I cannot remember seeing a ghost pig previously.
There is a first time for everything.
There is a first time for everything.
For a while, I have been keeping an eye out for manhole covers. Well, not just manhole covers but covers to any chambers in the ground. I have spotted a few gems included the mouse and the Marian Year. Yesterday morning’s stroll around Limerick brought this one to my attention.
The older ones that I have seen generally have the names of local ironmongers, forges or plumbers. I consider it a success when I spot the name of an old foundry.
After walking away from the quayside by Barrington’s Hospital, I wondered why it was deemed necessary or economically beneficial to source a cover for a roadway in Limerick from Wabash, Indiana. The internet advises that the Ford Meter Box Company was founded in 1898 and is still trading, so maybe the cover is new and not many years old as I thought yesterday morning. Modern transportation might go some way to explaining the economic viability.  Some time ago, I learned of the origins of the placename and expression “Irishtown” from author/playwright, Cónal Creedon. Cónal published his Second City Trilogy under the name Irishtown Press which demanded of me to ask the question. When I did ask, I learned. Cork was originally a walled city based around North and South Main Streets. There were gates at either end with bridges over the river – North Gate Bridge (Griffith Bridge) and South Gate Bridge. The native Irish were not permitted or able to reside within the walled city and so created a community outside – not too far away, but outside. In Cork, the native Irish created an enclave close to Shandon. This place became known as Irishtown, the town of the Irish. I knew of an Irishtown in Dublin, close to Ringsend. Logainm advises that there are 20 such places in the country. This morning, I had a very pleasant couple of hours around Limerick. As well as seeing the location of the old wall of Irishtown, I discovered that there was also an Englishtown. Upto then, I had assumed that the walled town or city was called Dublin, Cork, Limerick or wherever and the outside area called Irishtown.
Logainm lists 7 Englishtowns in the island of Ireland – but its location for the Limerick one differs from the location of this sign.
Limerick’s Life does provide some interesting history on the bridge between Irishtown and Englishtown. I repeat, it is a bad day when one does not learn something new. 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. 
 ALL ROUND GAELIC CHAMPION OF IRELAND 1895 Not for the first time, a trip to the cemetery has led to learning and connecting of historical dots of information.
The cemetery in question is at St Bartholomew’s Church in Kinneigh, Co Cork – the location of the only round tower with an hexagonal base, as well as headstone commemorating O’Mahony Mór.
Last Wednesday, the daily update from Stair na hÉireann advised that on 27 April, 1911 the ‘first ever Irish musical comedy, The Irish Girl, written by Percy French and Dr. W. Houston Collisson, is staged at the Queen’s Theatre, Dublin’. It reminded me of this plaque in Dromcollogher, Co. Limerick that I had only seen days previously. I hadn’t heard of either ‘The Irish Girl’or ‘have yez been to Dromcolliher’ previously – still learning from the signs
 I really liked this street art that I spotted in Newcastle West. It was probably difficult enough to see before but the metal leg of the ALDI sign make it even harder now. The fact that many walk past completely unaware of its existence probably added to the appreciation in the viewer.
  I suspect that many do not know that Jones Road site was purchased by a Limerick man who then sold to GAA ‘for the same consideration’. Yesterday, I spotted a tweet from Jean with a copy of the notification of the death, 100 years ago on 18th April, 1916, of Frank Brazil Dineen and it reminded me of this plaque on the side wall of a building in Ballylanders. Joining those two dots of knowledge was justification for today’s blog.
There are benefits to being the designated driver – not many, but some.
With the rest of the house still in a slumber fuelled by drinking into the early hours, I was up and out in the Limerick countryside early on a bright sharp Saturday morning. The rural location and time of day conspired to restrict the number of other road users that I came across to just one. We had passed the sign to St. Brigit’s Well on a few occasions when travelling to friends, but we had never stopped and paid a visit. That box was ticked firmly that Saturday, just me and nature. The Well is a bit of a walk from the road – up and over the field; down a wooded passageway beyond the electric fence; across another field; then another glade opens up to reveal the Well site. The site is enclosed by a stone wall with a solitary gate. The well itself has a concrete surround with the statue above. There is an old donation box in the wall which appears to be rusted shut. There were a small few memorial cards adjacent to the statue – nowhere near the amount left with St Bridget in Co Clare. There are two Rag Trees, one adjacent to the well; the other on the final wooded pathway before the Well site. Driving away, I spotted that there was a Lenten Walk later that day, including a visit to the well. As we were making our way home that morning, we spotted some on the walk and it brought some thoughts to the fore. The walk organisers had arranged for Stations of the Cross along the route for the participants. There were quite a few walkers that morning – more than one might observe leaving a city church after a Saturday morning mass. With Pilgrim Walks and Pattern Days, I do think that any increase in catholic religious observance may involve old traditions – but this agnostic may not be the best judge of such matters. Even with my religious persuasion, a very pleasant twenty minutes were enjoyed that morning. Limerick city, I believe, dealt with the decay of the Celtic Corpse better than Cork in that they used a number of derelict sites as opportunities for art. I was on the Dock Road a few weeks back and noted that a large site is as yet undeveloped. I remain firm in the belief that if the local authorities had exercised compulsory purchase on derelict sites and then sell on at auction, it would have had the effect of setting a new base price and allow developers to purchase at a viable base price. Instead, we had banks and receivers holding on to property waiting for an upturn in prices while keeping a visual blackspot intact. I did stop to view the artwork and did like a few of them.
But sometimes streetart is not enough to cover up inaction and the mind wanders back to the extent of dereliction in Cork and the inertia of Cork City Council in dealing with the disrespect shown to the city. That bright early Saturday morning, I did not leave the site uplifted and happy. |
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