Tag Archives: Ireland

Mar 12 2024
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Daily Post, Landscape, Sport

Inishowen’s Match of the Day

Sunday 10th March 2024, 11.25am (day 4,581)

Sea Rovers FC, 10/3/24

“Top o’ the morning to you and welcome to Ireland’s Northernmost Football Ground for today’s big match in the Inishowen League; unbeaten visitors Glenceely Colts arrive unbeaten all season, with second in the table Sea Rovers needing to win to have any chance of catching them…. but they’ll fancy their chances I think, don’t you Conor….?”

And right they were to do so. Sea Rovers (in red) 4, Glenceely Colts 2. This actually is Ireland’s northernmost football ground, located a short distance from Malin Head, the country’s northernmost point.

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Mar 10 2024
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Daily Post, Urban scene

Derry, from Ebrington

Saturday 9th March 2024, 3.35pm (day 4,580)

Derry from Ebrington, 9/3/24

Ebrington is a former British Army barracks sited above Derry: the big flat space you see here would presumably have been the parade ground. Not so much a case of swords into ploughshares, but more, swords into luxury hotels-with-spas, artisan craft beer shops and restaurants. But it does retain a good (strategic) view of the city. And it’s a good spot to learn to ride a bike. (The ‘X’ is the Peace Bridge, which featured, along with the also-prominent Guildhall, back in August ’22.)

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Mar 09 2024
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Daily Post, Landscape

The road to Fanad Head

Friday 8th March 2024, 3.25pm (day 4,579)

Road to Fanad Head, 8/3/24

After a month at home — well, it seems like a long time to me — a long weekend away was mandated, and why not return to Donegal, which definitely entertained on our last visit here about 18 months ago. There are reasons for this. I never made it all the way to Fanad Head at the end of this road, but the views along the way were of ample quality.

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Nov 08 2022
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Daily Post, Hebden Bridge, Urban scene

Worldle (daily fix)

Monday 7th November 2022, 4.20pm (day 4,092)

Worldle, 7/11/22

Clare has her daily fix of brain food, but though this particular game is on her phone, she brings it up for my entertainment. I get most of them first go, to be honest. This one’s easy: we were there, not three months ago.

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Aug 17 2022
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Daily Post, Landscape

Slipway on Lough Barra

Wednesday 17th August 2022, 9.35am (day 4,010)

Lough Barra slipway

The last day in Ireland. Four days in the North, four photos with people in them, all taken in Derry — then four days in the Republic, four photos taken in different places and not a person to be seen (unless we count yesterday’s Madonna). Our drive back to Derry airport was partly done through the utterly empty landscapes of the Glenveeagh National Park. Lough Barra is in the middle of nowhere, but does have this slipway on it: maybe there is good fishing to be done there.

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Aug 17 2022
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Daily Post, Interior

Breakfast table

Tuesday 16th August 2022, 12.20pm (day 4,009)

Folk centre breakfast, 16/8/22

In Donegal one sometimes feels one has gone back in time. Definitely, the tourist facilities need to catch up a little. Our B & B was kind of rustic, as you can see.

I’m only joking. Actually this was a scene in one of the reproduced historic Irish cottages in the Glencolumbkille Folk Centre. This village, out on the west coast of the world (well, Europe anyway), thereby becomes the 400th different named location to feature on the blog. (See the stats page if you really want the full list.)

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Aug 16 2022
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Daily Post, Landscape, Transport

The ferry to Árrain Mhór

Monday 15th August 2022, 3.25pm (day 4,008)

Árrain Mhór ferry, 15/8/22

We spent the day on the island of Árrain Mhór, which in Gaelic just means ‘Big Island’. And it is fairly big, maintaining a permanent population of a few hundred, enough to justify a regular ferry service from the mainland, anyway. And here is the 3.30pm boat back to Ireland, coming in reasonably on schedule.

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Aug 14 2022
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Daily Post, Landscape

Trawenagh Bay, Donegal

Sunday 14th August 2022, 3.10pm (day 4,007)

Trawenagh Bay, 14/8/22

Time to cross the border into the Republic of Ireland, getting out of the UK for the first time since late November. Time to get out of the city and into the country — right into it. More of this over the next few days, I sure hope.

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Aug 14 2022
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Daily Post, Portrait, Stranger

Apprentice Boys’ parade

Saturday 13th August 2022, 9.55am (day 4,006)

Apprentice Boys' parade, 13/8/22

In 1689 there was civil war across Britain and Ireland as the Catholic King James II and the Protestant William of Orange vied for the throne. Derry was besieged for months before the forces of William finally prevailed, there and in the later Battle of the Boyne. And that victory has basically defined British politics ever since, and certainly Northern Irish politics.

The annual commemoration of the siege of Derry, the Apprentice Boys’ parade, is not as politically charged as once it was — in 1969 this event effectively set off the whole Troubles — but one might as well still see it as a political demonstration, conducted by a large number of middle-aged white men affecting a military style of dress. It made for good photo opportunities, but I document without sympathising.

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Aug 12 2022
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Daily Post, Urban scene

In the fountain

Friday 12th August 2022, 4.45pm (day 4,005)

In the fountain, 12/8/22

The media would like us to think that all is heading for some kind of climate-related disaster, but personally I’m quite enjoying the decent weather this summer, which seems to have extended out to Northern Ireland, at least this week. And she is having a good time in it too.

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