Magnumlady gave me an idea

Magnumladys’ blog pointed out there was a flea market yesterday so I ventured in to see if there was anything (books) I could buy (cheap books). Thank you Magnumlady. It was full of something for almost everyone. None of it has ever steered me away from looking for books apart for that one time I became a child for five minutes and badly wanted a working steam train. It ran on steam. Anyway, there was a light frosting of books among the stalls so looking took a while, but buying a secondhand book is like diamond mining. You may have to dig through a lot before you find a gem.

And there it was. A pile of National Geographic magazines. From 1940. Beautiful – a whole world apart from where we are now. They contain adds quoting doctors for this and that. Car ads. Articles from a time when the USA had not yet joined WWII. Articles on the silk road, South America – all from that time. A real delight. There was also a small section on artefacts being wrapped up in the Louvre to be sent to the basement. The photographs were not of the treasures, but of the rude hands forcing them into storage. I will scan them and post once I get the scanner working. Anyone looking forward to Monument Men coming out?

I haven’t had a chance to go through them properly yet as I had to be up at 4am to travel and am just back. If anyone is interested in any of the articles that might be in them – please let me know and I will have a look and perhaps post a list of what’s in there.

Good night all.

 

Books are a good background.

The pictures are of the Library in the Yeats Memorial Building in Sligo. I recently heard about it and decided to go and ask if I could see it. What’s so special? The building is Arts and Crafts in style – build in or around the last decade of the 1800s for a bank of the time. It used the finest craftsmanship and materials and still looks quite well. The Library is in two rooms upstairs. The lady who runs the Café downstairs had the key and kindly allowed me to see it. She caters for functions there so if you are about and need it, by all means give her a shout. The books were donated by the Yeats family (of the Nobel Prize Winner Poet Yeats) so its something to look along their spines. Hope you like the pictures.

Looking for light in darkness, but couldn’t find the darkness

My wife and I went out to Streedagh to see if we could watch or even catch a glimpse of the predicted Aurora Borealis. It is an ephemeral vision at this low latitude, but if there is a chance who would miss it? We missed it. We went out to Streedagh because it is a north facing beach which would give a clear view if indeed it showed up. There was a light mist but the moon was making a good show through and the hope was it would clear over the sea. It didn’t and the moonlight hitting the low (very thin – we could spot stars) cloud basically set up a light screen.

So far a blog about what hasn’t happened. Onwards.

The beach was being pounded by surf – clear in the moonlight. Further along the strand the mist coming off the surf seemed to dissolve the vista beautifully. The camera could not get enough light to capture the beauty of the scene, but as our eyes adjusted everything was crystal clear. The camera couldn’t capture a shot, but I could see our shadows. Amazing. So we went for a moonlit walk on the beach. Wonderful. The thing is, the human eye takes a while to adjust fully to the darkness, so nothing looked familiar when we were walking back (the car was parked behind the dunes). Found it eventually.

Now the best bit for a random reader passing through – this was a beach where a Spaniard was washed up. From the Armada. Three ships actually beached there, but he wrote letters to his brother at a later point and these were kept safe and translated. I do like to work a book or reading bit in. Its potentially the script for a slew of movies – war, capture, escape, slavery, women chasing him, defending castles, pirates, chases and so on. He was amazingly lucky, a liar, or a bit of both – you decide. His translations can be read here – http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T108200/index.html . Its an amazing site with a vast number of ancient manuscripts translated. If you do read Captain Cuellar’s translations – no pressure, please let me know what you think of them.

Sunrise at Listoghil

Listoghil is tomb 51 at the Carrowmore Megalithic complex. Mention in past histories list the number of monuments at 200. Now less than 50, these monuments are gathering agreement among archaeologists as the oldest stone monuments constructed on the island. I recently met a family from Texas out there as well as 4 Dutch people, wandering around on a Saturday. The place was closed so no information was available. I found this amazing and was delighted to talk about the monuments (as much as I knew). Without the little I knew they would have wandered about and not have felt an impact.

I have heard that the vast majority of the tombs are oriented, not on a sunrise, but on Listoghil. Listoghil itself has been dated as a thousand years younger than some of the other tombs. Takes a lot to figure out the facts, let alone the theories.

Lstoghil from the top edge of the reconstructed cairn

The original Listoghil tomb inside the new cairn

This should show the avenue into the reconstructed cairn.

The last picture is typical. You wait for a good shot with a clear lineup and out of nowhere someone jumps in. Happens quite often. Anyway, Listoghil was a cairned monument that had suffered substantial robout (theft of stones). Someone saw fit to raise a modern cairn like structure around the monument in the noughtes. I have heard “chamber of horrors, caged animal and Disneyland archaeology”. It is up to the person who visits to judge. The avenue is along the astro alignment so the sunrise still shines into the tomb or monument. The alignment is on a cross quarter day. These are the four festival points, Beltaine, Imbolc, Samhain and Lughnasadh – February, May, August and November. Samhain was the alignment we went to – sunrise was at 7.45am. Samhain is the time of the dead – the original Halloween type of thing. It was very early and very cold. I heard one lady mention it was so early she had left Micks breakfast on page 43 of the cookbook so she could be at the monument and didn’t miss anything.

Seconds to go.

Waiting

Steady stream gathering

Go in or stay out?

Cold, but good spirits

Guessed there was over 100 people there, just curious and eager to hear from an archaeologist who was going to talk people through it. Nothing like the drumming, candles and chanting at a previous astro event.

Sunrise

And sunrise…… you have to admire the building of those people all those years ago – perhaps 6/7 thousand years ago, depending who you believe or need to agree with. For me it was the people there – after all that time people still gathered for the sunrise. The group I went with were absolutely class and helped make the morning. Well would you feel a wee bit daft standing there on your own in a field with stone constructions? For me, the crowd and the sunrise was more than the science and the sunrise. Cloud rapidly covered the horizon, but it didn’t spoil it a bit. Siobhans flask of hot toddies and the craic with Rory, Alan, Siobhan and Sinead made it more memorable again.

Just a note, all pictures were taken before sunrise by my inexperienced hand. The light gather in each makes some seem brighter or darker. Siobhan kindly lent me her camera as I had left mine charging at home (so I wouldn’t run out of power). The camera was better than I was.

Weekend

Archaeology conference on Saturday last. Amazing stuff as the speakers were interdisciplinary. There were sociologists, geophysists (with results from Stonehenge), archaeologists, anthropologists and a football supporter. They came from Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, England, the US and Norway (and perhaps other places as well. The conference was about gatherings with an obvious archaeological slant. These people watch people so well it was amazing, from football to protests, from current patriotism to past rituals, from rock concerts to railways. I missed the medieval music and the Sunday talks due to a funeral (Michael Parker Pearson from timeteam was talking on the Sunday), but enjoyed what I did see and hear. Wordwell was also there and I got a few books from him – one was a book introducing the architectural inventory of the area, which I found very interesting indeed.

Monday I went to the northerly shore of the Island. Giants Causeway and the Carrick a Rede rope bridge. The weather was “dramatic” with the storm towards the south – so several seasons in one day. The bridge was open and worth a visit. There was a lady who couldn’t make it across but the guide there was amazing and helped her across with her partner. It was only a problem for me in that there were a few ladies behind me and one of them thought it would be funny to jump up and down. No issue with heights and the visual drama was appreciated, but I was slightly seasick upon arrival at the other end. The Giants causeway was great to see (go at low tide and wear appropriate gear, especially shoes) and I had a good chat with one of the guides out on the rocks. As I said to him – he has a tougher job than a shepherd, as sheep have more sense than some people. The site is wild and in no way softened for visitors who in any way wish to behave recklessly. Wet basalt rocks are no place for high heels, climbing with children who can not walk, or wearing a papoose with a baby in it and brogue shoes. People watching again I suppose, it may be catching. The northern shore is also home to the main supply of flint for the island (and was used very effectively in the Mesolithic and Neolithic ages. Where it couldn’t be found Chert was used. Good week so far.

Great day was had by all. The comference was fully attended and with all manner of interdisciplinary talks on how the dark may have affected people in the past – in all manner of ways. Dr. Robert Hensey, Prof. Richard Bradley, Dr. John Carey, Ken Williams (photographer), Tim O’Connell (Caver), Dr. Paul Pettitt, Brian Keenan (writer and captive in the dark for some years in the middle east), Prof. Muiris O’Sullivan, Dr. Sian James, Dr. Marion Dowd, Prof. Jack Santino, Fr. Colman O Calbaigh, Prof. (Emeritus) Ruth D. Whitehouse, Prof. Colin Richards and Prof. Gabriel Cooney all spoke over the day to a packed auditorium. I managed to get notes down during some – where there was enough light. Some had the lights off with only the projector on – Prof. Cooney gave his talk (last but by no means least) in complete darkness. So many elite in the one room was like going to a Police concert and finding them supported by Madonna, Ac/Dc, One Direction, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bruce Springsteen and Beyonce. There was so much presented – some new ideas, some new finds, that it was hard to devour in one sitting, yet it was compelling. Trying to concentrate enough to pierce some of the accents made a person wish they were powerful enough to have anyone who coughed silently removed.

The two internal photos were taken in the morning before kickoff – and before we were asked to switch off our phones. Outside the auditorium Wordwell had set up a bookstall – all stock was related to the topic. I was delighted to get the last copy of The Irish Revolution, 1912 to 1923 SLIGO, by Michael Farry as well as a few other books. Handy, as on my entertainment side of reading I had just finished Joe Abercrombies Red Country. There was tea, coffee and biscuits with food stalls outside. On the timber and bookshelf side of things I came across a lady I hadn’t seen in a while. She keeps bees and sells their produce in so many ways. I understand she mixes and pours the waxes herself as well as makes the sweets and candles. Havn’t used the candles but the sweets and polish are top class. If you find her – go for the one labeled Polish if you need it for wood – she has a different mix for leather. Having looked at my photo, the text is fuzzy so here it is -(from the top) Direct from the Producer. Guaranteed Pure. Beeswax Polish. 60ml. Shanvaus Apiary, Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim. Ingredients: Turpentine, Beeswax, Carnauba Wax.

So many things taken from that day – it will take a while for it all to settle in. What did I love most – John Carey for his use of manuscripts, Tim O’Connell for his obvious love of caves, Marion Dowd for presenting a deep command of her subject so well, Ruth Whitehouse for her subject and because I like Italy, Colin Richards, because Easter Island is so exotic to me and Gabriel Cooney for bringing us all into the dark. Those were the people. The papers presented will have to be studied and studied before I say anything there. But that is just at the moment – its all up in the air and something else may settle into focus over later dates (as I get to know the people and the subject) – way too early to nail that list to the door.

It was a very, very good day.

 

 

Sligo – home of a fantastic array of Neolithic/Megalithic monuments

Had an amazing day. Looking at the landscape and mentally stripping away the houses, masts, large buildings, roads and bridges leaves the North West of Ireland as a very special place indeed. We are looking at the oldest visible parts of prehistory first – so its the tombs. Not just the tombs themselves, but how they were seen and built together – and in relation to other sites locally. Looking at some close to 6000 years old. Think the area has approx 40% of all the passage tombs on the island. Carrowmore and Carrowkeel would be two places of focus. Littered with other eras as well – castle ruins, etc. Quite a bit to learn. Shell middens (dumps) we were shown are places where people gathered seafood and cooked them (the firecracked stones are there as well) over thousands of years. Possibly they were feasting sites.

Fair amount of reading involved, but a person has to be somewhat picky as there are a huge amount of works on the subject, and evidence, ideas and theories change. Good weather does put a shine on the country, which is a bonus as we would have to go out regardless of conditions – as do all archaeologists. I think its a Finnish expression that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. I do not have one to hand, but if you can find a decent photo of Knocknarea – its worth a look. Knoc Na Re – Hill of Kings.

Timber in our weather

Starting the archaeology course soon so have been looking at, and relooking at texts and maps related. Here is the thing – I live in a wet country. The weather has been worse that usual this year (the facts match the feeling). I heard a bone digger a few weeks ago saying if this weather was 200 years ago people would starve this winter. Anyway – people “long ago” used stone in dramatic ways. I saw a single block stone that was used to cap a passage tomb – it was well estimated at 70 tons. The thing is – if they didn’t use stone and earth as they did for various rights and rituals we would never have thought of them – they are the only reminder.

The normal, everyday buildings were of timber. Enviromentally friendly, yes – it all fades away. The only exceptions to this are where air and or water are excluded – bogs and caves type of thing. Everything we have made of timber will go too. These were my rough thoughts as I looked at our garden furniture.

Garden Bench – 7 years in the elements

Close up of the elements effects on timber

 

Generally I have no problem with being enviromentally friendly, but I wanted to hang on to the garden furniture for a few years yet without the inlaws falling through it. I suppose its a balance between being careful with toxic treatments and not being wasteful and using up more timber every few years, replacing it as it rots.

I vould never use a treatment that contained VOC (volatile organic compounds) in any amount indoors, but I found a low VOC Danish oil for this one. By the way – VOCs do not improve the treatment of the timber in any great way – they are for the finish mostly – how smooth and how fast. They do however make the oil more viscous so it flows smooth and fast into grain and cracks. But thats the easy bit. It had to be sanded first. It took us (myself and my sons) some three hours to get it sanded down by hand. I dislike the use of power sanding tools (although I do have a small 82mm hitachi plane) as they throw up so much fine dust that is just not good for people. As I do not do this for money, it also is easier to control the results by hand, and there is no harm in staying fit. So sanded and then oiled. The oil cloths were hung on the line till dry and then disposed of (see previous posts on finishing timber and not burning your house down).

Result looks good.

All for less than €10.00.

All we need is the weather to use them now!

The last from Seville with a slightly smokey bookish theme

I learned about this place after I blundered into and wandered through it. Its was a tobacco factory, built as a tobacco factory and imho, how all factories should look.

 

Funnily enough, it was taken over by the university. Good call.

Before leaving the Cathedral

Before leaving the Cathedral, I feel the need to mention some of the other treasures to be found there. Unless you work in some nations gold reserve building, you will not see more gold in one place in your life than behind the main altar. This was closed off for renovation while I was there. Around the church everyone will see many wonders.

Have to include Colombus, as his son did such a good job. The four figures carrying the coffin are the four kings of conquering Spain (Al Andalus was conquered so its not included). They were the kings of Navarra, Castille, Aragon and Leon. {I haven’t had my laptop for some days now, but will try to repair the pic of the tomb of Colombus when I get it back}

There we go.

Relics were regarded as hugely powerful by the church and great churches gathered them as best they could. Relics of saints were good to get – specially if the saint was a crowd puller, but anything to do with the life of Christ was top league. There was a time when Knights would be given a quest to get some of the True Cross, the Crown of Thorns, the Grail, His last robe, etc. They won fame if they could gain such relics for their church. The crusades caused something of a flood. Relics have been of interest to me since my boys and I had an “Indiana Jones” type half an hour in Piza hunting La Spina. And there it was, the only exposed relic – Espina. The others were covered in purple cloth.

Writing and reading was also central to the church. As the gold poured into Spain, things got a bit fancy.

Finally, just a mention for the timber – mostly “spanish” or Cuban Mahogany. It is so old, it has gone almost black. It drinks in the light and is hard to photograph it, but worth looking at. The carvings of biblical scenes are a wonder in themselves.

Thats not it by a long shot for Seville. The stunning grandeur of the Cathedral, the palace, the archives, the shops, the tobacco factory (nothing to do with tobacco now), the gold tower, the beautiful private courtyards, the lack of crime or litter, the welcome of everyone we met, the carriage rides, the food, the music, the….. Good and bad it is a beautiful place. We went to Cordoba as well so something from there later. Some of these things I photographed. Things like wandering on a beach, driving in a convertable car with the top down doing the ton through the oranges, grape vines, olive groves, mown wheat fields, the old walled in haciendas, (ok, ok, I was on the road, but they were close by), meeting people from home (happens to Irish everywhere in the world), the beggars, tasting different foods, festivals, cycling in Seville, haggling with the leather workers in Mijas (some will not sell to you if you take their first price – you insult them, some need the money), avoiding cyclists on the motorway, shopping in Marbella, finding the best of your favourite food in the array of restraunts, people watching on the streets, night time horse racing, watching the Guardia Civil during an opperation, flamenco displays – you will have to do (and should do) for yourself.  Adios.