pilgrim

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

This aircraft was destroyed a bit under six years after this photo was taken; on 21 February 1982, on flight PM458 from LaGuardia to Boston via Bridgeport, New Haven, and Groton, the isopropanol windshield washer/deicer sprung a leak and started a fire in the cockpit and cabin. Both pilots were severely burned, but they managed to crash-land it on the ice of Scituate Reservoir in Rhode Island and save the lives of 10 of 11 on board.