an other garden no.15/part two: barna woods, part two

Stories and Histories

I was in Barna Woods today and I realised one collection of pictures devoted to them was just not enough. I have been trying to determine what it is that makes this Woodland so beautiful and I think it is partly that it is filled with mature trees (mostly beech actually) and also the absence of ground cover threw much of the woods, contrasts really strikingly with the canopy. It is often difficult to capture visually the experience of beautiful woodland, I think because the affect is as a result of a combination of sensory factors; from the collection of earthy smells and the very still, cool, quality of the air to the constantly flickering light appearing and disappearing behind the canopy, momentarily sharp and warm and blinding, that and something more primitive, some ancestral sense of security from being within these protective arms.

Today I climbed one of these tree's, the first I have climbed in years I think and I happily discovered that years of yoga have transformed me into the kind of tree climber I always aspired to be; limber and agile with feet that curl easily around branches.

an other garden no.35: the pink house, private residence, renmore

Stories and Histories

Number fifty nine was built in the 1950's by an architect and its current inhabitants have lived there since the 1960's. Shortly after I first moved to Galway I lived on this street and fell in love with the pink house. The whole street in fact is still one of my favourite streets in the city as most of the houses on it were built individually and date from various decades in the past century. On one street you can see examples of architecture popular to different periods of time in our more recent history( it also has lots of mature trees and quirky porches that are always lit at night). I realised a few years ago that the element I most look for in an architectural style when it comes to domestic dwelling is the suggestion that a witch would not seem out of place there( of course in this case she would be of the more benevolent type but no less mysterious for it). I like a building to inspire conspiracy theories and hint at long buried family secrets. I like a building to capture my imagination.

an other garden no.34/part two: salvage yard, westside, part two

an other garden no.34: salvage yard, westside

an other garden no.33: martins and their cliff side nests

Stories and Histories

Pictured are a group of Crag Martins. Martins and Swallows are Passerine birds and belong to the Hirundiniae family. Passerine birds or Perching Birds account for over half the bird species in the world and are recognised by their backwards facing toe which allows them to clamp their foot to their perch. Martins and Swallows are usually differentiated by their tail shapes; the Martin species tend to have a square shaped tail and Swallow species a forked tail. The Hirundiniae family is known for its ability to feed while in flight as a result of their slender streamlined body and pointed wings; ideal for gliding. The Crag Martins pictured appear to have built their nest in cavities on the cliff surface which is a site favoured by the species though they also nest in mountainous areas and caves and occasionally buildings. The cliff surface also functions in their hunting as they can pick falling insects disturbed by their flight so close to the rock face. When not catching their prey inflight they will pick them (insects such beetles, ariel spiders and ants) from the water surface or ground.

It is estimated that there are currently up to 1.11 million Crag Martins alive. Because of their sheer numbers and adaptability when it comes to nesting sites and feeding, they are on the "Least Concern" list  by the IUCN or International Union for Conservation of Nature.

an other garden no.32: mare and foal, knocknacarra

an other garden no.31: religious shrine in private garden

an other garden no.30: graffiti covered handball alley

an other garden no.29:climbing plants, the quadrangle, national university of ireland galway

 Stories and Histories

The Quadrangle, the original National University of Ireland Galway building, was built in 1845 alongside universities in Cork and Belfast, all known as The Queen's College and all linked under the umbrella of the Queen's University of Ireland, which received it's charter in 1850.  The Quadrangle was built from local limestone in a Tudor Gothic architectural style and modelled on the Christ Church building in the University of Oxford. The University opened its doors in 1849 to 63 male students (it was at this time still illegal for women to enter third level education). In many senses its creation was a positive addition to the city but as it came at the tail end of the Great Famine, when starvation was still endemic,  such expenditure on third level education was hard to justify. The secular status of the university caused much discomfort within the Catholic hierarchy particularly as majority of the students would be Catholic.  

Interestingly the Tudor style is associated in part with the growing unpopularity of the church in England at the time, as this period saw the time and expense and architectural detail that was previously put exclusively into ecclesiastical building, be placed now elsewhere  often taking the form of ornate detail on windows, doorways and chimneys in domestic dwellings.