The wind blew us down to Donegal town. Still festive looking, Christmas lights still up. After dinner at the Harbour (always nice food!) we walked it over to McCaffertys Bar, known for the craic and the music and biggest venue in town. That night it wasn’t big enough though, the queues stretched endless and it was freezing cold. Landed in the Reel Inn instead, handmade music all night, with a set including guitar, piano and spoons. What shall I say? The craic was ninety.
The Allingham Arts Festival is one of meanwhile five notable festivals in Ballyshannon in the course of the year. And because the poet William Allingham, beside Rory Gallagher Ballyshannons most famous son, was born 200 years ago this year, the organizers put together an impressive program with more than 60 events – with drama, film, literature, music and witty entertainment. It starts today, check it out!
The Macnas-parade in Galway is famous for being one of the most spectacular, artistic Halloween-events in the country. This year it was unusually short and very, very wet – the weather really did not play along. Nevertheless: Halloween in Ireland is far more than “trick or treat”.
Rugged, too cool, bad weather, no trees?
Sounds bad, but put together it makes for – pure beauty.
The last “chapter” is Donegal by the way.
This has nothing to do with Donegal or Ballyshannon, I know, but it is too beautiful not to mention: The second digitalisation of the iconic Book of Kells should have been national (and international) news. I is a gift to the public, payed for with public money, and it is something to be proud about.
The Book of Kells is a medieval Bible-manuskript dated to aprx. the year 800. It is a historic treasure: The illustrations and ornamentation of the Book of Kells surpass those of other Insular Gospel books in extravagance and complexity. The decoration combines traditional Christian iconography with the ornate swirling motifs typical of Insular, celtic art. Figures of humans, animals and mythical beasts, together with Celtic Knots and interlacing patterns in vibrant colours, enliven the manuscript’s pages. It’s iconography inspired graphics of “celtic type”, you find motives from the book in present day jewellery, paintings, clothes – whatever you can think of.
The book’s dimensions are only 330 by 250 mm, so pretty small really. In 1986 a first full-colour facsimile was produced, based on photos, and in 2006 Trinity College produced a first digital scan. That was exciting, but by scientific measures it was not enough. In September 2024 Trinity published a second scan – and that shows the book in all its beauty and bigger than live: pictures of 2379 x 3150 px are almost what you would call “8K” in the world of TVs. What that means? They are big enough to print them out as wallpapers, if you’d like to.
Or just have a peek at it here and now. You can zoom into the pictures with your mouse. If you want to see the book full-screen, use the link above.
We now offer Autumn-, Winter- and Spring-Specials.
Day-prices are reduced between September and March, and there is a 20%-extra-rebate for weekly bookings. Long-term-stays can be negotiated: just contact us.
Check it out!