France at last, Dublin to Concarneau, part iv, L’Aberwrach.

The Channel crossing over, sailing from Plymouth, a naval town in SW England over to Brittany,  was long, cold, and grim, shrouded in fog and darkness.    Most of our time through the night is spent scanning the radar, anxious to avoid a collision with one of the many massive tankers cruising through the dark. Even… Read More France at last, Dublin to Concarneau, part iv, L’Aberwrach.

St Brendan’s Cathedral & St Brendan Navigator.

a stone carving from a capital that adorns a column in Saint Brendan’s Cathedral, Loughrea, Co Galway. The Cathedral was designed by William Byrne and funded by the wonderful Edward Martyn,  Catholic land-owner, Humanist, scholar, patron, and playwright. Martyn was an absolutely vital figure in Ireland’s Gaelic Revival,  a hugely important benefactor to the arts.  Among his many… Read More St Brendan’s Cathedral & St Brendan Navigator.

Four details… four pictures from Dublin and around Ireland.

A small set of curious pictures,  just four today,  for readers to puzzle over.   In a break with tradition, these images are not all from the capital.  Two pictures are from Dublin, but the other two from elsewhere in Ireland, from much further afield.  Enjoy,  and please feel free to share with friends or colleagues.… Read More Four details… four pictures from Dublin and around Ireland.

Doors of Dublin…

“there are so many doors to open.  I am impatient to begin…”    – Charlie Gordan,  Flowers for Algernon. Many Dubliners are familiar with the well-known comercial souvenir poster,  prominent in pubs and language schools,  showing a grid of photographs depicting lovely painted Georgian doors.    The simple, elegant Neo-Classical restraint of Georgian doors are of course wonderful.     But,… Read More Doors of Dublin…