A Picture for Tuesday

As you may have guessed Mary plays a very important part in Irish life.

You can't blame me for trying...

What can I say.......? Thanks for the Taco Bell wrapping paper Steve!!!!!

Pre-historic....

After a long day of work and errands Dee and I decided to head out and explore around our area. We are still finding amazing things near us even though we have lived here for almost a year. Well, we found a breathtaking castle and explored a ruined 12th century abbey, but the discovery we made in a field was by far the best. We saw it on a map... But didn't know exactly where it was until we drove along and saw the large hill with a stone circle right in the middle of the field. We climbed the fence and walked around this prehistoric site. The circle was made up of large standing stones (about 4 feet tall) in groups of threes and single stones marking North, South, East, and West. It didn't take us long to discover a second and third circle in other fields. It is amazing to think that around 4,000BC Celts were creating these circles and were mapping out the stars and seasons. You just never know what you will find when exploring in Ireland.
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The picture below is of an Ogam stone that we discovered not too long ago. These pre-historic stones show an ancient form of writing. The dashes on the stone are in fact different letters that spell out a message.... This one marks a grave, indicating that this was a pre-Christian holy site. The Normans built a church here when the Irish were converted to Christianity. Local legend says that the whole in the stone was drilled much later and was used for taking oaths. A person (or a couple of people) would stand here on the graves of their ancestors and in front of the house of God and would "swear of God" by touching fingers through the stone.

The parade.......

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day today we decided to go into the city and watch the parade. The city was alive with people... and the parade route was a sea of green shirts and trousers. Kids everywhere had their faces painted with green, white, and orange stripes... and it seemed like every kid had at least one overpriced Irish flag. The parade was very festive and a lot of fun... There were bagpipe bands, little kids marching with their local football/hurling teams, and a lot of just funny groups in costumes most of which had nothing to do with St. Patrick. The highlight of the parade for me was its ending. No... There was not a giant fire truck with St. Patrick on it (that was in the middle of the parade)... but there were two large groups dressed in costume. The first group was the brave Irish/Celts and the second group were the dark and evil English - that kept yelling "God save the King" and "For King and country". The parade watchers booed at the very sight of the English... and cheered for the Irish as they had a pretend battle while marching....well that was it... the grand finale............. It was great craic(fun).

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Paddy's Day! In honor of this day I've posted this pic. It is of course St. Patrick and the mountain Croagh Patrick. It was on top of this mountain (legend tells us) that Patrick prayed and fasted for 40 days for the conversion of the Irish. This is also the site where Patrick "cast all of the snakes out of Ireland". Today this mountain is a pilgrimage site & is considered Ireland's holiest mountain. Each year thousands (40,000 on the last Sunday of July) of pilgrims climb this mountain (many barefoot) as an act of devotion, penance, and the seeking of indulgences.

Just a thought...

You can always tell that you have made a wrong turn in Ireland when the lane narrows and the chickens don't move out of the road for you................... just kidding

An Irish Holy Well.....

There are thousands of Holy Wells across Ireland. No one knows when people first began to worship here... but the practice seems to have started before the Christian Era. These wells are dedicated to patron Saints and are believed to have been blessed by them. Each well is unique and the beliefs surrounding them are very diverse - but each well is believed to hold some healing power.
People still come to these wells.... seeking healing... seeking guidance.... and seeking to help those that have passed away. This well - to St.Brigid - was especially eerie to visit. The small corridor that led to the water was full of mementos of deceased loved ones... we saw pictures, ties, stuffed animals, rosaries, running shoes, baby bottles, hair ribbons, statues and other personal items.

Shadows...

A lost rosary posted on a column in the church...

Deedra the Eskimo

"It was windy that day... I was protecting my ears!" was Deedra's explanation of the picture. I personally think that she looks like an Eskimo in her igloo. In reality... this picture was taken at a settlement of beehive huts. No one knows when these small one room rock huts were first used... but it is known that monks lived in them during the Dark Ages.

Picture Thursday....

In Honor of "Lord of the Rings"

How long does it take for a taco to go bad?

Monday was a good mail day here... We opened our door to discover a care package from our good friend Steve York. He sent us some essentials from the states that we can't get here... tons of Fun Dip, Muffin Mixes, and some of his sermons on tape... Really nice of him right? Well... this is where the story gets bad... Steve caringly wrapped each and every item in Taco Bell wrappers... oh.... just the sight of those familiar wax papers made my heart skip a beat... I tried licking them to see if there was taco or burrito essence left on them... but alas... Steve had made a special trip to Taco Bell and had gotten dozens of new wrappers just for our package... Thanks for the thought Steve...

A Few Things That I've Learned While Living in Ireland

1. Dry Seaweed is really crunchy when stepped on.....
2. Wet Seaweed is extremely slippery.......
3. Wet Seaweed stains when crushed....

It is that time of the year...

Well.... It is that time of the year again. Spring is in the air and little lambs can be seen trying out their new little legs. These pics are in honor of them.