Category: Help - Reading the Signs

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What Is It About Limerick Lawns?

25/3/2019

Ghostsign: Limerick - Was: ??? Many Lawn?? Now: O & F Café
Limerick Lane (off Little Catherine Street)
Photos Taken: 23/3/19
Google Streetview HERE

Saturday was spent in Limerick where I spotted a few ghostsigns that will help my self-challenge of one ghostsign per day on twitter.

I spotted this on a gable on Limerick Lane, off Little Catherine Street and have been unable to read what it was. I have included all my photos below so would be delighted to hear of suggestions.

My guesses include:
Last Line: ???AGOOS?
Second Last Line: ??ANY LAWN

The rest remain a mystery

Listing of Ghostsigns uploaded to site to date HERE

Map of Ghostsigns viewable HERE

Details of other collections of items in the public space HERE

The Cup, The Ram & The Gutter

17/9/2018

and this is not about a Derby County player inebriated after a successful cup final.

I am making best guess that this is a ram. The face is definitely more mouse like but given a choice of bull, goat, ram or wildebeest, I’ll stick with ram.

The Five Alley

2/9/2018

This afternoon, I had an ‘I Wonder’ moment.

These sometimes convert into ‘Eureka’ moments when one goes back to research and check. Often, the moment is merely a joining of curious connections.

It is probably over 25 years since I was in the Five Alley premises, on the Limerick Road, just outside Nenagh. The first time I heard the name, my mind processed ‘Fivelly’ – only when I arrived at the premises, I learned the true spelling.

I cannot recall if I did ask of the landlady family as to whether there were five handball alleys, but that is how I had the pub and area filed away – until that ‘I wonder’ moment today.

On our walk in the Regional Park in Ballincollig, I saw the bilingual sign for Beech Walk. I pronounced the translation of beech in my head and wondered – Five Alley – Fáibhilí.

Logainm does not have a listing for Five Alley in Tipperary. There is one in Co. Offaly, north of Birr and the literal translation of its name in Irish is The Court and the notes do refer to Handball Courts or alleys – but none in Tipperary or anywhere else in the country.

The extent of Beech trees outside Nenagh is yet to be investigated. It may only be a curious co-incidence, or I may have been right to wonder…..

If a Book Could Only Talk

24/12/2017

This book was recently taken down from an attic in Ennis where it resided for probably close to 50 years. It is assumed that it belonged to the man who built the house but he was educated in Partry, Co. Mayo where he was born in 1918.

The web educates that fifth edition of the book was published in 1910. There is nothing to say whether this copy is a first or later edition.

Among those thanked in the Preface is an tAthair Pearar Ó Laoghaire, who died in 1920 and is buried in Castlelyons where Thomas Kent was reinterred in 2016. Seán Ó Catháin and Diarmaid Ó Foghludha are also thanked and, if I found the correct men, they died in 1937 and 1924 respectively, and were involved in Irish education.

sJames Griffin of Main Street in Dingle has his name written in the book. The 1911 Census reveals that there was only one James Griffin in Main Street, Dingle, the then youngest of ten children living with shopkeeper Michael and his wife, Kate. Their house was at 33 Main Street.

Having gone up and down the street on Google, very few premises have numbers on their doors. Even fewer appear to have the building number on their website or on weblistings. My best guess is that the south side (Foxy John’s; Benners) have odd numbers and the north side (Currans; St James’ Church) have the even numbers.

Number 33 would appear to be in or around McKenna’s . My mind supposes that young James Griffin, as one who had no problem with writing his name in many locations, was more interested in playing around the corner on Dykegate Street rather than perfecting the art of Irish Composition. The fact that at 4 his parents did not consider him able to speak either Irish or English, adds to that image.

I can understand how the book travelled from Partry to Ennis and why it resided in an attic for 50 years but am intrigued as to who Pat Carroll was; was he the second of three owners of the book; where was he living.

How the book got from Dingle to Partry is another riddle remaining unsolved.

I don’t think I have ever before enjoyed a book so much without reading it.

Two Firsts

17/8/2017

I spotted this roadside memorial for the first time in the past few weeks.

I travel that road fairly regularly during the summer months so suspect that it may have been erected within the last year.

I have visited very many cemeteries and have photographed hundreds of roadside memorials. This is the first that I can recall being made of horseshoes.

I do have a recollection of trying to play Horseshoes when on holiday in Wexford in the 70’s before my teenage years. I do not think that I have held a horseshoe in my hands since.

Maybe many, or even all, horseshoes have a stamp of the initials of the blacksmith but I had never spotted this detail until this memorial on the Mallow to Killarney road, a little before Longueville turn-off. This has now been mentally filed away for cross-checking in the future.

I do not know who this cross commemorates. It did cause me to stop, stand and ponder for a few minutes.

Registered????

16/8/2017

To what does ‘Registered’ refer, when carved on a headstone?

I was in Kilshannig Cemetery, near Mallow, a few weeks back and noted this headstone to remember Maryanne Turner who died in 1839.

I cannot recall seeing the word ‘Registered’ on a headstone previously.

Maybe some burials were not registered with the church/cemetery authorities.

Maybe not all deaths were registered – or even all births.

Another item has gone onto that ‘TO FIND OUT MORE’ list……..

UPDATE 2017.08.17

Many thanks to John Tierney who provided some education and guidance on Twitter to effect that –

We see if fairly regularly throughout the country - it means they bought and registered the plot with the powers that be - usually the COI.

I think in Garrankennefick (nr Aghada, Cork) there is a "Registered and three foot on either side"

Strike

28/3/2017

Discussion a short while ago prompted by Cork Bus Station where the bus areas are full of parked cars and a camper van to dispense drinks to strikers……

Can striking employees enter the employer’s premises and park their cars when on strike?

Can they enter to use the toilet facilities?

Does the insurance cover of the employer extend to private vehicles?

Should the picket be outside the premises? Or can it walk through the premises?

Is the bus lane public thoroughfare or private/semi-private premises?

We didn’t know the answers but expected that they could only do so with permission and then debated as to whether granting such permission would be good or bad for industrial relations.

We did not agree on that either.

So I thought that I’d throw it out to the internet world…..

Section 8 of the Industrial Relations Act, 1990 defines a strike as ‘a cessation of work by any number or body of workers acting in combination or a concerted refusal or a refusal under a common understanding of any number of workers to continue to work for their employer done as a means of compelling their employer, or to aid other workers in compelling their employer, to accept or not to accept terms or conditions of or affecting employment.’

What do these mean?

15/2/2017

I now recognise many of the things that might be engraved on walls – benchmarks / crow’s feet ; B.O. – Board of Ordnance; and, W.D. – War Department.

These two are on the same wall on Railway Street and are completely new to me.

One is the letter ‘P’ with an upward-pointing arrow.

The other appears to be a ‘W’ or maybe an upside-down benchmark, if the stone was salvaged and re-used from elsewhere.

These are definitely on the ‘To Find Out More’ list – all suggestions welcome

Is that not beautiful?

31/1/2017

Birds, Nuns and Witches

30/1/2017

I took this photograph in May 2015 when I had a few hours to explore and try to expand my collection of IHS Tiles – a ongoing endeavour.

May 2015 was reasonably early in my relearning Irish education.

I had a recollection that ‘bean rialta’ was the Irish translation for nun that I had known and used. When I saw the word ‘ealtanach’, it went on the mental ‘To Find Out More’ list but remained in the backwater of that list until this morning.

There were a few tweets about streetnames in Cork – their misnaming and such stories.

Then I spotted a tweet with an older streetsign for Nun’s Island and the same translation – ealtanach. ‘Ealtanach’ swiftly departed the depths of that To Do List and is now done – as much as I can, for now.

An amount of time searching the internet did result in quite a number of dead ends.

Teanglann.ie and pota-focal.ie both drew blanks in translations for ealtanach, ealtan and ealtanaigh.

Thinking it may be a surname, I went to sloinne.ie – another blank.

The online directory of Irish placenames is logainm.ie. Before it provided a clue, it gave some humorous distraction.

There are two Nuns’ Islands listed as being in Ireland. The other is in Lough Ree, north of Athlone. The Irish name for this island is Oileán na gCailleach Dubh. ‘Cailleach’ was in my Irish vocabulary, from another streetsign at Cahercalla in Ennis – the Fort of the Hag.

My translation of the Lough Ree Nuns’ Island would be Island of the Black Witches. Logainm plots a course from ‘the black hags island’ to ‘Island of the black nuns’.

Teanglann.ie does have an option for nun as ‘cailleach dhubh’ or ‘cailleach Mhuire’ .

Returning from that detour, I spotted that logainm.ie translates as Altanach and their notes for the Galway Nuns’ Island refer to altagnagh and altagneach. These provided some hits on the google lottery.

Coincidently, ‘Dubliners’ is my current reading material, resident in my inside pocket. Journey Westward by Frank Shovlin advises that it was the island of the flocking birds – to me, a lovelier name than Nuns’ Island.

Sean Spellissy’s book ‘The History of Galway’ has become a candidate for my shelf. It agrees with the ‘flocks’ of birds’ reference.

Tearma.ie does have ‘ealtaigh’ as the Irish translation for flock of birds.

This is close to but differs from streetsign ‘Ealtanach’ and logainm.ie’s ‘Altanach’.

The argument that the correct source is ‘flock of birds’ may well pass the test of ‘on the balance of probabilities’ but, I think not the test of ‘beyond all reasonable doubt’.

It remains on the ‘To Find Out More’ list.

‘Though called Nuns’ Island after becoming home to the Poor Clare order in Galway, the original Gaelic name for this strip of land surrounded by the Corrib waters was Oileán Altanach, as indicated in Hardiman’s history of Galway and in today’s bilingual street signs. Oileán Altanach in translation ahs nothing to do with convent life but rather means ‘the island of flocking birds’.’

Journey Westward: Joyce, Dubliners and the Literary Revival

‘.. this area was still known as the Island of Altona, an anglicised variant on Oilean Ealtanach, the island of the flocks of birds. ... The southern part of Altenagh, in the Nuns Island, was mentioned in 1802; by 1807 the new town Goal was being ..’

Sean Spellissy – The History of Galway

UPDATE 2017.01.30 -

The world of twitter has helped clarify, educate and improve my Irish.

Aonghus Ó hAlmhain advised that ‘ealtanach’ is listed on teanglann.ie as a variant of ‘ealtach’ translated as abounding in flocks (of birds); that the logainm notes also say ‘sin an áit ina mbeadh ealtaí éan’ – I translate as ‘That is the places in which there are flocks of birds’; and that eDIL dictionary confirms ‘caille, the base of ‘cailleach’ derives from veiled woman.

An Engraving Riddle – Why?

29/1/2017

On the way back from the mechanic, I spotted a fingerpost for Liscleary Cemetery. I looked at the clock and awarded myself some chill-out time, some cemetery time.

I spotted a little riddle – I do not have an answer, yet.

I have often seen the family name on the reverse side of headstones. I always assumed it was to assist those, approaching from that side, to locate the grave.

I have never seen the family name written on the reverse in a similar style to this with standard letters (O, U, H, L, A, and I); upside-down letters (C, G and B) and mirrored-letters (S and N). I have seen a play on N’s but never so many as this.

Maybe it is a family joke.

Maybe someone in the family is a type-setter or engraver and wanted some fun.

I cannot believe that it was accidental – especially with both N’s and S’s treated similarly.

If the intent was to cause the reader to pause longer at the grave and think of the residents, it succeeded.

Update 2017.01.30

Sharon Slater commented ‘Ones that low on the back were often the names of stonemasons (up here anyway)’

GraveyardDetective told of similar incidence in Harrogate, where he was told by vicar and warden that the stone mason disliked the person named on headstone.

Poor Frank Raw commented that it was ‘Inexperienced youth setting out (backwards) letters for pressing into concrete.’

Update 2017.02.02

I corrected an error in title - An v A

A Limerick Head

21/1/2017

I think it is great when I spot something unusual on a building – something that the many who pass by regularly do not appear to notice.

Is there a link?

20/1/2017

Last October, I spotted this on the wall on Washington Street, near St FinnBarre’s Bridge. I had a vague recollection of seeing a message in a similar style somewhere previous – but had not photographed, unfortunately.

Taking the photograph, I was hoping that I would again pass the one that I had previously seen; that I could then take a photograph; and then compare the two.

At the start of November, a family break to Paris saw us walking back from Basilica Sacré-Coeur towards Montmatre. I spotted this.

To my eyes, there are definite similarities with the eye and the four teeth/triangles – but any more than that had me beaten. I do not know.

The Paris message appears to translate as ‘To Victory Always’ which does not relate to ‘Rocking The World’.

This is still a riddle waiting to be solved.

Are the eyes and teeth a coincidence?

Is there a link between the messages?

UPDATE 2017.02.15

I found the photograph of the original marking. It is at St Patrick’s Quay.

It is of similar style to the other two I have seen – but I am still completely lost as to the meaning.

UPDATE 2017.02.16

Thanks to Miscellanea Curiosa on twitter who has advised that they are the work of Oré – a street artist from France.

His website reveals that there are a few more in Cork that I have yet to spot.

It is great that the riddle has been solved.

This Grave to be Closed Forever

18/1/2017

I do like visiting cemeteries. I do like mosaics.

It is not often that the two combine but they did so in Castlebar a few months back.

I had an early morning stroll around the cemetery. I stopped to ponder at the ceramic mosaic.

It appeared to be a triple grave but if anyone else was to be buried on the left section, it would mean destroying the mosaic.

Briefly I wondered as to whether that section was full; whether a decision was made that no more would be buried on that side; or even none buried at all on that side. Then I walked on and it was mentally filed away as a potential blog, sometime.

Over the Christmas break, I spotted a tweet from GraveyardDetective where he had spotted a headstone in Anfield Cemetery upon which was engraved the message that the grave was not to be reopened after the couple were buried.

It did add a sense of mystery and intrigue.

Why?

Liam Burke (near Castletownroche)

I have seen similar messages only relating to Irish Republican Memorials but to effect that gate/wall remains until Ireland is fully free. I have never seen such a message in a cemetery.

Donal Shinnick (near Mitchelstown)

Back to Anfield - Why? Why was it necessary to have engraved? Was it obeyed?

I have no answers so your imagination is probably as good as mine, if not better – let it loose on that for a while.

A final reminder to self – better upload those mosaics that I have spotted around Cork. Until then, a taster.

Irish American Oil Co Ltd.

16/1/2017

My curiosity levels were raised in Westport over the Christmas holidays.

I spotted this chamber cover in the footpath, or alternatively the sidewalk, when we spent a very pleasant couple of days in Co. Mayo.

I had never heard of the Irish American Oil Company Limited until it stared back up at me from the path. The Companies Registration Office advises that it was founded in 1951 and dissolved in 1990 – having filed last accounts in 1980.

My best guess is that it is a chamber to allow an oil delivery truck to connect to a pipe that goes under the building or laneway to an underground tank of some sort.

I have seen covers for gas chambers. I have seen coalplate covers over coal bunkers. I have seen standard manhole covers in petrol stations over feed pipes to the tanks.

This is the first cover of this type that I can recall seeing – assuming my best guess is correct. It is definitely the first time I read of the Irish American Oil Co. Ltd..

Will be keeping the eyes open for more – both oil covers and references to Irish American Oil Co. Ltd.