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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Drystone walling on the foot of The Rock of Cashel

On Monday a few of the members of the association met up at the foot of The Rock of Cashel to promote both the DSWA of Ireland and Fellow association member  Tom Pollard's Fly a flag for Ireland campaign, for a segment to be shown on an RTE documentary "How to be Irish"  
Tom's Fly a flag for Ireland campaign. Please show your support by clicking on the link and 'like' the facebook page  
Tom's Fly a flag for Ireland campaign is looking to put some colour, positivity and pride back in our Country. Showing our elected representatives and European neighbours that we are a proud and colourful independent nation. Tom is asking for everyone who calls Ireland their home to show their pride for this amazing country and decorate early for St. Patrick's Day. We decorate early for Christmas Day and Halloween, so why not St. Patrick's Day? asks Tom. 
And what better way of showing our pride and Irishness than building a traditional drystone wall in the epic backdrop of one of our most visited national monuments?

The Rock of Cashel
For those of you unfamiliar with The Rock of Cashel here is a brief description from megalithicireland.com
The Rock of Cashel, banded with limestone outcrops, rises 200 feet above the surrounding plain. AKA Cashel of the Kings or Patrick's Rock (Irish: Carraig Phádraig), it is asscociated in legend with St Patrick, but the site was originally the seat of the Kings of Munster. The site was donated to the church in 1101 by Muirchertach O Briain, King of Munster. The buildings we see today date from the 12th century, the oldest and also the tallest being the 28 metre ( 98 feet ) high round tower. The other building at Cashel are influenced by Hiberno-Romanesque or Germanic architecture.
Follow the link above to read more about The Rock of Cashel.

There is something very special about repairing old drystone walls, each stone rich in lichen and moss, once again sitting proud in the wall where it came from. Looking up at the masterful craftsmanship of the stone structure that makes up the Rock of Cashel not only inspires you to do quality work, it also fills you with a sense of responsibility to ensure that these skills are kept alive and passed on, so that future generations will have the knowledge and the will to keep this integral part of our heritage and countryside intact.    


For more photos and information about our Dry Stone Wall Association of Ireland meetup at Cashel check out my blog post on the DSWAI site here


7 comments:

  1. I love dry stone walling. We see quite a bit of it around here. Dciane

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  2. What an amazing project to be working on! I think the history surrounding you would be also be very inspiring, makes me wish I was in Ireland.

    Brenda

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  3. That wall is lovely. My favorite walls are the dry laid stone walls. I think they blend better in the landscape. Beautiful!

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  4. I was lucky enough to visit Cashel last year: a brilliant place to visit (the ruins are beautiful, and also saw lots of birds) - only made better by a new wall I'm sure!

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  5. I love those old sock walls! Some of my ancestors came from Ireland, so perhaps that is where my love for stone came from. My dream is to have stone walls similar to the one you show in my own garden, if on a smaller scale.

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  6. We're you carving too ? I think The rock is an amazing structure, you can only imagine how they must have viewed it nearly a thousand years ago.

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  7. Great blog, thanks.
    We live in New England and are blessed to own 2 acres of land and a good supply of field stones. Over the last 14 years we have manged to build 2,000'+ of mostly 32" x 32" dry walls, double-sided.
    This blog has inspired me to try several new projects.
    Keep up the good work. How can I help the site.
    Tom H. Rhode Island

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