

POINTS OF VIEW

Since buying my new camera I have found myself becoming rather attached to it. 

There are times when it is not with me that I scold myself especially when I see a particular scene that, to my mind, would make an interesting photo.

So here are just a few of those photographs, things that have recently caught my eye.

The Ship on a Stick.

This can be found on the outskirts of Portumna, Co. Galway quite close to the River Shannon

upon which I doubt very much it will ever cruise again.

A conglomeration of coastal properties that sit under the Burren uplands and on the banks of 

Galway Bay. The smallest of them always attracts my eye.

The Keep

A very well preserved circular building made of local stone. 

I often wonder whether it was once a lot higher, though I guess that we shall never know.

Kiosk Lady

She must have plenty to natter about for she is always there, 

chatting away at all times of the day and night.

Rainbows on the wall

I captured these lads early one morning floating about and looking rather attractive, 

my one complaint is that the pots of gold are nowhere to be found.

Fresh leaves in Sunlight

The scene caught my eye this morning while visiting Mrs H in her studio, 

so I dashed indoors for my camera.

The Dog in the Doorway

How could I not resist capturing the magnificent Toby

guarding the entrance and enjoying the scent of spring.

It is a rambling garden that we have, with worn down paths that flow easily amongst 

whispering wild flowers where bees and other small creatures live in harmony.

Our First Adventure of the New Year

The day was bright, the sun low in the sky and the road surface was wet, making driving conditions difficult for our first adventure of the year. Despite passing over my peak cap to give some extra shade, Mrs H was dazzled but keen to be on our way!

We journeyed at a safe speed, allowing for sunlight conditions, passing the looming remains of O’Moore’s Castle on the Rock of Dunamaise.

The Rock of Dunamaise, a site of many battles, was an important fortification throughout Ireland's history. It was plundered by the Vikings in the 9th century, became a Norman stronghold in the 13th, was rebuilt by the O'Moore's in the 15th and was finally destroyed by Cromwell's guns from the east in the 17th century.

We stopped in Carlow for some freshly made sandwiches and coffee as break-fast had only been a single banana each, insufficient to travel on for long. 

Our destination was to visit to Clonegal, an attractive village that sits on the boundary of Counties Carlow and Wexford. Our last visit was in 2013, so it was good to see the changes that had taken place since then.

OSBORNE'S

Where I was disappointed by not having my thirst pint of the year!

I had hopes of having a glass of stout in Osborne’s but unfortunately it was closed, probably for them to rest up after the previous nights New Year’s Eve celebrations.  My thirst was quenched by Adam’s Ale (water) instead.

The smallest building in Clonegal known as The Weigh House

 The 1916 Memorial

The Derry River which always attracts me and so good to see the new railings.

Looking up  The Derry river and the garden with the protective stone bank.

Number one is one of the three stone pigs that sit next 

the Weigh House.

Number two is the sleepy pig who ate too much perhaps over Christmas ?

And number three 

is missing because he got away !

We shall return in May when the blossom is out to visit the gardens of Huntington Castle, a place where I spent many a happy hour in the company of Olivia Durdin Robertson and her associates in the Fellowship of Isis. https://www.huntingtoncastle.com

This shop is in the small town of Stradbally in Co. Laoise,

we often pass it on our journeys. It is the large ice cream cone that attracts me.

This time we stopped because Mrs H wanted a mineral drink and I an ice cream,

The message that she returned with made me laugh.

For she said that the man in the shop said that there was no ice cream to be had and

that there was only a cone on the roof because he was unable to take it down...

So I had a pipe of baccy instead.

Finally, I wish you all a very happy New Year and the courage to face up to the many changes that may come your way.

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.

http://www.discoverboynevalley.ie/boyne-valley-drive/heritage-sites/oldcastle

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.

WOODLAND and BEYOND

We have been feeding the birds every winter, from October through to the end of April, for some years now. This year we made the decision to feed them throughout the summer months too with one exception, no peanuts. We feed them on a small amount of softened cous-cous, prepared by pouring hot water over the grain and leaving it to absorb, swell and cool, until cold.

©MRL2017

Our local woodland

©MRL2017
Our four footed neighbours

©MRL2017
A fledgling, speckled like a thrush.

We’ve enjoyed watching the parent birds feeding their young and the odd looking fledglings, who are very different in looks to the adults. 

One bird, who feeds on the windowsill, looks like a dark thrush and yet the parent looks like a  blackbird complete with a yellow beak.

Is this a young blackbird, I wonder, or is it something different, a cuckoo perhaps ? 

Is there an ornithologist or a twitcher reading this blog who could help ?

©MRL2017
Same fellow beak wide open expecting food.

This summer we have seen more birds than previous years and noticed a lot of different varieties too. Some that we have been able to identify and others that we were unable to put a name to.

I think that the rising temperatures and change of climate may very well have attracted a wider range of species to Ireland.

©MRL2017

© MRL 2017
Same handsome fledgling

One photograph that I have never taken is an image of Mrs H feeding and conversing with her feathered friends as I would never disturb those private moments when she communes with nature.

How do you commune with nature ?