Reading the Signs
  • Blog
  • Cork
    • Cork City >
      • Derelict Cork
      • Cork City Plaques >
        • Arts & Artists
        • Buildings with Dates >
          • Individual Buildings or Houses >
            • 1847 Blarney St School
            • 1854 Greenmount School
            • 1856 Kyrl's St
            • 1856 Ladyswell Brewery
            • 1860 Cornmarket Arch
            • 1860 Richmond Cottage
            • 1860 Roman St
            • 1864 Butter Market House
            • 1865 Waterworks Chimney
            • 1870 Maryville
            • 1870 St. Paul's Avenue
            • 1871 North Presentation
            • 1874 Courthouse Chambers
            • 1878 Distillery Chimney
            • 1881 Neptune House
            • 1883 Reardens
            • 1888 Waterworks
            • 1889 St. Luke's N.S.
            • 1890 Kennedy Quay
            • 1892 Cork Baptist Church
            • 1894 Jamesville
            • 1895 Courthouse
            • 1896 Dun Desmond
            • 1897 Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital
            • 1900 Lough Hall
            • 1902 Fitzgerald's Park
            • 1913 St. Joseph's N.S.
            • 1914 64 St. Patrick's St
            • 1925 1 Libertas Villas
            • 1926 Capwell P.O.
            • 1928 Castlegreine
            • 1928 College Stream House
            • 1958 Churchfield B.N.S.
            • 1968 Scouthut
            • 1971 Library
            • 1994 McHugh House
          • Developments & Multiple Buildings >
            • 1719 Skiddy's Almhouses
            • 1761 Tuckey St
            • 1766 Millerd Street
            • 1767 James St
            • 1782 Farrens St
            • 1785 Grenville Place
            • 1832 Montenotte Road
            • 1833 Rotunda Buildings
            • 1833 York Terrace
            • 1836 Millfield Cottages
            • 1836 Rockspring Terrace
            • 1837 St. Luke's Place
            • 1853 Eglinton Place
            • 1865 Langford Terrace
            • 1878 College View Terrace
            • 1880 Bellevue Terrace
            • 1880 Bloomfield Terrace
            • 1882 Friar St
            • 1882 St James's Place
            • 1883 Monarea Terrace
            • 1883 Walsh's Square
            • 1886 Madden's Buildings
            • 1889 Marina Villas
            • 1894 Wynneville
            • 1895 St. John's Terrace
            • 1896 Balmoral Terrace
            • 1897 Ophelia Terrace
            • 1898 Centenary Crescent
            • 1898 Tramore Villas
            • 1900 Corporation Buildings
            • 1903 O'Connor Ville
            • 1905 St. Vincent's Terrace
            • 1907 Millview Cottages
            • 1907 Rock View Terrace
            • 1908 Arthur Villas
            • 1915 Morton Villas
            • 1932 Ardfoyle Terrace
            • 1932 Elmgrove
            • 1934 St Joseph's
            • 1940 St Vincent's View
            • 1982 Ardfert
            • 1983 St. John's Square
            • 1994 Red Abbey Court
            • 1999 Adelaide Court
            • 2004 Alexandra Court
        • Cork City Commemorative Plaques
        • Fenian Plaques >
          • Plaques
      • Cork City Timeline
      • Eucharistic Tiles - Cork
      • Cork Wheelguards
      • Grottos in Cork City
      • War of Independence - People >
        • Terence MacSwiney
    • Co. Cork >
      • Grottos in Co Cork
      • Clonakilty Jungle City >
        • Barrister Bill
        • Children's Green Dream
        • Cloich na Coillte Tiger
        • Crocakilty
        • Dufair
        • Horny Bill
        • Make Us Safe (Lucy)
        • Old Mill Car Park
        • 8/9 Pearse St
        • 26/27 Pearse St
        • Precious Tears
        • Taidghín Tiger
        • Tara
        • Wolfe Tone Street Roundabout
  • Not Cork
    • Clare - Ennis YHS Tiles
    • Clare - Co. Clare YHS Tiles
    • Clare - Ennis Grottos
    • Clare - Grottos
    • Kerry - Civil War Memorials
    • Kerry - Grottos
    • Limerick - Civil War Memorials
    • Co. Limerick - YHS Tiles
    • Limerick - YHS Tiles
  • Not Munster
    • Dublin YHS Tiles
    • Co. Galway YHS Tiles
    • Galway City YHS Tiles
    • Co. Mayo YHS Tiles
    • Athlone YHS Tiles
  • Groupings
    • Famine Memorials
    • Irish Words
    • Old Ads
    • Post Boxes
    • Roadside Memorials
    • Ghostsigns
    • ESB Logo, etc
    • Street Art
    • People
  • Contact
Search the site

MIXED MESSAGES.

Using signs, advertisements and messages as the inspiration for observation and comment - enlightened and otherwise

BLOG

Singer's Corner

30/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
I was well impressed with the repainting at Singer’s Corner on Grand Parade.

It definitely brightens up the streetscape.

I particularly liked the highlighting in red of the old fire hydrant sign – we all have our quirks……

Picture
0 Comments

Marking One's Heart

29/11/2014

4 Comments

 
Picture
“Ardaíonn áiteanna áirithe an croí. Fágann an Daingean rian ar an anam”

“Arising from certain places of the heart, Dingle leaves a mark on one’s name”

Picture
We spotted this seat at Coumeenole last month.

Maybe it is my yearning to improve my Irish. Maybe it is my bias for the Dingle Peninsula. But it must be a candidate for the seat with the best view.

Apologies for any errors in my attempted translation.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Read More
4 Comments

Seek not thyself outside thyself

28/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Last June, I spotted this small chapel in Carrick-on-Shannon.

It was closed that day so I was unable to see what the inside might look like.

That was rectified earlier this week when I received
Louise’s latest blog.


Read More
0 Comments

TESCO – Not every little bit helps

27/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Many others have probably received the voucher from Tesco entitling you to 5c off per litre of petrol or diesel in one transaction.

I went out of my way to go to Great Gas, near Musgrave Park to realise that even after deducting the 5c, the cost of unleaded was still dearer than the garage that I passed on my way there.

Message To Tesco Marketing Dept. – if the offer is likely to cost a customer rather than benefit, making the offer is likely to lose customers, this one anyway…..



Read More
0 Comments

Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine

26/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
I spotted this sign recently on Pope’s Quay.

My efforts to improve my Irish vocabulary resulted in web searches.

It translates literally as ‘
People live in each other’s shadows’ but as I have come to expect with Irish, there are many varied meanings suggested. I list below the ones that I have found in my own order of preference.

No man is an island

 United we stand, divided we fall

People need each other

Living in the shadow of each other

We rely on each other for shelter

Man is a social animal


0 Comments

St. Fanahan’s Pattern Day

25/11/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture2014.11.21
Today is the feast day of St. Fanahan.

Last September, I was early for a meeting in Mitchelstown so stopped to walk to St. Fanahan’s Well. As you might have gathered from previous posts, Holy Wells intrigue me – the possible incorporation of Pagan rituals in Christian religious practices; the cures believed to be as a result of his intervention; and the continued observance of the tradition.

In September, it was a pleasant morning walk down the tree lined path and around the well.

Last Friday, driving back from Co. Kildare with a head cold after a long tiring day, made longer by road works diversions, I stopped again at St Fanahan’s Well – it being within seven days of the feast day. From the time I started walking down the path to my return, I passed about ten people – this being at about 6.00 p.m., dark and wet.

The straightness of the path, especially when lit, is a sight. The tall trees that surround the Well area gathered the soft rain into larger drops which fell from the trees to give the sound of heavier rain that actually fell.

I walked around the path clockwise as practised by those there before me, but the prayers and rosary are not of my religious persuasion so were not said.

The tall straight trees call out to be touched.

Before the M8 Mitchelstown by-pass, it must have offered an extremely peaceful and atmospheric chill-out time. The road traffic noise did impinge on my efforts to clear the head.



Read More
1 Comment

Colm Murphy - Artist

24/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture


Last evening, we went to the exhibition by
Colm Murphy of his latest collection.



Our 8 year old was very well impressed with the elephant image in the name. I was so impressed with the history and heritage, art and Ireland, as we rose into the exhibition room.



There – we were all impressed.



If only funds permitted………….
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

He always wanted to see the other side of the hill – and he saw

23/11/2014

0 Comments

 
I thought that Patrick Keohane might close off a hat-trick of Antartic Explorers.


I came across
this memorial, sculpted by Don Cronin, a few months ago.


The location is beautiful – he is
still keeping an eye on what is coming into the bay.


Sometimes thought of knowing I’ll probably never see the other side of the hill, whatever particular hill at the time, does get me down.


If I keep repeating it, some day I will have the laithróidí
to get busy living.

Picture

Read More
0 Comments

Timothy McCarthy - Mortimer McCarthy

22/11/2014

1 Comment

 
TIMOTHY McCARTHY

LOWER COVE
KINSALE
(1888 – 1917)

Member of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition on the Endurance. Was trapped in pack ice for 15 month. Selected as one of six men who made a famous 800-mile voyage in an open boat in the worst seas in the world from Elephant Island to South Georgia to get help to rescue their companions. Awarded Bronze Polar Medal.
Died at gun post when tanker ‘Narragansett’ was torpedoed.


MORTIMER McCARTHY

LOWER COVE
KINSALE
(1882 – 1967)

Member of Sir Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition on the ‘Aurora’ to the Antartic and the ill-fated expedition on the “Terra Nova” to the South pole. Received a Silver Polar Medal for his exploits. Donated a harpoon gun from the expedition to the Kinsale Museum.

Settled and lived his life in New Zealand.

Picture
Picture
Following on yesterday’s blog about the Endurance, I remembered this memorial in Kinsale to Mortimer & Timothy McCarthy.

Timothy was in the lifeboat that set off for the whaling station. McCarthy Island is an island off South Georgia.

Two years later, Timothy’s luck ran out when the tanker, Narragansett, was sunk by torpedo from U-44, south west of Ireland.

He died before his twenty-fifth birthday.


Read More
1 Comment

Tom Crean - Antarctic Explorer

21/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture

99 Years Ago Endurance Sank



While driving home this evening, I was listening to Drivetime on RTE Radio 1. Myles Dungan does a slot on what happened on this day in history. Today he spoke
about Ernest Shackleton’s expedition.


As Tom Crean was one who accompanied him in the lifeboat from Elephant Island to the Stromness whaling station, it reminded me of the sculpture and
plaques in Annascaul.


As good reason as any for a blog entry.


Picture
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

Gowls & Armpits

20/11/2014

1 Comment

 

Gabhal

Anyone who has travelled on the train from the south to Dublin would have heard many announcements about the stops en route – including Limerick Junction. As can been seen from the sign, this translates as Gabhal Luimnigh.

Recently in discussion with POF, including about the origin of some words used in English, he mentioned that Gabhal translated as a junction. He outlined the junction at the top of one’s legs and suggested as a basis of the term-of-non-endearment, gowl.

It made sense to me, and has been confirmed
elsewhere.

Having had to spend an hour once at
Limerick Junction (one will only ever do that once), it was time enough to consider how much of a gowl I was…..

Ascaill

More than once hereabouts, I have commented on the translation of the word ‘Avenue’ in streetnames in various places.

When discussing this with fluent Irish speakers, I was educated that ‘Ascaill’ also means ‘armpit’ .

Imagine that the next time you are thinking of the price of a property situated in an armpit……

Picture
Picture
“gabhal masculine noun

genitive gabhail, nominative plural gabhail, genitive plural gabhal

crotch, junction”

Pota Focal
Picture
“ascaill feminine noun

genitive ascaille, nominative plural ascaillí, genitive plural ascaillí

1 avenue

Ascaill na Páirce Park Avenue

2 armpit

faoi ascaill [duine] under [somebody's] arm

tháinig sé agus leabhar faoina ascaill aige he arrived with a book under his arm “

Pota Focal
p.s. Ní fhaca mé aon damhsóir gabhail I Gabhal Luimnigh

P.P.S.

Picture
Sign on M8, Co. Laois
1 Comment

Denny O’Sullivan

19/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Another plaque that was shown at the talk on Monday night.

Seemingly, Denny O’Sullivan headed down to the local stores for some flour on his horse and cart. On the way, he stopped to give a lady a lift there also.

She, in return, stood him a drink in the bar which he was drinking when the British Army came into the bar. They did not believe his story and took him out of the bar and he was shot.

Note to self –
Kilmichael Commemoration is on Nov 30th.

0 Comments

Séamus Ó Liaṫain

18/11/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
Picture
Last night, I attended a talk on the Kilmichael Ambush. It was given by Donal O’Flynn as part of the Muskerry Local History Society series of talks at Ballincollig RFC.

Donal has a photograph of this plaque at Baile Mhic ĺre. Seemingly, Séamus Ó Liaṫain was shot by the Auxilaries while just sitting down and lighting up his pipe. His death was less than two weeks before the Kilmichael Ambush.

Donal said that it was believed that Séamus Ó Liaṫain was shot by Cecil Guthrie, who survived the ambush, but was killed later by the local I.R.A. and buried in a bog.

Six years later, his body was dug up and he was re-interred in Inchigeela – believed to be the only Auxilary buried in Ireland.


1 Comment

Who Owns This House?

18/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
In a time when every car has a unique engine number and registration number, is it not strange that there are properties whose owners are unknown?

I was told that all new property transactions have the GPS co-ordinates recorded on the
Land Registry but that there are very many not registered yet.

Picture
St. Patrick's Road
0 Comments

Daily Fresh

16/11/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

No Such Thing As Bad Publicity – Chapter 17

No it is not a new newspaper.

Just something spotted recently on Devonshire St


0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    From Cork.

    Old enough to have more sense - theoretically at least.

    SUBSCRIBE

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Picture
    Unless otherwise specifically stated, all photographs and text are the property of www.readingthesigns.weebly.com - such work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence


    Tweets by @SignsTheReading

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    November 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    Picture
    WRITE A LETTER

    Categories

    All
    Accuracy
    Arts
    Books
    Branding
    Cavan
    Cemeteries
    Clare
    Commemorate
    Cork
    Dated
    Donegal
    Dublin
    Economy
    England
    Fermanagh
    Gaeilge
    Galway
    Ghostsigns
    Graffiti
    Grammar
    Help
    Heritage
    Holland
    Humour
    Kerry
    Kildare
    Laois
    Leitrim
    Limerick
    London
    Longford
    Marketing
    Mayo
    Me
    Northern Ireland
    Offaly
    Old Ads
    Old Shops
    Other Blogs
    Plaque
    Politics
    Public
    Punctuation
    Religion
    Riddle
    Roscommon
    Scotland
    Sculpture
    Sligo
    Spelling
    Sport
    Stickers
    Street Art
    Submission
    Tipperary
    Tweets
    Waterford
    Westmeath
    Wild Atlantic Way

    Blogs I Read & Links

    Thought & Comment

    Head Rambles

    For the Fainthearted

    Bock The Robber

    Póló


    Rogha Gabriel

    Patrick Comerford

    Sentence First

    Felicity Hayes-McCoy

    140 characters is usually enough

    Johnny Fallon

    Sunny Spells
    
    That’s How The Light Gets In

    See That

    Tea and a Peach


    Buildings & Things Past

    Built Dublin

    Come Here To Me

    Holy Well


    vox hiberionacum

    Pilgrimage in Medieval Ireland

    Liminal Entwinings

    53degrees

    Ciara Meehan

    The Irish Aesthete

    Líníocht


    Ireland in History Day By Day

    Archiseek

    Buildings of Ireland

    Irish War Memorials


    ReYndr

    Abandoned Ireland

    The Standing Stone

    Time Travel Ireland

    Stair na hÉireann

    Myles Dungan

    Archaeouplands

    Wide & Convenient Streets

    The Irish Story

    Enda O’Flaherty



    Cork

    Archive Magazine


    Our City, Our Town

    West Cork History

    Cork’s War of Independence

    Cork Historical Records


    Rebel Cork’s Fighting Story

    40 Shades of Life in Cork

    
    Roaringwater Journal





    Picture
    Picture
    Best Newcomer Blog
Proudly powered by Weebly