galwaycinematography

A beautiful Irish coastline is captured in this epic drone footage. This place needs to be added to your bucket list!

The ruin of an R.I.C. barracks at Deergrove, Islandeady is a grim reminder of a troubled past in Ireland. This was just one of sixty-three barracks and police huts that were scattered across County Mayo where over four hundred men were deployed during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A substantial building, the barrack was erected on 1 acre and 35 perches of land the property of Sir William H. Roger Palmer, Bart. In the 1920s,during a period of violent unrest in the country, the authorities vacated many rural barracks and evacuated the police to the relative safety of the larger centres. The force at Islandeady was transferred to the surrounding towns and the barrack was left undefended. Islandeady Agricultural Society took over the building and used it for various community activities. Dances were held and a milling business operated from there. On Easter Sunday night, 1920, the building was set alight by “persons unknown” and considerable damage was done. The ‘Connaught Telegraph’ of June 12th. 1920, reported that a malicious damage claim for one thousand pound was lodged in a Castlebar court. The R.I.C. the first countrywide police force, was formed in 1822 and was known as the Irish Constabulary. On the 6th September 1867, Queen Victoria, recognising its ‘loyal and faithful service’ in the suppression of the uprising by the Irish Republican Brotherhood, honoured the I.C. with the title “Royal”. She decreed that ‘henceforth’ the Force was to wear the Crown and Shamrock insignia on their uniforms. The duties of the R.I.C. were many and varied; apart from normal policing, they included gathering intelligence, checking the sale of food and drink, estimating the size of the potato crop, maintaining order at elections, preventing wakes for those people who had died of infectious diseases, etc. Many of it’s members were killed in the line of duty. The R.I.C. disbanded in 1922 when the Border with Northern Ireland was imposed. The R.I.C. in the north became known as the R.U.C (Royal Ulster Constabulary) and in the South, the force became the Civic Guards or Garda Siochana. The photos below show some of the defences extant at Islandeady barrack and also a cell where prisoners were held. Note the window shutters have gun-ports allowing the defenders a wide arc of fire.

The Emerald Isle is synonymous with Ireland and its rolling hills and vales of green. Time to add this country to your bucket list!

The ancestral home of Grace Kelly (Oscar-winning American actress and princess of Monaco) where her grandfather, John Peter Kelly, was born in 1857 is in Drimurla just outside Newport, Co. Mayo. He left Ireland for Philadelphia in 1887, where he founded a leading construction company. In 1961 (accompanied by her husband, Prince Rainier Grimaldi III of Monaco) Grace Kelly was reconnected with her ancestral home. The couple stayed at the elegant Newport House and went to Drimurla to have tea with Ellen Mulchrone, who by then owned the charming two-room thatch cottage that had been the Kelly ancestral home. It was still very much a viable dwelling, that got a special whitewash for the occasion that was in it. Grace later purchased the house and surrounding land for £7,500 (Irish punt) from Mulchrone in April 1976. Planning to build a holiday home there, she returned later that year, and again in 1979 with Prince Rainier to oversee architectural plans for the holiday home. She told the local press of her intentions to return in a few years to see the home finished. However, on Sept. 14, 1982, Grace had a fatal accident when her car left a winding road in the cliffs of Monaco. A wreath of wild flowers, picked around her ancestral home in Drimurla, were sent by local residents to Monaco for the funeral. Today, the house is no more than a crumbling ruin.

Irish drone footage captures this gathering of Galway hooker boats, a traditional fishing boat that was developed for the strong seas in the area. Awesome!

Check out this fantastic drone footage of the ancient RIC Barracks in Ireland. So cool!

Raheen’s House was built in 1847 during the Irish Famine and replaced an earlier house that existed on the site, however the kitchen from the earlier house was incorporated in to the new structure. An older residence on the site was pulled down around the year 1835 by Hugh John Henry Browne who built the present structure. John Wesley described the older structure as a fortified house with two turrets which were still standing in 1835. The Browne’s were said to have been visited by Wesley who founded the Methodist religion and who traveled Ireland on horseback in the 1780's. Wesley laid the foundation stone for the Methodist Church in Castlebar in May 1785. The house is built solidly of chiseled limestone and stands in the centre of what was once a beautifully wooded park. The surrounding landscape was said to be exceptional pleasing when viewed from the Drawing Room window. This estate which surrounded the house extended to 1,000 acres and came into the possession of the Browne family at the time of the Cromwellian Plantations allegedly in exchange for a white horse. In the 1800’s the estate was owned by Dodwell Browne who married Elizabeth Cuffe of Ballinrobe who died in 1777 aged only 44. Dodwell married secondly Maria O’Donel, daughter of Sir Nial O’Donel of Newport. A few years after her marriage, Maria became unwell and had to be transported to Dublin for treatment. As she left her home at Raheens her condition worsened, and she was only a short distance from the house when the horses drawing her carriage came to a halt and would not move. Due to great efforts of the driver the horses eventually relented, and they continued on their journey to Dublin, where Maria died. In 1809, Maria’s husband erected an obelisk on the spot where the horses stopped on the day of her departure. The monument is 25 metres in height and can be viewed from the main reception rooms of the house, as an eye catcher or folly in the landscape. In September 1910 it became necessary for repairs to be made to this monument which had become unstable. The London steeplejacks of Mr. Will Larkins of 18 Alfred Street, Bow, London were employed to rebuild the apex of the memorial obelisk. It is said at this time that the estate at Raheens was in exceptionally condition as the then owner Dodwell F. Browne had taken up permanent residence in recent years. The monument is built of tapering chiseled limestone that rises to a height of 70 feet that sits upon a plinth of 10 feet. Atop the monument sits a globe of limestone which had been blown off the monument in a storm in the 1890’s which had remained on the ground thereafter. It appeared that an iron dowel had rusted which allowed the apex of the monument to collapse during the gale. The masonry had also suffered over the years when a mountain ash had become embedded high up on the obelisk that had began to dislodge loose stones and it became necessary to have it removed. Mr. Larkin, who was employed to carry out repairs to the structure, supposedly began his career at the age of seven and during his working life he had never suffered any serious injury despite working at extreme heights. He had carried out repairs to the steeple of the Protestant Church in Athenry which was struck by lightning and it was from here that he spied the lady who became his wife. The work to the obelisk at Raheens was carried out by a Mr. Stacey and a number of assistants over three days. The apex was reached by the means of a telescopic ladder which was lashed to the structure. Thereafter a scaffolding was built around the apex which was supported by four small pieces of timber. From this platform, the root of the tree was extracted and the damaged courses rebuilt. A copper dowel was inserted which allowed the fallen globe to be returned to its position on top of the monument. When the monument was built in 1809, a slab was placed on the obelisk inscribed with the words ‘ A Marie Et A L’Armour Par son Chere Epouse Dodwell 1809’ Followed by another slab, which is inscribed ‘ To Gaiety and Innocence’ Higher on the monument is a profile of a women said to be that of Maria who in the decade prior to her death wrote to General Humbert who had just taken Castlebar in 1798. She allayed to him her concerns about the safety of herself and other aristocratic ladies in the community. The General replied assuring her of his protection and extended an invitation for Maria and her husband to dine with him. It is said that General Humbert visited the Browne’s at Raheen’s on three separate occasions. Dodwell Browne died in the 1830’s and the estate was inherited by his son Hugh John Henry Browne who proceeded to plant a number of trees within the demesne including a number of trees along the original avenue. The new house was built at the height of the famine however elements of the original structure that existed on the site were retained such as the kitchen which formed part of the basement of the new house and the out buildings to the rear of the house were also retained. The expense of rebuilding the Browne family home left Hugh John Henry heavily indebted, after his death the encumbered estate passed to Henry’s brother Neil in 1870. Neil O’Donel Browne died on the 15th March 1874 at 8 Upper Mount Street Dublin and left an estate of less than £6,000. With his passing the estate at Raheen’s passed to his son, Dodwell, who spent most of his professional life in the colonial service in Ceylon ( now known as Sri Lanka) from where he returned to Raheens in 1905. Dodwell had three sons, Dodwell, Keppel and O’Donnell and a daughter Norah Lucy. On the 19th February 1895 it was reported that the only daughter of Dodwell Browne, Norah Lucy Frances Dodwell married Thomas Yates Wright the younger son of C. Wright of Lower Oak, Tyldesley, Lancashire. In October 1908 in Naas, Co. Kildare the death occurred of Dodwell's son, Keppel Glenny Dowell Browne, who was unmarried and aged 35. He was a barrister and had been suffering from Leukaemia. He left £479 13s 4d in his will which was administered by his brother Dodwell F. Browne. His remains were interred in the family vault at Raheens with those of his ancestors. At the time of the census in 1911, Dodwell Francis Browne aged 69 is in living in the house at Raheen's together with his wife Annabelle aged 65, who was born in Co. Down. Their daughter Norah Lucy Dodwell Browne Wright aged 36 who was born in Ceylon and Dodwell’s granddaughter Annabelle Dodwell Browne, aged 6 are also present in the house together with three domestic servants. After the death of Dodwell Senior in 1920, his wife Annabelle continued to live in the house. Her son, Dodwell, became the owner of the estate but he had emigrated to Australia where he remained permanently after 1923 and was joined by his sister after the death of their mother in 1932. n the 4th December 1932, Annabelle Browne died who in her youth was said to be the envy of many young women when she made her debut on the social scene in London. She was received by royalty and was apparently a frequent visitor to Buckingham Palace. With the death of Annabelle, the Browne connection with Raheens came to an end. The contents of the house were advertised for auction which was carried out over two days in April 1933. The contents of the entrance hall offered for sale included Indian and Chinese ornaments together with mounted birds, exotic animal heads and antlers. What is interesting, is that the animal heads must not have held much appeal for anyone at the auction as it was noted in 1954 when the house was in ruins that these remained on the walls in the house. In the dining room there was a circular mahogany table with twelve chairs, an oak side board and a valuable collection of books contained in a number of bookcases. The drawing room contained a collection of ebony furniture, a grand piano, arm chairs and an Axminister carpet. Also offered for sale were the contents of six bedrooms and the auction was conducted by Robert Caldwell, an auctioneer from Ballinrobe, Co. Mayo. Prior to the sale of the house, the Land Commission had acquired most of the Browne land in 1928 and divided it among the tenants. In January 1940, the remaining lands of the estate were offered for sale which amounted to 168 acres, which was retained by the family after the bulk of their lands were divided by the Land Commission. In April 1941 it was announced that Reheens Demesne near Castlebar had been sold. It was at that time the property of Dodwell Browne who had been in Australia for some time at the time of the sale. It was said that the demesne had been purchased by a local man and prior to this Raheens had been abandoned with irreparable damage having been done to the woods surrounding the house. The mansion house at the centre of the estate at this time was said to have been in good condition and that the surrounding farm buildings were also in good repair. However, by 1954, the house was in ruins with its large reception room open to the sky and large amounts of rubble having collected in the basement. A curious visitor to the house at this time, recorded what they had seen and mentioned that the roof was stripped from the house in 1947. At this time they noted that there was a strange gate post to be found on the avenue. It was actually the barrel of a seventeenth century cannon, one of four other cannons that once could be found in the grounds of Raheens House. Within walking distance of the obelisk, there is the Browne family vault where several the family members are buried. The last member of the family to buried there occured in 1940 approx. One mystery that is associated with the family vault are two interments whose deaths both occured on the same day. Hugh John Henry Browne and Neal O'Browne both died on the 2nd October 1868, what tragedy befell the family on that day. Raheens House descended into ruin after 1941 with its roof being removed in 1947

The original White O’Morn cottage, from the film The Quiet Man Starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara currently lies in ruin and has been deteriorating for years. Link to original cottage in the film The Quiet Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5XV9GpHfO0

Magnificent Mountshannon with its seven-bay entrance portico on four huge Ionic columns. It is said that the house had three hundred and sixty five windows - one for every day of the year and that the entrance hall was so wide that a coach and four could easily be driven through it. By far the largest and most impressive house to be erected in the Castleconnell area was Mountshannon Mansion. It not only laid claim to have been one of Ireland's most beautiful mansions, but also earned its place in the annals of Irish history by virtue of its association with the controversial personage of the notorious first Lord Clare, Black Jack Fitzgibbon. Erected on a 900 acre estate of the best of arable land, about two miles on the Limerick side of Castleconnell, Mountshannon was bounded on the west by the Shannon and by the Mulcair river on the south and the estate extended from Newgarden to Annacotty. Almost half the domain was once covered in trees, Mountshannon Wood, that skirted the estate and secluded from prying eyes this noble and often mysterious mansion where few - apart from the aristocracy - dared to venture near. The estate and house were serviced from the working area where there was quite a number of buildings including servants' quarters, stewards houses, stables, coach houses, laundry, its own gas making plant and several other utility buildings which made this area in itself larger than many an Irish village. Some of the great features of the estate were its beautiful gardens and rolling parklands which were laid out and landscaped by John Sutherland, one of the most famous landscape gardeners of the time and who was responsible for designing many of the splendid country gardens of Great Britain and Ireland. In its heyday Mountshannon employed an army of gardeners and estate workers. In summertime work for the gardeners began each day at first light as they had to have the day's work finished and everything in order before the guests of the mansion rose to take breakfast on the lawns and spend their days in the delightful surroundings of the estate gardens. During the summer months as many as a hundred guests would be in residence there.

Built in the 18th century, Castlemoyle House was the residence of Deane esq in the late 1770s and 1780s and occupied in 1814 by Thomas Browne. It was held by Edward Blake in fee in the mid 1850s when it was valued at £8. Sebastian Nolan bought it from the Blakes and lived there until the late 1880s. It is now a substantial ruin.

Eyrecourt Castle was a 17th century country house in Galway, Ireland which has now become nothing more than ruins. Check out this amazing drone footage as it captures the entire area. Enjoy!

Renvyle Beach also goes by the name of White Strand Beach, thanks to its long expanse of white sand that would rival any top tropical beach worldwide. This beautiful beach treats its visitors to spectacular scenery of the Mweelrea mountains in Mayo. The beach is split in two by a small hillock with great panoramic views of the entire beach. Connemara's Dogs Bay is a horseshoe shaped bay with more than a mile long stretch of white sandy beach. It backs on to Gurteen Bay, and together they form a tombolo which juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Similar to Gurteen Bay, the sand is not comprised of traditional limestone but rather made entirely of fragments of seashells which give it a pure white colour. Dog’s Bay faces due west. It is a stunning beach with its bright white sands and crystal blue water.

These abandoned houses have no electricity or running water, they were well built sturdy structures with slated roofs. There are a number of outbuildings which also give a fascinating insight into how families survived on this boggy mountain-side. There is also a cow byre where one or two cows were kept. A trail leads to the top of the mountain from where turf was harvested. Life must have been a constant struggle for all those who lived in these mountain clacháns. Only the old Irish Meitheal spirit of neighbours supporting each other could have compensated for the lonely location and long trek to the local village. This constant struggle to survive on this tranquil mountaintop, which on a fine day has panoramic views. Its a reminder of how our forebears struggled during another era when the greed and heartless power of a few caused such hardship for so many. Locals say that the two families who lived close to the mountain summit both left in 1966.

Basking sharks are the world's second-largest fish and can be seen feeding on plankton off the Irish coast between April and August. These gentle giants can grow up to 10-12 metres and weigh up to 3-4 tonnes. Keem Bay is one of the most popular and beautiful tourist destinations in Mayo. In the recent past, a basking shark fishery was located here and in Purteen Harbour. Basking sharks were attracted by the warm waters of Clew Bay influenced by the nearby Gulf Stream, and local fishermen used to harpoon and net them. Sharks were caught for their liver oil at first and then, when the prices for the oil declined, for their large characteristic fins and flesh which were also utilised in the Asian shark fin soup and ornamental markets. Achill’s basking shark fishery was the best-recorded fishery in the world. At its peak, it caught a total of 9000 sharks between 1950 and 1964; 1951 was a busy year with over 1,630 fish taken that year. The story of this industrial-scale fishing of basking sharks inspired the documentary filmmaker Hugh Falkus to make a low-budget film about it: “Shark Island”. This “docu-drama” is in connection with one of the most tragic drowning offshore Achill Island. In 1932 Dr. O’Donnel-Browne caught by rod-and-line the largest porbeagle ( a species of mackerel shark) ever caught in Irish Waters just off Keem Bay. It weighed 165 kg, its head can be seen over the bar in the Achill Head Hotel.

The team that produced the independent American film 'The Blair Witch Project' came to Ireland to make a documentary on the most haunted houses in Ireland. They stayed in many, but apparently found Woodlawn House to be the scariest! http://www.grantonline.com/grant-family-individuals/places/Woodlawn/woodlawn.htm Music: "Gaelic's Call" Trey VanZandt (YouTube.com/c/treyvanzandt)

The sun setting down for the night in Ireland

The only house on Bartragh Island (also known as Bartra Island) near Killala, Co. Mayo is a distant and isolated place, sitting in the Moy estuary, inaccessible most of the time except by boat. The question must be asked is why did Charles Kirkwood choose to build a house in such a location in the early nineteenth century? Access to the house, even in the twenty-first century, is still controlled by the tides and there are many tales of people being stuck on the island having misjudged the returning waters. Today the house, which is a perfect setting for an Agatha Christie novel, lies derelict having been the focus of a number of failed ambitions to restore it. Also it now appears from my research that the man who instigated the construction of the house on Bartragh Island in the 1830's, Charles Kirkwood, spent the last decade of his life in an asylum. Is Bartragh Island a harsh environment that takes its toll on all those who dare to make it their home? The earliest mention of an association between the Kirkwood family and Bartragh Island is when Miss Dorothy Kirkwood held a lease dated 1741 for lands at Moyne from Lord Tyrawley for a term of 999 years at a rent of £22 a year. However it appears that this lease was at some stage abandoned, for in 1827 the estate of Lord Tyrawley was sold by the Court of Chancery to a Thomas Jones, who again leased the lands to the Kirkwood’s in 1831 for 910 years at a rent of £21 5s 10d. The person who is responsible for the construction of the house on Bartragh Island is Captain Charles Kirkwood who was a midshipman on the gunboat ‘Fame’ and fought with Nelson at the battle of Trafalgar. Following his retirement from the Navy, Captain Kirkwood began a new career when he purchased a vessel and traded between England and India. As a result of this enterprise he became very wealthy and bought the townlands of Moyne, Bartragh, Kilcummin and Townparks West. His new home would be the only house ever built on the 350 acre island in the Moy estuary which is surrounded by other smaller islands known by names such as Calf and Horse Island. The single-storey house with half dormer attic wing to the rear was in use in 1838 and it appears that whoever designed the house certainly took heed to make it suitable for its environment. The house is nestled into a hill with a large land bank in front that protects it from the full force of the sea during a storm. The house is entered through a large entrance porch from which you enter through an off centre door to an inner hall that runs perpendicular. This hallway traverses the length of the main entrance front block and provides access to two large reception rooms with high ceilings. Accommodated in the entrance porch but accessed from the inner hall is a curved staircase that leads to the upper floor. The stairs is entered from the inner hall through a Gothic arch with plaster detailing that gives some impression of how the house was decorated when it was originally built. The house is U shaped and is built around a central court yard, the wing that extends from the rear of the main block is half dormered and appears to have once been bedrooms on both the ground and first floor. A long corridor on the ground floor provided access to these bedrooms on the courtyard side. This in turn led to a secondary or servant’s staircase which was located adjacent to the kitchen wing. At the time of the census in the early 1900’s it is recorded that the house comprised of 17 rooms. In April 1837, it was reported that three men were charged with breaking windows and ‘Gothic’ sashes of the house of Charles Kirkwood on Bartragh Island. The motive given for the vandalism by these men was that Kirkwood was selling mutton in Killala under market price. The vandals tore away the ‘Plaster of Paris ornaments’ off the lower part of the house and flung the pieces at the windows in order to break them. They broke 156 panes of glass, damaged railings and pulled up the newly planted shrubbery. At the time of the attack on the house on Bartragh Island, the Kirkwoods were living in a house in nearby Killala town. The reasons giving as to why the house on the island was unoccupied was due to it being winter and the building was ‘new’. Charles Kirkwood married a Miss Henrietta Knox in December 1838 and this may have been his reason for building the house on Bartragh Island. In September 1840, a son and heir was born at Bartragh House to Charles Kirkwood and his wife and by the end of the decade they would have five more children. Charles was a lieutenant in the Navy and since his retirement had resided in Mayo. Life on the island was obviously harsh which was illustrated in 1843 when a boat with six men were fishing for herring near Bartragh . A storm broke out and they were driven on to the shore of the island where four of the men successfully made their way to the home of Captain Kirkwood. Servants were sent in search of the two missing men who were found on the shore. They were ferried back to Bartragh House where one man was revived, however the other was not so fortunate. It is often speculated that Captain Kirkwood would have had to have been mad to build a house on an island, however the events of 1849 show that this assertion may have had foundation. A commission had been set up at this time to enquire into the state of mind of Charles Kirkwood to confirm if he was a lunatic. A Mr. Martley, Q.C. and Mr. Wall, Q.C. appeared on behalf of Charles 's wife, Mrs. Kirkwood, to ascertain if her husband had become insane. The purpose of the commission was also to find out if Charles could manage his own substantial financial affairs and land holdings. It was determined that Charles had become insane around the 15th of April of that year and that he had always had an excitable temperament particularly in recent years as a result of an addiction to alcohol. He was having hallucinations and made claims that he had made recent voyages to China which had never occurred. He was also talking to himself and when questioned he said he was speaking to people who had been dead for a number of years who had begun to visit him. The children’s governess, Miss Pike, appeared as a witness and she attested that Charles was drinking heavily and that he was delusional as he told her about conversations he was having with his dead father. Kirkwood was comfortable in terms of his finances, his settled real estate brought £320 a year, his chattel property was £540 and his railway shares amounted to £10,133. Mr. Kirkwood ascertained that he was of sound mind and the ‘doctors’ were only wasting the court's time. The jury returned a verdict that he was of unsound mind and in order to avoid publicity he was placed in an asylum in Finglas, Dublin however it was feared that there was ‘ no ultimate prospect of his recovery’. At this time Charles was aged 61 and it appears that he spent the rest of his life in the Dublin Asylum. In the record of his will, it states that he died on the 23rd April 1859 in Finglas Dublin which obviously indicates that he was still ensconced in the asylum at the time of his death. The executors of his will were Joseph Kirkwood of Killala and Henry William Knox of Netley, Ballina. After his death in 1861, Charles Kirkwood was succeeded by his son Captain Charles Knox Kirkwood who had been a Lieutenant in the Royal Horse Artillery and who was stationed in Gibraltar for four years prior to his father’s death. He had become Captain upon his retirement and returned to Ireland to take up his inheritance and married Emma Louisa Knox of Rappa Castle, who considering his mother’s lineage possibly meant that they were related. In September 1864, Charles Knox Kirkwood, late of the Royal Artillery and eldest son of Captain Charles Kirkwood, married the third daughter of Annesley Knox of Rappa Castle. The marriage took place at the nearby, but now derelict, Ballysakeery Church. Charles had his brother John as best man and the bride was given away by her brother, Annesley Arthur Knox ( my own great-great grandfather). After the ceremony the whole group left for further celebrations at Rappa Castle located near Ardagh in Crossmolina. The marriage was not to be a long one as Emma Louisa died in 1877 and is buried near her former home. t appears through the generations that the Kirkwood family always had a number of members with military involvement. Charles Kirkwood’s brother, John, had joined the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry after his return from duty in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny between 1857 and 1859. He was appointed an Ensign in 1863 followed by Lieutenant in 1865, becoming a Captain in 1873 and a Major in 1883. He retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in February 1886. He was involved in campaigns in Egypt in 1882 and the Sudan in 1885. After his retirement in 1886 he spent a lot of time in Glencar near Killorglin in Co. Kerry in a former hunting lodge on the Marquis of Lansdowne 's estate. Colonel Kirkwood died at a nursing home in Dublin in May 1917. In 1893, tragedy struck the Island when the death took place of Gerald John Kirkwood, at the residence of his father on Bartragh Island. He was the third and youngest son of Captain K. Kirkwood and his interment took place in the family burial ground near Rappa Castle which would have been his mother’s ancestral home. At the time of the census in 1901, Charles K. Kirkwood, aged 60 is in residence in Bartragh House on the island with his son Annesley Charles aged 33, daughters Mabel Emma aged 31 and Laura Maud aged 29, also in residence are their two male servants. By 1911, Charles is living in the house with only one daughter Laura Maud together with two servants. His other daughter Mabel Emma had died in March 1910 and is buried in Mullafarry Churchyard near Killala. The house at this time is described as having 17 rooms and 20 out buildings. Over the years many local people have often visited the island and in 1912, members of the branch of Ballina’s Tailors society had their annual excursion to Bartragh Island where they were entertained by Captain Kirkwood. Captain Charles Knox Kirkwood died on Bartragh in 1926 and was buried on the island. His head stone can still be seen on the hill to the rear of the house, his burial ground overlooks a spectacular vista of Enniscrone, Co. Sligo. The headstone marking his last resting place was erected by his daughter Maud and it is said locally that it doesn’t actually mark his final resting place which is located further up the hill. The story goes that when the men charged with erecting the headstone were transporting it up the hill, it fell off the vehicle they were using. So much effort was involved with putting it back on the cart or trailer that it was installed where it landed. Now whether this story is true we shall never know but it is a funny anecdote. Charles's son, Claud Arthur Kirkwood inherited the house and island, he had been born in 1871 together with his twin sister Maud. Claud had worked for the Bank of Ireland until 1904 but then became an evangelical preacher who traveled to the USA and Canada. In July 1927, the household furniture and effects of the late Captain Kirkwood were advertised for sale by his son C.C. Kirkwood (Claud). The house at the time was listed as having a drawing room, hall, dining room, gun room with workshop, several bedrooms and a kitchen. Potential purchasers were warned in the advertisement that the sale started at 2 o’clock and that they must leave the island before the return of the tide. In November 1927 during a fierce storm a ship named the S.S. Sine, which was anchored in Killala Bay, was torn free from her moorings and was driven by the wind on to Bartragh Island. The lives of the crew were saved by two civic guards and a number of men from nearby Killala town. The vessel, which was chartered from Denmark by Isaac Beckett to carry a cargo of timber from Sweden to his building providers that he operated in Ballina. A number of men seen the ship's distress rockets and headed out in a 14 foot boat from Killala pier in the raging storm. They reached the beached ship and began to rescue the crew by means of attaching a cable to the ship's side and using a basket or small metal cage to remove the crew of the stricken vessel, one by one. In the weeks that followed the dramatic rescue, the cargo was eventually salvaged but the wreck of the ship remained. Today timbers can be seen protruding from the sand around the island which are all that remain of the SS Sine. A fitting conclusion occurred in 1995, when the 80 year old Gunnar B. Lindberg, a member of the crew of the Sine returned to see what remained of the wreck from which he was rescued in November 1927. He owed his life to those local men who risked their own lives rescuing him nearly 70 years previous. Claud Kirkwood lived a solitary life on the island, preferring his own company and never married, as a result he was once referred to in a newspaper article as 'the loneliest man in the world'. However it appears that he preferred it that way and became infuriated with unwanted visitors. In 1941, Claud Kirkwood placed an advertisement in the local paper saying that the island was closed to visitors ‘Due to the thieving proclivities of certain individuals, Bartragh Island is now closed from this date, except with the written permission of Claude A. Kirkwood'. Just after the Second World War, Claud sold Bartragh to a man named Captain Verner. Kirkwood moved to Dublin where he died in 1953 and is buried in Deans Grange in Dublin. In 1947, it was reported that a CIE lorry was damaged while delivering turf to Bartragh Island for Captain and Mrs. Mac Kenzie-Verner who had purchased the island. The lorry had become stuck in the sand having previously delivered all the new owners furniture to the island. Captain Verner’s wife was a sister of the actress Joyce Redman who eventually purchased the house and visited it regularly. In 1952, the owner of the island was Captain Charles Wynne-Roberts, the husband of Joyce Redman, who was a director of Calor Gas and a son of the founders and directors of General Electric. Joyce Redman was the daughter of Major and Mrs. Redman, and was a niece of Niall Mc Cormick of Carramore Lacken. The house at this time was used as a summer residence, where they entertained friends and it is said that the Gone with the Wind actress Vivien Leigh attempted a visit but the weather did not permit. During the tenure of Joyce Redman the house now had its own power plant with both hot and cold running water. Their caretaker on the island at this time was an Armagh born man, named Tom Duff, who only left the island once a week to go to mass in nearby Cooneal Church. A major concern of the owners of the island at this time were the rates which were inordinately expensive. The rates were leveled against Bartragh Island and three of its satellite islands which the owners described as ‘Simply fabulous’, one wonders if they were talking about the rates or the islands. While the occupiers of the island may have lacked human company, animal life abounded, they had a cow, calf, eight sheep, a donkey with foal and fifty chickens. This did not include over two thousand rabbits who were making a nuisance of themselves in terms of the efforts to cultivate a garden around the house. One link with the outside world was the post which was delivered to the Carroll cottage on the main land three times a week. In 1978, the island was offered for sale for £95,000, the island was not mentioned by name when the advertisement was published in the national press but it was clear that it was Bartragh by its description ‘ large island, 3 miles long, lying in River Estuary and Atlantic off the coast of North West Ireland’. At this time, Ms Redman’s uncle Niall Mc Cormick was looking after the island for his niece but the house had begun to fall in to disrepair. In 1989, Mary Molloy purchased the island for a figure thought to be around £120,000, she had great plans to refurbish the house and transform it in to a Natural Health and Education Centre. There were calls at the time by local people that both Mayo and Sligo County Councils should buy Bartragh and turn it in to a local amenity to be enjoyed by the general public. Mary Molloy planned that the walled garden would be re-established which would produce organic vegetables and the remainder of the island would become either a deer farm or golf course. The restoration of the house began in earnest and a phone line was established in 1992, there were plans for a light railway link or even that an old amphibious troop carrier be used to transport guests to the island. The house was re-roofed and new windows were fitted however in 1993 during the renovations a number of cases of theft and vandalism occurred. Unfortunately Mary Molloy’s proposed business did not materialize and since then the Island is said to be owned by a consortium that has associations with the golfer Nick Faldo. Over the last twenty years, there have been newspaper reports detailing a proposed €30 million development that would consist of a hotel and golf course but these ideas never developed further than the drawing board. Of course now the house on Bartragh Island is derelict and falling to pieces despite being a protected structure. While I can understand that maybe there are legal reasons for not restoring the house, it should at least be protected. Windows are broken and sheep call the once grand reception rooms home. Surely if the window and door opening were sealed up and the house mothballed at least some of the original details might survive to allow an authentic restoration to take place some day. Again the complacent attitude of the powers that be in Ireland allow our heritage to be degraded to a point that its eventual salvage is a lost cause.

Video was recorded 13/04/21 6.15 in the morning "The Emerald Hills" Trey VanZandt (YouTube.com/c/treyvanzandt) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

Now in ruins, this dramatic and imposing 13th-century Norman castle was once in the hands of Hugh O'Connor, King of Connaught. It features a quadrangular plan with rounded bastions at the corners and a double-towered entrance gate. Roscommon Castle, a 13th-century Norman structure, was built in 1269 by Robert de Ufford, Justiciar of Ireland, on lands which were taken from an Augustinian priory. The castle was laid siege by the Connacht King Aodh O'Connor in 1272. Eight years on, it was once more in the possession of the English garrison and fully restored. By the year 1340, the O'Connors had regained possession and held it until 1569, when it then fell to Sir Henry Sidney, the Lord Deputy. In 1641, it was obtained by the Parliamentarian faction and then confederate Catholics, under Preston, captured it in 1645. From then, it remained in Irish hands until 1652, when it was partially blown up by Cromwellian 'Ironsides', who then had all the fortifications dismantled. The castle was burned down in 1690 and ultimately fell into decay.

Check out this spectacular drone footage of the fog rolling in from the Galway Bay in Ireland. So cool!

Dolphins swim around Galway Bay, Ireland in this sensational drone footage. Plus a view of the Holywell in Lough Atalia. Enjoy!

Corrib Fisher Glides In To Galway Port

Country driving in ireland on a snowy day

Having been on the shoreline looking out to sea ,,watching the sea birds with my binoculars. I look over to Hares island and spot a person standing on its small hill. Many a person was trapped on Hare Island , when the tide closes in over the causeway off Ballyloughane. Some people drowned trying to get back in. Now I felt obliged to make sure this person was ok, and not stuck there as it was a cold day. So I sent out the drone to check him. He was alright , he had a kayak with him.

The wild Atlantic with its unrestrained and untameable tides and storms has continuously been moulding the west coast of Ireland. With a constant meeting of water and land, a deeply indented and wild terrain has emerged with towering cliffs, spellbinding bays and beaches, mystical islands, always changing and never reaching the end. In the isolation or perhaps expressed in a different way living near and with the Atlantic at your doorstep has ensured that old traditions and the Irish language have been preserved. A trip along the Wild Atlantic Way is also an encounter with the past.