MOMS are from MARS
  • HOME
  • Things Your Mom Will Never Say: The Top 20
    • MOM'S BLOG
  • MY BOOK - Extraordinary: Light vs. Dark
  • Your Horoscope
  • Why does Mom DO that?
  • A Heartfelt Letter of Apology
  • MY BOOK: Moms are from Mars
  • What Type of Mom Do You Have?
    • Mom's Mish Mash
  • Cute Keyboard Characters
    • MY BOOK - Enlightened: Light vs. Dark
    • Cards for Mom
  • Contact Me
Follow me!

Ireland: Day Two

7/6/2014

7 Comments

 
Welcome to the second installment of my recent trip to Ireland. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, click here to read my first post. Otherwise, read on for Day 2’s adventures covering the Rock of Cashel and Kilkenny Castle. Afterwards, if you want, continue on to my personal observations on the ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Irish Language and Lingo. 

As I said in the first installment, I want to remember everything so these posts are going to be long. So don't feel bad if you just want to view the photos. If you want to learn some cool facts, though, read on...

DAY 2:
The Rock of Cashel
Picture
Confession: This isn't one of my pics. When I was there, there was some scaffolding around the chapel so I was all, "Boo hoo! My picture won't be pretty now!" So I was a brat and didn't take one. This is from Wikimedia Commons.
The Rock of Cashel in Tipperary is composed of medieval buildings set atop a limestone outcrop in the Golden Vale. The kings of Munster sat there until the Norman invasion then, in 1101, the current king donated his fortress to the church. The site was chosen due to its foreboding weather – high winds, lots of rain, etc. -- which is why it was sunny and warm on the day we visited. Buildings include a 15th century castle, 13th century cathedral, 12th century round tower, High Cross and Romanesque Chapel – all in ruins – and a restored Hall of the Vicars Choral. Here are some photos I snapped just for you:
I’ve got to say, though, if you go you really have to take the tour. If you don't  you’ll miss out on a lot of information, like these tidbits below…

The castle is where the arch bishop lived and it was very much a fortress. It had double walls with passages in between so the Arch Bishop could run to safety should the castle be attacked. The spiral staircases went clockwise going up so that attackers, who were normally right-handed, when swiping their swords would hit the stone walls while the defenders going down could swing freely. Many attackers knew this, so they’d send their left-handed swordsmen first. Yay for them? There were also breaks in the walls called “murdering holes” which allowed defenders to pour boiling oil or water on the attackers below. 
Picture
As for the chapel, there are stone faces everywhere. Some a scary, meant to scare evil forces away. Others were placed there to commemorate the people of the world which the church served. But in the mix there would always be a face with the likeness of the stone masons that built the structure. It was the way they left their mark.
Picture
The Hall of the Vicars Choral is where the church’s choir lived and is the one building that has been restored. It has a beautiful tapestry of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba that is strangely flawed. I showed it to you above, in the slidewho. What you probably didn't notice is the following: 
Picture
These things were done on purpose. Artists worked on the notion that the only one who can create perfect things is God. So they made "mistakes." Another cool story revolves around this wooden thing above the fireplace:
Picture
That’s the choral's crest. Small ones were also made for the choral members. so they could use it as a sort of credit card when they went into local shops. They’d flash the crest, get what they need, then the owner of the store would bill the church. It worked well for a while. Then the church noticed that the choir was spending a lot more money than they should have. Why? Because some of them had made copies of the crest for their extended families. Yep. The first case of credit card fraud took place hundreds of years ago.

A lot more was learned but I don’t want to steal all of the docent’s thunder, plus it will give you incentive to go there. Instead I’m going to move on to the next place we’ll move on to the next place, Kilkenny Castle, a place I may have purposely lead you to mistakenly believe to be one of South Park  fans’ favorite locations.

Kilkenny Castle
Picture
Kilkenny Castle sits on the River Nore. The original castle was built for William Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke in 1195. Many additionas and alterations were made to it over the years. In 1391, James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond, purchased it and it stayed in the Butler family for nearly 600 years.

The castle has three wings, as shown in Exhibit A: 

Picture
There will be no Exhibit B.
It wasn’t always that way. It used to have four, forming a square. Then Oliver Cromwell came in 1650 as part of his conquest of Ireland. The east wall and northeast tower were badly damaged and later torn down. In 1661, the Butler family remodeled the castle, eliminating what was left of the fourth wall. 

Fun fact: You know Julian Fellowes, the writer/creator of Downton Abbey? His great aunt lived in Kilkenny Castle. Her name was Sybil Inna Mildred Fellowes. Ring a bell? She married James George Anson Butler in 1915 and they lived there for a good, long time. 

Later on, in 1967, the then owner, Arthur Butler sold the castle -- which had deteriorated greatly -- to the people of Kilkenny for 50 pounds. (Side note to Chicago peeps: He moved to Oak Brook, Illinois. The Butler family made their mark there, owning polo fields, the Butler National Golf Club – if you see the name “Butler” on anything in Chicagoland, it probably stems from this family.)

Now the castle is back to its former glory, filled with furnishings and artwork – some original to the castle, some not. One thing that caught my attention near a fireplace was something called a fire screen. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures inside the castle (boo hoo) but I loved the thing so much I'm going to tell you about it anyway.
Picture
Another photo from Wikimedia Commons. Sue me.
Have you ever heard of someone “saving face?” Well, that's what the thing above did. Back in the 18th century, pale faces were all the fashion. White makeup was used to achieve the look and it was made of lead and wax. Heat wasn’t the makeup's friend, so when women sat by fireplaces they’d use this screen, raising or lowering the rectangular part along the rod so their faces wouldn't feel the heat of the fire and, subsequently, melt away. It saved their faces.

But that's enough history for today. After we visited the castle we explored the town of Kilkenny, as we had the night before. It was one of my favorite places to stay...and not just because I'm a Simon Pegg fan. I mean, who wouldn't love a town that had a pub called this?

Picture
And who wouldn't love a town that has a wonderful sweet shop where you can get Doctor Who's favorite candy, jelly babies?
Picture
I ate them all in ten minutes and got quite the sugar rush.
(Side note: At the very same sweet shop I found a box of Lucky Charms cereal imported from the United States. I almost bought it for our guide, Martin, until I saw the price tag: 10 Euros -- almost 14 bucks!)

The town also had a cool mall with awesome shopping. It even had one of my favorite stores from back home. Take a look:
Picture
Wait a second....what? T. K. Maxx? Next thing you know, they'll have J.G. Penney's.

Anyway, that was Day 2. You can exit here or stick around for another Irish cultural observation. Today’s topic: Irish Language and Lingo.

In Ireland, almost everyone speaks English. Still, there are a few that don’t. They speak Irish – what we call Gaelic -- instead. It’s Ireland’s original language and a while back, it looked like it might die out. Then there was a cultural re-awakening and the Irish government decided to teach it in the schools. It's also on every government sign – whether it’s a road sign or some sort of directions or explanation. Here's an example:

Picture
I checked Ireland’s 2011 census. In it, 41% of respondents said they could speak the native tongue. Thanks to the educational system, two-thirds of people aged 10-19 said they spoke it. Still, Of the 1.77 million people who said they spoke the language, only 77,185 said they speak it daily outside the education system.  Most of them live in the northwest. Martin, our guide taught us to say a few things. If you want to say, “How are you?” you say (I’m using phonetics, people) “Kay kee will too?”

As for those who speak English, they speak it with a super cool accent not unlike what you hear in movies. Only they don't use the sound th. Instead, they just use a "t". If a bunch of Irishmen think they’ll throw away their toothpaste, they “tink tey’ll trow away teir tootpaste.” This is just an example, though. I can’t imagine they’d actually throw away their toothpaste. Gingivitis is no one’s friend.

When it comes to favorite Irish words, I noticed many things are “lovely” and “grand.” If someone’s really tired, they’re “wrecked.” The world “crack” (spelled craic over there) means fun. Like if you had a great time last night, you’d say, “We had great crack at the pub last night.” (Word of caution: Don't use this phrase in the States. It might result in an intervention followed by rehab, and that would be “mental,” the word Irish folk like to use for "crazy.")

Like the English, sweaters are “jumpers” and elevators are “lifts.” French fries are “chips” and chips are knows as “crisps.” “To go” cups are “take away” cups, instead. Older shop-keeping women called me "love," particularly after I bought something expensive from them.

Anyway, I’m sure there are many more words and phrases I missed, but those I did hear made me smile.
7 Comments
    Picture

    Weird Author

    My name's Murphy, Janene Murphy, and I'm a weird mom.

    Picture
    MY BOOKS!
    For info, click on the covers.
    Picture
    Picture
    To SUBSCRIBE to my blog, just hit the 'Contact Me' button at the bottom of  the left hand column on this page and fill out the form to get my posts via email. You can also sign up to get it on your RSS or Networked Blogs feeds by hitting the buttons below. All of them are free and easy -- two qualities I like!

    RSS Feed

    NetworkedBlogs
    Blog:
    Moms are from Mars
    Topics:
    teen, humor, parenting
     
    Follow my blog

    Your Favorites

    What Color Season Are You?
    Cute Keyboard Animals
    Tattoos are Evil
    Worst Fictional Moms of the
        Last 50 Years

    Crushed by my Celebrity Crush's Height    
    Just  Letting Off Some Crazy Steam
    You Are What You Wear?

    Kids Say the Darndest Things
    Top Ten Most Iconic Teen Movies of the 1980s
    My Summer Vacation

    Craziest Book Titles on Amazon
    Teen TV 'Act Your Age': Part 2





    My Favorites

    Bad Boys 
    Keeping Up With The Joneses
    Noah's Ark: Terror Never Looked So Cute   
    Jeggings: Just Say No    
    Leave No Wild Child Behind
    The Gift of Reading 
    The Truth About Smoking 
    Lost In Translation: The Wall   
    Help Me, Bruce Willis 
    A Mother's Fear About Her Kid Being Queer  
    If You Don't Have Anything Good to Say  
    Chuck Norris Facts


    Categories

    All
    1970s
    1980s
    1980s Celebrity Hair
    2012 Iowa Caucus
    4th Of July
    Action Figure Jesus
    Alligators
    Amanda Bynes
    Anthony Weiner
    Arnold Scharzenegger
    Ascii Art
    Ashton Kutcher
    Asking Girls To The Dance
    Austria
    Back In The Day
    Bacon
    Bad Boys
    Bawls Soda
    Bayou Tour
    Beauty
    Beauty Queens
    Beetle Bailey
    Betty White
    Big Time Rush
    Birthday
    Blarney Castle
    Blog Catalog
    Blood
    Boardgames
    Bobby Knight
    Bon Jovi
    Book Review
    Books
    Book Signing
    Botox
    Brothers
    Bruce Willis
    Bullying
    Bunratty Castle And Folk Park
    Butt Cracks
    Camp Conestoga
    Canada
    Candy
    Candy Crush Saga
    Car
    Cards For Mom
    Career
    Cat Trouble
    Celebritiy Losers 2012
    Celebrity Losers 2011
    Celebrity Losers 2013
    Charity
    Charlie Sheen
    Chat Room Dream Date
    Chicken Breasts
    Christmas
    Christmas Gifts History
    Chuck Norris Facts
    Clint Eastwood
    Clothes
    Clown
    College
    Color Seasons
    Concerns
    Confidence
    Contest
    Cooking
    Cool Stuff
    Crazy Book Titles
    CSI
    Cute Animal Photos
    Czech Republic
    Dating
    Dating Older Guys
    Davy Jones
    Dear Make Believe Mom
    Dingle
    Disney World
    Doctor Who
    Dolls
    Dressing Like A Ho
    Driving
    Duck Dynasty
    Easter
    Egg Butt
    Election
    Ella March Chase
    Enlightened
    Extraordinary
    Facebook
    Farrah Fawcett
    Fashion
    Fashion History
    Favorite Songs From The 1980s
    Feminine Products
    Feris Bueller
    Fireworks
    Five Love Languages
    Flood
    Freaky Things
    Fungie The Dingle Dolphin
    Funniest Christmas Movies
    Funny Celebrity Photos
    Games
    Gaming
    Geeks
    Germany
    Gingerbread Men
    Girl Power
    Girl Scouts
    Glamour Shots
    Glendalough
    Good Enough
    Goodreads
    Go Set A Watchman
    Graduation
    Greeting Cards For Mom
    Hair
    Hair History
    Hair In The 70s And 80s
    Halloween
    Halloween Costumes
    Halloween Fun Facts
    Harper Lee
    Heights Of Young Male Celebrities
    High School Graduation
    Hobbit Gingerbread House
    Hobbit Hole Gingerbread House
    Holiday Shopping
    Holy Toast
    Homosexuality
    Honey Boo Boo
    Icarly
    Iconic Teen Movies
    Identity
    If You Dont Have Anything Good To Say
    If You Give A Teen A Tattoo
    If You Really Knew Me
    Internet Censoring
    Internet Dating
    Internet Safety
    Iowa
    Ireland
    Italy
    Jeggings
    Jersey Shore
    Jesus Action Figure
    John Travolta
    Judging A Book By It
    Justin Bieber
    Kanye West
    Kardashians
    Keeping Up With The Joneses
    Kelly Lebrock
    Keyboard Animals
    Kids Say The Darndest Things
    Kilkenny Castle
    Kitschy Kitschy Kool
    Kristen Stewart
    Lance Armstrong
    Laundry
    Laziness
    Leap Year
    Leave No Wild Child Behind
    Leslie Langtry
    Libba Bray
    Life Is Short
    Lindsay Lohan
    Loneliness
    Losers
    Lost In Translation
    Louisa Cast
    Louisiana
    Lying
    Lyme Disease
    Mail
    Maintaining A Boyfriend
    Marathon
    Matthew Broderick
    Meredith Viera
    Miley Cyrus
    Military
    Miracles
    Mitt Romney
    Moms Are From Mars Book
    Money
    Money Tips
    Morphing
    Motherhood Sucks
    Motherly Advice
    Mothers Day
    Movies
    Mr. T Baby Costume
    Muckross House And Gardens
    My Anniversary
    My Book
    My Favorite Movies
    Name Game
    New Kids On The Block
    New Orleans
    Newt Gingrich
    Noahs Ark
    Ode To Canada
    Olympic Games
    Osama Bin Laden
    Over Parenting
    Parenting
    Paula Deen
    Pet Names For Kids
    Phoebe Cates
    Photos
    Pms
    Poopys Tattoos
    Popularity
    Powerscourt
    Prague
    Quad Cities Flood
    Queer Fears
    Radical Parenting
    Reading
    Rebel Without A Clause
    Ring Of Kerry
    Rob Ford
    Rob Pattison
    Ronald Reagan
    Ron Paul
    Royal Wedding
    Safety Tips
    Santa Hat
    Saving Face
    Scarf Into Vest
    Scary
    Selena Gomez
    Self Acceptance
    Self Image
    September 11
    Seventeen Magazine
    Sex
    Shoe History
    Shoes
    Shopping In Ireland
    Signs
    Silly Stuff
    Silly Thoughts
    Skiing
    Slut Walk
    Smoking Is Cool
    Sopa
    Sound Asleep Pillow Giveaway
    Southern Illinois
    Sprained Ankle
    Spring Break
    Star Wars
    Strange Signs
    Stupidity
    Success
    Superhero Mom
    Susan Carroll
    Swan Towel
    Swim Suits
    Taking Her Time
    Tattoos
    Taylor Armstrong
    Taylor Lautner
    Teaching
    Teen Actors Ages
    Teen Actresses Ages
    Teen Dramas
    Teen Idols
    Teen Idols History
    Teen Mom
    Teen Tv Dramas
    Television
    Tershbango
    Texting
    Thanksgiving
    The Apocalypse
    The Big Ask
    The Gimmes
    The Monkees
    Theresa Guidice
    The Shirt
    The Sixth Sense
    The Wall
    Things Parents Will Never Say To Their Teens
    Thor
    Through The Ages
    To Kill A Mockinbird
    Toothbrushes
    Top 21 Things Teens Never Say To Their Parents
    Traveling
    Trix Rabbit
    Tv Dinners
    Twinkies
    Twitter
    Ugh
    Vacation
    Valentines Day55124088ef
    Vampire
    Vanity
    Veterans Day550af373ed
    Voodoo Dolls
    Vote
    Wacky Beauty Products
    Washington Dc
    Water Parks
    Wedding
    What Is Your Season
    Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
    Wisconsin Dells
    Worst Easter Candy
    Worst Fictional Moms
    Xbox Live
    Y2k
    You Are What You Wear
    You Read My Mind

    Still can't find what you're looking for? Search Moms are from Mars below:
    Google search engine code:
    Loading


    Archives

    January 2016
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010

    If you like my blog, could you click the brown 'vote for us' button below? You won't get anything, but you won't be asked to buy anything, either. It just helps my self-esteem.
    Thanks!
    Laughter Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory
    Janene's bookshelf: read

    To Kill a Mockingbird The Great Gatsby Where the Sidewalk Ends Animal Farm Of Mice and Men Slaughterhouse-Five

    More of Janene's books »
    Book recommendations, book reviews, quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists
    Top Mommy Blogs - Mom Blog Directory
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Monica Arellano-Ongpin, law_keven, NESJumpman, marcos_leal, YoAmes, cliff1066™, garymun, AJU_photography, busbeytheelder, seanmcgrath, gruntzooki, Elin B, The Paperclip, *saipal, ©HTO3, Neetesh Gupta (neeteshg), wonker, Nomadic Lass, englishsnow, landhere, garryknight, StarsApart, Edward Dalmulder, wwarby, cliff1066™, chadh, Yashna M, eamoncurry123, letsgoeverywhere