Thursday 27 November 2014

Over the Hills and Far Away


As i haven't been on any particularly interesting juants lately, i'm going to cheat a bit and go back a few months to September and share with you some photos of the top of the Knockmealdown mountains.


It's a bit of a trek, but well worth it when you reach the top.


I was a bit worried about taking our two doggies as they're getting on a bit, but they were really keen and after flaking out for a bit...


they were soon up and about and raring to go.


 Megs was looking out for prey and not doing a very good job at being stealth.




It feels like your on top of the world up there.


If you squint you can just see the sea in the distance.


You can see for miles. That's son no.3 taking photos of the view and...


this...


which is this.


Which reads 'Tipperary-Waterford border. County Waterford's highest mountain, 2,609 feet.



All that fresh air has given me an appetite, so i'm off for a cuppa and a bite to eat. :-)

Thanks for dropping by.
















Sunday 26 October 2014

Spooky (ish)

As we're coming up to Halloween i thought i'd post some spooky (ish) photos. When we were out for a little jaunt recently, we came across the ruins of Affane Church and graveyard, just outside Cappaquin in Waterford.


It was built in 1819 with a loan of £500 from the Board of First Fruits, which was a Church of Ireland body established in  1711 to improve churches in Ireland. 


There was quite a few gravestones that were damaged and opened slightly, like the one in the bottom right hand corner.


One of the tombs had a small gap that was just big enough to take some photos of the inside. The coffins looked like they were made of lead.  


I suppose Yvette Fielding (Most Haunted) would say these were orbs, but i think it's dust on the lens. If anyone else knows what they are please do let me know.





I'll leave you with one of our cats Taz, who reminds me of a witches cat and who also knows she's not allowed on the table, so she's just tip-toeing around the edge. Sneaky eh!




Happy Halloween and thanks for visiting.








Sunday 19 October 2014

Grubb's Grave and Bulmers.

The old flour mill at Castlegrace is owned by the Grubb family and at one time was a hive of activity, employing a considerable number of workers, but sadly today it stands empty, which is a shame. It's also a popular breeding ground for Mink, who often run out in front of the car when i'm driving down there.



One morning, about five years ago, i was taking my youngest son to school and was just coming up to this bridge next to the mill, when we had to stop and wait while a film crew filmed the Bulmers advert.



We were only there a few minutes as it was only a quick shot, but it was nice to see the end result on t.v. The bridge looks wider and more hazier in the film.


Anyway, back to the Grubbs.When Samuel Grubb died in 1921, his dying wish was to be buried on Sugar Loaf Hill on the side of the Knockmealdown Mountains, (the photo below is just over the bridge). 


The road leading up to the mountains.


According to the Clonmel Chronicle dated 10th September 1921, 'The coffin containing the remains were conveyed on a farm cart to the foot of the mountain and then carried on the shoulders of his tenants and employees to the place of internment on the mountain side.'

Apparently he was buried upright so that he could look out across Tipperary for all eternity.


As you can see it's quite a trek from the road,especially carrying a coffin. 

I think it might need a bit of repair work on top.




To the left are the Galtee Mountains...


and to the right the Comeragh Mountains.




Oh and some sheep down below. :-)



Thanks for dropping by.




Saturday 27 September 2014

Lismore Castle and a Stroll Along the River.

Yesterday we had a litttle jaunt over to Lismore, a small heritage town in Waterford, and had a nice stroll along the river. We parked in the car park/picnic area to feed the ducks and i noticed these nice topiaries.



I like the flower.



Until recently, you could only walk a little way along this side of the bridge as it was overgrown and unsafe underfoot, but thanks to Lismore Tidy Towns, it's been cleared and made accessible to the public.


We've had so little rain this summer, so the water was really low along this part of the river.



These are nice touch  for the kids.


I think i'll get a couple for my garden for when my grandson is older.


There's a good view of Lismore Castle by the bridge, which was once owned by Sir Walter Raleigh and Richard Boyle (see previous post on Youghal), now it's the private home of the Duke of Devonshire.


Over the other side of the bridge...


there were some cows enjoying a drink.


Across the other side of the river is Lady Louisa's Walk, which goes a lot further along the river, but i'll save that for another day. : )

Thanks for dropping by.

Saturday 13 September 2014

Cobh, Annie Moore and Pugin

Cobh (pronounced Cove) is a coastal town in Co.Cork. Following Queen Victoria's first visit to Ireland in 1849, it's name was changed to Queenstown, but was reverted back to it's old Irish name in 1922, after the War of Independence.It is steeped in maritime history and was for many years the main port of Cork.

Convicts were transported from Cobh to Australia in the 18th century and in 1838 the paddle steamer, 'Sirius,' was the first ever ship to cross the Atlantic from its harbour to New York, without the aid of a sail.

Between 1848 and 1850, over 6 million people emigrated from Ireland to America with 2.5 million people departing from Cobh alone, in hope of a better life. The statue on the quayside outside the Heritage Centre, is of Annie Moore and her two brothers. She was the first ever immigrant to be processed at the new immigration centre at Ellis Island, New York, on the 1st January 1892 (also her 15th birthday).




On 7th May, 1915, the Cunard liner, Luistania, sailing from new York to Liverpool, was about 10 miles from the coastline of nearby Kinsale, when she was hit by a torpedo from a German submarine. As the liner quickly listed to one side, it was extremely difficult to launch the lifeboats and she sank in just 300 feet of water. Of the 1,959 passengers on board, 761 were able to be saved and were ferried to nearby Cobh, where they were accommodated in private homes and nearby hospitals.

There's a memorial in the square dedicated to those who lost their lives in the disaster.



On 11th April, 1912, 123 passengers boarded the Titanic from Cobh (then known as Queenstown), on her last port of call during her maiden voyage. Mail bags were loaded onto the ship from the mail train at the station, which has been authentically restored and now houses the Heritage Centre and museum.


There's gift shops, a café and exhibitions of Irish history.


Further up the town St. Colman's Cathedral stands proud.


I'd read that E.W Pugin, son of the famous architect Augustus Pugin, was one of the architects who designed this lovely French Gothic cathedral, and being a great lover of Gothic architecture, i couldn't wait to get inside.


I wasn't disappointed. There were beautiful stone arches and marble pillars.


Fantastic detail everywhere you look.


Soft mellow lighting brings out the delicate carvings.





The columns bear the heads of Irish saints...


and famous churchmen.


The pulpit carved from Austrian oak.


Two angels with scrolls.


The cathedral took 47 years to build, with work starting in 1868 and finally finishing in 1915, costing a total of  £235,000.


My apologies for not getting the whole of the front of the cathedral in the photo, but it's on a hill so there wasn't the distance to stand right back. 


As you can see there was a bit of a drop.


There's some nice detail outside too.





I'll leave you these little fellas. 



I do like Gargoyles.



Thanks for dropping by.