Comment by Gerry Regan on January 25, 2014 at 10:00pm

Is this turf, stacked up to dry, Lisa? What brought you to Shrule?

Comment by Lisa Fortin Jackson on January 26, 2014 at 1:58pm

Ger…Thanks for asking.  Shrule was actually a stopover on the drive back from Castlebar and Achill Island.  Joe Ormonde and I drove up there to photograph some of the sites associated with Ernie O'Malley, amongst them, the beautiful bronze monument on the mall in Castlebar donated to the Castlebar Urban District Council by Cormac's mother,  Helen Hooker O'Malley, in 1992.  The sculpture, by Peter Grant, depicts Manannan Mac Lir, son of Lir, the Celtic God of the Sea.  Attaching a pic of it, in the event you are interested.

The weather on the way back to where I was staying in Kilkenny made driving tough, so we pulled off for a bit.  I went exploring with my camera, which was when I snapped this shot.  And yes, that is stacked turf.  The farm was located directly behind the ruins of the old Shrule Castle, which I couldn't resist trespassing in.  It is now mainly inhabited by sheep.  They seem quite happy there.

Comment