Mysteries of Clonegam

Clonegam

This is one of the most peaceful views in the country. You are slowly driving uphill watching for pheasants and cars coming in the opposite direction, and when you finally reach the top of the hill you stop for a second to take in the view of the green fields dotted with ancient trees – a pastoral landscape rolling towards the Comeragh Mountains. Curraghmore Demesne, beautiful like a picture.

Clonegam

I parked my car at the Clonegam Church gate and used the stony steps to get on the other side of the wall. The whole herd of cows stopped grazing and stared at me. I crept along the wall and tried to blend with background. My target was too far away, and I didn’t want any cow companion to follow me. First I had to reach this group of trees encircled with stones.

Clonegam

If you enlarge this picture, you will see the object I was heading to in the distance.

I am getting closer.

Clonegam

Finally there. Good afternoon, Mother Brown!

Clonegam

No one really knows what Mother Brown is. She is not listed in the Archeology inventory, and majority think that she was made 300 years ago. Not me. I am sure that her presence right near the stone circle and the grove of beech trees, which make you think of druids, has a meaning. If you still believe that all of this – the Mother, the trees and the stones are a folly, you have never stood in the grove, and never looked in Mother Brown’s face.

Clonegam

Clonegam

Clonegam

Mother Brown looks down the valley at the Curraghmore House, the ancestral home of Lords Waterford. I will write about my visit to the house later in November.

Clonegam

Clonegam

I fight the temptation to touch Mother Brown. How can I be sure she won’t find it disrespectful. I also mumble my apologies when I am taking pictures of her. Wishing her well, I retire to the beech trees and step over the stone circle fighting my doubts that I might get it all wrong again. But suddenly I feel peace and know that I am not offending anyone by standing there. I pat the tree trunks and we have a small chat.

Clonegam

I take a few photographs from the grove.

Clonegam

There are many tree stumps at various stages of decay.

Clonegam

Clonegam

Some of them are quite recent.

Clonegam

I have a thing for beech trees. Not only are they majestic and beautiful, but they also feed an army of wild creatures. They are like an autonomic world, an entity that will function long after we are all gone.

Clonegam

In the picture below you see the Clonegam church I have already written about.

Clonegam

As I was walking between this point and the church, many things happened.

First of all, I came across two sheep corpses of which I took pictures but won’t display them in this blog. I am afraid that the sheep died due to the complicated labor, and wild foxes and other predators finished the job. Sad.

Then I investigated the wall trying to figure out what was that sound that scared me on my visit last year. I didn’t find any answers on this side of the wall and decided to go to the graveyard again since it was still light. I have never forgotten that knocking sound. I know that at the steps of the church there is a footprint from goat, and it is haunted. Was that the sound of goat’s hooves clicking on the stone path?

To my surprise, the back gate was closed, and there was a small horse trailer standing at the front porch. I thought that was very strange. I kept walking towards the hole in the wall to climb over to my car when just behind my shoulder, someone said “huh” twice.

I jumped in the air and turned around. There was no one.

Slightly shaken, I walked faster, and then there was another ‘huh’. This time I realised it was coming from above. I lifted up my face in horror, and saw a group of goats looking down at me.

Clonegam

Clonegam

I was never so happy to see a goat…

The goats came running to the front gate where I stood. I think they were left in the graveyard to clear it of weeds, and thought I brought them some snacks to add to their boring diet. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any goat snacks with me.

As the front gate was closed, I tried to stick out my lens between the rails, but it didn’t work well and my pictures came out ‘framed’. Still, it was a fun photo session.

Clonegam

Clonegam

Clonegam

This one was a true sweetheart. He was standing and looking at me after all the other goats left. He pressed his forehead to the rails, and I was scratching his head and patting his back, and he loved it.

Clonegam

One of the Clonegam mysteries was solved.

inesemjphotography Have a wonderful weekend!

112 comments

    1. I feel like a magnet for all the local ghosts.
      The view is one of a kind. I will post more pictures some day. The mountains in background cast a blue shade way before the sunset, and the place looks darker in the pictures than it really is.

    1. Thank you! 🙂 The shades of green are changing rapidly on this slope when the sun goes down behind the mountain.
      The Emerald Isle name is the first thing that comes to your mind when you land in the Dublin airport 🙂

  7. Beautiful photographs and a tour once again. I think the photos of the goats framed looks amazing nevertheless. Mother brown could be a deity – a new deity albeit from Ireland’s past. Those goats making one think that there are ghost about. Up to their shenanigans again lol

    1. Thank you so much! 🙂 I believe that Mother Brown is very old, erected by druids centuries ago. Her head had been broken off and later restored, but her features look ancient.
      These goats almost gave me a heart attack 🙂

    1. Yes, she played a friendly joke on me, no doubt 🙂
      There is a haunted goat footprint at the church entrance, which means that the goats I met could be just a phantom 😉

      1. I wouldn’t be surprised! There is a stretch of road in New Zealand where they say never to pick up a hitch-hiker. If you do, and are happily driving along chatting, a glance at the feet and you will see goat’s hooves!

  10. Oh, I laughed so much when it came out it where goats!! 😂 They’re truly sweet especially the one that let you pet him. The Mother Brown is extremely interesting! I love such things and stories! Such a lovely place!
    Wish you a beautiful weekend dear Inese! 😄 Much love! xxxxxxxx

    1. Thank you so much, Sarah! The goats scared me a lot 🙂 I walked right under the crosses when it all happened, and almost got a heart attack. It is the second time I am scared out of my wits in Clonegam 🙂 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

      1. Then it might be better not to go there a third time! Please take good care of yourself, Inese! Better to visit places not known to be haunted 😉 Lots of love! xxxxxxxxxxx

  14. Very interesting and exciting stories you had. You are so discipline not touching Mother Brown. I would have a strong urge to touch her as well. I am more afraid of knocking her head off and ruin everything.

    The story about you heard someone said ‘Huh’ is exciting and at the end is funny 🙂 I could see myself going to say thank you to those goats 🙂

    1. Thank you so much! Yes, the goats scared me with their ‘huh’ but I was so glad that it wasn’t someone else 🙂 I always get in trouble 🙂
      Mother Brown’s head looks like it had been already knocked off centuries ago and put back on her shoulders again. I really wanted to be respectful, the same with the stone circle that looks very ancient. I could feel the centuries in the air.

  20. The goats were wanting their picture taken! Just the thing to see as i opened my reader–your lovely post. I felt I was right there, breathing the air and visiting Mother Brown.

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