It was only earlier this year that twitter educated that some of the cast iron grave markers have the name of the manufacturer moulded on the marker – I went to write ‘headstone’ but it did not appear correct when not of stone. The old cemetery at Drumcliffe in Ennis provider my first experience. I have seen the work Shannon Foundry underfoot in a variety of iron covers, but their work to remember James Grady was a first for me. |
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There is an exhibition running at the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork in which the artist, Dara McGrath, has returned to the locations where people died in the Republican War, or Revolutionary Period, one hundred years ago. The exhibition concerns itself with the period 1919 to 1921 – the War of Independence. The artist returns to the scene of death a century later and records the current aspect – regularly with people in the photograph who are quite likely oblivious to the past events, such events not being commemorated by a plaque or other memorial. To promote the exhibition, billboards around Cork city were used with details of the person deceased, how they died, as well as photograph of the location. On Tuesday, I observed how the modern Covid-world met the folklore-world. Initially, I was surprised, but really I ought not to have been, and should have expected it. At many of the Holy Wells that I have visited, there has been a Rag Tree, upon which visitors would tie a piece of cloth. As I understand the practice, the visitor rubs the cloth on that part of the body with an affliction prior to fixing the cloth to the Rag Tree hoping to transfer the affliction to the cloth/rag and to leave the affliction behind at the Rag Tree when the visitor departs for home. Today I listened to the RTE Archive clip on Fr. Moore’s Well which is located just outside Kildare town, on the road to Milltown. On Tuesday, the well had very many items which would have been encountered at other Holy Wells that I have visited – a sign describing how to perform the stations/rounds; a donation box; a memorial card, and, a Rag Tree. Fr.Moore’s Well provided all of these and more. It had a crutch – whether cast aside in hope, in recovery, or, for effect is unknown. But it was the Rag Tree, or more particularly, the rags, that brought the tradition upto the year 2020. Among the items tied to the tree were, not just one, but two face masks – one was disposal-type of the medical sky-blue colour; the other was a reuseable-type of a bright purple colour with what appeared to be the initials ‘S.Q.’. A used face-mask is a perfect example of ‘only of value as homage’ and proof of the continuation of tradition.
Today, there were a number of tweets to remember that on this day in 1916, Roger Casement landed at Banna Strand in Co. Kerry having travelled on The Aud with arms for the planned rebellion of Easter 1916. He was arrested shortly after landing and became the last of the ’16 Men Dead’ when executed in Pentonville Prison in August. This reminded me of the remnannts of an old and very small cottage that I spotted when travelling the roads around Ballymacelligott, a few years ago. I saw a fingerpost sign for the Captain Monteith 1916 Memorial and went searching. Last week was the anniversary of the Betelgeuse disaster on Whiddy Island in Bantry Bay. There were a number of tweets reminding of the 51 who died in 1979. I remember that my mother wanted to drive down to Bantry and see what was being shown on the television. The young me thought that wish very odd. The current me is disappointed that she didn’t get there and bring us with her. In 2018, I visited Bantry graveyard and was well impressed by the monument designed by a J. L. Fontaine, who does not appear on a web search. I had not realised that two victims were unnamed. Pothole Reveals the Ghost of the old Blackrock Tram.I received these two photographs this morning from KH. They are of a pothole on the Blackrock Road between Ashton School and the CRK0001A postbox a bit up the road. But this pothole proves to be a revelation. As if I was not photographing enough groupings, I have recently started photographing some old railways tracks that remain visible – maybe not for long with the developments in Docklands. So when a railway track is revealed as a ghost from under the tarmac, it was a double win. I travelled past on the way home from my Irish walk but the rain did not help my photographs. I will be back for more photos. When tracks were revealed when they were doing the plaza works in Blackrock Village, it was decided to incorporate them into the development. I suspect that the Blackrock tram track will be recovered and not exposed as an item of archaeology. ![]() Mosaic tiling has been one of the (many) items in Cork that I have been photographing over the past few years. I will get around to grouping together and uploading to the website – but not today or tomorrow. This afternoon I was lucky enough to spot a mosaic for the first time. Lucky as the builders had the door to the site open as I passed. Extra lucky in that they even brushed the mosaic for the photograph. Extremely lucky as the mosaic is not much longer for this world - a new floor will be poured in the coming weeks. The bar closed down a good few years ago. The building was subject to a blog post in 2016. Prior to its closing, it was the home of the Cork Branch of the Chelsea Supporters Club – hence the mosaic. With digital photographs now easy and cheap to store, it has got me thinking that it would be a good idea for all planning applications to include a complete photographic survey to retain a snapshot of what was and what is to be no more – an archaeological time capsule of sorts. If you need distracting for a while, you could do worse that try to name the locations of some mosaics around Cork. I have yet to photograph the floor of the Honan Chapel at U.C.C.
Any suggestions as to other mosaics that are missing would be welcome. This Friday sees the official launch of Enda O’Flaherty’s book – The Deserted School Houses of Ireland. On Friday at 6.00, I do hope to be at the Nano Nagle Centre. When the reminder popped up on my computer, it prompted concentrating this week on school buildings on my daily update for Ghostsigns. Since the first day of the year, in an effort to get my photographs of Roadside Death Memorials, Postboxes, Street Art and Ghostsigns organised, I have been tweeting one of each every day. Today is Day 64. Last week’s tweets included the Cork Model School which has been repurposed as Circuit Courthouse. Today’s tweet is a crest in a terrazzo floor. It greeted me most school mornings for six years of my life so it brought back some memories when I spotted through an open door a while back – neither good, nor bad, just memories. The ghost most likely has much better, and much worse, memories, for others. The building was originally the Vincentian School until the transfer in 1888 of seminarians to Farranferris. The Christian Brothers opened the school in 1888. I do not know the date of the terrazzo flooring which from recollection goes all the way up the stairs from MacCurtain Street to above Wellington Road entrance Cork City Was Christian Brothers College - Now Residential Wellington Road Photos Taken - 18/2/1 Patrick Street, 1872 I have contributed a number of details of field and placenames to Meitheal Logainm – a crowd sourcing of names/nicknames of fields, crossroads and other features around the country. Having spoken with a few older farmers, every field had a name, or even a number of names, but many names were lost with the selling of farms. My brother-in-law’s father worked with Irish Sugar and told of a book that he had that he used when visiting farmers every year as to which fields would be given over to beet that year – the high field, Murphy’s acres…….
That book contained the names of very many fields. It was left behind him when he retired and he suspects that it was subsequently consigned to a skip – so much history and lore, lost. Staying in Skerries overnight, I was delighted to spot that they have plaques erected to record the old names of corners – I only spotted two, my next visit will demand a more extensive walkabout for any more. If I only had time to write all the blog posts that are rattling around my brain. There are so many photographs foldered on the drive, just awaiting some words to be uploaded here.
These bugs and creepy crawlies were not even in the foldered category this morning. There were in the large grouping or of 250 days of photographs in the ‘To Be Foldered’ folder – but no longer, thanks to a tweet. This morning, Look UpLondon’s post was about the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. When I saw the images, it reminded me of the building I went past last December. The blog post reminded me of everything that impressed at the time and which was photographed:
To learn about the building, take thyself off to LookUpLondon – it will be time well spent. The photograph above was taken on 12th June from my car stuck in traffic on the bridge.
I was absolutely amazed at the branding applied to the limestone columns of such a historic and prominent building. The photograph below was taken less than 24 hours later. I don’t know whether someone from Cork City Council had a word; or, if Eventbrite themselves decided that it probably wasn’t the brightest of ideas; or, even if someone removed without Eventbrite knowledge. I do know that, to me, the building looks must better with limestone columns rather than orange columns.
Yet another headstone that intrigued with its story – a headstone that shouted out to be place on the TO FIND OUT MORE list. This headstone is located in Old Kilmurry Cemetery near Passage West. It is not my first blog post from my one visit – and will not be the last.
I did wonder when reading if ‘murder’ was only in the mind and opinion of the grieving brother who erected the headstone to Timothy Connell. The web quickly led to HistoryIreland which educated that Captain William Stewart did kill Timothy Connell and six others .
However, the court held it was not murder – ‘not guilty, having committed the act while labouring under mental derangement.” Captain James Gould Raynes, Francis Sullivan, John Keating, James Murley, James Cramer, William Swanson and stableman, Timothy Connell were bound and tied to the floor and attacked with crowbar and then an ax - but they were not legally murdered on board the Mary Russell. I think I am with Patrick Connell and his use of language. UPDATE – 2018.10.29 Thanks to Louvain Rees on Twitter, I read a very interesting article on the BBC News website on Murder Stones – headstones where the deceased has been murdered and the headstone contains details.
It makes reference to a book edited by Dr Jan Bondeson which featured a number of Murder Stones. I sense that this may make an appearance on my bookshelf at some stage….. ![]() My first visit to St. James Cemetery at Chetwynd was exactly one month ago. There will be regular visits from here out. I had seen a photograph of this headstone online but had to seek it out for my own eyes. There was so much to like
I remember Bernie Murphy as a sandwich board man or holding advertising signs around town – regularly throwing out comments at those daring to pass by. The Dunne Brothers were musicians who would be spotted on Patrick’s St or Princes St or when my grandfather brought me to matches down ‘The Park’ or the Mardyke. They first introduced me to the sound of the banjo. They and Bernie Murphy were thought by the younger me to be part of Cork that were always there and would always be there – the innocence of youth. I will be nodding towards Bernie on my regular visits – There You Are, Bernie Murphy….. I spotted tweets earlier today regarding the formal opening of the former Cork District Model School as the new Courthouse Complex. There are many photos of the refurbished areas and the new extension – some of the 25,000 replaced bricks What struck me when the scaffolding came down was not captured in any photograph or clip that I have seen but the mark left of the current generation of craftsmen to remind the future that those in 2017 also assisted its retention. That April Friday evening, while I was taking my photos, a lady also stopped to look at the newly exposed building. She said that she had gone to school there and was looking forward to being able to look inside. A few weeks later, in Chetwynd, I was reminded as to the titles I might like on my headstone and wondered if my school or place of employment might be one, probably not for me. |
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