The Latest Six Week Quest

Did I find what I was looking for in my last foray into Ireland and England? The short answer is: Yes. A post which will include the longer answer, which turned out to be not totally what I expected, will have to wait until I get back from Boston (I leave today). In the meantime, here is a photographic flypast - at least as much as I can cobble together before I head to the ferry line-up (which will be stupidly long). Then the flight, first to Montreal, then to Boston. Until then ...

MANCHESTER: April 8-10

"Sabrina Reflecting". A nice visual pun. One of her scores is taped to the wall.

I took lots of photos of her current home, but the only two that did not end up with a "corrupted file" message was one of her spice drawer, and another of the shelves she built to house them. . Building skills and cooking skills combined - perhaps something of a parental legacy.

DUBLIN April 11-25

The first time I met Daphne was when she picked me up from the ferry at Dublin Port. At various times over the next several weeks, as we shared a meal (she makes an excellent lasagne), we nattered on about our shared interests: Jacksons of Co. Kildare & Kings Co., and .... It has turned out to be the start of a life-time conversation.

NOTE: More about Dublin will be in future posts. One of the things that I did was to do a series of photographs documenting the places where Jacksons once lived in the 1600s and 1700s. Even though the current buildings are mostly not the ones that were there in that era, I wanted to absorb the feel of it all through eyes and feet - not only from documents and maps. How far is it to walk from one place to another? Imagine what could be seen looking out from a window.

ARMAGH: April 25-29

An enthusiastic group of Olivers responding to images I was showing.

Peter McWilliams is here in the Armagh Museum pouring over a critical will (found thanks to Sean Barden). Peter and his wife Bernie not only took me out for a few dinners, but also to see the Abbey Theatre production of Sean O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars. That play added a whole new layer to my sense of the events of 1916. More gratitude to both of them. For sure.

GILFORD CASTLE: April 29-May 7

At my annual home away from home (thank you Christine), there is always something new. This year it was Christine's daughter Sarah building a run-of-river hydro-electric installation. A total Renaissance Woman, Sarah doesn't hesitate to commandeer a digger in order to build new access roads and such.

I wish I could be there for the grand opening of this project. I did not measure the size of the screw that will capture the power from the river, but it is appropriate to channel Donald Trump , the only time this is appropriate, and mouth the word: HUGE.

On a lighter note, here is me trying for a shot of three bottles of Bertha's Revenge, an Irish gin made from milk whey - and made by a Jackson, no less.

One of the three bottles went to a good cause, and can be seen here being served in a glass that once belonged to Sir Thomas Jackson.

OK - Regrettably, I am running out of time. Just regard this as an  amuse-bouche. There will be more to come.