Month: September 2017

Harvest festival in Waterford, 2017

As we crossed the Knockmealdowns and returned to County Waterford, why not to visit Waterford city again, especially on a Harvest festival weekend.

Harvest festival is a lot about eating and being merry. Parnell street is turned into an outdoor restaurant, live music is playing, some people are cooking and all the other people are eating.

Cuisine from around the world.

And cakes, cakes and more cakes! I got a bag of delicious homemade marshmallows – passion fruit flavor, yum.

Apple juice from the award winning Clashganny organic Farm.

Banana bread from Dunmore East Amish Mennonite community bakery.

Organic vegetables from GIY Waterford, which stands for, of course, Grow It Yourself.

This is Síona from GROW.

She and her colleague are running the Grow Cook Eat stand, and I can see that it is popular and many people stop by to get a brochure. GIY is a not-for-profit enterprise dedicated to supporting, educating and inspiring people to grow some of their own food.

I am a huge fan and supporter of the GIY idea. It is not only about food. It is one of the aspects of carers mentality. Care for the Earth, resources, health, life.

GROW headquarters in Ardkeen offer a great variety of classes and workshops, including yoga and mindfulness meditation, chicken and bee-keeping, fermented drinks and beer brewing. Just everything.

I am moving from one location to another looking for some craft workshops, but cannot find any. Last year there were plenty – some of them were featured in my blog.

Honey harvest stand looks and smells beautifully.

This man is selling miniature Standing Stones. They look cute and I would love to talk about them with the artist himself, but I am afraid he doesn’t like photographers 😉 As far as I know the artist’s name is Peter Atkins, from Waterford. The replicas he makes are really cute 🙂

But this beautiful lady from Ballybeg Greens likes photographers. Good for her!

I spot a pair of donkey ears in the painting. Carol Murray’s works are here as a part of the outdoor exhibition Art on the Railings where young and established artists of different mediums can hang their artwork in the Viking Triangle.

And look who is here! My ‘friends’ from Dunmore East 🙂

Of course these two gentlemen had nothing to do with the incident at the oyster farm 🙂 They were nice and didn’t mind to be photographed.

These poor creatures deserve a word of mention. They had to wear heavy wigs and thick garb, and those creepy ride-on costumes with fake legs… No wonder they looked so sad. They didn’t even have a proper walking staff to keep their balance and had to use tree branches …

… while there were hundreds of beautiful Shillelaghs!

I just couldn’t take my eyes off all those cute animals.

I hope you enjoyed the festival. Next week we are going to Dublin.

inesemjphotography Have a wonderful weekend!

Knockmealdown mountains through the seasons II

On a cold winter morning, shortly before the sunrise, we are traveling from Newcastle across the eastern part of the Knockmealdowns. The images below show the change of the light as the sun makes its way up in the sky.

More sheep.

This road will take you to the Mount Melleray Abbey . You see it in the distance with the Knocknafallia mountain (666.5 m) in background.

In my previous post, I wrote about the other way to cross the Knockmealdowns. What links these two roads? Both of them can lead you to the famous Cats Bar where you can get a nice lunch and spend a good time in the evening. Photographs taken over the years.

cat's bar

Also, both of them can eventually take you to Lismore, but that’s another story for another time.

Thank you for traveling across the Knockmealdown Mountains with me. If you are going to Ireland and travel from Tipperary to Waterford, try these two roads – R668 (R669) and ‘Unnamed’ road from Newcastle, Tipperary.

Have a wonderful week!

Knockmealdown mountains through the seasons I

Last winter I posted Comeragh series to introduce my favorite mountains. Today I am taking you just a couple of miles west to the Knockmealdown range. We will cross Knockmealdown mountains twice – from Clogheen and from Newcastle, in summer and in winter. Today I will also share a few ten years old photographs from my hike across the western part of the range. Good old days 🙂

But first we have to drive through the village of Ardfinnan, and the most famous feature of Ardfinnan is not its castle, but its gaggle of geese. My former colleague, who is originally from Ardfinnan, once told me that it was his great-grandmother who left her geese to the village in the beginning of the 20th century. I cannot tell you how many generations of geese passed since their common ancestors waddled on the banks of River Suir. In winter they fly to the Marlfield lake and return by the end of February. It is a very well organised group, and you can see them crossing the road and walking around as they please.

Young goslings look very cute.

We drive to Clogheen and turn onto the road that takes us to The Vee (V), a sharp hairpin bend. It is a scenic drive through the forest and the rhododendron bushes, up the side of the Sugar Loaf Hill. The Vee road was built after the Great Famine of 1847.

As we are approaching The Vee, suddenly a breathtaking view opens up.

The Vee

Galtee mountains stand at the other end of the Golden Vale.

Patches of farmland change color with the seasons.

I think it is a good time for a good song about Kitty from Knockmealdown 🙂

Even better view after the switchback.

The road goes on the side of the Sugar Loaf Hill, a mountain peak with elevation of 663 m. From the road you can see (and easy reach to) a beehive-shaped stone monument, the last resting place of the eccentric Mr Samuel R. Grubb, appointed High Sheriff of Tipperary (1855-1921). Mr Grubb came from a former Quaker family who had been cast out of the Quaker Society for their great fondness for dances and similar amusements. In his will he requested that he be buried “in a beautiful and romantic spot on the side of Sugar Loaf hills“, and his coffin be placed upright. Tenants and employees of Mr Grubb carried his coffin to the grave.

The sheep are everywhere, adding excitement to the drive.

We stop at the viewpoint above the famous Bay Lough. Knocknalougha (Knockaunabulloga) Hill is covered with thick rhododendron growth and looks all pink in May. As beautiful as it looks, rhododendron is an alien species, and spreads like a weed.

Why is Bay Lough famous? I will tell you everything in my Halloween post 🙂

The rest of the road looks more or less the same. On some stage the road forks: you can drive straight and visit Cappoquin, or take the right turn to Lismore.

Here are some photographs taken during the epic hike from the Bay Lough car park to Araglin. In the picture below you see the Bianconi hut and the Grotto. The hut served as shelter for Bianconi Coaches, horse-drawn carriages that provided transportation services around the south and south-west just for 1 penny a mile.

bianconi hut

This hike took place ten years ago in September 2007.

The highest peak of the range is Knockmealdown (794m). They say that on a clear day the highest Kerry mountains can be seen from the summit.

Through the green tunnel, down the hill we are heading to Lismore. I will write about Lismore some other day.

We have crossed the Knockmealdowns through the Vee Gap that is well seen in my opening picture with the Sugar Loaf on the right and Knocknalougha on the left side. Next time we are going to take the other road, and you will see what the mountains look like in winter.

Thank you for your company!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Waterford Walls 2017 – some more

Dan Leo is one of my favorites. I just love these thick black lines! Unfortunately, I have lost his pictures in an accident, but you can visit his Facebook page. Dan Leo was born in London and moved to Ireland in his youth.

To see more details, you may want to enlarge the pictures by clicking on them.

More birds 🙂 Another favorite from Toronto, Canada. BirdO! You can follow him on Instagram. It is BirdO‘s second time in Waterford, and I am proud that Waterford Walls festival is bringing artists of this caliber to our city.

Just around the corner – Magdalena Karol, Poland. Her girl with the bird house backpack reminds me of Dr. Jack Vallentyne, AKA Johnny Biosphere, whom I met in the 1980s.

ARCY, mural artist from the USA, accepted the invitation to participate in Waterford Walls, and I hope he returns to our city again. He includes a hidden Mickey Mouse head in his works for his two young sons to find, and you are welcome to spot one in this work 🙂

Kelsey Montague, also from the USA. I love her works, especially the Wings anyone can step into. Hope she will paint a pair of wings for Waterford some day.

Talented Spanish artist Lula Goce changed the look of O’Connell street with her gorgeous mural. Working in the rain was challenging, but she did it! 🙂

More in O’Connell street. Australian artist Fintan Magee known for his stunning large-scale murals is working on the highest wall available in Waterford 🙂 It is so cool to have his work in our city.

Amazing constellation of street artists at Waterford Walls this summer. DMC – Dermot McConaghy from Belfast- is back with another beautiful female image.

Dermot and local photographer Patrick Lyons.

Taking a look.

Jess Tobin AKA NOVICE, from Dublin, is working in George’s street. Her previous marriage-equality themed work was vandalised in 2015.

Charming Kathrina Rupit – KINMX – from Mexico lives in Dublin. It is her second Waterford Walls festival.

Her smile is as beautiful as is her mural.

Sadly, the map in my copy of the festival brochure doesn’t exactly help me locate some artists. Hope I will come across their work by accident some day 🙂 Like it happened with this work of Joe Caslin.

Ta-da! The old painting is still there 🙂

Thank you for your interest in Waterford Walls festival. The Harvest Festival is on the way.

You might love to visit Graffiti Lux and Murals blog by Resa McConaghy from Toronto Canada and enjoy the ephemeral art of murals.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Waterford Walls 2017

2017 is the third year of Waterford Walls festival. They say there are 40 artists working in the streets, some names are already familiar from the previous years. This year’s festival hosts artists from five continents – Australia, both Americas, Africa and Europe.

In the picture below: Sarah Jane Hanton, Visual media and event manager, and Gabe McGuinness, Assistant project manager.

I start with the New Street Gardens, a temporary community park built on the derelict site in 2014. Edel Tobin, founder of the Gardens, is also the founder of the Waterford Walls festival. There is plenty of wall space for artists and their projects. My opening image is the work of Caoilfhionn Hanton, 19 years old artist from Tramore, Waterford. Caoilfhionn is a veteran of Waterford Walls.

(Click on the images to enlarge them if you want to see more details)

These Love Hearts are the work of Kevin Bohan , Ireland.

Louise McKenna, Waterford based artist.

SHUK , Ireland.

ADOR, Fance, and SHUK.

I am leaving the Gardens and walk up the hill, in direction to the Barrack Street. There I find a few more works.

ADOR, France. The Cloud. I love this character 🙂

OMIN, from Dundalk, Ireland.

The side wall of Bobby’s Bar is particularly loved by artists. This time there is a stunning work of SONNY , British born artist based in South Africa. Electric Fury!

I turn to the Major’s Walk.

ANIMALITO LAND, brilliant artist Graciela Gonçalves Da Silva from Argentina.

Looking down to Stephen Street I see another work. CRUINNIU WALLS – Louisa Donnelly & Ciara McKenna, Ireland.

I walk down the hill again, but cannot get a closer picture because of the parked cars. Next to CRUINNIU’s work, I see the Irish graffiti godfather RASK, from Drogheda, giving a lesson (workshop?) to a lone student.

There is another work of SHUK in Michael Street.

It had been raining almost every day during the festival. Some artists from ‘dry’ countries had a hard time in Waterford helplessly watching paint drip down their works. The artists from the Emerald Island were not bothered.

VERZ, artist based in Belfast, working away in the rain.

I am heading to the Patrick Street where, according to the Festival map, I will find SMUG and FIVE8 working on their projects. No such luck, but I see another artist who has just started working. It is Jonny McKerr, or JMK, from Belfast.

The artist works in a steady pace, regardless of the weather.

This is the final image. Beautiful.

James Earley’s work still stays unfinished.

Thank you for taking the tour around Waterford Walls. You might love to visit Graffiti Lux and Murals blog by Resa McConaghy from Toronto, Canada and enjoy the ephemeral art of murals.