Apology - injury lack of posts

So, here I am with this blog that I started off with so many hopes for - problem is that in January 2011 I had an accident with a brain bleed and I ended up in hospital and the nice people there did lots of stuff to keep me alive. They kept me unconscious for two weeks and then from the time I woke up it's all just been about getting better.................

Well, I'll never be the Jane I was before I fell - but wow it is so fantastic that I have made the recovery I have. Back in November I gave a talk at the Clare Roots Society Genealogy conference along with John Grenham and Jim Herlihy. Tonight, I gave a talk in Dublin at the launch of the Mac-Aodha-Keys Family History book, there were people there from the USA, from Australia and it was such a lovely evening. I felt so bad physically when I got up today I spent the whole day thinking I'm not going to go to Dublin, but then I did and even though the only person I knew was my friend who had asked me to talk, I had such a wonderful evening and my talk went so well.

So, outside of that, I think maybe it's time to begin taking notice of this blog. I do have tons and tons of photos that I could put on here going with my Sites and Sights tagline and maybe over the next few days I'll begin to pull some of them. I think though, if I was really to bring this site back to 'working', I should head off over to Dunamase and take some photos. Dunamase is one place in Ireland that tourists should come to visit, I describe it as the Laois 'Rock of Cashel' - thing is though, the Rock of Cashel stands nowhere compared to Dunamase

Wondering and Wandering: Ireland Day 1 - County Laois

Wondering and Wandering: Ireland Day 1 - County Laois

Wondering and Wandering: Ireland Day 1 - County Laois

Well even if I'm not doing much on my various blog pages, I am keeping an eye out for blogs relating to County Laois and Irish Genealogy and I came across this one today. Nice photos. Wonder where the hotel is though!

Wondering and Wandering: Ireland Day 1 - County Laois

I'd forgotten all about this photo! I've photographed thousands upon thousands of gravestones, lots covered with ivy or trees growing around them so you can't read them and this is the only one with a tree coming out of it's head (in a manner of speaking!)

Anyone know what this is?

Anyone have an idea as to what this little fellow is? Found him in my mothers back garden in June of 2006. I've tried the various books I have but haven't managed to find anything like him and I can honestly say I never saw anything like him before or since! I thought I'd lost the photo until I found it buried in an old folder today

Garnish island in Glengarriff and taken from around Bocarnagh which is a few miles out of Glengarriff village. Garnish is beautiful and years ago when you'd drive into Glengarriff there would be lots of men just trying to get you to go out to the island on their boats. These days, you never see them anymore. The whole village is very different to the way it was 20 years ago.

Years ago, you wouldn't have seen the mussle rafts or lines in this photo, but they are there - lots of them.

Glengarriff is in Bantry Bay and Bantry mussles are exported all over the world

Gravestones

These stones are in an old graveyard in Portlaoise and are used as stepping stones! I wonder if they've ever been transcribed?