Ireland & walls

On Sherkin Island, just off the coast of Cork in SW Ireland you can find some of the most unusual dry stone walls anywhere.

The specimen on the left is a 'single' wall and is quite common on the island. These are about 3.5ft high.







I'd been on Sherkin several times and never seen this one, until one day on the ferry to birdwatch on Cape Clear island the weather forced the ferryman to take us via the steep eastern side of the island. My eye attracted to a wall on the distant hillside I decided a closer look was in order.

The dog, by the way, is mine and she's Jilly a border collie X retriever.








And so several weeks passed before I had the opportunity. The wall runs for just a couple of hundred yards along the top of steep cliffs. It was built to keep cattle from straying over the cliffs.

So far as I'm aware these are the only pictures in existence of this rather unusually built wall, which still functions to keep cattle out of harms way.

 Excellent modern walling just outside Drimoleague in Co. Cork

The Cheek of some people

I was asked by a Park Ranger I know well, if I minded him giving someone my details as "They knew someone from a local college who wanted someone to do a bit of a demonstration to some students".

This was no problem and a little later I got a 'phone call from a horticultural lecturer who told me what they wanted - unfortunately there was no budget for the demo. Not a real problem as it was only a few miles down the road and it would hopefully give me some publicity. Helpfully the lecturer said that they'd be doing the 'cutting back' in the morning and could I come in the afternoon. Ever helpful I explained that I'd come in the morning as people who are inexperienced often cut good layers out.

I was told that this was not necessary as the owner of the hedge had asked this group to do it anyway as he was going to lay the rest of the hedge himself.

"Why isn't he doing the demonstration then?", I asked.

I was told, "Well, he's another college lecturer and he's with another group and doesn't want to loose any pay by having time off".

But he expects me to give up half a day but not himself!

I can't believe it!!!!

My Walls

When I lived in Ireland, us 'Masons' as we were called often clad houses in stone as the stone was rather irregular and probably not suitable for cutting into 4" blocks like it is in Yorkshire.

This rather blank north facing wall has two windows in it which appear blocked up. There were never windows there of course - I just did this as a feature. Both windows also come at ceiling height so someone will have some puzzling to do in years to come.

The stone was from an old dismantled wall/ditch
Stone seats and wall.

This is West Cork Ireland. The seats are two slabs of liscannor limestone and the pillars for the seats are concrete blocks plastered with coloured sand/cement mixture.







A part of a retaining wall along with steps and seat














More of my walls here and here
The wall outside our house I built from waste quarry material and some bought in stone.