Irish Cultural Institute

Crow's feet aren't just found around your eyes. The symbol is a common occurrence on walls and buildings around the Irish countryside.

The crow's foot is symbolic of the three legged tripod that would hold the surveyors theodolite. The Ordnance Datum is the top of the symbol.

The datum remained in use until 1958 and was based on the Irish datum of 1837 at Poolbeg lighthouse house, Dublin.

For those who enjoy Battlefield re-eactments, history and/ or archaeology, the newly launched Vinegar Hill website is well worth keeping an eye on for future developments. http://vinegarhill.ie/ There's also a nice Knights and Rebels blog with some good entries. Well done to all involved.

Vinegar Hill full functionable, premium wordpress theme solution for your website.

Funding announced for 2015 that will enable commemorative projects of national importance to proceed http://www.merrionstreet.ie/index.php/2014/05/e22m-funding-for-2015-allows-commemorative-projects-of-national-importance-to-proceed-deenihan/

€22m funding for 2015 allows commemorative projects of national importance to proceed – Deenihan... · Projects to be funded in 2015 include major developments at GPO, National Archives, National Concert Hall, Kilmainham Courthouse and Gaol, and Military Archives

Anyone got a favourite or one to add to the interesting topic of Oscar Wilde's literary quotes. Anyone got a favourite in the list written by Sarah Gilmartin. No 5 makes me smile.. a great attitude to life. http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/oscar-was-wilde-about-books-1.1792198

Oscar was Wilde about books With ‘The Ideal Husband’ currently playing at Dublin’s Gate Theatre, we’ve put together 10 literary quotes from its author

Leap Castle, Co. Offaly was the principal seat of the ruling O’Carrolls of Ely and was constructed in the sixteenth century to defend against the encroachments of Butlers of Ormond. The tower house has a bartizan (a projecting floorless turret used to defend a tower house/ building) at the north west corner and a crenellated wall-walk. In 1532 after the death of the O’Carroll chieftain, family arguments resulted in the death of a priest who was a member of the family, by his brother while he was saying mass. Since then the chamber has been known as the ‘bloody chapel’. As late as the earlier part of the twentieth century, workmen discovered an oubliette just off the main chamber. The oubliette is a small chamber hidden within the wall of the ‘bloody chapel’ which consists of a small hole in the floor through which a person was pushed and fall to their death as they fell through a drop of c.2m, in the case of Leap Castle, landing on a series of wooden spikes.
The building to the north of Leap Castle consists of a Georgian house built around the core of an earlier Jacobean house.

Leap Castle is regarded as one of the most haunted castles in Ireland. Mildred Darby (whose family came to own the castle through marriage with the O’Carroll family in 1659) published an account of her encounter with an elemental spirit mentioning the shape and strong odour of the spirit.

Leap Castle, Co. Offaly was the principal seat of the ruling O’Carrolls of Ely and was constructed in the sixteenth century to defend against the encroachments of Butlers of Ormond. The tower house has a bartizan (a projecting floorless turret used to defend a tower house/ building) at the north west corner and a crenellated wall-walk. In 1532 after the death of the O’Carroll chieftain, family arguments resulted in the death of a priest who was a member of the family, by his brother while he was saying mass. Since then the chamber has been known as the ‘bloody chapel’. As late as the earlier part of the twentieth century, workmen discovered an oubliette just off the main chamber. The oubliette is a small chamber hidden within the wall of the ‘bloody chapel’ which consists of a small hole in the floor through which a person was pushed and fall to their death as they fell through a drop of c.2m, in the case of Leap Castle, landing on a series of wooden spikes.
The building to the north of Leap Castle consists of a Georgian house built around the core of an earlier Jacobean house.

Leap Castle is regarded as one of the most haunted castles in Ireland. Mildred Darby (whose family came to own the castle through marriage with the O’Carroll family in 1659) published an account of her encounter with an elemental spirit mentioning the shape and strong odour of the spirit.

White Gloves or Not White Gloves - Medieval manuscripts blog

Recommendations concerning the wearing of gloves when handling manuscripts. A short and informative quick read... well worth the two minutes.
http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2011/08/white-gloves-or-not-white-gloves.html

britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk Whenever a British Library manuscript is featured in the press or on television, we inevitably receive adverse comments about our failure to wear white gloves! The association of glove-wearing with handling old books is in fact a modern phenomenon, and one that has little scientific basis. The Briti...

Ancient trackway found within ‘drowned forest’ in Connemara

Mother nature has with her severe weather that beat the Atlantic coast of Ireland over the last few months shown us some more glimpses of our heritage. The storms have stripped and washed away sand, stone and debris in several places which has resulted in the partial destruction of a portion of Dúnbeg promontary fort on the Di**le peninsula, Kerry,the exposure of 19th century schooner 'Sunbeam' in Co. Kerry, the exposure and removal of human remains on Omey Island, Co. Galway and most recently the discovery of a submerged ancient forest on the south east Connemara shore.

The forest is being researched by an NUI Galway geologist, Prof. Mike Williams. In recent days, a local resident was walking the coastline to see the forest, when he reported the discovery of an ancient trackway. The trackway would appear to be prehstoric and may be in keeping with the many examples of prehistoric trackways/ toghers that have been recorded and excavated by the Irish Archaeological Wetland Unit (NUI Dublin) since the early 1990's.

It is assumed that the forest will become covered by Mother nature over the coming months.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/ancient-trackway-found-within-drowned-forest-in-connemara-1.1750856

irishtimes.com Oak structure confirms human habitation before Galway Bay was formed

Big hug to all the medievalists out there on this the International Hug a Medievalist Day today. Hugs to post-medievalists also... go on, you know you want to ;)

- Pilgrim Paths

Easter Saturday 19th April 2014 is first National Pilgrims Path Day in Ireland. Its a fantastic initiative that gets people experiencing pilgrimage routes in a way that is meaningful to each individual, be it historical, artistic, religious, reflective or just plain curious. This looks like something that will grow strongly and will receive much support and interest from overseas visitors from many walks of life. Congratulations to all involved http://www.pilgrimpath.ie/

pilgrimpath.ie Pilgrimage has been defined as “a meaningful journey to a place of spiritual significance” and the practice is almost as old as recorded history. In Ireland the pilgrim journey has strong historic resonance with early Christian scholars coming to Clonmacnoise; medieval penitents journeying to Lough…

Beyond the GraveLimerick.ie - Visiting Limerick, Business in Limerick, Learning in Limerick,...

An interesting conference 'Beyond the Grave' is taking place in Limerick on the weekend of 25-27th April 2014. The conference springs from a partnership between Limerick Museum and Archives (LM&A) and history and geography departments of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. The conference will address the social and physical acts surrounding burial and death in modern and ancient Ireland. The conference aims to bridge the gap between expert and non expert, FREE admission and advance booking is essential.

http://www.limerick.ie/cityarchives/beyondthegrave/

limerick.ie An extensive collection of Limerick related materials, this local collection is an essential aid for anyone researching the history of Limerick. Local Studies

Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Website - February 2014 Press Releases

The creation of a new Culture and Heritage Centre at College Green Dublin was announced today. The Centre is part of a ten year licence that runs alongside the Decade of Centenaries. The Bank of Ireland will be facilitating guided access to the House of Lords. The exhibitions will include focus upon key events in Irelands history. http://www.ahg.gov.ie/en/PressReleases/2014/February2014PressReleases/htmltext,17488,en.html

ahg.gov.ie Monday, 24thFebruary — Jimmy Deenihan T.D., Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, has welcomed a significant partnership between the State and the Bank of Ireland which will result in the creation of a new Cultural and Heritage Centre at Parliament Buildings, College Green.

Calendar Of Events

An interesting talk this Saturday 15th February from 1-2pm in Country Life, Turlough Park, Castlebar, Co. Mayo about the 'Engineering of the hurling ball' and learn about the technology behind the sliotar.

Of if you're Dublin based and want the touchie feelie, get along to Collins Barracks for 'Hands on History' and take advantage of the opportunity to handle a range of objects with Museum educator.
http://www.museum.ie/en/list/calendar-of-events.aspx

museum.ie

Cloughjordan Catholic Church Page

The lovely village of Cloghjordan, Co. Tipperary is the home of some fantastic stained glass windows. The windows behind the altar in Saints Michael and John Catholic Church are the work of Harry Clarke and Evie Hone two famous and interesting early/mid twentieth century artists. You never know you might even see the actor Patrick Bergin on your journeys. http://www.cloughjordan.ie/rcchurch/index.htm

cloughjordan.ie Saints Micheal and John Catholic Church

The social media is packed with photographs of flooded land showing the massive disruption to farming practices around the country. We're keeping an eye on the photos of rural farmland to see whether any of these are showing unusual man made features on the land. Then we'll drop them a tweet and let them know what we think they might have on their land.

Flood water acts in the same manner as snow at times, you'd be surprised what you might find with these unprecedented flooded areas of land. If you see any such areas, or have a flooded area of land that you want an opinion on, drop us a line, tweet or bookface message.

Part of Iron Age fort at Dúnbeg in Di**le falls into sea

Unfortunate about the natural erosion and collapse of a portion of the Dunbeg promontary fort in Di**le, Co. Kerry. Due to its location and archaeological significance it's a popular tourist attraction, which had to be closed to the public for safety concerns, until the stakeholders can see the best way to proceed.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/part-of-iron-age-fort-at-dúnbeg-in-dingle-falls-into-sea-1.1673526

irishtimes.com ‘Little can be done’ to save national monument and tourist attraction

Astronaut Chris Hadfield to be Irish tourism ambassador

We're all looking onwards and upwards for 2014.

Delighted that Chris Hadfield has become a tourism ambassador for Ireland. http://www.irishtimes.com/business/sectors/transport-and-tourism/astronaut-chris-hadfield-to-be-irish-tourism-ambassador-1.1649318

irishtimes.com Former space station commander to make films showcasing attractions

Archaeology Resources

A nicely and useful resource, well worth looking through

culturalheritageireland.ie

Ireland Heads Forbes' List Of The Best Countries For Business

Great news for Ireland internationally... drum roll..

forbes.com The Irish economy was hammered in the Great Recession, but its pro-business environment signals a brighter future.

Centre for Excellence in Universal Design - Home

For anyone looking at visually presenting information to enable the maximum number of people to understand the message your trying to convey, I'd recommend checking the guidance produced by the Centre of Excellence in Universal Design (part of the National Disability Authority). We regularly consult their guidance. http://universaldesign.ie/

universaldesign.ie As part of the rollout of smart meters in Ireland, all household customers will receive an In-Home Display capable of displaying information on their energy consumption. These Technical Guidelines provide developers, designers, manufacturers and regulators with guidance on the Universal Design of In...

| Events | Education | The Heritage Council

A very interesting two day workshop about 'creating a pop up exhibition or temporary museum in a vacant retail location' will take place in Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny on 3rd/4th December 2013. A good line up of contributors from a variety of relevant fields. Well done to all involved in designing and organizing the workshop.

A vacant restaurant was used in a similar vein in Abbeyleix Heritage town several months ago, with the shop front used to display information banners the size of the windows about the heritage of the town. A great use of underutilized educational and recreational space.

http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/education/events/view-event/article/creating-a-pop-up-exhibition-or-temporary-museum-in-a-vacant-retail-location/?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=6&cHash=496f84e08c09e26fa2da54dfc65392dc

heritagecouncil.ie Education is at the heart of The Heritage Councils work programme. With knowledge comes a greater sense of responsibility and appreciation of the value of Heritage as it contributes to our quality of life.

Waterford blaa awarded special status by EU

The famous blaa (white floury bread roll) synonymous with County Waterford has been protected from imitators through a ruling from the European Union. This means that only these bread rolls produced within the County of Waterford can bear the name 'blaa'.

It is considered that the blaa was introduced to the county by the Huguenots in the 1690's. Getting hungry just writing about the blaa.
http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/waterford-blaa-awarded-special-status-by-eu-1.1599966

irishtimes.com Floury bread roll joins Champagne, Feta cheese, Parma ham and others on protected list

Glasgow council kills plan to prevent traffic cones on monument's head

Glasgow council decided not to alter the base of the statue of the Duke of Wellington outside the Gallery of Modern Art in the city, due to a successful petition of some 10,000 people using social media. Students placing a traffic cone on Wellington's head has become part of the heritage of the city, according to the petition. Vandalism, reinvention of tradition, modern art... what would you call it ? http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/12/glasgow-council-withdraws-plan-traffic-cones-wellington-statue

theguardian.com More than 10,000 sign an online petition defending traffic-cone statue tradition as part of Glasgow's heritage

Lough Derg Heritage Trail

There is a nice downloadable app about the heritage of Lough Derg on the River Shannon and it's free to download. Produced by a partnership of Heritage Officers of neighbouring County Councils and the Heritage Council. https://itunes.apple.com/sv/app/lough-derg-heritage-trail/id647179890?l=en&mt=8

itunes.apple.com Get Lough Derg Heritage Trail on the App Store. See screenshots and ratings, and read customer reviews.

Supreme Court overturns Lissadell House ruling

Lissadell House in County Sligo was built in the 1830's for Sir Robert Gore Booth. The architect for the house was the London architect, Francis Goodwin. The house and estate were the childhood home of sisters, Eva Gore Booth and Constance Markiewicz (neé Gore Booth). The house was frequented by the young Irish poet, William Butler Yeats and mentioned in his poem 'In memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markiewicz'.

The house was bought privately 2003, but was closed to the public in light of a legal issue concerning public rights of way on the estate. The Supreme Court today overturned an earlier High Court judgement which found that there were public rights of way on the estate. The Supreme Court found that there were no such public rights of way on the estate with the exception of a part of a laneway giving access to the coast.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/1111/485933-supreme-court-overturns-lissadell-house-ruling/

rte.ie The Supreme Court has overturned a High Court judgment which found there were public rights of way to the Lissadell Estate in Co Sligo.

The Diwali festival is one of the most important festivals in the year for Hindus. The festival centre around traditional activities performed in the family home. Small clay lamps are lit that signify the triumph of good over evil.

Shanti, ’s Hindu student organization, lit more than 3,500 candles on the Green this evening to celebrate , the Hindu Festival of Light.

Fantastic partnership between the National Library of Ireland and the Google Cultural Institute that will initially result in three photographic collections being hosted in the Google Cultural Institute. http://www.rte.ie/news/special-reports/2013/1031/483855-national-library-of-ireland-google/

Interview with Dr. Jenny Butler: The Celtic Folklore Traditions of Halloween | Transceltic -...

Are you interested in Irish traditions and the meaning of Samhain (Halloween) ?. Remember to be careful if you're passing by any 'fairy forts' (ringforts/ raths) tonight ! http://www.transceltic.com/pan-celtic/interview-dr-jenny-butler-celtic-folklore-traditions-of-halloween

transceltic.com The ancestry of modern Halloween, which needs no introduction here, leads on a straight line back to Samhain, the Celtic feast day of the Dead. One of the four annual feast days of the Celtic world, Samhain was such an important feast day that it did not escape the notice of Julius Caesar as he rava...

Can Halloween happen without candy?

Best Halloween photo I've seen on facebook to date. Scary can be healthy !

healthtalk.umn.edu Published by The University of Minnesota's Academic Health Center

Leaflet for The Civil War in the Midlands Conference 2013.

A Conference on the Civil War in the Midlands will be taking place in Custume Barracks, Athlone on Saturday 23rd November 2013. http://www.scribd.com/doc/170367606/Leaflet-for-The-Civil-War-in-the-Midlands-Conference-2013

scribd.com Leaflet for The Civil War in the Midlands Conference 2013.