Today we spent considerable time at a Heritage center studying ancient Irish history through re-created structures.
Wood and wattle, stone and stockades, thatch and thorny thickets. Neolithic, megalithic, early Christian, Viking, Norman periods. All fascinating.
Thatched round houses
Interior of thatched house
A stockade fort for farmers
Very early stone structure monastery
A monk and his cat in his small house
A Viking hall
Gorse, I think. It smells something like coconut and vanilla. It grows in thick thorny thickets everywhere.
Site of a Norman fortification
A tall tower, now a memorial to the Irish soldiers in the Crimean War who were conscripted by the British, but never recognized for their service.
Then we visited a Neo- Gothic Castle (outside only- the Irish aren’t rich enough to refurbish the interior yet) with gorgeous parkland Gardens and an agriculture museum in the former barns. Also fascinating.
Jamestown Castle
Agriculture museum
The maker f the Ferguson tractor was an Irishman. He invented the three point hitch. He made and flew his own airplane six years after the Wright brother and drove race cars.
The museum had an interesting and heartbreaking exhibit on the I risk Potato Famine. .
Before the famine this is the daily portion of potatoes for a man, along with dairy products.
There is a LOT more, but that is all for now.
The yellow flowering plant we have here too- it's called Scotch Broom and it's very invasive. Blooms early spring and spreads like wildfire, hard to get rid of.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine living in such primitive conditions in such a wet country. People don't realize how royally we live these days.
Those thatched homes look.... cold. Not sure I would make it.
ReplyDeleteThe yellow flowering plant: I hear the flowers are edible. The plant has an oil that burns extremely fast. The plant rejuvenates itself when burnt down periodically, so evidently that is not a good way to try to "control" its invasiveness.
ReplyDeleteKatie, the thatched homes were not luxurious, but you have to remember they are not in Michigan. The climate in Ireland is quite mild. Wet, yes, but not very cold.