abbey

Flickr is sometimes amazing... Shay Connolly has this photo from 2013

The battlements seem to have been replaced by an extra floor level

I think today's photo is a fair while before this Keogh Bros one from 1911 (with a motor car). Particularly the creeper on the right -

From - www.historicalpicturearchive.com/shop/pictures/tp-00047/

The railings and lamps (and presumably stairs) are there in the 1911 photo, but not there on the 25" map. Forgotten how to find the map date, but someone will know ...

Aha! Mr French / Lawrence revisited the Guest House later, when the railings and creeper on the right were there - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000042469

About 5 months ago our friend An Poc Ar Buile commented "Should Irish Tourism Association be Irish TOURIST Association? I can find numerous primary sources for the latter in the NLI catalogue, but the only results for the former are the photos in this collection. A search of the Irish Newspaper Archives for "Irish Tourism Association" between 1940 and 1944 produces zero results, but "Irish Tourist Association" produces 1,858 results." After some time, we replied as follows: The archive was opened, and the records were searched and researched, and it transpires that you are correct. Our colleagues report “We are sorry for having caused him unnecessary research. He’s quite right – the record should have read Irish Tourist Association. Along the way, transferring to Special Collections cataloguing, the word was changed from Tourist (as in our own original records) to Tourism”. Well done An Poc Ar Buile

Oh Matron! - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheela_na_gig Flickr is sometimes amazingly close up and personal! In 2020 via Stefan Lassus "Cork, Ballyvourney Church & Sheela-na-gig In the S wall of nave at Ballyvourney old church lintel, forming head of window light, has carving on outside face. The figure cut in false relief immediately above chamfer of window light; figure portrayed with torso, head and arms. The hands may be crossed at the navel rather than pointed downwards as suggested by Andersen described it as 'female figure cut into an ovoid depression'." Ed. Album - flic.kr/s/aHsmM1xq9X

William Fraser was there sketching before 1905 - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000743688 Ed. and again - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000737240

Controvesy ... "Situated above a window on the south wall of the older church in a Victorian style setting. This is one of the few sheelas that still plays an active part in pilgrimage to this site, on the feast day of St. Gobnait, 11 Feb and rubbing of the image is part of that ritual. As it was a very sunny day I was able to make out the lower rib cage on the image at the old church, but apart from the fact that this image has it’s hands joined in front, there are not sufficient features to make this a sheelanagig. And with the ovoid enclosure this may be a much later replacement for the original, if it ever existed." From - www.irelands-sheelanagigs.org/sheelas/another-8/

Streetview of St Gobnait's Bruch An t'Sulain maps.app.goo.gl/6arDfCQqeEFEHbkq9

I think that's supposed to be "French" rather than Trench - it says "Sir Piter French Mary Browne" on it, after all.

The Abbey. St. Francis Street. Galway.. www.flickr.com/photos/chethams_library/9038815615/in/albu...

1652 The friars of this house were banished and the monuments and works of the abbey were defaced by Cromwell's soldiery. The marble tomb of Sir Peter French knt which was richly gilt and adorned sculptures was entirely destroyed part of the polished marble was by governor Stubbers into chimney pieces and the remainder sent England and disposed of at a considerable price. and Part of the under works of this monument were dug up about the year 1779 and by order of father Anthony Carrol a pious and learned Franciscan were placed in the wall of the sacristy and near the lower entrance to the chapel In the latter are sculptured figures of saint Patrick and saint Nicholas the patron of the town with the family arms of Browne and crest of French beneath which are engraved the names Peter French and Mary Browne. From here which is dicussing the Franciscan Friary in Galway.

Those Republicans have a lot to answer for! Exquisite carving on this, really fine workmanship to survive so long!

The doorway of Sir Peter's House on Market St. was still there in the early 20th Century. It had coat of arms of both French and Browne as well.