Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

Sunday August 04 & Monday August 05 2024

Having followed a somewhat circuitous route after the turn mishap near Cork, I arrived at the Ouvane Falls Hotel not far from Bantry. It was yet daylight and I was hoping the kitchen would still be open. I had phoned to let them know I would be arriving later than anticipated. Dinner was delicious but what followed was so much fun. I was sitting in the mud/dining room enjoying a pint of Beamish and the view of the river when all of a sudden a crowd of men and women began arriving and the waiter began moving tables and chairs. There was going to be a live band with Ceilidh dancing. What a friendly bunch! They get together every Sunday evening with the two or three band members and dance the traditional dances plus foxtrots and waltzes. The Ceilidh dancing reminded me of our square dances; promenades, à la main droit, doh, is, doh, etc. In this case, there wasn’t a caller; the dancers seemed to know when and what to do at the right moment.

Remember the Clock Museum in Waterford? Well, that’s where I first heard of Ilnacullin or Garinish Island from one of the volunteer guides. We had a rather in-depth conversation about Irish long case clocks, my trip itinerary came up and she strongly suggested I visit the island garden. With that in mind, I was up early on Monday morning and made the short drive to the ferry landing in the harbour of Glengarriff in Bantry Bay. A ferry ride past seals basking on their rocks in the bay and we were in paradise.

Annan and Violet Bryce were the owners of this island before WWI – they lived in London and their wealth came from diamond mines in Russia. The plan was to build an elaborate Italian villa with gardens. Unfortunately, the Russian revolution put an end to their fortune and Annan passed away. Violet made the decision to sell everything that remained and move to the island she dearly loved. For years, she lived in the small gardener’s cottage with a companion/cook she hired locally, Maggie O’Sullivan. Maggie lived for the rest of her life on the island. Violet Bryce also hired Murdo McKenzie as head gardener and he, too, live on the island for the rest of his life. It was the talent of Murdo that produced the existing garden based on the design of Harold Peto the renowned architect and garden designer. Exotic plants had been brought in before the “crash. and most of them perished because of the rough climate. It was McKenzie who installed shelter belts of Scots and Monterey pine creating a micro climate on the island. Annan and Violet’s son Roland Bryce donated the island to the Republic of Ireland in 1953.

The Italian Pavilion, the sunken garden and the walled garden were all part of the Peto design.

And then I found the dahlias glowing in the misty rain!

There was so much to see from so many points of view! And then there was the restored Martello tower. Yes, I did climb the interior stairs and got some shots of the countryside.

By sheer luck, I arrived at the cottage in time for a guided tour. It was a fascinating peek into the lives and times of the Bryce family, Maggie O’Sullivan and Murdo McKenzie.

Everything that was in the house at the time of the bequest was carefully catalogued. Because the house was closed for many years, it deteriorated and a great deal of effort went into restoring and reproducing original decorations such as wallpaper. And then it was time for lunch!

After lunch and the return ride to the mainland, I decided to explore a trail along the edge of the bay opposite the island. It was a lovely walk with lots of people around enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. And then it was time to return to the hotel and dinner. And what better than a turkey dinner to top off a perfectly beautiful day?