Irish Lace

This is an image of the emerald isle as seen from space. NASA's Aqua satellite captured this image on December 17, 2007, utilizing its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS).

On this day, clouds formed complex patterns around the islands, fringing the western tips of Ireland and southern tip of Great Britain.

Southwest of Ireland, the clouds exhibiting interesting-looking striations appear to be wave clouds formed by cool, dry air meeting warm, moist air. Pushed up by cool air, warm air rises, cools, and then falls, riding up on the next wave.

Special Rugby Day

I had a very enjoyable day on Sunday when I attended a rugby match between Nenagh Ormond and Limerick Leprechauns which was one of the events at Nenagh Ormond Rugby Football Club. to raise funds for Rape Crisis Midwest.

Collecting for the Crisis Centre

Limerick Leprechauns is a Limerick based veterans' rugby club that (uniquely) raises funding for charities and deserving causes and on Sunday they came to Nenagh to join forces with Nenagh Ormond as part of a collaboration between the Nenagh Ormond Rugby Club, Limerick Leprechauns and Rape Crisis Midwest in an effort to raise funds to help alleviate an €80,000 shortfall that the centre needs just to survive.

Some of the Limerick Leprechauns team

Nenagh players

The day provided many fund raising events such as a raffle draw for a signed Munster and Leinster players jerseys signed by local players Trevor Hogan and Donnacha Ryan in addition to many other prizes sponsored by Limerick and local firms.

The game itself provided a fun atmosphere and anyone male, female, young or old got the opportunity to play for five minute stints alongside some of the regions past and present most famous rugby players.

The highlight of the day for me was getting my picture taken with one of the legends of Irish rugby, Ex Irish International, Gerry 'Ginger' McLoughlin

My friend Pat Whelan and Gerry McLoughlin

Collage of pictures from the event

The children were also well provided for

Ancient Shoe

Evidence of the existence of an ancient castle outside Nenagh and a leather shoe dating back one thousand years have been unearthed in the development of a new dual carriageway between the town and Limerick city.

As Ireland is now in the process of upgrading and constructing new roads, a wealth of archaeology is being unearthed by archaeologists who precede the construction work along the routes of the new roadways.

On the Nenagh Limerick project, evidence of the possible site of a “lost castle” outside Nenagh has been discovered. The castle is documented in the 1654-56 Civil Survey which refers to “the walls of a Castle out of repayre”. The evidence found to date indicates that excavations may have discovered remains and artefacts associated with this castle.

Tenth century old shoe recovered in Annaholty Bog

Archaeologists say that the shoe found in bog land during excavation works on the new route dates from the 10th to the 12th Centuries. The shoe is known as a turn-shoe because it was made inside-out and then turned around for wearing. The style is of a fashion introduced to Ireland during the early medieval period.

Archaeologists believe that the owner was either a native wearing the latest in fashion crossing the bog and losing his/her shoe or a newly arrived settler, possibly an Anglo-Norman.

Source:

Nenagh Guardian

Hurling

Some of my American and UK friends have been asking me about the sport of hurling which is played in Ireland and is one of our two National games. Gaelic football being the other.

I am posting some videos which I discovered on YouTube and that I hope will go some way towards explaining the game to you.


Please click here and enjoy.

Starlings Coming Home to Roost

A phone call from my friend, Dick Gough, yesterday afternoon was the prelude to one of the most spectacular events that I have ever witnessed.

As well as being an artist who transforms bog wood into elegant sculptures, Dick is an avid photographer who specialises in photographing all forms of wildlife in their natural habitat. His objective yesterday was to get some pictures of starlings coming to roost for the night. He explained to me that it would be a spectacular event and if conditions were right and the birds obliged, it would be possible get some good pictures. I was delighted when he invited me to go along with him.

Well, I knew dick wouldn’t be going on a wild goose chase – or should I say wild starling chase – but I couldn’t help wondering what kind of pictures he hoped to get of flocks of birds coming to a grove of trees to bed down for the night. He assured me there was a treat in store and he was not mistaken.

We arrived at the chosen location just as the sun was setting. It was a lovely evening – cold but dry. We didn’t have long to wait before the birds started to arrive. First, they came in small flocks from all different directions. Meanwhile while the arriving flocks were getting larger and larger, they were all joining together to form one large flock flying over and adjacent to their landing site. This went on for some time until the sky was black with them. Then as if by some method of communication, which is incomprehensible to me, that informed them that all the birds had arrived, the show began. They flew across the sky in perfect formations, wheeling and diving and crisscrossing each other’s flight path forming all kinds of different shapes and forms until finally, they were right over their roosting place. Then one last display and they were gone. In one body they just dropped into the trees. Dick described this as like pouring grain out of a bucket and I can’t think of a more appropriate description.

I hope the attached videos will give you some flavour of the event. If you listen carefully, at the end of one video, you will hear Dick’s comment to me which I think sums up the whole event perfectly.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Two events take place this weekend that are important to me and to which I want to give the true recognition they deserve. One of course is the feast day of our National Saint, St. Patrick, which we celebrate on March 17. In honour of that, I would like to wish all my friends wherever they may be, and visitors to my blog, a Very Happy St. Patrick’s Day. In true Irish fashion, here are few blessings that I would like to dedicate to all of you in honour of this special day:

May you always have Walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain,
Tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire!

May you be in Heaven a half hour before the Devil knows you're dead!

Go mbeannai Dia duit (May God Bless You)

The other event this weekend (today actually) is my friend, Judy’s, birthday. Since I first got to know Judy, almost three years ago, she has been a true and loyal friend. She has brought many blessings into my life, not least the extension of our friendship to her husband, Tom, and their marvellous family. Next to my own family, they have become a very special and irreplaceable part of my life.

Happy Birthday Judy!! And since I am in the mood for imparting blessings today, here is a special one for you on your birthday:

May God grant you many years to live,
For sure he must be knowing
The earth has angels all too few

And Heaven is overflowing.

Nenagh Fire

Watching this fire yesterday morning, I couldn’t help but be struck with a sense of pride in our local fire fighters.

I think we all owe a deep debt of gratitude to the men and women of our fire department that risk their lives every day in protecting our lives and property in dealing with fires like this one.

Judging by the equipment that arrived on the scene, the Fire Brigade is equipped to deal with much larger fires than the one they were faced with yesterday morning and they brought it under control with relative ease. To me as an onlooker, it appeared to be a fairly routine task to deal with it. I would hazard a guess though that it was the expertise of the firemen and the equipment at their disposal made it look that way.

No fire is simple and without its own inherent danger and they all, no matter how small, need to be treated with the healthy respect that they deserve.

I hope I never need the services of the Nenagh Fire Brigade, but, if ever I do, it’s certainly comforting to know that such an expert and dedicated crew are there to come to my assistance.

The following are some more pictures and videos from the scene.