Ireland

Emo Court House

Emo Court, located near the village of Emo in County Laois, Ireland is a grand home built in the Georgian period. It and the grounds are currently run and managed by the OPW and have free entry. There’s a lovely little cafe on site (we stopped here for lunch) and a little stroll while on the way back from visiting County Cork.

Emo Court, Co. Laois

The same designer of the Customs House in Dublin, Emo Court house was designed by the architect James Gandon in 1790 for John Dawson, the first Earl of Portarlington. Started in the 1790’s, construction on the home was paused when the first Earl died. From there, due to money issues, construction was started and stopped several times before the building was completed in the 1860s. The house was in it’s prime between 1860 – 1900, but when World War I started in in 1914, and in 1918 the Easter Rising and subsequent War of Irish Independence, the Earls of Portarlington vacated the premises to return to England.

The house remained closed up and unoccupied until it was sold in 1920 to the Irish Land Commission. At the time the estate (home and grounds) which extended over nearly 20 square miles, had the land parceled out to to local farmers but the house remained empty. Finally in the 1930’s, the Jesuits bought the house, a portion of the land and opened a religious training school on the site, which lasted until 1969. Major Cholmeley Harrison then bought the property in 1969, restored the house and lived in it as his private residence before turning it over to the Irish Office of Public Works (OPW) in 1994. The home and grounds continue to be managed by the OPW today, and entry is free.

@phoenixrosedsgn Emo Court House and grounds,Co. Laois. #grandhome #georgian #Ireland #tourism #staycation #explore #opw #free ♬ I Wanna Be Rich – Chereh Sputswe

New Life goals: Having a house (and maid?) on fantastic manicured lands like this….Ha!

Emo Court, Co. Laois

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St. Coleman’s Cathedral, Cobh, Ireland

The Cathedral Church of St Colman in Cobh, Ireland was built between 1868-1919. It’s a Roman Catholic cathedral, church of the diosese, and overlooks the Cork Harbor from the top of Cathedral Place (a hill). It’s been dedicated to St. Colmán of Cloyne, patron saint of the Diocese of Cloyne.

Cobh, co. Cork Ireland

The cathedral measure 64 metres long, 36.5 metres wide, with the steeple being 91.4 metres tall (300 ft), making this gothic revival style cathedral the tallest church in Ireland. It is primarily constructed of blue Dalkey granite with Mallow limestone dressings, and a blue slate roof from Belgium. The bell tower contains Ireland’s only carillon, which with 49 bells is the largest in the British Isles. It contains Ireland’s largest bell, named St Colman which was originally installed in 1916, before being restored in 1998.

The video below is from the outside of the cathedral, with a bit of music added.

@phoenixrosedsgn St. Coleman's Cathedral, Cobh, Ireland #cobh #cathedral #countycork #ireland #music #gothic #catholic #church #stonework ♬ Ave Maria (Canto Gregoriano) – Sexteto Cantábile

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Skerries Mills (the return)

Back in 2013, I took a short hop over to Skerries Mills and did a little bit of exploring (original post here). This year, because of the covid pandemic and travel lockdowns, I’m trying to do more outdoor things in the local area. I loved it before, and decided that it was more than time to return on a weekend – and to visit the weekend farmer’s market which offers a variety of items in a really cool setting. Naturally, since social media and blogs have changed – I had to do a TikTok video and share a little more about the location for others who may eventually want to visit.

At Skerries, Ireland, there are two mills – one of which dates to the 1525, the other to 1840s. The fully restored complex offers tours which show off the workings of both the five sail windmill, four sail windmill, and a cool a water mill and bakery of the 1800’s. This provides the visitor with examples of how eco friendly wind and water energies were harnessed by our ancestors to produce wheat, textiles, and more. There are craft shops on the site, as well as a yummy cafe with great coffee and local food.

If you’d like more information on Skerries Mills, you can see their website at: https://www.skerriesmills.ie/

@phoenixrosedsgn A walk around Skerries Mills, Skerries Ireland. Two mills – one of which dates to the 1525, the other to 1840s. #Skerries #ireland #mills #millpond ♬ 100 Ways – Jackson Wang

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