St. Annes Cemetery

 

When I visited Bohernabreena Reservoir and read up about the area, I stumbled across a name on a map. "St. Anne's Cemetery". On Google Maps someone left a "review" about how stunning the place is and "how did I not know of this"? 

So I was instantly intrigued.

So on a Friday off I donned my HiTec's and went searching for this hidden gem.

Following the reviewer's instructions I did not go through the reservoir but rather approached the cemetery from the upper road. A small road, almost hidden, leads from the lane down, through a rather apt gate, and through some farmland to the graveyard overlooking the reservoir.

It is difficult to believe that you are, for all intents and purposes, still in Dublin. The peace and quiet soothes the soul. And the grave yard is ridiculously picturesque. Overgrown in some areas with new gravestones popping up here and there.

Standing there I was reminded of one of my favourite books; "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. If you have not read it yet... shame on you.

 If I could choose a place to be buried, it would be here.

Looking deeper into the history of the site, it seems that it once housed a church, of which only one portion of the wall still exist. The site was actually called Kilmesantan, meaning Church of Santan and was dedicated to St. Santan. The church was in use until the late 1600's but was then abandoned and fell into ruin.

Remaining portion of the church wall

I absolutely love this place. If you take your time and look around there are some surprises looking up at you from the grass and some newer gravestones standing between the old ones gives a nice contrast. But for me, the best part is the peace and quiet.

Naas Harbour

 The wife and I drove out to Newbridge in search of a market. We found it, but was not impressed. We heard about a farmers market in Naas, and drove over there. Mheee. So we walked around and explored the area. 

Just off the main road there is an old harbour on the Grand Canal. An absolutely lovely little corner of Naas. I can definitely recommend a visit.

Dublin Harbour - Great South Wall

This morning Narina and I got up at the crack of dawn, literally, to go and watch the sun rise over Dublin Bay. Our chosen vantage point was the Great South Wall of Dublin Harbour. Interesting "little" structure that has you walking almost 2km on the wall, ending up deep in Dublin Bay.

We were not disappointed. As luck would have it, the sun rises right over the Poolbeg Lighthouse that is perched at the end of the pier. Needless to say, the area was plastered with photographers who clearly wanted the shot of the sun kissing the top of the light house. I might actually come back to do that myself.

But for now, I will live with the photo above. Good enough for now. Thank you iPhone.

Halfway along the wall there is a swimming area on the right hand side, allowing you to have a dip  in the balmy Dublin bay. Not today, methinks. Not sure what the water temperature is currently, but I have a feeling that it is too cold.

 I will leave the swimming to the Half Moon Swimming and Water Polo Club for now.

At  the end of the Pier is the lonely lighthouse. A plus is the vantage point that you have here for watching the Ferries (and I assume other ships) entering the harbour. They come past very close. You can almost touch them.

And then heading back to the parking area you get this absolute stunner of a view. This one begs to be sketched or painted.

I will have to come back here with my camera gear. Just too much niceness here not to come and snap away! I would also like to see one of the large cargo ships come into the harbour!

Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin

 

I have loved this building since I first saw it. In my mind, the most beautiful building in Dublin.

The sheer size of it is enough to take your breath away and the way it is lit up at night is spectacular.

The cathedral was build in the early 1000’s and is an absolutely beautiful example of Gothic architecture. I love the intricate towers and spires.

When I worked in Dublin in 2002, we had a function at Dublinia which is housed in a section of the cathedral known as the Synod Hall. That was an experience I will never forget, and I hope to visit the museum one of these days.

I have never been inside the cathedral itself. That is something I hope to change as well shortly.

I am a sucker for Wikipedia when it comes to looking for things… go ahead, give it a try – Christ Church Cathedral

The cathedral’s website is here and you can find Dublinia’s website here

Visit to Bray

 So on St. Stephen’s day the weather let up and we were able to do a quick trip to Bray for the afternoon. I really love Bray beach, and the way the sun came and went it really made some photograph fun.

In the summer months Bray is usually teeming with people, but during the winter months it is more manageable. That said, it was quite busy.

As an added bonus, there were some, almost proper waves. A rare enough site in the Irish sea, and definitely something I miss from South Africa.

The Bray Harbour is home to a Swan Sanctuary. This I never knew. There are 60 muted swans at home here. You can read more about them on their Facebook page

More info on Bray can be found in Wikipedia. There is also a website dedicated to the town at Bray.ie

Down Memory Lane

 Went to view a rental this morning. Got a call this afternoon that I got the house!! No small feat in Ireland, I can tell you that. So will be moving from my Air BnB next weekend. Cutting it fine!!

So a little good news there.

After the viewing this morning I went for a trip into Dublin city. What a little trip down memory lane that was!

This non-descript door in North Great Georges street was the front door to my apartment building back in 2002. I lived on the top floor in the smallest 2 bedroom apartment you have ever seen. It was just me, so suited me fine.

Right on top there, where the small windows are. That was me. Lived there for two years. When I was still young and handsome.

And this was my local. Many a night was spent in that pub. We had the best of times, we had the worst of times. 

This is Moore Street. There was a market here every weekend back in the day. Obviously all closed up now due to COVID. Will have to see if the market is still going. Used to buy most of my fruit and veg here back then. 

Still here!! The Tesco in the Jervis Centre in Henry Street. This was my go-to supermarket. Always on a Sunday morning once a month. All the groceries you can carry! The rest of the centre has changes, but Tesco is still there. 

And this was my bus stop to get to work. Every morning :-)

When I first moved to Ireland in August 2001, I happened to stay in the hostels in Trinity College for a couple of days while I looked for somewhere to stay. The internet was in it's infancy, Facebook was not even an idea yet, and it was not possible to look for a more permanent place to stay online. You had to take what you could and sort it out from there. This was my "take what you can get" at that time. 

I will have to go and look for my other haunts at some point when it is easier to get around.

Until then, I will be getting myself geared to move into more permanent accommodations. 

Happy days.