granuaile

Nice! Will you be pretending to be a pirate? :) Went there a few years ago on the recommendation by the Saw Docs... a line in the song mentions skinny dipping. Well I dipped my big toe into that water and it dropped off through cold and sheer fright. No skinny dipping for me! Apart from the barrels and the clothes, it looks the same!

Didn't we have a companion piece to this a few months back? Lovely photo. That scene in the background between the harbour walls is like something out of a Constable painting.

Sue Parry Always pretend to be a pirate would be my Modus Operandi! Will have to try to get a shot from the same angle... :)

Fabulous old image. I'm officially jealous!

[http://www.flickr.com/photos/eyelightfilms] We did indeed! This is it.

SS Granuaile--between 1895-1915 was operated by the Congested Districts Board

In a letter to "Granny" published on The Childrens's Page of Weekly Irish Times on Saturday 30 June 1906, 14-year-old Mary Howe of Caherciveen writes of her family's outing to Valencia;

A regatta is held every year in Valencia Harbour. There is always a great gathering of people and excitement at it. I, with the rest of our family, go to it every year and you may be quite sure that we come home pleased with our day’s outing. We had the pleasure of seeing the Secretary for Ireland at Reenard Point the other evening. He came in the steamer Granuaile. A large number of the townspeople came down and told him their wants. He came up from the point that evening in his motor car, and passed through the town.

For her letter Mary won one of the 3 "Granny's Hampers" awarded that week for the best letters.

Mr French was upstairs in the Royal Valentia Hotel - see streetview - www.google.com.au/maps/@51.9262146,-10.2876545,3a,75y,80.... Not sure if these are earlier or later - catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000041644 catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000320504 catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000333259

Amazing number (31) of "Valentia Hotel" photos inside and outside in the NLI catalogue - catalogue.nli.ie/Search/Results?lookfor=valentia+hotel&am...

There seems to have been an inclination at one time for using T for the town/port and C for the island.

After the crew had been rescued by the Tenedos they were transferred to a local motor boat and landed at Valentia, Valencia Island.

(Shields Daily News - Saturday 22 July 1939)

Rev G L Swain. M.A, to the Rectory of Valentia, Valencia Island

(Hampshire Advertiser - Saturday 18 August 1906)

FLOWER SHOW AT VALENTIA: The first Flower Show ever held in Valencia Island ...

(Kerry Evening Post. - Saturday 27 August 1892) Presumably the writers assume that because there are 2 spellings, each must refer to a different entity. But mostly they are randomly interchangeable

RECREATION HALL FOR VALENTIA ISLAND. Last week a large and representative meeting of the people of Valencia Island

(Kerry Evening Post. - Wednesday 11 April 1906)

Could this group of well-dressed people be from the Congested Districts Board as Niall McAuley suggests? I was wondering that myself, but am unsure about the involvement of women... It would be a fantastic capture of CDB people in action. But they may just be tourists.

Interesting group watching the work, obviously visitors to the island. I took a look for photos of the actual CDB members, and there are a few in the nli archive, but they look maler and moustachier than this group:

flic.kr/p/4kiVY5 on flickr 2007

What a superb image! Never seen so many wooden barrels in one place
(nearly said 'plaice'!)!

Niall McAuley Yes, and there's a distinct lack of moustachiness in this group. Just one fine example of beardiness...