Category: Irish Counties

Fairy Mound and Hawthorn Trees

by irishvisions

Story
Traditional folklore in rural Ireland maintains fairies live in drumlin mounds with hawthorn trees growing on top and around them. There were many times in rural communities when local workers would not help dig a road, foundation or railway line through a fairy mound. To this day, there are several examples of the Irish refusing to disrupt these hallowed sites especially for the construction of modern roadways.
Location
Co. Mayo
Date
1939
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Convergence/Divergence

by irishvisions

Story
Glendalough is one of Ireland’s most revered religious sites. St. Kevin founded a monastery here in the sixth century. It features a ninth century round tower built to protect the monks from invading Vikings. This image captures the juncture of two vastly different sets of steps.
Location
Glendalough Monastery, Co. Wicklow
Date
1975
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Rural Altar

by irishvisions

Story
During the time of the 18th century Penal Laws, the British administration forbade Irish Catholics from the Irish people would assemble in a well-protected rural area to hold their religious services. Posted lookouts would warn of approaching police. This stone altar is typical of those used during that era. The large slab of rock might be from an ancient dolmen. The white quartz stone is also a symbol of pre-Christian practices marking a sacred spot.
Location
Co. Mayo
Date
1938
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Path of Desperation

by irishvisions

Story
This haunting image with its ominous, brooding clouds evokes the tragic local tale of the Famine Walk from Louisburgh to Delphi Lodge where the unsympathetic Famine relief officer was visiting. On a cold winter morning in March 1849, hundreds of impoverished, starving, Irish tenant farmers and their families struggled along this desolate road beside Doolough Lake. They arrived in time for their appointed 7.a.m. meeting with the relief official to seek confirmation that they could remain on the outdoor relief roll. The tenants were refused aid. Desperate farmers attempted the tortuous 16-mile journey home. Some of the starving people died en route. The Native American Choctaw tribe had heard of Ireland’s Great Hunger. Just 16 years after the start of the brutal Trail of Tears, members of the Choctaw tribe sacrificed to send financial aid to the Irish people. There is still a deep allegiance between the Irish and Native American peoples. The Irish are honored that members of the Choctaw Nation join in the annual Doolough Famine Walk to commemorate both peoples’ ancestors and reaffirm the Nations’ abiding bond.
Location
Doolough, Co. Mayo
Date
1938
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Kilmainham Jail Abandoned, Ireland’s Bastille

by pquick

Story
Kilmainham Jail was built in 1796, shortly after the French Revolution. It became known as “The Bastille of Ireland.” After being captured in December 1920, Ernie O’Malley was tortured in Dublin Castle then removed to Kilmainham jail without trial. Ernie and two other prisoners escaped on Valentine’s Day 1921, aided by “The Big Fella,” Michael Collins. During the Irish Civil War, Ernie was captured again and confined within Mountjoy Jail. He and other senior anti-Treaty officers were transferred to Kilmainham’s formidable bastion in late October 1923. This was to separate them from the thousands of other prisoners and sympathizers who joined their leaders on a 41-day hunger strike. The fortress-like complex was abandoned in 1924. Ernie was with his wife, Helen, when she photographed this evocative image in 1936.
Location
Dublin
Date
1936
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Alleyway within Dublin Castle

by pquick

Story
For 700 years, Dublin Castle was the center of Britain’s rule over Ireland. Over the years, the complex grew to include offices, living space and prison cells. This image shows an alleyway within the Castle grounds. When Ernie O’Malley was captured by the British in December 1920, he was imprisoned and tortured in Dublin Castle. Helen’s perspective on this laneway causes even the viewer to feel trapped, as if being funneled towards barred windows and bricked walls with no chance of escape.
Location
Dublin
Date
1936
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