Kilmacduagh Monastery, Gort, Co. Galway

 

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The photograph below is that of the east window in Kilmacduagh monastery in Gort, Co. Galway. This ancient monastery was founded by St. Colman, the son of Duagh - hence the name of the place - the church of the son of Duagh. The lands on which the monastery was built was given to St. Colman by King Guaire whose kingdom was located in Gort. The more exact name for Gort is Gort Inse Guaire.

 

Kilmacduagh is of great interest to the O'Shaughnessy clan because the ancient chieftains of this clan are buried within the cathedral itself.

 

 

 

Picture of Robert Emmet

At Christmastime I visited friends in inner city Dublin and noticed that there was a picture of Robert Emmet on the wall. It reminded me of Leopold Bloom in Ulysses. At the end of Episode 11 Bloom sees a former acquaintance and does not want to meet her. To avoid her he intently looks into Lionel Marks antique saleshop window  and begins reading the text underneath the portrait. Perhaps the picture that Bloom saw was similar to this one.

(Notice the sprig of holly on top of the picture!) 

 

The hawthorn tree (An Sceach gheal) is flowering beautifully in Ireland now. The photograph shown here was taken near Roscrea just inside the Co. Laois border. The tree is also called the whitethorn or May blossom. It is the tree that forms the hedges of the Irish landscape and so at the end of May the countryside is beautifully whitened by the blossoms of the trees. The rich whiteness contrasts strongly against the deep greenness of the grass in the fields. The appearance of the blossoms announces the arrival of early summer.