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The River Anne
Evening falls gently over the River Anne as it flows through Annestown (aka Bun Abha, meaning “river’s end”) into the Celtic Sea. The village of just a handful of cottages is on the Copper Coast in County Waterford, Ireland.The ruins of Dunhill Castle on a rocky outcrop above the river, is just visible below the…
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Garden Colour…
A garden seat on a terrace in the gardens of Lismore Castle in County Waterford, Ireland. The gardens, set within the outer defensive walls covering 10 acres remain in the Jacobean style and are the oldest cultivated gardens in the country.The Castle itself was built in 1185 by the Lord of Ireland, Prince John of…
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End of the day
A solitary fishing boat maneuvres into Cheekpoint harbour dwarfed by Great Island Power Station. The village marks the meeting of the Three Sisters river network; the Suir, Nore and Barrow which flow to the sea through Waterford Harbour. It’s also the meeting place of the provinces of Munster and Leinster, and the counties of Waterford,…
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Spraoi…
A gaelic word meaning “play”, Spraoi is now a three day annual street festival, that began in 1993 as an opportunity for fun and a little madness during the summer. The themes vary each year and range from mythology and legend, to Waterford’s industrial past. The latter topic, with Gothic influence, is feaured in the…
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Crumbling Folly
The Danesfort Turret has dominated the County Kilkenny landscape for at least four generations. The octagonal shaped structure was built by the Wemys family, who resided at the now disappeared Danesfort House.They used it as a hunting folly or party house during warm summer evenings when the ladies would socialise downstairs while the men would…
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Poolbeg Stacks
Stark against the setting sun, the Poolbeg Stacks are prime examples of Monuments to Mood.They’ve stood like two watch guards at the entrance to the River Liffey for forty years making it difficult to imagine Dublin Bay and the city skyline without them.It would be hard to describe them as beautiful, yet people vehemently protested…
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Napoleonic Watch Tower
The Signal Tower at Carrigan Head is one of 12 lookouts in County Donegal, constructed in the early 19th century in response to repeated attempts by French forces between 1796 and 1798 to invade Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars.The signal crew normally comprised of a naval lieutenant, a midshipman, two signalmen and a military guard…
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St patricks Legacy
St Patrick’s Day – and a little about where, in 445AD, he reputedly had a church built on a hill in Armagh City; the very spot where St Patrick’s Church of Ireland Cathedral stands. Today Armagh is the seat of the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland archbishoprics, one of of whom, Lord Archbishop Richard…
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Iconic Folly
This extraordinary gateway to the Castletown demesne in County Kildare is known as Connelly’s Folly. Designed by Richard Cassels with arches, stone pineapples, eagles and a massive obelisk pillar, it proved to be a very effective eye-catcher when viewed from Castletown House some four kilometres away. The Irish philanthropist, Katherine Connolly, who lived in the…
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Reflective Temple
Another eye-catcher, another delightful piece of whimsy and another temple. But this one’s 3000 kilometres from Ireland in the Jardin Botanico de La Concepcion in Malaga.Perfectly reflected in a pool lined by fastigate cypress trees, the splash of crimson from an art installation suspended in the temple adds colour to the scene.The garden was built…
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bathing temple
Located on the banks of the River Liffey in the western outskirts of Dublin is Luttrellstown Castle. And the prettiest view in the grounds is the little Doric Temple beside the small lake, fed from the nearby river.Built in 1780 and accessed by a little rustic bridge, the classic portico hides its original use as…
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Harmless…
Under a breaking dawn, a Second World War, anti-shipping mine, now rendered harmless, stands on the causeway overlooking Dungarven Harbour in County Waterford, Ireland. A reminder of maritime dangers. Back in May 1945, the “Naomh Garbhan”, fishing out of nearby Helvick harbour, netted a mine just off Dungarvan which exploded killing three of the crew.…
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Monument to a Mood
‘Monument to a Mood’ was a term coined by historian Sir Kenneth Clark to describe follies. It could however, also encompass structures built for a specific use, now redundant, but with the same criteria of decorative whimsy and no practical use. Like today’s post.Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the imposing engine house above the village of…
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Shadows and Light
Evening in the aptly named Black Abbey in Kilkenny, Ireland, casting dark shadows, relieved by light from two sources.Although it houses the magnificent “Rosary Window”, one of the largest stained glass windows in Ireland, it’s the contemporary, abstract, brightly coloured, stained glass window in the style of Harry Clarke that drew my attention with its…
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Spanish Eyecatcher
Glowing in the evening light, the Castillo Monumento Colomares in Benelmadena, Malaga Province, Spain isn’t as old as it appears.The monument, in the form of a castle is constructed using Gothic, Romanesque, Byzantine and Mudejar styles of architecture is a tribute to the fifth centenary of the discovery of America and Christopher Columbus.The edifice was…
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Hauntings…
Arriving at the ‘castle’ in the midst of torrential rain and gales, made patience and a good book useful. The inclement weather cleared after 30 minutes and I ventured out as the clouds rolled back and a couple of gulls made an appearance en route for the coast.Duckett’s Grove was built c.1745 on an estate…
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Water…water…water…
…gushing out of the ancient walls of Lismore Castle in County Waterford since circa 1850 is a freshwater spring, once used as a major source of drinking water in the locality. Now it’s worn, crumbling, leaking and moss covered, but utterly charming…
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The Samson
“The Samson” crane ship wrecked on the rocks below Ardmore Head in County Waterford following a severe storm in 1987, is just one of the many photographs in “Waterford, A County Revealed”. To celebrate the onset of 2024, Blurb POD publishers, are offering a two day discount of 20% on the book starting from tomorrow and…
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Metal Man
The Metal Man with his cormorant friend is a freestanding, painted, cast iron statue of a Royal Navy petty officer in the Age of Sail. Erected in Napoleonic times 1821, its purpose was to guide ships into a safe channel to Sligo Harbour with his extended arm showing the way.Off the coast of the Rosses…
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Mussenden Temple Return…
A second visit: built on cliffs high above the Atlantic Ocean as a library, the classic temple was modelled on the Temple of Vesta in the Forum Romanum in Rome, and designed by the Irish architect Michael Shanahan. Created in the Downhill Demesne near Castlerock, County Derry in Northern Ireland, by the Lord Bishop of…
George Munday Creative
Turning Imagination into Reality
George Munday Creative 