Imbolc, the ancient pagan festival marking the beginning of spring, will be celebrated at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park on February 4th, next.
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.
The County Clare visitor attraction will showcase the vibrant crafts, traditions, animals and customs that characterise the season, while the ‘Imbolc Celebration’ will also mark St. Brigid’s Day. (Irish: Lá Fhéile Bríde).
Ms Marie Brennan, Events Manager at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, commented, “Imbolc represents the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and has been celebrated in this country since ancient times. We look forward to marking the beginning of spring in style by inviting the local community and the wider public to join us for a fun-filled and educational day out.”
Visitors will be able to learn how to make Saint Brigid’s Cross, an iconic symbol that has graced Irish homes for centuries. Bunratty’s experienced Bean an Tís(Irish: Housewives), will guide the public through the traditional craft, demonstrating the meticulous process of weaving straw or rushes into the distinctive cross shape.
A variety of native Irish animals from Droimeann cattle to Irish Wolfhounds and from Irish Red Deer to Tamworth pigs will be on display as part of the visitor attraction’s ongoing work to increase awareness of native Irish breeds and how they have formed part of Ireland’s social and cultural history down through the centuries. Members of the Wolfhound Society of Ireland will be onsite on the day with opportunities for the public to engage with them and discover more about one of Ireland’s most celebrated indigenous Irish canine breeds.
Basket maker Michael Foudy will demonstrate the time-honoured tradition of making traditional style baskets using locally sourced materials such as hazel and willow. The Bean an Tí also will be on hand throughout the day to demonstrate the art of traditional butter making at the Golden Vale Farmhouse.
As the Folk Park springs into life for the new season, the Clare Vintage and Engine Tractor Club will showcase an array of vintage agricultural machinery at work including corn grinders, water pumps and a mini threshing machine.
There also will be children’s entertainment from a host of characters located throughout the 26-acre Folk Park, including the resident Seanchaí Mickey Joe who will recall tales of bygone days and traditional ways preserved over the centuries at Corry’s Pub on the Village Street. Meanwhile, Konor the Clown will be performing magic, juggling and music in the Corn Barn at various internals throughout the day.
See www.bunrattycastle.ie for more on the Imbolc Celebration at Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, County Clare on February 4th from 11.00am to 5.00pm.
I recall the phrase, accredited to French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in 1849, who wrote “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” – translated from the French “The more things change, the more they stay the same”, and meaning that despite apparent changes or advancements, certain fundamental aspects or patterns remain unchanged over time.
NCN aim to link 200 towns, cities and destinations across Ireland with a safe, connected and inviting cycle network integrating with other cycle infrastructures including greenways; encouraging people away from their cars onto bicycles, for at least 4 months of each year and expect to serve 2.8 million people upon these new network completions.
Today, here on Thurles.Info we feature the Nenagh To Thurles Route, as once set out in the 125 year old Cyclists’ Touring Club – Irish Road Book Part 1, for Tipperary South, same compiled and edited by R.T. Lang, (published in 1899). Hopefully, the National Cycling Network (NCN), will publish and continue the practise hereunder of describing the areas passed through, in a fluent and persuasive manner, in advance of the opening any future network.
Route 153. Nenagh To Thurles.
Mls from Thurles.
Places on the road.
Intermediate Milage.
Comprehensive Milage.
General description of the road.
22-3/4
Nenagh Post Office
…..
—–
From the post office turn to the left into Barrack Street and then straight on up same and over the railway bridge by an indifferent level road to Kilkeary cross-roads.
22-1/2
Railway Bridge.
1/4
22-1/4
Union Workhouse.
1/4
21-3/4
Tyone Bridge.
1/2
19
Kilkeary Cross-roads.
2-3/4
Here keep straight on leaving the R.I.C. Barrack on the rightand a direct forward road, with better surface, to Borrisoleigh.
16-1/4
Carrick Wood.
2-3/4
12-1/4
Curraghbaba Cross-roads.
4
Almost level road, but with a few slight rises and falls to Curraghbaba Cross.
9
Ballyroan Bridge.
3-1/4
For the last 2-1/2m the road winds down the valley of the Cromoge River.
8-1/4
Borrisoleigh.
3/4
14-1/2
Entering the village, pass the Church (on right) and keep straight forward on a winding but obvious road past ‘The Rag’ public house.
6-3/4
Rathmoy House.
1-1/2
5-1/4
Inch House.
1-1/2
4-3/4
The Rag, Public House.
1/2
1-1/2
Kilyon Graveyard*.
3-1/4
300 yds further bear to the left at a fork, then straight on to Kilyon*, where ascending the hill bear to the left, before reaching the graveyard and then to the right at same, then forward and over the railway bridge (Great Southern and Western Railway) into Thurles.
1/2
Union Workhouse.
1
Entering Thurles by New Street* to the Square
1/4
Railway Bridge (G.S.& W Railway).
1/4
Thurles Square.
1/4
22-3/4
With the exception of the short easy hill, at Kilyon*, a practically level road, with good surface.
Nenagh To ThurlesReverse, – Leaving Thurles Square by New Street *, pass over the railway bridge and at the workhouse turn to the left. At Kilyon* graveyard bear to the left again and 100 yards further, just as the road slopes downward towards the bog, keep to the right, and thence forward through Borrisoleigh, to Ballyroan Bridge, where turn to the right, and cross same, and then forward into Nenagh. On reaching Castle Street, turn to the right, to the post office.
Note Please*Kilyon Graveyard, is known today as Killinan Graveyard. * New Street is known today as Parnell Street, following changes to the names of certain Thurles streets and lanes by Thurles Urban District Council in more recent years.
The information, above, has been passed to Green Party Minister Mr Eamon Ryan, in an effort to progress ideas and implement this network as soon as possible on behalf of Thurles towns currently non existent tourism. [eamon.ryan@oireachtas.ie].
On January 29, 1886, Carl Benz applied for a patent for his vehicle, latter powered by a gas engine. The patent – number 37435 – may be thus regarded as the birth certificate of the auto-mobile industry.
The first car imported here into Ireland was a Benz Velo, which arrived in 1898. Cars were costly, and in 1904, only 38 motor vehicles were registered with in the Irish State. This figure currently equates to a private fleet of close to some 2.5 million vehicles
Back in 1879, the Irish Cyclist Touring Club was founded which resulted in the publication of the Irish Road Book of 1899. Subscribing Members were charged 3 shillings for this publication, while non-members were charged 10s-6d.
To the Irish peasantry, back then, this very costly publication would not have been readily available, but amongst the gentry of that period, same would have been the then ‘cyclists satellite navigation’, of the late 19th century.
Route 131 A – Killenaule To New Birmingham.
Places on the road.
Intermediate.
Comprehensive.
General description of the road.
Kilenaule.
—–
—–
Proceeding northward out of the village (Killenaule),keep to the left just after passing the R.C. Chapel (St. Mary’s Church Bailey Street, Killenaule, Thurles, Co. Tipperary), on the left and then straightforward on an almost level road, to New Birmingham. Good surface.
The Four Roads.
1.3⁄4 mls
—–
—–
Waterloo Lodge.
3⁄4 ml
—–
—–
Shelbourne Lodge.
3⁄4 ml
—–
—–
New Birmingham.
½ ml
3.3⁄4 mls
—–
Killenaule to New Birmingham (Reverse) – Proceed Southward out of New Birmingham and thence straight forward to Killenaule.
Now a question for our readers. Where was Waterloo Lodge & Shelbourne Lodge, back then, located? Thurles.Info would love to know. Please contact us HERE
In 1839, on today’s date, (January 6th, latter the Feast of the Epiphany), a devastating hurricane passed over Ireland leaving many dead and thousands of people homeless as the wind caused mass structural damage to homes across the country. The event is referred to as the “Night of the Big Wind”, (Irish – Oíche na Gaoithe Móire).
Drawing of Moycarkey, Thurles, missing Sheela-na-gig.
Today, January 6th is also known as Women’s Little Christmas Day (Irish – Nollaig na mBan), or Old Christmas Day or Twelfth Night down here in rural Ireland, when no doubt mothers will be following the age old custom of rubbing the tail of a herring across their children’s eyes to give them immunity against disease for the rest of 2024. Local wells may also, as tradition has it, have their water turned into wine at midnight, with no one being permitted to observe this spectacle, or even to sample the well water, lest they be met with ‘mí ádh’ (Irish – bad luck).
Time to attract Tourism.
Seriously though, now during our winter months is the time for us to start planning for the year ahead in other ways, most notably for the future of our currently non-existent tourist trade, here in Co. Tipperary.
We understand that a discussion has already taken place in Thurles, with regard to the failure, over many years, to attract visitors to the town and county. Unfortunatly, other matters prevented Thurles.Info from attending that particular public meeting.
However, the result of that meeting appears to have generated little in the way of any future planning, except perhaps in identifying and regurgitating small bits of already well known local history.
Starting today and over the coming weeks, Thurles.Info together with Hidden Tipperary.com, will attempt to revive at least some enthusiasm in the effort to attract visitors to Thurles and the massive decline in street footfall, by offering some marketing ideas on how we can, working closely together, make tourism in Thurles and Tipperary a reality.
Suggested first project:
Make contact with local bus companies; Thurles accommodation providers; restaurants etc to put together prices for Bus Tours.
One Suggested Tour:
Offer an all-in tour of Tipperary Sheela-na-Gigs [Excel file here provides all the information required in relation to discovery], based and operated from Thurles town. Pass the above Excel File to bus operators in the locality to obtain their daily rate and contact local hotels and restaurants to acquire best group prices for accommodation and food. Based on the route used by the bus operator, contact with a hotel in one of the counties outlying areas will be necessary to acquire prices for a light lunch, leaving the provision of breakfast and dinner, to the hotel and restaurant sector in Thurles.
Having made contact with the above necessary service providers, a meeting should be convened and prices having been once accepted, should be keenly, and immediately marketed in time for the Summer of 2024, both at home and away, with no time lost. While tourists from abroad may take more time to attract; visitations from home counties should show immediate interest, if proper marketing is undertaken using senior citizens clubs, walking clubs etc . It is important that an Irish Rail representative be also included in any future planning negotiations. It will be necessary also to provide a tour guide on all trips undertaken, and training for this undertaking can easily and immediately be undertaken.
What are Sheela-na-gigs?
Sheela-na-gigs are rare and ancient (c. 12th century) figurative architectural stone carvings (also known as grotesques) of female figures found on Cathedrals, Churches, Castles, and other historical buildings. Scholars debate the origins of these figures but some speculate that they may have been used to ward off evil spirits or may have had something to do with pre-Christian fertility or mother goddess religion. While the greatest concentration of surviving carvings are to be found in Ireland, a few are also located in Great Britain, France and Spain. Image above shows a nineteenth-century sketch of a Sheela-na-gig, currently preserved in the Royal Irish Academy, No. 19 Dawson Street Dublin 2, [Located atD02 HH58]. Same was formerly to be found on a tower house in Moycarkey, Co. Tipperary. Its whereabouts today, however, is presently not known, but somewhere, someone may know its present location. This is not the first time that a looting of ancient Tipperary Sheela-na-gigs has taken place. Listen to and read related RTÉ Radio documentary HERE.
Note: Of the 124 known examples throughout the counties of Ireland, some 24 of these unique stone carvings are or were located within the boundaries of Co. Tipperary.
So let’s get started and begin to work togetherwithin our present tourism structure, if possible.
‘Extraordinary’ 315-million-year-old fossil sponge found near the Cliffs of Moher
An extraordinary new species of fossil sponge, dating back to a time when County Clare was located close to the Equator has been discovered in the rocks that make up the Cliffs of Moher, by Dr. Eamon Doyle, geologist for the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark.
The 315-million-year-old sponge, named Cyathophycus balori, is up to 50cm tall and is the largest known example of its kind anywhere in the world.
When it was alive the vase-shaped sponge featured a circular opening at the top surrounded by a ring of eyelash-like structures. It would have resembled the modern-day Venus Flower Basket sponge, which is found the Pacific Ocean and often features on deep sea wildlife documentaries.
The new species was named after the mythological giant Balor, whose eye wreaked havoc on his enemies when opened.
Commenting on his discovery, Dr. Doyle said, “This is an exceptionally large example of a type of fossil sponge that was previously only known from much older rocks elsewhere in the world. It is the first record of this type of fossil sponge from Ireland and its excellent preservation is highly unusual.”
He continued, “The sponge was originally composed of a rectangular meshwork of tiny spicules made of silica, held together by a thin organic membrane. When they die, they usually fall apart quickly, and often only scattered remains of the spicules are preserved as fossils, so I was delighted to find these largely intact specimens. The excellently preserved fossil dates back to a time when the Atlantic Ocean had not even started to form and what we now call County Clare was part of an earlier sea, located near the Equator,” explained Dr. Doyle. “Discoveries like this help us to promote awareness about the wonderful geological legacy we have on our doorstop here in County Clare and to encourage a new generation of palaeontologists, that is, geologists that specialise in the study of fossils to visit and learn more about the unique geology of Ireland’s west coast.”
The new discovery has been published in the latest edition of international geological journal Geobios, with the collaboration of lead author and international fossil sponge expert Dr. Joseph Botting and co-author Dr. Lucy Muir, both Honorary Research Fellows at National Museum Wales (Amgueddfa Cymru), who worked closely with Dr. Doyle.
According to Dr. Botting, “I was amazed to see the size and excellent state of preservation of this fossil; this was totally unexpected. This find offers important insights into the evolution of sponges and how some species can survive in niche environments where few other species can live. Finding such large and intact specimens is exceptional.”
Dr. Lucy Muir commented, “This is a wonderful find and reminds us that there are still new and interesting fossils to be found which help us understand the story of Life on Earth.”
Sponges are creatures with a very basic body plan, they do not have a nervous system or circulatory system, but they are very abundant and form an important part of our biodiversity today. They filter large volumes of water for microscopic organisms that they feed on.
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