Now in search of a mysterious red chair……
No one seems to know who made it, who put it there, or why…
I’m no great judge of height, but I would say the chair is about 10 feet tall…
In March of 2019 it mysteriously vanished… and in May 2019 just as mysteriously it reappeared……… Me thinks it’s the work of trolls…
Hvalnes Lighthouse is our next destination… http://luxuriousnomad.com/hvalnes-lighthouse/
~ Bella
My darling pseudo-daughter, Bethany (she is actually the daughter of dear friends, but I have stolen her) came to visit with me during my stay in Ireland and we have been exploring, mostly by simply driving around and seeing where my beloved Baby Jaguar took us!
This is Kylemore Abbey. Built in 1867-1871, it was a romantic gesture and gift from London doctor, Mitchell Henry, to his wife. It had 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 sitting rooms, a ballroom, billiard room, library, study, school room, smoking room, gun room, not to mention various offices and domestic staff residences for the butler, cook, housekeeper and other servants. In 1920 it became a monastery and girls’ school.
I know we were lost sometimes, but I didn’t think we had gone as far as Massachusetts!
…and of course Baby Jaguar found us a chocolate factory! …and of course it would have been rude to leave without buying something………
This place has the rather unfortunate name of Muckinish West Tower House…
Although I did work out the warning sign below was ‘no drones’ – at first, I thought it was a man hanging from a wire…
OK, so most people go to the Cliffs of Moher and see the cliffs – we saw the other side of them! We decided the hike to the top was not on our agenda that day! 🙂
Such a cool little Victorian pub in the middle of nowhere…
…and home to the hotel in time for a movie or two!
Perfect!
~ Bella
After days and days of rain, today’s sunshine was reason enough to get into the car and simply go for a spin…
This is Dunguaire Castle…
~ Bella
After a few weeks of crazy weather – but at least one night that included a spectacular sunset! – it was time to leave beloved Scotland and head to Ireland…
Stayed overnight near Dublin…
…then headed over to the west coast where I will be for the next couple of months or so…
The main part of the building dates back to 1839…
…and a delightful view to greet one in the morning..!
~ Bella
It was a lovely excursion to find the Rock of Dunamase – and such a peaceful area.
There has been occupation on the Rock since the 9th century, but this castle dates from the 12th.
You can read about the fascinating history of the Rock here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunamase
I was fascinated by these warning signs – to me, the one in the middle looks like ‘beware of running over people who are running to get away from you’ – and the one on the right looks like, ‘beware of people on hoverboards’!
~ Bella
Out and about again in northern Ireland (as in the north or the Republic of Ireland, not Northern Ireland)…
Managed to spy these beauties while I was at a gas station…
What every round-a-bout needs – an unused entrance to a castle…
…and this magnificent tree is Ireland’s oldest – and is a relative of the majestic Angel Oak in America. (hmmmm, note to self: need to upload those older photos to the site!)
Then off to find this extraordinary set of buildings…
…and back to the splendour of the Victorian-era Grand Hotel…
…and heading out to explore the local area…
Obviously the person who wrote this sign was having a bad day on the scales…
~ Bella
It was such a lovely day so I decided simply on a direction, with no real destination in mind – other than I had chosen where I wanted to end the day for an early dinner…
I find this climbing rose absolutely captivating – and look at the size of the trunk! I cannot imagine how old it must be…
This below is on one side of the highway and on the other is a statue of a guy holding the reins that stretch invisibly across the road…
This old railway station was up for sale… What an lovely piece of history…
My final destination was Adare Manor – and both it and the grounds were stunningly beautiful, however I was asked not to take any photos of the grounds or the manor due to certain guests being in residence at the time…
All in all a lovely day out!
~ Bella
Again, out at an appointment this morning, I decided to “take the long way home” as Supertramp would say… but first – this was the view from my hotel before I even left… Heavenly!
This is Brownshill Portal Tomb, also known as Brownsill Dolmen. It is a prehistoric megalithic tomb whose date of construction has been estimated at between 4,900 and 5,500 years ago.
…and in case you are wondering, that granite capstone weighs 103 TONNES! How did they get it up there? Your guess is as good as mine…
This majestic beauty is Duckett’s Grove Castle – and I fell in love with it!
…a gate to a secret garden?
…and continuing on…
…and home in time to get a bunch of work done…
~ Bella
On my way back from an appointment, I decided to simply follow my nose and see where I ended up…
Farney Castle is the only round tower in Ireland occupied as a family home. The first castle was built at Farney in 1185, with this round tower being built in 1495 by Thomas Butler, 7th Earl of Ormond, Lord Chamberlain to Catherine of Aragon.
Today, the castle is home to Cyril and Margie Cullen – Cyril is a maker or porcelain and beautiful one-off knit wear… and I had the honour of meeting both Margie (pictured below) and Cyril.
…then off again to explore…
…and time to head back to the hotel…
~ Bella
What a marvellous day’s exploring! Haunted castle, Templar inn, lighthouse, tall ship, medieval ruins… and home early in the afternoon, and in time to do a full day’s/night’s work…
I did not feel at all compelled to do the tour – the entire place felt so incredibly sad…
From their website, here is a little of the history of the hauntings…
“It is for many years said to have been visited by the Devil, so many people from the surrounding area are nervous to enter the place after dark.
Legend has it that during a storm at sea, a dark stranger approached the Hall on horseback after his ship was driven into nearby slade Harbour with rough seas. He was invited in to seek shelter and spent some days with the Tottenham Family who were living at the Hall at the time. The young Lady Anne Tottenham was especially taken with this dark stranger and fell head over heels for him. One night during a card game, she dropped a card and upon bending down to retrieve it, she noticed that this dark stranger had cloven hoofs instead of feet. As soon as he realised what she had seen, he shot through the roof in a ball of flames.
Anne never recovered, she went into a state of shock and madness and her family locked her in the tapestry room for fear that anyone would see her.
She died a couple of years later, still quite young, but her death was no release as servants and family members reported seeing her wandering through the house at night. The family had the local catholic priest Fr. Broaders exorcise the Hall but he could not exorcise the tapestry room.”
Is it just me, or do these rocks look like they have slipped sideways into the water…?
…and back to Tipperary…
~ Bella
