What time of year do you like? I’m a summer person really. I love the early summer months of May and June best but autumn is the season that comes a close second. Walking in an autumn like the one we’ve just had, with bright blue skies and unusually warm dry weather for Ireland, I find uplifting and inspiring. Read on for a celebration of autumn leaves, deadly poisonous fungi and a tragic family story in Menlo Castle in Galway.
Superstitions in Ireland - a light-hearted look at bad omens
I recently googled to find out which is the most superstitious country in the world, fully expecting it to be Ireland. Surprise, surprise; it wasn’t. It was India. And within Europe the most superstitious people apparently live in Serbia. Perhaps we are beginning to shake off our belief in bad omens in Ireland. I was brought up by superstitious parents and it took me years to abandon their worries about magpies, broken mirrors, spilled salt and peacock feathers, to name but a few.
Victorian-era plant hunters were an intrepid lot
Would you have applied for a job as a plant hunter in the 19th century? The first skill you would have needed was an adventurous spirit. Plant hunting botanists had to survive shipwreck, pirates, numerous accidents and foreign diseases, such as dysentery and yellow fever. Some never came home. I’ve been doing some research on medicinal plants and popular Victorian garden trees and, in this month’s blog, I take a look at a few of the specimens these brave, intrepid men brought back with them that still adorn our gardens today…
Tall ships, tall tales and an Irish female pirate
Have you heard of Anne Bonny - the Irish female pirate?
I've recently listened to two compelling audio books by Daphne du Maurier: Jamaica Inn and Frenchman's Creek, both very different as the first is dark and dramatic and the second is humorous and romantic. Both have du Maurier suspense and both are about pirates in Cornwall.
Cornish pirates inspired me to research Irish pirates and I discovered Anne Bonny. She was a young Irish woman who was born Anne Cormac in Cork at the end of the 17th century. Apparently she was the illegitimate daughter of a well-to-do lawyer and his housemaid. There are many stories and myths about this reckless woman pillaging treasure ships on the high seas.
Top Ten Historical Photographs
I’m a big fan of the National Library of Ireland photography archives, not only because they give us a true life glimpse behind the curtains of time but also because they help fire up my imagination. So, for a bit of festive fun, I compiled a Top Ten list of the historical images I used on my Instagram profile this year. These are the ones that received the most likes.
The inspiration of trees
Bray to Greystones cliff walk is a scenic and historic delight
I stumbled upon Dublin's 'Secret Garden'
I love old secret gardens, hidden away behind walls where ivy trails the paths and the bustle of a city slips away. I stumbled upon Dublin’s ‘Secret Garden’ yesterday.
On a warm April morning when dog walkers and tourists stopped to chat, I was talking to a complete stranger about her two Bichons when I noticed an old gateway at the end of Clonmel Street, off Harcourt Street. If you don’t know our capital city, this is a stone’s throw from the centre and St Stephen’s Green.
Two versions of an Irish ghost story
One of the best things about living in Ireland is how eager people are, often complete strangers, to tell stories. I was lucky enough to be picked to work on a film set at Ardgillan Castle in North County Dublin earlier this summer and, in the quieter moments between shooting, we discussed the history of this beautiful demesne, now restored and run by Fingal County Council. The castellated house with walled garden and parkland has sweeping views of the ocean and is open to the public. As with most castles and grand old houses in Ireland, the stories inevitably involve a ghost.