Celtic crosses at Donegal Abbey

St. Augustine’s Church, Derry/Londonderry

The gates of St. Augustine’s Churchyard were locked, so I wasn’t able to walk around inside, but I had to take a photo of the churchyard.

Banks Wordless Wednesday

A Monument of Paper

The second item in Trinity College’s Long Room that I thought deserved a place on this blog is certainly a different kind of memorial than I usually encounter.  A copy of one volume of  Ireland’s Memorial Records 1914-1918 was on display.  This book lists over 49,000 Irishmen who died in World War I: name, birthplace, rank, unit, cause of death, and place of death.

A different kind of cemetery post

One of our destinations in Dublin was Trinity College. Trinity College is home to the famous Book of Kells, a gorgeously illuminated Gospel book. Trinity College has an exhibit that combines a display of information, “Turning Darkness into Light,” on the making of the Book of Kells and other manuscripts like it; viewing 4 pages of the Book of Kells and two other medieval manuscripts, and then exiting through the old library, with shelves and shelves of rare books that go all the way to a arched ceiling. Treasures of the old library are displayed in glass cases down the center of the library. What is displayed depends on the particular thematic mini-exhibition the library has decided on. While we visited, the theme was Drawn to the Page: Irish Artists and Illustrations.

One of the books on display was Elegy Written in a Country Church Yard.  By that point, I had already seen a dozen country churchyard from the windows of the bus and strolled the one famous as William Butler Yeats’ final resting place, so I felt compelled to share this with you.

I have a bit of a reputation

I started this blog three years ago this month, and in that time, I think it’s safe to say that I have established a reputation for my interest in cemeteries. It meant that while we were in Ireland, a number of people saw me in cemeteries, camera in hand, and commented with some variation on “I expected to find you here.” Anytime we passed a cemetery, no matter how far in the distance, I was immediately informed. So here are some of the shots of cemeteries as we made our way across Ireland.

Celtic Crosses on the Hill of Tara