Blow Away The Cobwebs At Hook Lighthouse, Ireland

The sea crashes into the rocks at low tide, Hook Lighthouse, Wexford, Ireland

As the New Year approaches, Irish people often like to head outdoors to 'blow away the cobwebs.' The end of this year, 2012, was very good for just that activity, with storm force winds blowing all over Ireland during the last week of December. 

I recommend Hook Head peninsula in county Wexford  (home to the oldest operational lighthouse in the world,) as a perfect place to get a blast of nature, picturesque scenery, & history.  

As you travel down the windy, narrow roads to the tip of the peninsula, there are stone walls, old ruins, and lovely cottages old & new. Here are a few photos:

The ruins of Hook Church, Wexford, Ireland

The world's oldest working lighthouse- 800yrs at Hook Head, Wexford, Ireland

If you'd like to take part in the New Year's Day tradition of Daisy Day at the lighthouse, click to read. We were there yesterday (30 Dec,) and I spotted some daisies, so they are there for the finding! The link will also let you know the opening times for the lighthouse centre & tours any time of year. Enjoy! 
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Be part of tradition at Hook Head Lighthouse, Ireland-the world's oldest!

New Year's Daisy Day at Hook Lighthouse, Ireland. Photo Jimmy Fallon.

 Age Old Tradition fresh as a daisy this New Year's Day at Hook Lighthouse 

 Hook Lighthouse (the world's oldest operational lighthouse) are bringing back a Hook Head peninsula tradition- Daisy Day! On Tuesday 1 January 2013, bring the kids to the Lighthouse from 11.30am for an afternoon of fun, with a traditional daisy hunt and free games.

Humpback whale off of Hook Head, Ireland, photo Padraig Whooley

Additionally, Hook Head is a fantastic place to watch waves, especially in stormy weather. Its also a good place to whale watch (something I'll add to my 13 for 2013.) Here the Irish waters are among Europe's richest for cetaceans, with an impressive 24 different species recorded to date. November to February is prime whale watching time- a great activity at a time when you may think not much is happening in the natural world.

 Why not come explore the area, watch the sea, and be part of the charming Daisy tradition this year? The Daisy Hunt will be on noon to 4pm.

In case some real Daisies are not blooming there will also be a ‘Make your own Daisy’ art workshops with resident artist Rose, with the best daisy winning a prize. :-)

The event is being held in aid of charity. Hook Lighthouse & Heritage Centre's site has more info

Tours of the lighthouse are also available & the visitor centre is open year round.

June/July/August 9.30 am to 6 pm

May/September 9.30 am to 5.30 pm

Rest of year 9.30 am to 5 pm

Guided Tours of Hook Lighthouse Tower

June/July/August – Every half hour from 10 am to 5.30 pm

Rest of Year – Every hour from 11 am to 5 pm

Group bookings by prior arrangement

Access to Lighthouse by guided tour only.

For more on Whales & Dolphins in Ireland click here

Enjoy Hook Head- it is a beautiful, wild & windy place- fantastic!

A fantastic event! Ireland's Ploughing Championships

 County Cavan Ploughing Championships 2009, Gowna by Oliver Dixon 

An unmissable event is on in Ireland today ( Tues 25 Sept) through Thursday-- The National Ploughing Championships! I am not joking when I say they have something for everyone- food, farming, fashion, fun! The festival moves around the country every year, and this year it is taking place in the sunny Southeast- New Ross, county Wexford. See the map below for the area- Heathpark- where the event will be located.

My photo of  Joe's BBQ at Waterford Harvest Feastival 2012

We'll certainly be going, and will be on the lookout for Joe's BBQ and their fabulous brisket & Texan style pulled pork bbq-- we first tasted their food at the Harvest Feastival, & now we are hooked! Joes's is just one of the things we are looking forward to- there are hundreds of exhibits & events. 

                 Here's some of what the championships are tempting us with food-wise:
'' Visitors will be encouraged to sample and taste the finest of Irish sourced produce along with the very best of mouth-watering artisan delicacies. In addition, aspiring connoisseurs can discuss and sample a wide selection of wines and liqueurs in the dedicated Food & Wine Hall, while others may be tempted to sip some of the finest coffees available .''     MMMM!

           And after that- check out New Ross Piano Festival- starts Thurs 27 Sept, on all weekend 

View Larger Map 

             See you at the Ploughing Championships in the sunny Southeast!!

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Blooming beautiful- our Irish garden

 Bloom In the Park is Ireland's biggest garden festival. We missed it this year, but here are some blooms from our garden in Graignamanagh. 

Centaura (perennial cornflower) 'Amethyst in Snow' & happy bee!

yellow arum lily

Ok, this is not in garden- wild iris by the river Barrow

Flora & fauna by the river Barrow

Astrantia- I  forget the variety

Rose 'Ferdinand Pritchard'- lovely scent, too!

a  David Austin rose- have lost the names of this & the next. One may be Sweet Juilette, & the other Heritage? Both smell gorgeous

There are many lovely gardens you can visit in the southeast of Ireland, & Trail Kilkenny is in the process putting together a garden trail. One of my favorite smaller gardens near to us is Coolaught in Co. Wexford- they've a great little garden centre full of plants for plantaholics who are looking for something different. They are a friendly family business on a family farm- go visit them! 

Eileen Gray: Ireland's fabulous modern design pioneer

** UPDATE 2012: Enniscorthy Castle in Co. Wexford now has an exhibit dedicated to her, and a new movie about her is in the works, to star Winona Ryder. AND this Thursday (March 8) at 10pm on TG4, her birthplace will be featured on Manchan Mangan's series on extraordinary houses & their stories. 

Eileen Gray's work has been in the news a bit in  the past two days, as one of her Art Deco chairs went up for auction, & was expected to fetch millions. In 2009 one went for over 20 million dollars, so when this chair 'only' climbed to 1.7 million, it was withdrawn(!) (See Irish Times article here)

  Neglected

Amazingly, this pioneering modern designer had been quite neglected by Ireland. We have some of her pieces here in the Decorative Arts Collection at the Collins Barracks in Dublin, but if you compare, for example, the amount of information on her found when you click the aforementioned link, to the amount here from the Design Museum in Britain, well, you can see the amount of official recognition her work gets in Ireland. She is included in IMMA's The Moderns exhibit, and I attended a very interesting lecture on her given by Yvonne Farrell & Shelley McNamara,  Directors of Grafton Architects at the Wexford Arts Centre in October, so hopefully the recognition due her is growing.

Here are two short clips; the first showing some works & a bit about her background and recognition today, and the second showing many of her pieces. 

Take 5 minutes out to appreciate this Irish female art/design/architectural pioneer!

Have you seen any of Eileen Gray's work? Where?( During a visit to the States I saw some earlier pieces at the Virginia Fine Arts Museum in Richmond, Virginia  in their Art Nouveau & Art Deco collection, and that really got me interested in her.) I don't think there is a website dedicated to her/her work- but if there is, let me know!  As always, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section!