Jean Reinhardt's Blog, page 12
March 4, 2020
Thursday Doors – Cavan County Museum 4
I’m starting with a warning on this week’s Thursday Doors post because in this room you’ll find some very sombre exhibits. They really touched my heart and relate to a significant era in Ireland’s history, one that changed the landscape and demographics on a massive scale.
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As a gift, friends and neighbours of young married couples often built cabins such as this for them. Usually it only took a day to construct one, with so many helping hands, but they quickly fell into disrepair and needed regular maintenance. They usually consisted of one room with a fireplace and sometimes a chimney but no sanitation whatsoever. During the Great Hunger of the mid 1800’s evictions were rife, sometimes illegally carried out, leading to the demolition of many of these simple homes. Often the aim was to clear the land to turn it from tillage to pasture, for animals rather than crops.
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Not all landlords treated their tenants so harshly, my own direct ancestors had fairly decent landlords which may have been the reason they survived those dreadful years and never emigrated. For those less fortunate the workhouse was often their last option after eviction.
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In pre famine Ireland potatoes and milk was the staple diet of most poor farmers. They often worked not for money but in exchange for small potato plots from their landlord in order to feed their families. People had little spare cash because of this and when the potato crop failed, due to a fungus that spread throughout Europe, there was no way of purchasing any other type of food. Repeated crop failures from 1845 to 1849 led to the deaths of over a million people and the emigration of over a million more, reducing the country’s population from approximately 8 million to 6 million.
[image error]Note the extent of the decline in county Cavan alone. Normally there would be an increase. Even today, Ireland’s population is nowhere near what it was before the years of the Great Hunger.
This dark period of Ireland’s history is often referred to as the Irish Famine or Potato Famine but because there was plenty of food still being grown and exported, famine is not an accurate word. An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger) is the expression many now use today but the Irish people of that era often referred to it as An Drochshaol, loosely translated as the Hard Times. During this period the workhouses in Ireland were bursting at the seams.
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I found the shoes to be the most heartwrenching exhibit for me in the whole of the museum and stood before them for a long time before taking these photographs. They are so well worn, I wondered if they had been passed on to a new owner when the wearer died and if so, how many untold life stories are connected to them.
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Even the lighting in the next room looks more cheerful so we’ll have a look in there next week.
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There are more doors to view over on Norm’s blog, links to them are in the comments at the end of his post. Thanks so much for joining me on this week’s Thursday Doors tour of the Cavan County Museum.
February 29, 2020
Thursday Doors – Cavan County Museum 3
Welcome to yet another Thursday Doors post from the Cavan County Museum. I know I’m posting this one on a Saturday but as it’s the 29th of February it will be four years until that date comes round again. However, the real reason for the delay is I have a rotten cold and cough. I’m so glad I had a stockpile of photos from the museum on hand for times like this so let’s get on with the tour.
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As you can see from the opening image, there are lots of doors to venture through on this floor. This first room shows us how most Irish farmers lived and the tools they used.
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If we follow the path to the replica cottage we pass a lot of interesting pieces of equipment, like this cereal grinder.
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When government grants became available for galvanized iron it allowed small farmers to re-roof their homes and construct large hay barns. This resulted in the eventual decline of the picturesque thatched and it’s craft.
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The interior of this cottage displays many of the items a farming family would have possessed.
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Usually you would find a door to a bedroom on each side of the parlour.
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In another room on the first floor I found a wonderful display of clothing the gentry would have worn. Notice the difference in the fireplace compared to the farmers cottage.
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Have a look at the shoes and the old record player.
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Thanks for your company this week, Norm has a great selection of doors over on his blog. Next week we can explore a couple more rooms of the Cavan County Museum but get your tissues out for that particular Thursday Doors post.
February 21, 2020
Thursday Doors – Cavan County Museum 3
For this week’s Thursday Doors post we are still in the Cavan Coumty Museum. Climbing the stairs opposite the main entrance we come to a landing with a large window through which you can see some of the outdoor exhibits.
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The glass display cabinet holds an array of interesting items from the past.
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The white clay pipe was very popular in the 1900’s even with women.
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I’m sure some women enjoyed snuff, too.
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Hearing aids have definitely shrunk in size over the years.
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I remember a feeder cup like this in our house when I was a child.
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This tile was taken from the Titanic’s first class smoking room before her maiden voyage. There was so much to see and we hadn’t even reached the first floor. I don’t want to tire you out before we get there so I’ll save that for next week. Thanks for coming along this week. Norm has an interesting collection of Thursday Doors over on his blog.
February 13, 2020
Thursday Doors – Cavan County Museum 2
Welcome to part two of Thursday Doors from the Cavan County Museum. We’re still on the ground floor. This room is a lovely mix of old and new, with children’s art from various schools adorning the walls. You can also see a replica of a Celtic cross in the first image.
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I love how they decorated the pillars with colourful handprints. Reminds me of ancient cave art.
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The ancient artifacts aren’t quite as colourful but just as interesting
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The following artifact is a cist grave, something I had never heard of before.
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This enormous rock had an interesting story, too.
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Thanks for coming along and watch out for part 3 next week, which will feature the first floor. For a great selection of Thursday Doors, pop on over to Norm’s blog.
February 6, 2020
Thursday Doors – Cavan County Museum 1
The Cavan County Museum will be the setting for a series of Thursday Doors posts over the next few weeks. There is so much to see and learn about in this converted convent building that it could go on for months but I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible.
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[image error]Rear exit leading to the outdoor exhibits.
Now that you’ve seen the outside let’s go through the main entrance.
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Once inside we were greeted by a couple of old bikes and a 3D map of county Cavan.
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I love the original floor tiles and wood.
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There are two corridors off the main entrance so for this week’s post we’ll explore just one of them.
[image error]Beautiful shutters
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[image error]This door leads to Gaelic sports – hurling, camogie and Gaelic football – and the history of some of Cavan’s champion teams, men’s and women’s.
[image error]Women’s camogie outfits over the decades
In 1947 Cavan beat Kerry in the men’s senior Gaelic football all Ireland final, which was held at the Polo Grounds in New York, of all places. It was the first and only time the all Ireland final was held outside the country, for the benefit of the large Irish-American community there. It also coincided with the centenary of the Great Hunger (Great Irish Famine) which was responsible for over a million people emigrating from Ireland to the United States and other countries from 1845 to 1850.
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[image error]The Cavan uniform of the 1947 New York game.
In next week’s Thursday Doors we’ll explore a second corridor of the Cavan County Museum but for now, Norm has quite a few doors waiting for you over on his blog.
January 30, 2020
Thursday Doors – Puzzle
[image error]You could cosy up to a warm stove or open that book you’ve been meaning to read.
[image error]Or turn to what I did over this cold, damp spell – a jigsaw puzzle.
[image error]What could be more appropriate than this one for a Thursday Doors post?
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[image error]So it was completed in no time at all.
[image error]I let The Gaffer put in the last few pieces. At least this puzzle didn’t end up in the same place as the last one I tried. It was a thousand piece desert scene, nothing but sand dunes.
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If you would like to view a variety of Thursday Doors that are not quite so puzzling, head on over to Norm’s blog and click the links in the comments.
January 23, 2020
Thursday Doors – Random
Just a few random Thursday Doors this week. This one is my favourite, I love the windows and stonework, too.
[image error]One that should appeal to Rod Stewart fans.
[image error]Bright and cheerful.
[image error]End of terrace but not small.
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Love this shade of blue. Thanks so much for viewing this random selection of Thursday Doors and if you’d like to see more, have a look at Norm’s post this week.
January 16, 2020
Thursday Doors – Boats
After last week’s chilly, grey Thursday Doors post I thought blue skies and boats might be called for. Boat doors come in all shapes and sizes.
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The first few images are of Ballycastle boats. You would never think it was the middle of winter looking at these photos.
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The clouds look a bit chilly and that was reflected in the temperature. However, the cold didn’t dampen our spirits and the grandchildren enjoyed a spell in the park. There was a boat of sorts there, too.
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It might be a fake vessel but with a little bit of imagination it became an amazing pirate ship. Nearer to home, Belturbet boats are looking good, too.
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A while ago I posted a photograph of a neat little cruiser that is usually moored in Belturbet. It has a ‘living’ roof but the shot was taken at dusk, so it was difficult to see. I took this one in daylight.
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Here’s a close up of the roof, it even has a stove flue.
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The Gaffer always enjoys his walks down by the marina but he’s not too steady on his old legs now, so he wears his doggy life jacket. It also keeps him warm on chilly days.
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Thanks a million for mooring on my blog this week. If you sail on over to Norm’s you’ll find lots of Thursday Doors, maybe even a boat or two.
January 9, 2020
Thursday Doors – Winter
Welcome to another Thursday Doors post, this one is all about winter. I love the crisp, cold days we get here at this time of year. We probably have less rain during this season than we do in summertime. Irish summers have a watery reputation. In winter, the weather and temperature can change a lot as you travel north to south, even in such a small country as this. Usually it gets warmer but on this particular journey it got much colder. We headed south this day with blue skies and sunshine.
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But within an hour the temperature had dropped by four degrees and this is what it looked like:
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Icy roads and white fields. The odd door didn’t escape my notice, either.
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Remember, we’re traveling south. It usually gets a wee bit warmer when we head in that direction. In the freezing fog and greyness, the trees seemed to take on a life of their own.
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Even without their leaves, they can be majestic and beautiful. Entertaining, too. Does anyone else see a couple of human shapes in the next shot? Or even a gorilla?
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Now you know just how far my imagination can stretch. I managed to get a clearish shot of two old headstones, right on the edge of the road, as we drove by. It wasn’t a safe place to stop so I couldn’t get a good look at the inscriptions.
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I’m pretty sure they’re headstones but there wasn’t a graveyard in sight.
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By the time we arrived home it was almost dark and it felt like we had travelled three hours north, instead of south. Thanks for dropping in on this chilly Thursday Doors post, Norm has lots more over on his blog.
January 3, 2020
Thursday Doors – First of 2020
The Gaffer is looking forward to hunting out lots of interesting Thursday Doors for 2020, so I thought it only appropriate that he should be featured in the first photograph of this post. Here he is, checking out the seagulls on the beach at my native village of Blackrock in County Louth. This is where we found our first door of 2020.
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The Clermont has been revamped since my last visit to Blackrock and looks very inviting indeed. They serve up an amazing variety of dishes and on my next trip I’ll be trying some of them out, for sure. Here’s a close up of those doors, I think that might be a beer garden at the rear.
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The sculpture across the street is one of my favourites as my ancestors were local fishermen and cockle pickers. In their day, The Clermont was quite a thriving hotel. Blackrock was originally a small fishing village and by 1841 the population had reached 507 with 95 houses, mostly small thatched fishermen’s cottages.
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However, by 1845 a lot of visitors were attracted to the area. Some came to ‘take the waters’ meaning they drank the seawater as well as making use of the hot saltwater baths that were believed to be very beneficial to one’s health.
Due to complaints about the lack of hostelries and stabling, local landlord Thomas Fortescue had several lodging premises built, The Clermont Arms being one of them. From the mid 1800’s Blackrock grew to become a popular holiday resort for visitors from all over the north east of the country, including many from Scotland. This may have been a help to local people during the years of the Great Hunger, giving some degree of employment. Today, Blackrock has over 3,000 inhabitants.
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Some of the properties in the village haven’t changed much over the years. Can you spot the fake door in this next shot?
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After all that bird watching and door hunting The Gaffer is ready for a nap.
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Thanks a million for joining myself and The Gaffer for this first Thursday Doors post of 2020 and the new decade ahead.
