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Saturday, December 24, 2022

S N O W ?

 


From the diary of the Rector’s daughter – Dorothea Herbert,  in Carrick-on-Suir.   A 1783 entry, by Seán O’Brien , Portlaw:

Whilst Dorothea’s handwriting was quite beautiful, her knowledge of punctuation, capitalization of words, spelling, etc., was extremely poor. Thus, the part-contents of her diary reproduced here are as she wrote them.

My Brothers Now came home for the Christmas Holidays and on Christmas Day commenced a Most terrible frost and Snow  which lasted to the 21st of February – Some Old People said it was bad as the Hard Frost in the Year 39 – At its commencement we were in constant Alarm about the Boys who hunted over the Snow fearless of Danger and the dreadful Event at Curraghmore (the accidental death of Lord Waterford’s son in 1778) often occurd to our frightened Immaginations-but the Snow soon became Mountainous high with consequent Inundations that soon prevented Man or Beast from stirring-Many Cottages were totally buried in the Snow or demolished by floods-All our people were continually employ’d in keeping our Mansion habitable-sometimes we were driven from the lower Regions by the Water pouring in to every Room in deep lakes-The Trees were one Sheet of christialized Snow in which we lost all the Bays and evergreens that abounded in Our Gardens -The Number of Lives lost and the Damage done all over Europe could Not be Calculated-Every Newspaper brought the most dismal Accounts foreign and domestic-And all Nature lay in Mourning.

The Snow however afforded great Sport to the two Boys and almost made up for their loss of hunting-We sat the whole time wrapt up in Great Coats over the fire not dabbling at the snow piled windows-We had Mrs. O’Hara a Music Mistress in the House-but to play or do any kind of Work was impossible. And we spent the whole 47 Days while the cold lasted playing Cards and roasting Sprats in both parlours for we were forced to divide and have two fires-The Sprats were driven in such plenty that heaps were thrown out everywhere-It is astonishing we did not die of Dysenteries for from Breakfast till Bedtime we had plates upon plates of them-Mrs. O Hara and we played Cards for them.


Monday, December 19, 2022

Ballyquin Trees

 


The two on the left appear to be diseased; maybe the one beside them also. 

Friday, December 9, 2022

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Leaves disappearing fast!



 Two ACER shrubs in own garden have most colourful foliage during the autumn. Top photo shows that this one lost much after one day's strong winds, leaving the ground covered with it's leaves next day. 
One left click will show an enlarged image.

Thursday, November 17, 2022

de la Poer graves


 The burial enclosure for the Catholic de la Poers at Mothel's ancient cemetery.

Interesting inscriptions on many of the headstones. 

ARDFINNAN CASTLE

                                                                                                                                                                 The 13th century keep, which Cambro-Norman, Maurice de Prendergast was ordered to construct by John of England, Lord of Ireland.  Later it was handed over to the Knights Templar, followed by the Knights Hospitaller.

After passing through many difficult historic periods, the castle's tower-house received a Victorian restoration circa 1846, with the addition of adjoining buildings and was turned into a country house with the addition of adjoining buildings.  It eventually passed into the hands of the Mulcahy-Redmond family, owners of the famous, now-defunct adjacent woollen mill. Much more about the place's history can be read at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardfinnan_Castle

also

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardfinnan_Woollen_Mills

Monday, November 14, 2022

Boat House at Marlfield Lake


 Jan. 20th 2023:

I've been told today by a local man that this building was in fact a type of hunting lodge built by the Bagwell family, from where they could shoot water-fowl on this lake they had created to provide power for their nearby whiskey distillery. 

Saturday, November 12, 2022

Gleann an Óir ins na Comaraigh


 Gleann an Óir - Glen of the Gold!

A rainbow appeared as I arrived there. Was too late to capture it at it's best due to delay in attaching lens on my camera.  This must be where the gold was located?  Am applying for a prospector's licence asap!

Gleann Dá Lachan ins na Comaraigh


 Sometimes erroneously called Glendalough.
(Gleann Dá Lachan = Glen of the two ducks!)

Friday, November 11, 2022

Monday, November 7, 2022

Winter Flowers


 Nerines have been blooming for weeks and look like continuing for longer. Also, they appear year after year and require no work! Chrysanthemums are probably second best for late year blooms. 

Thursday, November 3, 2022

SLAVE LABOUR


 From a purchased real photo!
Was it slaves that picked the Portlaw cotton?

Plockton, Wester Ross, Scottish Highlands.

The TV series Hamish MacBeth, starring Robert Carlyle was filmed there.

Visited while on a trip to the Hebrides some years ago. 





                                               

Saturday, October 29, 2022

MOUNTAIN FENCE


 Comeragh Mountain can best  be climbed from the hill between the Mahon and Tay valleys, from where this fence was photographed.  

Thursday, October 27, 2022

Ahenny Houses


 Built for Welsh slate quarry workers in the 1800s, I've been told. 

Sunday, October 9, 2022

A Trip to Tipp



                                                                                                                                                               You'd never know who you'd meet at Marlfield!

Had pleasant conversations with many others also including a gentleman from Kerala, India.

(A single left-click on any image will show an enlarged version)

 

Knocksheegowna in the Comeraghs


 

Ready to Shoot!





 

Wednesday, October 5, 2022

É I R I U by John Hayes, Special Branch Carvers





Read about it in the
current edition of the
'Waterford News & Star'. 

The carving was completely destroyed!

Bog Cotton


 Bog Cotton & Reeds at Lough Doire Bhile, Co. Tipperary.

Sunday, October 2, 2022

The Status Quo in Ukraine on 2nd Oct. 2022.

 Read the latest news from the 'New York Times'

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/02/world/russia-ukraine-war-news


 Just imagine a few of these in the local cotton mill!
(from a personal collection of such engravings from 1800s)

From October 2nd to November 4th, 142 people viewed this image!

. . . and now on Dec. 3rd (since Oct. 2nd)  the number of viewers has reached 290!

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Hospice Coffee Morning 22nd Sept. 2022


L to R:  Peggy Comerford, Biddy Hanlin and Ann Nolan - volunteers at the centre, also Nellie O'Sullivan, one of the early  contributors.


 Another early contributor was Marion O'Neill.