Glasgow

Here we go again, we're on the road again, we're on our way to paradise.... 

Celtic  4 - 3  Sheep

Lucky Barber Shop, Stonybatter, Dublin 7

Great bunch of lads...

West Mayo. Some photos and history

There's a reason why 'to hell or to Connacht' suited the British plantation policy for relocating hundreds of thousands of Irish across the river Shannon. The majority of the land was harsh and unarable.

Mayo, like the rest of the country has plenty of scars of abandoned homes and newer unfinished rescession era building projects.

This photograph was taken on top of a mass grave. Its known locally as 'the rocky' and its on the edge of Westport town. For 1/3 of Ireland's population, the potato, although far from being the only crop and food produced, was the only food available to the poor.  In County Mayo it was estimated that 9/10 of the population depended on it.

Silver Strand The dunes in these photographs are also mass graves. Starving, you'd have been too weak to bury your dead, especially during winter, so these dunes were used as an unconsecrated burial place. As the dunes recede, bones were a common sight. As of now, there is no official or unofficial indicator to the tragic events which took place at this location.

Doolough Pass "In March 1847, a large body of starving people gathered in Louisburgh seeking assistance from the relieving officer. He informed them that they would have to apply to the Board of Guardians who were to meet next day at Delphi Lodge, ten miles away. Having spent the night in the open, they proceeded on foot to Delphi. When they reached Delphi, the Board were at lunch and could not be disturbed. When they finally did meet with them, assistance was refused. That day it rained and snowed and there was piercing wind. On the return journey to Louisburgh, many perished." http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/Mayo/History/Famine.htm

Boheh Stone and the 'Rolling Sun' On April 18th and August 24th, the sun appears to roll down the slopes of Croagh Patrick. This, alongside with December 21st, splits the year into 3 seasons which pagans honoured here, 4-6 thousand years ago. Ironically, this is the closest thing to a headstone that two of my uncles and an aunt who never made it past childbirth have. They were buried in shoe boxes in unmarked graves, the next field over, along with others who weren't given the dignity of a Christian burial.

GIF by Wacamexhibit on Photobucket