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The Mills Inn

The Mills Inn, just outside Baile Bhuirne in the Gaeltacht of Mhúscraí, Co. Cork.
We stopped here for a meal on the way to Dingle and I must say, it was great! Their website has a lot more to say about what they offer and information about the beautiful surrounding countryside.
Baile Bhuirne is translated as Ballyvourney in English, but I think the Irish rolls off the tongue better. Many place names in Irish speaking areas had their names translated to the same sounding word in English but it’s never as nice.
How do you pronounce it? Bah-ill-ya Vurna is fairly close.

EagleSpirit and Brian

EagleSpirit and Brian pose for a photo on their last day of business running Homely House, a small cafe in Dingle, Co. Kerry. Brian ran it for eight years, while his partner EagleSpirit has been an integral part of the charm of the little establishment for the past four. It closed on Saturday for the last time. They’re off to Hawaii in the next few weeks. Quite a change from Dingle!

They ran a very successful business. I was in Homely House a few times last year when I stayed in Dingle and it had always been packed! Last Saturday, Jacinta and I popped in for a quick snack and a chance to get out of the short-lived shower that morning. EagleSpirit greeted us with a huge smile and we really enjoyed our food. Jacinta is still thinking about the five-berry cake we shared after. Yum!

Good luck in Hawaii the two of you! Go n’eiri an bothair libh!

The Sexy New County Hall

Grabs your attention doesn’t it? Exciting design isn’t it? Wonderful work of engineering eh? Well, ok, it’s only the Cork County Hall but it is the tallest storeyed building in the Republic of Ireland at 67m so that must count for something? No?

The County Hall has been renovated over the last few years and does look better than it used to. I saw someone walking around on it’s roof a week or so ago, bet you’d have a great view from up there. Anyone know how I’d do that?

Keep a lookout

A father and two sons on St. Patrick’s Street, Cork. I presume they’re waiting for someone from what I heard of the dad talking on his phone as I passed.

Blown out details are on purpose to give it a slightly edgier effect. Hope you like it!

A pint of beer and a newspaper

Sometimes it’s good to chill out, relax and step out of the rat-race, even for a few moments.
This scene was made on St. Patrick’s Street outside Le Chateau, a bar with seating in front of the building as most places do these days because of the smoking ban. Yet another of the advantages of that ban!

On a related topic, how does insurance work when you’re drinking and enjoying the facilities of an establishment outside the physical walls of the bar or restaurant? The bar doesn’t own the pavement. Also, it’s illegal to drink in public areas isn’t it? In front of a pub is a public area surely?

In other news, I’m now a paid up member of Mallow Photography Club! Despite driving from Kerry on Monday, and feeling the worse for wear, I went to the meeting that night. It was a portraiture night using studio lighting. Three local girls, only one of whom had any photoshoot experience were our models and did a great job, even with the gaggle of photographers busily snapping away! I got a couple of good shots of the girls, which may end up on my photoblog next week if they’re happy with them. No promises because it’s the first time I’ve done this sort of shoot and it’s more than a little intimidating for a newbie! I need to read and absorb more of Strobist.

Press the button and walk

A pedestrian traffic light on St. Patrick’s Street, Cork. The green man is strutting his stuff and people are walking across.

Does anyone else have a dislike for the design of this button? Sure, there’s a big arrow pointing to a large white dot, but it took several years for people to realise that they press the white button instead of the light at the bottom of the unit. The problem is that people are used to pressing a physical button, something that sticks out and can be pushed in. The white dot is flush with the surface of the unit, and people go to press the only thing that looks vaguelly button-like, the light. I still see people do it, and yes, this is one of my pet peeves, thanks for reading!

Different lights

Traffic lights and street lighting vie for attention. This is across the road from where Bord Gais used to have their showroom. Bet you never realised the titanic struggle for recognition that was going on?

No climbing the poles

A sign that points upwards? It either forbids drivers from driving down a road, discourages people from climbing up a light pole or local government don’t want people to look up. Your guess is as good as mine. I’m stumped!

Pleased to meet you!

A child greets one of the onlookers at the Cork Folk Festival after the “Christ Restoration Ministries Gospel Choir” have sung and danced. There were lots of kids about and they were all having a great time!

I love this photo because the parents look so happy, kids are drinking their water and watching, the expressions on people’s faces as they see this small child come up to an adult, and of course the expressions of those who are oblivious to what’s going on. So much happening in one scene.

Cappuccino Morning

A beautiful misty morning greeted us a few days ago. The mist rolled down the valley outside and when the sun rose it produced these amazing shades of brown through the fog.

Thanks Jacinta for the name, it fits!

I added a tag cloud to the site this morning. It’s quite obvious from it where I live, and what I take pictures of!