Yamaha

Magpie

Halloooow..eee een...

I am so... so.. scare...er..er..eed..

Yellow Taxi

Strangely for a nation surrounded by water our maritime achievements are fairly limited - OK, Saint Brendan was supposed to be the first European to reach America and Admiral William Brown from Mayo founded the Argentine Navy but in spite of our Viking past our Navy is tiny, our fishing fleet is dwarfed by the Spanish and French trawlers who fish around our coast.
The river Liffey runs through the heart of Dublin and various bridges both pedestrian and traffic connect North and South. But the river itself is very much under-utilized unlike many other European rivers and while there was talk of a "taxi" service connecting Heuston train station with the Point theatre it never happened.
So I was delighted to discover this new river taxi connecting the North Wall Quay to John Rogerson Quay on the southside. The journey takes about one minute and just goes straight across and costs 3 Euro one way, but while I watched and photographed quite a few people used this new river taxi, so I think it's a positive development.

Dublin's new river taxi arriving on North Wall Quay

Meet Me Under Clerys Clock

Clerys is a well known Department Store on Dublin's O'Connell Street and for over a hundred years people arranged to meet here under the clock. Young lovers especially used this as a rendevouz point and after bringing his girl to the pictures and kissing her goodnight a young man might arrange to meet her again next week(if the date went well) "under Clerys clock".
I wonder if in this day of mobile phones and text messages Clerys clock might be slightly redundant?
In my photo you can also see the GPO on the left and the Spire in the centre.
Today's Post is dedicated to my friend Gaelikaa in India. Visit her fabulous blog at - http://gaelikaa.blogspot.com/

Sightseeing

Sightseeing bus tours of Dublin are very popular with tourists. They used to operate only during the Summer months, but now they are all year round and I spotted this tour bus on a cold Autumn day on O'Connell Street, with a well wrapped photographer on board. Blogger?

Crazy Cars?

Or car crazy?
En Espanol - El loco coches???

The Irish Museum of Modern Art

Today I visited the Irish Museum of Modern Art (or IMMA as it is better known) in The Royal Hospital in Kilmainham. The museum was officially opened by Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Charles Haughey in 1991 and is Ireland's main centre(center) for modern and contemporary art.
I was happily photographing some of the exhibits when an official came frantically running towards me shouting at me to STOP... Oops, I didn't realize that photography was prohibited. But for the benefit of my International Blogger friends I have just sneaked two photos (top right) into my collage. I have no idea what the two pieces are about - but that's art - well, you have to figure it out for yourself!
It was evening time when I visited IMMA and because our clocks went back one hour last night to signal the start of Winter time it was already getting dark at 4.30pm as you can see from my other photos.
However, it's a really interesting place and I will definitely go back...

Fish On Friday

In Ireland Friday was traditionally a day when only fish was on the menu! My Paternal Grandmother lived with us and she was an extremely religious woman (a saint even) - but eating meat on Friday was absolutely out of the question. It's a religious tradition - Catholic (Christian, I am not sure?) but conveniently the "Fish Man" duly delivered fish to our door anyway.
Today, Ireland is Catholic only in name but surprisingly the tradition still remains. The Fish and Chip shop or "Chipper" is now an institution here, at least 90% are owned by Italians who arrived here from an area north of Napoli, south of Roma - but that's another story! Still, go into any Chipper on a Friday and fish will be the most popular order.
But today, I discovered that there is an alternative to smoked cod in batter! Around the corner from where I live Kish Fish sell an amazing variety of fresh fish. My Granny would be proud!

Henry Street Entertainers

Between Autumn showers (more like Winter showers) the sun briefly appears and Henry Streets entertainers come out to play.

Home Is...

St Michan's is a Dublin City Council flats complex in the Markets area of Dublin 7. Situated behind the Four Courts, near the river Liffey they are a well established community and because of their proximity to the Fruit and Vegetable Market many of the residents are employed there, while many more have traditionally worked as "dealers", ie street traders who sell fruit and veg from stalls on the city centre streets.

St Michan's

Sitting On The Fence

Theres a Black Sheep...

I saw this sign near the well known Curragh Racecourse in County Kildare. The most famous horses in the world have raced here.
But sheep doing 80kph? Wow - yew don't see that every day!

Autumn in Kildare

Yes, it's definitely arrived!
For more Autumnal views visit Protege at Life Through Reflections...

The Cathedral Church of Saint Brigid, Kildare town

Saint Brigids is a Church of Ireland cathedral and dates back to the 13 th century. It was built by the Norman bishop of Kildare, Ralph of Bristol in 1223 and is a fine example of early Gothic style with a Central Tower. And reflecting the troubled times in Ireland following the Norman invasion, the cathedral was built for defence as well as worship. After the Reformation the church fell into disrepair and was totally ruined in 1641. It was restored to it's present glory by George Edmund Street in the 19th century.

DeLorean DMC-12

I spotted this rare DeLorean in Cabra. While it is not in pristine condition this 1981 car is still very much a collector's item as only about 9000 were built at the company's factory in Dunmurry, County Antrim in 1981 and 1982, most of which were exported to the USA.
The company was founded by American entrepreneur John deLorean and his car was unusual in that it had gull-wing doors. The DMC was not an instant success and the company soon ran into financial difficulties and production ceased. But today they are sought after because of their rarity and unusual design.
A modified version of the car featured in the movie "Back to the Future" as a time machine.

Greens and Blues...

...and Reds

Fishing

Páirc Phrátaí (Potato Field)

June 12...
July 15...
October 7...

Country Lane

Autumn in the Countryside

Including Fuschia, Fern, Hazel, Blackberry, Heather, Lichens, Moss ...

Dún na nGall (Donegal)

Doggy Dilemma. Decisions, Decisions!

Thatch Roofs

Thatch has been used for roofing in Ireland for 9,000 years. Nowadays, it is generally only used for decorative purposes, mainly on Bars/Public Houses and Restaurants or on holiday homes which are marketed as Irish Thatched Cottages.
I came across two examples of thatched pubs on my recent travels. Above is Taylor's Three Rock Bar in Rathfarnham, south Dublin.

Thatcher at work

On the Tipperary/Limerick border I saw a thatcher actually at work on M. O'Neill's Bar. It is a very skilled profession and because of the decline in the use of thatch there are not many thatchers left in Ireland.

"Mi Pescada Primera"

As I strolled along the new Marina in Puerto de Mazarrón I heard a young girl shouting "Mi primera pescada"(my first fish) and jumping up and down with excitement. She was fishing off the Marina and caught her first fish. Passersby clapped and cheered and the happy look on her face was worth a million dollars.

Images from Espana

The new Marina at Puerto de Mazarrón.
Número cuatro - an old Spanish doorway.
La Paloma Park in Benalmadena is a magical place where animals and birds roam freely and live in peaceful co-existence.

Bird's Eye View, Benalmadena

The Windmill Roundabout, Benalmadena