Winter at Glendalough

We had a couple of weeks of snow here in the Wicklow Mountains. I took one or two digital images of the area.

Launch Photographs

Peter and Patricia Evers

Garech De Brún

Selina Guinness
Peter Evers

Image Now Gallery

Welcome

I will be posting some background regarding the photographs from the book 

Wicklow Photographs. 

I will also post information for those planning to visit this wonderful county.

There will be feedback for the book, and updates regarding exhibitions,talks and signings.

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10 Great Places to Visit in Wicklow

1. 1. Lough Dan - Fed by two rivers, the Inchavore and the Cloghoge. It lies close to the Wicklow Way. There are Peregrine Falcons nesting here. The beach where the Inchavore meets the lake is incredible, where you can see the scree face of Knocknaclohoge and trace the Inchavore on its meandering route back up the glacial valley.
2. Glendalough - This Place just has it all! Two magnificent lakes, a monastic settlement, Poulinass Waterfall, wild mountain goats , Peregrine falcons, a deserted miners village , Glenealo River, silver birch woods, ravens, sika, stoats, scots pines, magnificent oaks and wonderful views from the peaks. 
3. Coronation Plantation - A singular landscape,particuarly interesting in the winter months. Magnificent Scots Pines with dramatic views of the River Liffey.
4. Devil's Glen - A great walk, fantastic fauna and dramatic views of the Vartry River.
5. Glenmacnass - An astonishing waterfall, bountiful with gorse and foxgloves, and vibrant green slopes. The view from the waterfall back to the valley is breathtaking. The heather ion the plateau in august/september is also very beautiful.
6. Johnnies oaks -  A beautiful oak glade where Kanturk Mountain meets the Inchavore River.
7. Lugnaquilla - Incredible views of the Wicklow Mountains. (Some hillwalking experience required).
8. The Vale of Clara - A secluded spot for a picnic, wonderful woods passed by the Avonmore River.
9. Sallygap - A sweeping plateau in the Wicklow Mountains. Stunning with the heather in bloom, but my favourite way to visit in by the full moon while hundreds of deer wander silently across the landscape.
10. Fancy Mountain - Wild streams, The Cloghoge River, and windswept trees. Pay very close attention to your footing walking here!

These are just ten suggestions but there is plenty besides  Brittas Bay, Glenmalure, Enniskerry, Ballyknocken, Blessington Lakes etc etc,  but the list is a good place to start!

It is worthwhile to note that The Education Centre of the National Park organize free events eg nature walks, hikes and lectures

contact 0404-45425 or email wickloweducationcentre@environ.ie

The Wicklow Mountains should be Respected; they are exposed, largely uninhabited and rugged. Mobile phone coverage is not great, a minor accident can become a massive problem if you cannot get help.

Mountain Code 

Before you go

Learn the use of a map and compass

Know the weather signs and local forecast

plan within your abilities

Know simple first aid and the symptons of exposure

Know the mountain distress signals

When you go

Never go alone

Leave a note of your route, and report on you return

take windproofs,waterproofs and a survival bag.

Bring a suitable map and compass, torch and food

Wear suitable boots

Take particular care in the winter months

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Placenames from Wicklow Photographs and their meanings

Wicklow - Cill Mhantáin (Contae Chill Mhantáin) - The English name “Wicklow” means the water-meadow of the Vikings. The Irish name “Cill Mhantáin” means the church of Mantán. The lore surrounding the name states that when St. Patrick and his followers arrived in Wicklow the local people were not happy to see them and threw stones at the monks. One of the monks had his teeth knocked out and was thereafter called Mantán, a derivative of mantachán meaning a toothless person, and this monk was later said to have established a church in Wicklow. However, as no examples of the name Mantachán are attested, this is clearly an example of folk-etymology, or the creation of lore to explain the origins of a placename.

Coolgarrow mountain - An Chúil Gharbh - The word cúil in placenames means “corner” or “nook.” Literally “the rough corner.”

Sallygap - Bearna Bhealach Sailearnáin - Often mistakenly believed to derive from “Saddle Gap” because of the shape of the hills in the area. A 1655 entry in the Civil Survey, however, writes “Barneballaghsilurnan.” The last element appears to contain the word sailearnán referring to a wood of willows or sallies thus the gap of the way/road of the sally wood.

Brockagh mountain - Sliabh na Brocaí - The townland of the rock. It is suggested that it is named from the rocky headland at Jack’s Hole.

Cloghoge - Clochóg - Clochóg means stony patch, or place with stone structure. 

Lugalla [recte Luggala] - Log an Lá - Luggala has been explained as deriving from Log a’ Lágha, the hollow of the hill (or ridge)(Joyce, Irish Names of Places Vol. I, 391). However, as there are no attested examples of lagh meaning hill this must remain doubtful. On the other hand, one could suggest that the final element derives from latha > lá “of mud," a genitive singular form of Old Irish loth/lath (see Dictionary of Irish Language).

Brittas Bay - Cuan an Bhriotáis - “Brittas” derives from the Anglo-Norman bretasse, meaning a temporary wooden breastwork. It is a reasonably common element in Irish placenames and there are three examples of the placename Brittas in county Wicklow.

Glenmacnass - Gleann Log an Easa - The glen of the hollow of the waterfall.

Scarr - Scor - Rock pinnacle.

Annamoe - Áth na mBó - The ford of the cows. 

Devils Glen [recte Devil’s Glen] - An Gleann Mór - The English name, Devil’s Glen, appears to be a late creation from the 18^th century. The earlier name for this may have been Portdarge, deriving from (An) Port Dearg, “(The) red embankment”: “Portdarg… Portdarge… Portdoribeg… seems to have been the name of the Devil’s Glen behind Glenmore House” . The whole glen seems to have been called “Glanmore” which derives from (An) Gleann Mór “(The) big glen.”

Nun's Cross [recte Nunscross] -  “Nunn was a family name in Wicklow and Wexford in the 18^th century, and this name probably means Nunn’s cross-roads. It is likely that the name gave rise to the local story that a skeleton found here was that of a nun who had been immured in the wall."  The surname Nunn seems to have arrived in Ireland with the Cromwellians.

Glenmalure - Gleann Molúra - The glen of Molúra. “Molúra” is probably a personal name.

Rathnew - Ráth Naoi - “Ráth” meaning fort. “Naoi” is probably a personal name.

Glendalough - Gleann Dá Loch - The glen of the two lakes.

Poulinass - Poll an Easa - The pool of the waterfall.

Tomriland - Tom Réileáin - The element réileán, “level space” is found in the place-name Ryland in Wexford, and Tomriland could undoubtedly reflect derivation from Tom Réileáin. The anglicised element “tom” can represent Irish tom, “bush, clump, tuft” or tuaim, “tumulus, mound.” 

River Liffey - An Life - An Life is well attested in Irish literature as the Irish name of the river, but the meaning of the name is unclear.

Lough Dan - Loch Deán - The meaning is unclear.

Lough Tay - Loch Té = Luggala Lake. Té, “hot” is found in Old Irish but this is hardly what is referred to in Loch Té! Téa is also found as the name of the mythical eponym of Tara in Irish tradition and it is possibly the second element.

Inchavore river - An Inse Mhór - Inse = island or river meadow. Mór = big.

Kanturk - Ceann Toirc - the wild boar’s peak.

Glenealo river - Abhainn Ghleann Abhlach - Glenealo = The glen abounding in apple trees.

Bonagrew Little - An Bhánóg Rua - Explained by John O’Donovan as Bun na gCrodh, “bottom of the cattle folds,” in the Ordnance Survey (OS) namebooks (1839), but the occurrence of “Red Park” written on the OS 6” map (1839) sways the evidence towards derivation from Bánóg Rua, from which “Red Park” could be translated.

This information was provided by the Place names commission and from 'Place Names of County Wicklow'  by Liam Price.

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Dreamtime

The book 'Wicklow Photographs' opens with a quote from 'Dreamtime' by John Moriarity, courtesy of The Lilliput Press.

The quote was brought to my attention by my friend Timothy Tate. It seemed to encapsulate the conciousness I find myself in when taking the majority of my landscape photographs.

'On a calm day in the mountains, I postponed all purpose and allowed my spirit to be still. When I was as calm as the lake was I mirrored the mountains  serenely as it did. Mirroring them, I didn't modify them. No ebbing into self awareness shimmered them. Clear, like the lake, to my very depths, they touched the quick in me with their unperturbed, ageless summits. By nightfall there was no me.... All of this wasn't something I did. All of this, when I surrendered to them, was something my surroundings did for me. It was with my surroundings that I walked into myself and found eternity.' - John Moriarty

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The Black Backs.....

A wonderful poem from Carol Boland one of the Wicklow Writers

The black backs of the herd stand out against the dim green of the field and the curves of their shapes are repeated and magnified in the curves of the hills towering above them. The peace is so grand here, so sharp that swallows cut their teeth on it and crying babies latch on the nipple to swell the silence.

But I hear the land breathe like an asthmatic searching for her inhaler, and the drooling poppies are too red for this day.-Carol Boland

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An Encounter at Glendalough

While walking through Glendalough last year with some friends from Montana, a tour guide called  Bill Bodger  from Wild Wicklow Tours approached us and began to tell us about the history of Glendalough. He told us a bit of a local joke- ' if you're looking for a husband or wife you should walk clockwise around the round tower three times, if you wanted to rid yourself of one, walk around the other way.'

Then Bill told us this.....

 'Six years ago I had two young Policemen visit from New York...They had been working on Ground Zero without a break for 36 days...and they said when they visited here (Glendalough) the weight of the world lifted off their shoulders...so there is a spirituality here, those guys felt it'

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