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

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.