New Year Greetings!

 

GONE FISHIN'

 

December 26th - St. Stephen's Day 2021

 Thankfully, I was able get out to the coast, on what was a great day, weather-wise, but thinking of our unfortunate neighbours in County Wexford, who experienced severe flooding yesterday in some areas, with some roads being washed away and people having to be rescued from their homes.  Here in County Waterford, the weather today was excellent, resulting in very large numbers being able to go out and enjoy the countryside.  

 Some enjoyable time was spent in the company of a Clonmel family, whose father was a keen photographer, all ending in a perfect day! 

A single left-click on any image, will show an enlarged copy.

RADIO BETHLEHEM

Full address:   http://radio.garden/visit/bethlehem/4BbsV5dH

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If you search :  radio.garden   you can get every radio station in the world, simply by clicking on any of the locations shown with green dots!  For Bethlehem, click on the white dot in the centre of the circle. Radio Jerusalem can be accessed by clicking on the green dot immediately above it!  A good atlas might be useful. 

Winter Solstice Day 2021

 

Before sunrise on this day nine years ago.

I then headed up to Clonagam, where I managed to get a superior image shortly afterwards!

No sunshine was forecast for this area today, December 21st 2021,

 and there wasn't any!

-   oooOooo   -

A left-click on any image will show an enlarged copy!

The Annual Tractor Run 2021

Some names to be added later.

 

The event is always much appreciated by the many onlookers who turn up along the way,

and some people came quite a distance to view it at Portlaw.

New Christmas Street Lights

                                                                                                                                                                Míle Buíochas daoibh go léir!

Autumn/Winter Leaves

                                                                                                                                                                     Acer leaves slowly turned from beautiful green to red by November 20th.

After the 'Night of the Big Wind', little foliage was left,but the ground was covered with a carpet of gold!

Just a few colourful stragglers were left.

CHRISTmas Greetings

 

Santa Claus / St. Nicholas . . . the man himself!

 A statue of a younger Santa Claus without his white beard, and no sleigh or reindeer at St. Nicholas' Church, Kinsealy, Co. Dublin. He is railed in, in case he falls off. This is the very church where former Taoiseach, Charlie Haughey, attended Mass. I had the pleasure of meeting the curate, Fr. Mattie (Martin) Farrell, there on one of a number of visits. Fr. Martin, his parents and siblings, were neighbours of mine in my younger days.  The former Haughey mansion, Abbeville, is a short distance away. 

Paintings, effigies, and stained glass windows of Santa Claus can be found worldwide. I spotted this one in Chester Anglican Cathedral, while there on a visit with the late Neil Marchant from Portlaw. 

To discover the truth about Santa Claus, visit:  stnicholascentre.org. Lots of info for all ages!

A House from the past!

 

Beech Leaves

 Beech Leaves from the past.

Local Ornamental Grasses

 A small number of unusual grasses can be found by the roadsides near Curraghmore. It's possible that they 'escaped' from Curraghmore garden?

Picturesque Clonea-Power

 

                                    Have seen many of these Highland Cattle in Skye and Mull also,                                                              and one in Portlaw nearly twenty years ago!

 

Curraghmore

 

A R T

 

The end of a perfect day!

 

Red is the colour . . .

 

Naomh Colmcille

Naomh Colmcille/St. Columba, one of Ireland's most famous Christian missionaries, was born on this day, December 7th, 1,500 years ago. For more about him, Iona Abbey, the Waterford connection and the Battle of the Book, see my post of November 8th last.

This window was the work of William Wilson, Scotland, famous stained glass artist.

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Addendum 8th Dec. 2021:   If you are a TG4 fan, you will possibly have seen the hour long documentary, with sub-titles, re Colmcille last night, which was entitled - 'An Naomh Dána'. 

A great surprise was to hear that St.Otteran/Naomh Oran, one of Waterford's three patron saints,  was Colmcille's uncle!

T R E E S

 

A F F E C T I O N . . .

 Photographed at Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann circa 1993, Clonmel. A most obtrusive ATM machine in the background took me ages to get rid of; my first time attempting such!

The image, in monochrome, was published on the front cover of the Irish Photographic Federation Year Book in 2005. The numerous images inside were all in black & white, colour printing being too expensive at the time. 

Friendly Pony!

 

Church Refurbishment

 

Some Statistics

 One left-click on any image will show an enlarged copy.