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Irish castles, a hidden beach, a tragedy
Friday August 09 2024 What would a road trip be without a sudden unscripted detour for no apparent reason? I was travelling north from Galway towards Strabane and was in total awe of the countryside. There was nowhere to stop and get a good shot of the scenery on the two lane highway I was…
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Galway: music, poetry, rain…
Thursday August 08 2024 Galway City is a modern, bustling metropolis with a population of close to 80,000 inhabitants plus tourists. It has a lively music and arts scene and has put time, effort and money into preserving its history and telling its own story. Perhaps Galway’s most famous writer : Pádraic Ó Conaire (28 February…
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Of tiny roads and sheep
Tuesday August 06 2024 It was road trip day, again. The destination being Galway City with a major detour into the Dingle Peninsula and the town of the same name. I knew it would be a drive filled with dramatic views and roadside vistas. What I was unprepared for was an accidental left hand turn…
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Ouvane Falls and Ilnacullin/Garinish Island
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…
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Blarney Stone, Castle and gardens
Sunday August 04 2024 The first weekend in August is a bank holiday meaning most everyone get’s a three day weekend. So. everyone and their next door neighbour were out and about. I was up early with an evening destination of the Ouvane Falls Hotel near Bantry. So, I decided to stop at Blarney castle…
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Waterford: a city of history and crystal
An unfinished Waterford Crystal reproduction of the Brian Boru harp Saturday, August 03, 2024 There’s lots to see and do on a sunny summer Saturday in Waterford. In fact, the city was in the midst of holding an outdoor interactive science fair in the central part of town. The crowds were beginning to gather as…
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My Ireland adventure continues…
New Ross: Dunbrody Famine ship The time has come to catch-up on what has been happening on this great Irish adventure. One thing is for certain: access to the internet can be rather feeble in places especially when advertised as free! I’m currently in Northern Ireland in a town called Strabane situated south of Derry…
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The Early Irish Wire Strung Harp
Road trip to Dublin The early Irish wire strung harp precedes the modern day pedal harp or orchestral harp by approximately 400 years. It has a clear bell like sound when properly played with the fingernails rather than the pads of the tips of the fingers. It was a strong Irish tradition that existed for…
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The Kilkenny adventure continues…
The days flew by and suddenly it was over! The conflation of harp school and sight seeing was a delicate balance with the days running out of hours and the week of days. I’ writing this sitting in a lovely B&B in Waterford looking back on everything that happened in such a short period of…
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There were two cats of Kilkenny..
Saturday July 27 2024 As the old song goes … there were two cats too many…and the one left has taken up residence in the garden of the school. The cats and Kilkenny has a current reference to the local hurlers and their fans: they are known as the Kilkenny cats. And they’re very proud…
Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground
A personal point of view…
Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground 