Jean Reinhardt's Blog, page 8
November 26, 2020
Thursday Doors – Confined to Barracks
We’re not quite confined to barracks for this week’s Thursday Doors as we can travel up to 5km from the house during this six week lockdown in Ireland. However, my walks usually take me to the local marina and park which is situated where the old army barracks used to be. The first three photos are of the boundary walls.
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The next wall is one that for some reason reminds me of my childhood. I’m not sure why but I think it may be because it’s an old painted wall topped with upright stones.
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Apparently, there was a similar wall at the cottage where I spent the first few years of my life. Maybe that’s where my mother parked my pram in the fresh air. In those days it was relatively safe to do such a thing. Here’s an old photograph from the 1930s of the tiny house my parents lived in when I was born. I arrived in the 1950s and not much had changed over those two decades but in later years, these old houses were replaced by newer buildings.
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You can just about see the white wash on the old stone wall next to the white pillar. Enough of the nostalgia, let’s carry on with our walk. Part of the military barracks in Belturbet is still lived in and has been well preserved.
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[image error]Even half an arch is better than none at all.
We are now half way through our brisk walk around the barrack walls and heading home so on the way back let’s have a look at some of the buildings on this street, which is appropriately called Barrack Hill.
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This might be a good place to drop anchor. Next week, I’ll continue the tour around the site of the old barracks and look into some of its history.
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Thanks for keeping me company while I’m confined to barracks and if you enjoy Thursday Doors posts featuring places from all over the world have a look at Norm’s blog.
November 17, 2020
Thursday Doors – Coffee and History
Thursday Doors brings you a virtual coffee with a dash of history this week. Sitting in the cafe next to the Tourist Information Office in the center of Dundalk is a great way to start off a tour of the town. While you sip your preferred beverage, you can browse through the abundant supply of information leaflets on what to see and do on your visit to county Louth. If you’re hungry, there’s a nice selection of food, too. It was a pleasant surprise to see some posters of so many interesting Dundalk doors in the window of the tourist office.
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You may not have heard of the Irish saint, Oliver Plunkett but he is a well known historical figure here in Ireland. As a result of the Protestant Reformation, the 16th and 17th centuries were fraught with religious wars between Catholics and Protestants and various European countries became allies of one side or the other. In the mid sixteen hundreds many Irish civilians were slaughtered as Catholic garrisons were wiped out by the Cromwellian campaigns. All Catholic priests in Ireland were to be hanged, drawn and quartered and a death sentence was handed down to anyone giving shelter to such persons. It was in 1670, during these dangerous times of religious persecution and turmoil, that Oliver Plunkett returned to Ireland as an archbishop, having gone to Rome to study and become a priest as a young man. In fact, he became the Primate of all Ireland.
The threat of capture was so great he often disguised himself as a captain, wearing a wig and brandishing a sword and pistols. It was said that he even sang at times in a tavern, so as to blend in and remain safe and often a cave was his only shelter in the coldest of weather. In spite of the risks involved, many men were ordained as priests by Oliver Plunkett and they too had to go on the run. About nine years after his arrival in Ireland he was captured in Dublin in December 1679 and stood trial in Dundalk the following year. There’s a wall plaque in the town commemorating that event.
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The charges against him were treason and exercising papal jurisdiction but as no witnesses for the prosecution turned up, the trial could not take place and after some months, Oliver Plunkett was brought to England and ended up in Newgate Prison, London. This was a dreadful place where prisoners were often shackled to the walls and treated callously. Although it had been rebuilt after the great fire of London in the fourteen hundreds, it was designed to make the experience so bad as to deter repeat offenders.
Oliver Plunkett was denied legal council and not given enough time to gather evidence. His accusing witnesses were made up of convicted criminals and this second trial found him guilty of a trumped up charge of treason. He was hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn in July 1681, at the age of fifty five. Although buried in two tin boxes, his remains were later exhumed and divided among places in England, Germany, Ireland and Rome. His preserved head was put into a gold and glass case and can be seen today in St. Peter’s Church, Drogheda, County Louth, where it has been since 1921. In 1975 he was canonized.*
As always, thank you for stopping by, I’m sorry the coffee was only virtual but I can assure you it’s good. Maybe you’ll get a chance to try it for real some day. Dundalk is part of Ireland’s Ancient East tourist route so be sure to include it in any visit to the eastern part of the country. Speaking of visiting, Norm has an abundance of interesting Thursday Doors over on his blog, with links to them in the comments on his post.
Source * The book A Journey Through Time – from Land to Sea by County Louth historian and poet, Noel Sharkey, was a great source of information for this post.
November 12, 2020
Thursday Doors – Around the Town
This week’s Thursday Doors are from random streets around the town of Dundalk. I featured the first one a couple of weeks ago but this image is from a different angle. Of course, I had to include a red door in at least one of these photos.
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Mind you, I’m quite partial to a grey door, especially when it’s surrounded by such lovely pillars.
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The next photograph is of the courthouse, designed by Edward Parke and John Bowden in the Neoclassical style and modeled on the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens. It was completed in 1819.
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A stone sculpture, The Maid of Erin, stands in front of the courthouse as a memorial to the Irish rebellion of 1798.
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[image error]Another example of metal artwork that can be found around the town
Thanks for stopping by. Next week we’ll have a coffee and a wee bit of history along with it. For lots more Thursday Doors carry on over to Norm’s blog.
November 5, 2020
Thursday Doors – Still in Dundalk
This week’s Thursday Doors post is short and sweet but still in Dundalk.
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There’s a lot of the old architecture still to be seen if you look up, even when the ground floor has been modernized.
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Thanks for stopping by this week. Norm has lots of links to Thursday Doors from contributors all over the world well worth looking at.
October 29, 2020
Thursday Doors – a Town, a Poet and a Book.
This week’s Thursday Doors will explore the connection between the town of Dundalk, the Scottish poet, Robert Burns and an old book that’s been in our family for generations. Remember that green copper spire that could be seen in the distance in one of my photos in a recent post? Well, let’s have a closer look at the church it belongs to.
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The parish church of Saint Nicholas was built in the 13th century and is known affectionately as the Green Church, referring to the copper spire turning green over the years. As in many other port towns, it’s named after one of the patron saints of sailors (who is also the patron saint of children, wolves and pawnbrokers – I’m not making this up). The church was extensively remodeled in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, so that only the nave and tower date from the medieval period. In the churchyard you’ll find graves dating back to 1536 but the gates were locked when I was there and I couldn’t get close enough to take any photographs.
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Now let’s see where the Robert Burns connection comes in. This memorial, just inside the church railings, is a tribute to the Scottish poet and a memorial to his sister, Agnes.
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Agnes Burns was the poet’s eldest sister, born in 1762 in South Ayrshire. In 1804, at the age of forty two, she married William Galt, who had worked for her brother Gilbert at Dinning Farm. She came from a poor, hard working family and her father believed in the importance of education. This greatly attributed to Robert Burns success as a poet, along with his keen observance of everyday life.
Agnes and her husband arrived in County Louth in 1817, when William was contracted by a local landlord to build a large pond on his estate so that shrubs and trees could have water during the dry summers Ireland experienced at the time. (Yes, we used to have long hot summers in the old days). The landlord was so pleased with William Galt’s work that he made him Confidential Manager of the estate with a salary of forty guineas a year. This position came with the use of a cottage and some land for growing vegetables and keeping a cow. His wife, Agnes, received an allowance of five guineas a year for working as a dairymaid. The couple had no children and lived very comfortably for the rest of their lives. On October 17, 1834, Agnes died aged 72. William lived on until March 3, 1847 and they are both buried in the cemetery of St. Nicholas Church (The Green Church).
Across the street from the church is P J Carroll’s tobacconist shop, which was established in 1824 and developed into a large factory employing many local workers in later years.
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One of their popular brand’s was called Sweet Afton. It was launched in 1919 to celebrate the link between Dundalk and Robert Burns, through his sister Agnes. The people of the town were canvassed on whether an image of the poet or a Scottish name should be on the packet, as the company wanted it to appeal to Scottish customers.
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The name is taken from the poem Sweet Afton. Here’s the first few lines;
Flow gently, sweet Afton, amang thy green braes
Flow gently, I’ll sing thee a song in thy praise
My Mary’s asleep by they murmuring stream
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream
This is a lyrical poem describing the Afton river in Ayrshire, Scotland and was written by Burns in 1791. In 1837 it was set to music by Jonathan E. Spilman, titled Flow Gently Sweet Afton. By now you must be wondering where an old book comes into this.
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It belonged to my grandmother originally. The writing is so tiny I can hardly read it with my glasses on. What I find fascinating is what is handwritten on the first page, presumably by whoever bought the book, whether for themselves or as a gift.
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Interestingly, the Afton River gives its name to the Glen of Afton, which apparantly has connections with the Scottish patriot, William Wallace. His seal is on a letter dated 1297 giving some the opinion that Wallace’s father was from that area but historians differ on this. Also, a rock further up the Glen is called Castle William. Maybe the William Wallace in my book is one of his descendants.
Thanks for coming down this week’s rabbit-hole of a blog post with me. Norm has lots of Thursday Doors over on his blog that I’m sure you’ll enjoy, just click the links in the comments at the end of his post.
October 22, 2020
Thursday Doors – Colourful Dundalk
Last week’s Thursday Doors from Dundalk might have had a bit of a grey theme but this week’s post is a lot more colourful. Let’s start off with one of my favourite door colours and a beautiful, traditional Irish instrument.
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The next image includes a wall mural and a sculpture. The town of Dundalk is a great supporter of the arts.
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The sculpture by Breda Marron, titled Heart Space, is a recent addition to the towns street art. The artist explains that “its essence links back to the Celtic concept of an ‘Anam Cara’, the Irish phrase for a ‘Soul Friend’. One who sees and accepts you for who you are and acts like a reflective mirror, reflecting the best of your inner light back to you.” *
You can read more about the sculptor and her work in the link at the end of the post.
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I’m delighted you came along for another virtual tour of colourful Dundalk on this week’s Thursday Doors and if you carry on over to Norm’s blog you’ll find lots of interesting places and doors.
October 15, 2020
Thursday Doors – Shades of Grey
I noticed quite a few shades of grey in the photos I selected for this week’s Thursday Doors post. They were all taken in Dundalk and I’ll be featuring the County Louth town over the next few weeks. I love the name of this first one, The Tipsy Cow and no, not a drop had passed my lips when I took this shot, even though the angle might make you think otherwise. The next few images are of Saint Nicholas church (Roman Catholic). It was built in 1860. Originally it had a very tall slender steeple but this was struck by lightning in 1904 and removed. In 1913 the church was extended, doubling its capacity.
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I know this is Ireland with its forty shades of green but look how many varied tones of grey there are in these photographs.
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The warm tones of those wooden doors really stand out against the starkness of the cut stone. Across the street you can see lots of colour along the terraced buildings.
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In the distance you’ll see the copper spire of another Saint Nicholas church (Church of Ireland – Anglican/Episcopalian) known as The Green Church. I’ll be featuring that lovely old building in a future post.
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In between the grey there’s a nice splash of colour. I love how the buildings each side seem to frame Sean’s Tavern and set it off so nicely. Very eye catching. Thanks so much for taking another tour of my native town with me this week. There’ll be more from Dundalk over the next few Thursday Doors posts but in the meantime, take a look at what Norm has over on his blog this week.
October 8, 2020
Thursday Doors – Historical Dundalk
This week’s Thursday Doors looks at a very historical town – Dundalk in County Louth, often called the land of legends. I think it’s appropriate to begin this blog with an image of Dundalk’s Tourist Information Office.* It’s one of the best I’ve ever been in with an abundance of helpful advice and leaflets on everything from history to the arts. Speaking of art, isn’t the piece over the doorway interesting?
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This depicts Cú Chulainn, a legendary Celtic hero, who is said to be from County Louth. In fact, Dundalk town’s motto is Mé do rug Cú Chulainn cróga, which translates to “I gave birth to brave Cú Chulainn”. Similar metal artwork is on permanent display around the Market Square, just in front of the tourist office.
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Moving on from Celtic legends, here’s a pub with some interesting history attached to it.
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Here’s a close up of what is written over the door of McCourt’s pub.
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If you’re wondering if that has anything to do with the Scottish King, Robert Bruce of the spider’s web story, then you’d be correct. Early in the 14th century Robert Bruce fought for Scottish independence and sent his brother Edward to attack the English colony in Ireland, opening a second front there while he continued the battle in Scotland. After a three year campaign, Edward Bruce’s Scottish and Irish army was defeated at the Battle of Faughart on October 14th 1318. You can see the influence these two kings have had on the town by this next doorway.
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Jumping ahead to more recent history, there are placards placed on some of the main streets depicting life in Victorian times. It’s such a great idea and I would love to see this in every town and village, where possible.
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Even though most of the streets have been modernized the character of the town still remains, with many of the old buildings being well preserved.
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[image error]The Post Office is a good example.
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[image error]Although not in business at the moment, there has been a hotel of some type on this site for over 300 years.
[image error]I love what they call their function room upstairs.
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[image error]Always look up – the old building is still there.
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Thanks so much for your company on this week’s Thursday Doors from historical Dundalk and if you’d like to see lots of interesting images from around the globe, head on over to Norm’s blog.
October 1, 2020
Thursday Doors – Castle Archdale Part 2
In part two of Thursday Doors – Castle Archdale we’ll have a look at what else there is to enjoy around the estate. This first image is of the old stables and coach houses, where there is a display of old farm machinery and equipment.
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There’s a lovely campsite on the grounds with touring and static caravans on site. While we were there two limousines arrived carrying a hen party.
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In the background you can see the bar, restaurant, take-away and shop complex. The fried chicken was delicious.
[image error]Very nice campsite laundry facilities.
After a very tasty al fresco lunch at one of the many socially distanced picnic tables, we set off to stretch our legs.
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Following the path along the river we saw lots of activity on the water. It’s a great place for anyone who loves water sports and you can hire out kayaks etc.
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The pathway led to Lough Erne and a beautiful view.
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Standing near the white beacon, overlooking the lake, is a war graves memorial to the crew of a Catalina flying boat which crashed in that location on 7th May 1941. A survey of the area on 8th April 2019 by Marine and Fisheries Division staff, using a side scan sonar, confirmed the identification of the Catalina aircraft lying approximately 45 metres under the water. It’s quite possible the crew’s remains are still there, so the site is protected.
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I’m sure I’ll be featuring more Thursday Doors from Castle Archdale in the future, as I only saw half of what’s there, but you can find links to lots of interesting places over on Norm’s blog.
September 24, 2020
Thursday Doors – Castle Archdale Part One
Castle Archdale in County Fermanagh features in this week’s Thursday Doors blogpost.
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These terraced buildings would have housed the servants’ quarters, the stables, carriage stores and estate offices and have been very well preserved. Let’s have a look around this inner courtyard.
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The murals painted on the windows and doors depict some of the servants you would tend to find in places such as this. The little chimney sweep is my favourite, someone who would have gone completely unnoticed in his day. He looks so out of place beside the little girl and the well dressed servants but reminds us of how hard life was for some children back then.
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One of the entrances to the courtyard contains a patch of wall that has been left bare, exposing the original stone, which I thought was a nice touch.
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Here we came across some drawings of how the estate appeared through the ages. Although the original castle has long since gone, this is an image of how it looked in its day.
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The original Castle Archdale was built of limestone for John Archdale of Norfolk, England, in 1612. He had been given lands during the Plantation of Ulster but the castle was destroyed by fire and abandoned in 1689 during the Jacobite-Williamite war. The site of the old castle is about a mile from where the the present buildings and courtyard stand.
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Georgian Castle Archdale was built between 1773 and 1777 by Col. Mervyn Archdale, the great great grandson of John Archdale. The next image shows how it looked in the Victorian era when it was in the hands of Edward Archdale, great grandson of Mervyn.
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Unfortunately, the grand manor house no longer exists but here it is in an old photograph from the 1920’s.
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During WW2 Castle Archdale was requisitioned by the Royal Airforce and housed up to 2,500 people. It was a major base for flying boats protecting Atlantic shipping from German U-boats. There were three floors over a basement and a six-bay entrance front. The manor house was known as RAF Castle Archdale from 1941-1957 but was in ruins by 1959 and finally demolished in 1970.
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Thanks for stopping by for this week’s Thursday Doors from Castle Archdale, part two will cover more of the surrounding estate and it’s amenities but in the meantime why not carry on over to Norm’s blog to see his colourful post.
