Maria's trip to Tipp

My niece Maria arrived from London on Saturday night to spend a short holiday with her family here in Ireland. Luckily for me, I am getting the lion’s share of her time and she is spending most of her holiday with me – except for next weekend when we will spend some time with her aunts who live in the south of the county, Dundrum (more about that later).

Maria arrives in Ireland

Her flight was scheduled to land at 10pm but was delayed for two hours in Gatwick eventually arriving Dublin at 12.00am (good old reliable Ryan Air) so unpredictable.
Since Sunday, we have had cheerios cereal with blueberries for breakfast, egg, sausage, bacon for dinner... Today, we had toast and marmalade and then luncheon in O’Meara’s with some fine beef left over’s for Oscar (hope dogs like red wine gravy) if not we will have it for supper.

Editor’s note – Maria has taken over from the second paragraph I am not responsible for anything further.

Ignore the Editor he is grumpy and tired and gone off for a snore.

Maria at Look Out with Lough Derg in the background

We went for a drive to a place called “look out” which has absolutely stunning views of Loch Derg (I recognised and remembered being at the Lake many years ago with my uncle Joe’s brother in-law and my cousins from Nenagh which brought back very happy and fond memories of my stay here when I was MUCH younger! .... from there we continued on and found the historical “Graves of the Leinstermen” hidden in undergrowth a short walk from the road and through a rugged path we eventually found them. Joe had told me about the standing stones he had seen there 20 years or so ago (yes, he lies about his age (20yrs ago??!)... and so we went in search of them and once found they were well worth the hunt in and around the gorse and stinging nettles.

Maria and Joe at the burial site

Joe beside one standing stone which marks a grave

According to legend, the site is the burial place of a Leinster King and his men who were ambushed by Brian Boru, High King of Ireland, in the 11th Century whilst they returned from a wedding in Limerick but there are many stories told... the reason they lay to rest here is because the dying wish of the King was that he be buried within sight of his Kingdom.. In a way his wish was granted as all men were left here far from home but within view of their kingdom – as on a clear day in the far distance across the lake the peak of a mountain can be seen which is in the province of Leinster. Sadly, a huge telephone mast has now been erected in front of their resting place between them and the view of their Kingdom. Modern-day technology cares little of the dying wish of a famous ancient king. I would have protested and tied myself to the mast left blowing in the wind leaving another historical story “the famous heroine of Lock Derg” to be told in another 1000 years!

Peak of the mountain in the distant horizon across the lake
(pic taken from the far right of the mast)

Maria from London