Jean Reinhardt's Blog, page 5

Thursday Doors – Ballycastle – The Harbour

Welcome to another Thursday Doors from the lovely seaside town of Ballycastle in County Antrim and this week features the harbour area. There are quite a few diverse food shops along the promenade and I’ve sampled most of their goods over the past few years. All are delicious and left me wanting more.

Ballycastle has a connection with Guglielmo Marconi, known for his pioneering work on long-distance radio transmission, development of Marconi’s law, and a radio telegraph system. In fact, he has quite a connection with Ireland in that his wife was Annie Jameson, whose grandfather founded the Jameson Whiskey distillery. In 1898 Marconi’s assistants successfully contacted Rathlin Island by radio from Ballycastle. Lloyd’s Insurance company, London financed the experimental wireless link to test how well a signal would be received on the mainland from the island. Marconi made a preliminary survey but the work was given to his right-hand man, George Kemp, who hired Edward Glanville, a Trinity College Dublin graduate, to assist him. They in turn hired islander Johnny Cecil as a labourer. I’ll leave a link to their story below, which tells of the unfortunate death of the young college graduate. *

While walking around the harbour I spotted a bright orange boat standing out from all the others and I had to get a closer look.

It looks like an enclosed lifeboat in the process of being refurbished as a leisure craft. I’ve seen some larger ones online made into houseboats and they are fabulous.

One of the Fisheries Protection Vehicles that patrol the coastal waters in the Antrim area.

Across the harbour you can see a helter skelter slide in the playground. I think it’s there for the summer and I bet there’s a nice view from the top. That’s Fair Head in the background in the next photograph.

Thanks for touring the harbour of Ballycastle with me on this week’s Thursday Doors and if you’d like to go further afield, Dan has a great selection of links over on his blog that will bring you to some fascinating locations.

Marconi and Ballycastle *

Thursday Doors – Coffee With a View

My first cup of coffee indoors at a cafe in almost a year deserves to be included in this week’s Thursday Doors post and it was in a place with a magnificent view.

The Shorebird Coffee Hut in Ballycastle, County Antrim is not only in a beautiful setting but is a relaxing and friendly place to start off a morning of door hunting.

The coffee and cakes are as tasty as the lovely beach themed interior.

I didn’t bump into Robinson Crusoe but I think I might have come across his beach hut. This got me thinking of people who live on islands and have been nicknamed after Daniel Defoe’s fictional character. For instance, there’s Yorkshireman, Brendon Grimshaw, who bought Moyenne Island in the Seychelles back in 1962 and spent years searching for the buried treasure of pirate Oliver Levasseur. At the same time, with the help of his friend Rene Antoine Lafortune, he transformed the 24 acre island into the world’s smallest national park. They planted 16,000 trees, introduced a wide variety of birds and bred giant tortoises. Grimshaw died in 2012, aged 87.

Northern Ireland has a its own ‘Robinson Crusoe’ in the person of Peter McClelland, who lived as the only resident of Coney Island on Lough Neagh for almost 20 years. He retired from his solitary life a few years ago to live in the busy town of Portadown, County Armagh. In 1998 he became the warden of the eight and a half acre island and over the next two decades cleared away invasive species, opened up pathways and planted many trees. He also recorded the wide variety of birds that came to visit and welcomed about five thousand tourists each summer, some day trippers and others camping. He wasn’t totally isolated as he sailed across to the mainland during the week to buy food and goods.

A lot of history is attached to Coney Island on Lough Neagh, from a 13th century Anglo-Norman motte to a round tower dating back to the 16th century. Being a secluded island had its advantages for some in more recent history. Queen Victoria’s son Albert Prince of Wales (also known as Bertie) who would become King Edward VII, stayed there with his mistress, actress Lillie Langtry.

Next week I’ll show you what came after my coffee with a view but in the meantime, Dan has quite a lot of interesting links to an international selection of Thursday Doors over on his blog.

Thursday Doors – Vintage Surprise

The arrival of a couple of 1930’s style vintage wedding cars was a pleasant surprise when my grandson, Lukas, was capturing some Thursday Doors photos on his trip to Antrim Castle Gardens. The chauffeurs were very friendly and even posed for him. The two door Silver Beauford had beautiful dark red leather interior while the seven seater Silver Imperial Landaulette had lovely cream seating. I’ll leave a link to their website at the end of the post.

Now, onto some nice images of the gardens. The tree below has been trained to grow in a spiral shape. I love how the shadow makes it look like as if a snake is wound around it.

Crossing the bridge brings us to some beautiful river views.

In the distance you can see a ferris wheel that has been set up in the Market Square of Antrim town for the summer.

Over on Dan’s blog you’ll find a variety of posts from around the globe with lots of interesting doors and buildings. Thanks again, Lukas, for contributing to another Thursday Doors and sharing that lovely vintage surprise with us.

Vintage Wedding Cars, County Antrim

Thursday Doors – Antrim Castle Gardens

Thursday Doors is fast becoming a family affair as this week’s photos were contributed by my grandson Lukas which he took on a recent visit to Antrim Castle Gardens. He found a colourful mosaic while he was there.

The statue of a dog to the left of the above image has an interesting story attached to it.

In 1607, not long after she married Sir Hugh Clotworthy, the daughter of Sir Roger Langford, Lady Marian, was standing by the water’s edge on the shores of Lough Neagh when a growl came from behind her. Turning around she was confronted by a huge wolf, ready to pounce, and this caused her to faint. Just in time, an Irish wolfhound came to her rescue and when the young woman woke up from her swoon she was relieved to see her attacker dead. Unfortunately, the wolfhound was badly injured so Marian took the brave dog back to her home at Antrim Castle and nursed it back to health. Once the animal had made a decent recovery, it disappeared.

However, some years later a wolfhound was heard baying during a storm and the castle wardens lit a large fire to see what was going on. They were shocked to discover their enemies gathering close by getting ready to attack. Only one shot was fired from the castle but it was enough to disperse the enemy and at dawn, the stone statue of the wolfhound was discovered on the highest turret. Historians have said that Sir Hugh went to a lot of trouble to make a mystery out of the appearance of the statue and over the four centuries since it was formed, it’s been moved a few times. It looks to me to be in pretty good condition for its age.

Dan has lots of links to interesting doors over on his blog this week. Thank you Lukas for your contribution to this week’s Thursday Doors from Antrim Castle Gardens.

Thursday Doors – Drive-by Shots

For this week’s Thursday Doors I’m sharing some drive-by shots taken from the car on a recent trip. What caught my attention as we passed by this wee church was the small number of graves on its grounds and when I looked closer at the photograph I saw a mix of old and new headstones. An internet search gave me some good information about it.

It’s in Stonebridge, County Monaghan and is a Presbytarian Church or Meeting House with a small cemetery alongside it. The oldest gravestones don’t have any dates on them but are presumed to be as old as the original church. There has been a congregation in Stonebridge from at least the 1700s and a plaque on one of the gable end walls is inscribed 1700. This most likely refers to an earlier structure that must have stood on the site before the present church was built in 1830. Historical records show at least three different rebuilds or renovations took place on that location over the centuries so the plaque from 1700 must have been saved and placed on the new or extended church in 1790 and then added to the present building that replaced the old one in 1830.

Typical two story farm house that looks like it may have been extended over the years.

This three-storey premises was built 1892, designed by architects Millar and Symes. With its beautiful stonework, this building in Clones, County Monaghan adds a lot of character to the town and is a testament to the craftsmen involved in its construction. It is still operating as a bank today. The next photograph is a building which used to be a bank but now houses a solicitors firm.

It was built about 1880 and then modified in 1922. Let’s end the post with something different. A row of fake doors and windows on a derelict building in Dundalk, County Louth.

The mural of the ‘broken wall’ giving a view into a fake room is very cleverly done, I think, and adds a bit of interest. I’m sorry it’s so blurred, I had to take the shot from a distance as there was nowhere close by to park up. Over on Dan’s blog you’ll find lots of interesting links to doors and places from around the world. Thanks for stopping by and viewing these drive-by shots on this week’s Thursday Doors.

Thursday Doors – Another trip to Blackrock

Thursday Doors features some cottages from Blackrock in County Louth this week. Most of the photographs that I’ve posted of my native seaside village have been taken of the main street and promenade so I thought I should feature the north end of the village and beyond, for a change. This first wee cottage is so neat and very typical of a fisherman’s home in bygone days. It might be tiny but it has a massive view, one I would never tire of looking at.

Most of the houses in this week’s post have the same view – the Cooley Mountains on the north side of Dundalk Bay.

A lot of the old stone walls and some of the properties were built from the stone of a local quarry which is marked on the historical maps but went out of use many years ago. You can see part of it in the next image.

This next cottage has been very nicely refurbished but it’s the house behind it, on the same grounds, that interests me.

You might be thinking the larger house has been there for as long as the cottage but you’d be wrong. The big house is a new build in the garden of the smaller one. Even the gutters and downpipes look authentic and both chimneys have a row of pots, like you would find on Victorian and Edwardian houses. The owners have done a great job of making a brand new building look as if it has always been there.

In the Square at the north end of Blackrock two houses have gone up for sale and if I had the money I would buy them. They need a lot of work but the location is great and there’s a good sized garden to the rear. Less than a five minute walk brings you to the beach.

This is what they looked like a century ago. Both photos include the mode of transport of their era. The older form appeals to me but maybe not if I was in a hurry and certainly not on a cold, wet day.

The smaller house must have been altered at some point, as the roof and upper windows are now level with the end one. My great great grandmother lived close to the Square and reached the grand old age of 102, so that area of the village is a favourite of mine. The property to the left of the old photo was called the Violet Pub and Hotel. Researching our family history, I came across a record of my great great grandfather and his father-in-law being fined in a Petty Sessions court for drinking on the premises after hours. The owner of the Violet was also fined for serving them. This pub was the inspiration for the fictitious Paddy Mac’s in my Irish Family Saga books so I was gutted when it was demolished a few years ago.

The last house featured this week is hidden from view but you can just about see the roof. There’s a tiny old cottage inside the gates, behind the white pillar. The stone walls are typical of the area and you’ll find them all around the village. Although I couldn’t get a better shot of the house I did find some photos and details about it on Buildings of Ireland if you’d like to have a closer look.

Before I go, I have an update on the frog in our garden. After discovering him in a labyrinth under some old bricks I thought the name Bowie would suit him, as he starred in the movie, Labyrinth. I half-buried a clay pot containing sand and compost close to where I found him. He has plenty of shade and a water dish close by and a good supply of snails and slugs.

As always, thanks a mil for stopping by this week. Dan has a feast of doors over on his blog. Later in the year I’ll be making another trip to Blackrock to photograph some ancient ruins in County Louth for a future Thursday Doors post.

Thursday Doors – Freedom

At last we are now permitted to travel outside our own counties, which explains this week’s Thursday Doors title – Freedom. So we took to the road and drove through the counties of Monaghan and Louth to visit some of my family. Along the way I managed to capture some nice buildings as we drove by. Here’s a close up shot of that lovely old house on the hill. It’s a three-bay two-storey house, built c.1850,

In the next photograph you’ll see a Masonic Lodge built in the late nineteenth or early twentieth-century. From the angle of the shot it looks like only the facade is standing but the complete building is there but not in use today.

Not far from the Masonic Lodge there is another interesting building. A Protestant recreational hall, detached single-storey over basement, built in 1926.

Of course, there’s always a red door or two waiting to be spotted. Like these two peeking over the stone wall.

I came across some interesting street art on the journey and took quite a few drive by shots but the next photo is the only one that wasn’t blurred.

The reason my daughter and sister supplied me with photographs for my recent posts wasn’t just because of travel restrictions. I was busy building walls in our garden from the hand made bricks that came from the interior walls when we were renovating our cottage. As these were part of the fabric of the house and may be around two hundred years old, I wanted to make a feature of them and some raised beds seemed like the perfect way to recycle them.

I really enjoy building dry walls of stone or old brick but I’m glad I didn’t have to do it for a living. It’s backbreaking work and takes forever to find the right shape and colour of brick. I had to dismantle a bed I built last summer and when I did so an unusual ‘doorway’ revealed itself. It seemed to lead to a labyrinth inhabited by all sorts of interesting creatures, especially spiders. There were quite a few centipedes, which is a good thing for the garden.

Close to this cavernous opening lay a handful of empty snail shells, not a good thing for the garden. Although I was happy to see them empty, I wondered what could have eaten them and sent a photo to the grandchildren asking them to guess. One of them joked that maybe it was their granddad, lol.

When I removed a few more bricks I found the answer. A frog was clinging to a snail, probably convinced I was after his lunch.

Mr. R. caught him and placed him underneath a fennel plant while I quickly rebuilt his home, making sure it wasn’t going to collapse on top of him.

Thanks for stopping by this week. Dan has lots more doors to view over on his blog. I’ll be taking advantage of our freedom to search out more Thursday Doors for next week, until then have a lovely weekend.

Thursday Doors – In the Pink

Welcome to another Thursday Doors and this week it’s in the pink. If you’re familiar with that expression you’ll know it refers to being in extremely good health and spirit. This week’s door, or should I say doorway, belongs to a building that isn’t exactly in great condition but is definitely ‘in the pink’. It was found by one of my sisters, so thank you Anne for your much appreciated contribution to this week’s blogpost.

You’ve probably realised by now that we are in an old cemetery, not exactly where you would expect to end up if you’re in the pink but a good place to find some nice shots for a Thursday Doors post. This church ruin is in the townland of Port, County Louth and was amalgamated with five other medieval parishes to make up what is now called Togher parish. Even on historical maps of two hundred years ago it is recorded as a ruin.

Let’s have a closer look at that doorway.

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As you can see, the door is long gone but the entrance still remains and it’s surrounded by a spectacular display of pink clematis. We have this lovely climber in our garden but it’s nowhere near as copious as this one. If pink isn’t your colour, how about blue?

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Maybe you prefer yellow.

At this time of year bright yellow fields of rapeseed make an eye-catching display. The crop is mostly grown for culinary use in Ireland but the name canola isn’t really used in Europe like it is in Canada and North America. Most of it is cold pressed here, to retain all of it’s natural goodness. In Ireland, you’re never too far from a beach or a woods and my sister found both on her walk. The next image is of Port beach which stretches to over a mile long and is backed by sand dunes and fields.

You can see the yellow field of rapeseed in the distance, with the Mourne Mountains in the background. I hope you enjoyed this virtual visit to County Louth, courtesy of my sister, Anne. Hopefully, this week’s Thursday Doors finds you ‘in the pink’ too, and if you’d like to explore further afield, Dan has a great selection over on his blog.

Thursday Doors – Cushendun, County Antrim

Another Thursday Doors from County Antrim this week, courtesy of my daughter and son-in-law, featuring the village of Cushendun. It has been under the protection of the National Trust since 1954 and was designated a conservation area in 1980. It’s beautifully located in a sheltered harbour at the mouth of the River Dun. The Mull of Kintyre in Scotland is only about fifteen miles away across the North Channel and for a couple of hundred years, up until the 1840’s, a ferry linked the village with Dunaverty on the Scottish coast. Before the 1800 Act of Union of Britain and Ireland, Cushendun even had a customs house and passport office. The hotel dates from the early 1920’s.

Shane O’Neill, chief of the Tyrone O’Neill dynasty, was killed by the MacDonnells here in 1567. Much of the village was designed for Conservative MP and author, Ronald McNeill, who later became Lord Cushendun. The architect, Clough Williams-Ellis was asked to design it in the style of a Cornish village as the MP’s wife Maud was from Cornwall and that probably made her feel more at home.

The bridge is made of sandstone and was built about 1860.

Well kept traditional cottages add a lot of charm to the village.

We can’t take a trip to Cushendun without paying a visit to the caves, so let’s take a short virtual walk to the beach and check them out.

Would you like to take a peek inside one of the caves?

Looks a bit muddy but it didn’t deter my grandson.

The next photo is a sculpture of one of Cushendun’s departed characters – Johann the goat. For years he was a friendly feature of the harbour as he grazed the riverbank and welcomed tourists. During the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak poor Johann was the last creature to be culled in the area, even his popularity couldn’t save him. The sculpture was created by artist, Deborah Brown, as a tribute to him.

A big thank you goes out to Elaine and Orrin for sharing their sightseeing with us this week. Dan has a ton of interesting doors over on his blog just waiting to be explored. By the way, if the name Cushendun sounds familiar it’s because a couple of my Thursday Doors posts earlier this year featured Glenmona Lodge and an old church, which are situated close to the County Antrim village.

Thursday Doors – Murlough Bay Cottages, County Antrim

My daughter and her husband live in the Causeway Coast and Glens area of County Antrim in Northern Ireland and they sent me these lovely photos of cottages and scenery around Murlough Bay for this week’s Thursday Doors. So thank you Elaine and Orrin for sharing them with us. They often explore the surrounding countryside in search of interesting places that would appeal to tourists renting their traditional Irish holiday cottage (of course the bonus for me is there are usually a few nice doors to be found in the process). The first image is a neat little house with a half door (also known as a Dutch door). It has the word Bothy written on it, which is a small dwelling left unlocked to be used as a refuge by travellers. In the past they were often used to house farm labourers and itinerant workers.

Dan is hosting the First Annual Thursday Doors Writing Challenge over on his blog so I’ll nominate this bothy door. It might inspire someone.

Jay-walking is quite acceptable to sheep and this lot obviously believe they own the road. Just because they’re covered in wool they think they have the right to weave in and out of the traffic, holding everyone up. In the background is an old lime kiln, one of two on the road to Murlough Bay.

Those sheep think they own the grass, too.

I’ll end this week’s post with a photo of a lovely traditional cottage that looks out onto the bay. With so many chimneys I imagine it’s really cosy in the winter.

Dan has lots of lovely doors to view over on his blog. If you’re feeling energetic here’s a nice virtual hike you can take around the Murlough Bay area, with some gorgeous coastal images, and on next week’s Thursday Doors I’ll have a few more shots from another of Elaine and Orrin’s trips to share with you.