Planes, Trains, Buses, or taxi's??

Hello Friends!

Ok, so here we sit with 115 days to go and I am sure that to some of you that may sound like a long time and well yes it is relatively still a good amount of time. But for me, being the person who wants to have her travel plans run as smoothly as possible there are still alot of things that I still have yet to do. One of the things that I have been dealing with is how Dan and I are going to get from London to Norwich. You see when we booked our flight we wanted to take a flight that would be as direct a flight as possible. Alot of the flights that we looked at had long layovers and multiple stops. It would have taken us almost 2 days to reach Norwich. Sounds insane doesn't it? That is what we thought. I couldn't believe that we couldn't find a direct flight. So after searching the best we could find was a non-stop flight from Los Angeles to London. its a 9 hour flight and I am sure most of you think "oh that isn't that bad. Well lets see......first of all, I hate to fly and second I am claustrophobic. yeah so I am not exactly looking forward to spending 9 hours on a plane! However, the upside to all of this is that we leave at 6pm and don't arrive in London until 12:30 the next day (due to the time difference) so I am hoping that I can get my Doctor to give me something to make the trip bearable and maybe make me sleep. 

 Anyway, back to the story Dawn and her husband Daz live in Norwich (Duh you should have got that by now) which is about 4 hours from London. So Dan and I have been trying to figure out the fastest and cheapest way to get from London to Norwich. Holy Cow! who knew that would turn out to be such a mess. Trying to figure it out was complicated to say the least. Not only because of the currency difference but we have NO idea what train to take to get from the airport to get to Norwich  or what Bus to take. And let me tell you, its not like you can just jump on 1 train that takes you to your destination. Oh no that would be too easy!  Lets see the train,  you would have to take from the airport ( oh and that is depending on what terminal you arrive in since apparently Heathrow is a HUGE airport I am guessing it makes LAX look like some airport in some little hicktown!) then it goes into London, then you change trains once or twice, then it finally takes you to Norwich but its a 3 hour trip. Oh and by bus, well at least by bus you can catch it directly from the airport but its a 4-5 hour bus ride. And the cost...yikes yeah it was pretty steep. However, Dawn and Daz came to our rescue!!!  They will be picking us up from the airport in London and then the 4 of us will be driving back to Norwich.

This makes me so happy. As I was a bit sad at the thought of not seeing her face when we walked off the plane. Since that was one of the things that I had pictured in my mind when I had thought about my seeing her for the first time. So now I am happy at knowing that she will be there when I walk off that plane. She will be a sight for sore eyes!! I am sure there will lots of tears,laughter and hugs! And I have already told Dan that he will need to video the entire thing! And I am sure that Daz will be recording it from their end too!  I am so excited about all the things that we will be doing and seeing while we are with them, but most of all I am just excited about having the chance to sit and talk with her look in her eyes, hold her hand and just be able to talk to her face to face. She is my soul sister we have been on this earth many times before she and I, in many different places in many different bodies. But I think we have always managed to find our way back to each other one way or another. there is something that we still have yet to learn from each other and until that has been accomplished our lives on this earth will not be complete.

Ok well enough for today my friends...until the next time. Be well and Blessed Be.

Weeting Castle

Weeting Castle is in South Norfolk and it is actually not a castle but more of a Manor house. And it is one of the places that Dawn and her husband Darryl (or Daz which is his nickname) will be taking Dan and I. I am really looking forward to visiting Weeting Castle not only for the historical aspect but also for the paranormal. It is said to be quite haunted. I only wish that I could pack Carrie and Dom in my suitcase and take them along with me!! As I am sure they would love to investigate it just as much as I will. But maybe I will get lucky and get some good evidence to bring back for them!

So lets get down to some history on Weeting Castle-

In the 1130's Hugh De Plais, a tenant of William De Warenne, Earl of Surrey, started the construction of his family home. It was a good time to be building in Norfolk. Warenne's own state-of-the-art construction at Castle Acre was well underway in these years, as was the magnificent Castle Rising, built by the powerful D'Albinis on the North-West coast of the County near Lynn. Over in Suffolk Hugh Bigod was rebuilding his family's castle at Framlingham of stone. Weeting was a less grand affair, but it presents us with a rare surviving example of a 12th century Manor house. Weeting Castle is an example of how the lesser gentry lived as opposed to the great magnates of state, the tenants in chief of the King. By the mid-12th century the Norman elite who had conquered along with King William were well established in England.  They were stamping their authority and growing wealth with series of grand buildings.

Recent excavations have unearthed evidence of a Saxon settlement dating from at least the 10th century. Ditches, burnt daub, post-holes and pottery and a coin have been dated from this era. This should not come as a surprise, the area had been a hive of industry since prehistoric times, with the mysterious Grimes Graves flint mines having been worked since at least 3,000 BC. Norfolk was a well settled county before the Normans came, with Great East Anglian landowners like Archbishop of Canterbury Stigand owning many Manors. The new feudal owners often just demolished what was there already and built on top of it. Weeting is listed in the Domesday Book, spelt Wetynge meaning "wet fields".

What was the house like?  Made of mortared flint rubble with stone dressings, it was originally designed as a free-standing, two story building with a lesser hall and chamber above. Its design was copied essentially  from Warennes Castle Acre. Later in the 1100's the halls were combined to create a more impressive aisled hall open to a timbered roof.  The hall was the most important room, hosting guests and the scene for important events. Each side of the hall supported benches with a dais and tables at the far end. Next to the hall was a service area, complete with pantry and buttery. On the other side of the open courtyard a free standing kitchen was later built for preparing animal and other food items. This no doubt smelly and messy part of the house was hidden from view by a wall, so genteel visitors crossing the moat to come into the hall wouldn't have to see it.

Historians think the moat, added in the 13th century was less a defensive device than it was an ornamental status symbol. The De Plais family were living the good life in this part of Norfolk and they wanted friends and neighbors to think well of them by displaying their wealth. The moat, which survives today but is now dry, is about 6ft deep and up to 30 ft wide. The family had their own private chamber beyond the hall. Divided into three story's, with a central fireplace it had its own latrine block which was the last word in the luxury hygiene of its day, three cubicles drained into the room at ground level. They were cleaned through a small door near the moat.

During the late 14th century the house came into the possession of the Howard family. This ambitious clan eventually captured the title of Dukes of Norfolk, coming to national prominence during the rule of Henry VIII. With great many properties making up their portfolio. Weeting had low priority and was abandoned by about 1390. In time it was incorporated into the grounds of the now demolished Weeting Hall, and became an ornamental, romantic ruin for the owners to show off. A domed ice house was built during the later 18th century. These buildings were used to store ice throughout the year.

Well my friends there you have it, that is the history on Weeting Castle. I hope you enjoyed it and found it to be as interesting as I have.

Until next time......

Apes and Ashes oh my........

Well I am sure that title has you scratching your head a bit.  So let me explain.  If you have been following my blog from the beginning you know that one of the main reasons for Dan and I taking this trip is to pay tribute to my parents and to make their wish of going to Ireland come true (even if it is not in their physical body).  Originally I was just going to sneak some of their ashes in my makeup bag, but I had a friend/co-worker bring up a good point to which I hadn't really thought about. And that is what are they gonna say when they x-ray my luggage and see bits of bone? So I decided if I am gonna do this Mom and Dad would want me to do this the proper way. So I went thru the proper channels and got the paperwork needed to transport their ashes with us to Ireland.  So Mom and Dad now have all their legal documents and are ready for travel!  I know that they will be with us on our journey as we leave a little of them in each of the beautiful places we visit in their honor.  I will be sure to add pictures of each of the places as we go to share with you all.

And now to explain the Apes..........

Dawn had asked if there was anything in particular that Dan and/or I wanted to do while we are in Norwich.  For me its all about seeing the ancient ruins, haunted locations, and just the history of where they live. But Dan........yeah well leave it to my husband to have to go and find the one thing that would be the last thing I would choose to do!!!!  Now if you know me you know that I am claustrophobic and afraid of heights. So, with that said.....yep you guessed it! My adoring husband has to go and pick the one activity that involves Heights!!!!  It is a park called "Go Ape" and it is full of zip lines thru the trees, rope ladders, and swings etc.

After I went to the website and watch just the short opening video my heart was racing, my hands were shaking and I looked and him and simply said " Are you F*&king Crazy?!?!?! I am NOT doing that!!!!!! You must me out of your ever loving mind if you think your getting me to do that!!! "   But of course I love my husband and this is something he really wants to do, that and I cant resist that look that he gives me when he really wants something.  So, I am going to TRY and do this. I told him I am not making any promises I may chicken out. Dawn and her husband Daryl will be going with us but they will be going as spectator as Dawn is like me and scared of heights. So they will be on the ground taking pictures and video. So I am sure there will  be pictures and maybe video to post of me screaming! But, I have a back up plan........if I chicken out (which is very likely!) Daryl can take my place!!! LOL Since he is crazy like my husband I figure the two boys can go have some play time!  They would be like a couple of 6 year old!   But I am going to do my best to suck it up and do this because I know Dan really wants me to do it with him and he is always such a trooper doing things I want to do, So it time for me to return the favor, despite my fear.  Isn't that what love is about? Doing things you wouldn't normally do, or things that frighten you? But having faith in the person you love know they would never let anything hurt you.  I have 134 days to work up the courage!!!!   If you want to check out the Go Ape website to see what its all about go to http://www.goape.co.uk/

Well my friends until next time.....Blessed Be.

Irish Blessings and sayings

So today I thought I would go off my usual protocol of giving you information on places we will be seeing or want to see. I thought today I would just share with you some good ole fashion Irish blessings, proverbs and sayings. The Irish definitely have a way with words! I hope you enjoy these!

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you

(This one has always been my favorite)

Now sweetly lies old Ireland
Emerald green beyond the foam,
Awakening sweet memories,
Calling the heart back home

May your heart be warm and happy
With the lilt of Irish laughter
Every day in every way
And forever and ever after.

Ireland is where strange tales begin
and happy endings are possible.

The Legend of Ireland's Magic Harp  In the misty hills of Ireland
A long, long time ago,
There lived a lovely Irish lass
Who loved her father so. One day he went to fetch some wood,
But he did not soon return,
And so his loving daughter's heart
Was filled with great concern. She searched for him throughout the day,
And when a fog came in
She wept, for she was fearful
They would never meet again. Then suddenly, a little band
Of leprechauns came by.
They all were very saddened.
To hear the lovely maiden cry. They asked if they might have a lock
Of her long and golden hair,
Then tied the silken strands across
A crooked limb with care. 'Twas a magic harp they'd made,
And when the maiden touched each strand,
The music led her father home
Across the misty land. And to this day the harp remains
A cherished symbol of
The blessings of the hearth and home
The Irish dearly love.

Bless you and yours
As well as the cottage you live in.
May the roof overhead be well thatched

May those who love us love us.
And those that don't love us,
May God turn their hearts.
And if He doesn't turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles,
So we'll know them by their limping.
And those inside be well matched.

Always remember to forget
The friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember
Those that have stuck by you.

I hope that you have enjoyed some of these great little diddies as My father would say. Until the next time!

C'ead Mile Failte (Gaelic for "A hundred thousand welcomes")

Scattery Island

Scattery Island

Scattery Island is one of the most fascinating places in all of Ireland to visit, and relatively few tourist make it there. The tiny island is on the Shannon River and was inhabited from 534 when St. Senan established a monastery there, until the last Islander left in 1978.

Even before St. Senan arrived, Scattery was a place famed in legend. Local people believed it was home to a terrifying monster called "The Cata" a sort of evil sea serpent, which may have given the Island its unusual name. Another theory is that the names derives from the Norse word Scatty, which means treasure, and dates to the time when the Vikings raided and ransacked the Monastery there.

On his arrival St. Senen established his credentials early by banishing the serpent without delay and commencing the building of a monastery. Several of the buildings on the Island date back to St. Senan's time, including the round tower - at 120 ft one of the highest in Ireland -  but perhaps his most famous legacy is the name of the great river on which his monastery stood: The Shannon is named after him.

He died in 544 and was buried on the Island at a place now known as St. Senan's Bed. However his monastery continued to thrive for almost 3 centuries, becoming widely renowned for the austerity of the lives led by the monks there.

In 816 the Vikings raided Scattery, killing many monks and plundering the Monastery. they returned on several occasions afterwards, eventually establishing a settlement there. The location of the Island gave them easy river access to as far away as Limerick, where they held power on and off until the early 1100's, retreating to their Island when the local people periodically gained the upper hand.

By the 15th century the Normans had arrived in Ireland, and the Vikings had long departed. The O"Cahane family had taken possession of the Island and commenced work on a a small castle or tower house. Today this castle appears to be in ruins, but in fact it is an unfinished building, for reasons unknown work on it was never completed. However the O'Cahanes remained as one of the foremost families on the Island until the 20th century.

In 1588 Seven Spanish Armada ships sail into the Shannon and anchored in the harbour at Scattery. They were battered and wounded from battle and sought to repair and seek reprovisions for their vessels, but were not greeted with open arms. The island by this time housed a garrison of Queen Elizabeth's army and though the Spaniards offered locals a ships in return for help with repairs, they were refused, presumably because of fear of the potential repercussions. During their seven day stay, the Spaniard's were forced to abandon a particularly badly damaged ship, burning and then sinking it in the river.

The Shannon was always an artery of travel and with its easily navigable channel also a place where invaders could potential gain access to huge swathes of English held territory. It was this risk that led to the building of a series of coastal batteries, or defences, in the 18th century.

The remains of the battery stands still on the southern end of the Island, protected by a block house which also accommodated soldiers. The battery itself is a D shaped building surrounded by a moat and provided mounts for six large cannons pointing towards the rivers estuary. They were ready for an invasion -  but it never came.

From the 15th century until it was finally abandoned in 1978, only 9 families lived on Scattery. Their lives always centered around the river and they traditionally provided river pilots who guided ships and boats on their journeys.

The Island is almost unique in Ireland as one of the few places where the population actually increased during the years of the famine, rising to a high of 141 people by 1881. Most of them lived at an area known simply as "The Street", of which only a few ruined houses now remain.

The islanders were a close knit people and had their own unique custom and culture. Best known is their unique approach to burying their dead. Most Irish graveyards are, and have always been, very well tended by local people and visited regularly, but this was not the case on Scattery. The jumble of disorganized gravestones still visible in and around Teampeall Na Marbh (The Church of the Dead) exists because the islanders only ever entered burials areas twice for each death. The first occasion was for the burial, after which the grave digger left their shovels lying crossed on the grave. The second visit was a month later, on an occasion known as "Flagging day" when the shovels were removed and a gravestone was erected.

It was believed that in the intervening time the departing soul resided in Purgatory. After the stone was erected, a bottle was broken over the grave and holy water scattered on it releasing its occupant to heaven. The grave was then never visited again.



I think that Scattery Island will be an interesting place to visit. I am hoping that we will get a chance to visit there. Looks like it will make for a great photo opportunity!!  It seems as if the time is going so slowly. As I sit here today writting this we still have 155 days to go!!! UGH.... Seems like it will never get here. But I am sure that when it finally does it will go by quickly! lol wont that just figure! Well gonna have to start doing some research on what to write about next. If anyone has an idea or suggestion on something you would like ot hear about let me know and I would be happy to write about it! Heck, I would be happy to even add it to our list of places to see :-)

Well kiddies....until the next time!

Tomband, Norwich

I received another email from Dawn the other day and she sent me some information about the Tombland of Norwich. I am really looking forward to checking this out!


By day Norwich's Tombland district is a major draw for tourists and locals alike, housing numerous historical buildings and being flanked between the majestic Cathedral and Elm Hill. The immediate area also boasts many excellent cafes and restaurants.

Situated at one end of Tombland are the Maids Head Hotel and Samson & Hercules House. Booth have ghost stories associated with them, and when you explore their heritage a little further it is perhaps easy to understand why.

Maids Head

 

 The Maids Head dates back to the 13th Century, when it was called the  "Murtle Fish".  The name is said to have changed following a visit by Queen Elizabeth I to Norwich in 1578. Rumors that she stayed at Maids Head are contradicted by tales that it was full at the time and so she stayed elsewhere in the vicinity. Like most places visited by the Royal Party in 1578, the Black Death or Plague was destined to follow in its wake. It has been suggested that a member of the large party spread the plague as they travelled from place to place and Norwich was no exception. From August 1578 to February 1579 almost 5000 victims of the plague were recorded in the city. In total almost half the entire population of Norwich may have perished from the Plague during this time.  While rats thrived in the narrow alleyways, the grim cry of  "Bring out your dead" rang throughout the city. As the number  of bodies grew in colossal number, formal burials were abandoned in favour of mass-graves or "plague-pits". Cartloads of bodies were taken to the Cathedral Close, which became a large burial area. The graveyards behind St. George's church are so high as they were raised to accommodate the huge number of bodies.

St. George's Church

It is alleged that the church played an even more sinister role during this time, being the site where opportunistic looters of the dead and dying were taking if caught. As the story goes, after being bound at the ankles and wrists the looters were taken to the top of the church and then dropped head first onto the unforgiving ground some 80 feet below. Their bodies, whether dead or still alive, would then be tossed into the plague pits.

One of the largest plague pits in Norwich was dug beneath the site of the Samson and Hercules, which was for many years a nightclub under various names. Imagine Spending a Friday or Saturday night dancing the night away atop of 5000 plague victims! Yikes! This uniquely grim feature, along with the close proximity to the Cathedral, may be the root cause of numerous tales of hauntings and disturbances in the buildings throughout the years. these include the apparition of a "Lady in Grey". Which is thought to be the ghost of a young girl who apparently starved to death in  the Augustine Steward House after it was boarded up when it became contaminated with the plague. Which was a common practice. Whenever someone in a home came down with the plague the entire house would be boarded up with all of the occupants still inside. Once everyone was dead (usually after a month) they would then go in and remove the bodies. However it is said that this young girl was some how immune to the plague, she survived the plague only to die from starvation.

Augustine Steward House

The Maids Head has also been the location of reported sighting of an elderly lady dressed in grey. Staff and guests who have witnessed her move around the hotel, often accompanied by the scent of lavender. They speculate that she was once a chambermaid employed by the hotel. The ghost of an elderly man believed to be a former Mayor has also been spotted vigorously shaking his head in the courtyard.

Ghosts and spirits are often awaken when remodeling has been done disturbing their peaceful rest. Other ghostly goings on that have been reported in the ancient Tombland district include the ghost of a strangled girl, soldiers, rebels and the sound of the hooves of Oliver Cromwell's slaughtered cavalry and many strange shadow figures.

Three Horseshoe Pub

I recently got an email from Dawn with some information about another Pub that we might be visiting while we are there. Dawn is my go to gal for information on Haunted locations of Norwich and its surrounding areas as well as the general sites of the area. So she sends me information about sites so that I can share them with all of you. I am really looking forward to our visit there. It so beautiful and steeped in history. I know I have been writing alot about Ireland, but make no mistake about it I am equally excited about our visit to Norwich! The things that Dawn has told me have be chomping at the bit to get there and do some exploring!!  So let me get on with tell you about Three Horseshoes Pub!!


Three Horseshoes Pub

The Three Horseshoes Pub is an 18th Century thatched Inn in the Village of Scottow. It has always been known amongst the locals as a pub which strange things happens. The main "Presence" has been nicknamed "George"  over the years. Some say he was a stockman who was killed in the barn, others say he was a soldier from the Second World War. "George" is known to haunt both the main pub and the barn. He seems to lurk around one of the fireplace's in the bar. Many of the past landlords have testified to things going missing or appearing in strange places ( crates of bottles which appear in the middle of doorways, etc). The current landlords have a dog who will often walk down to the end of the room and bark at the fireplace!

In fact, both fireplaces in the main bar have something rather spooky about them. At the opposite end, the large inglenook fireplace was lined some years ago, and during the work various small shelves were found up inside the chimney on which were found several pairs of very small shoes- too small to be children's, but very detailed. No one seems to be sure why they had been placed there and they have been left in their original position.

The main door in the pub often bolts itself - despite the fact that it is both heavy and very stiff! Movement in the cellar is not uncommon either. Heavy banging is often heard between the walls coming from the empty cellar, and a bottle of cognac ejected its cork with some force not so long ago...

Many people have heard heavy, distinctive footsteps in the Barn. The steps happen most frequently in the bar area, but can also be heard at the end of the room where the raised stage is. In fact at a recent party the DJ got so frightened at one point that he had to leave the stage! He was convinced that some one was sitting in the corner watching him! One time during a band rehearsal a local bands lead singer started talking to what he thought was a band member standing behind him, he held a whole conversation then turned to ask why he wasn't getting an answer only to discover that he was alone in the room the whole time!! He also stated he was followed by footsteps the entire length of the barn, sounding as if they were just a few inches behind him and wearing very heavy boots.

A very short stroll away from the Pub is the end of the runway at  RAF (Royal Air Force) Coltishall. This has it's own ghost which is spotted very frequently by both villagers and plane spotters - he is a RAF pilot who was killed during the War and walks across the end of the runway. The main problem is he has no legs!!

Many people have mentioned "feeling" something when they walk in - sometimes a definite feeling, other times just a  "Hairs on the back of your neck" moment. Most people, however are unanimous in the feeling that the ghosts are all friends and not menacing or frightening in any way.



Sounds pretty fascinating doesn't it????? I am telling ya I cant wait to get there and explore all these places! As I have said before I am planning on taking lots of pictures and i will be taking my digital voice recorder in hopes of capturing some EVPs.  Maybe I will get lucky and have something to share with you all!

Leap Castle

This is so typical of me, I make one blog then I get all excited that I go searching for what I want to blog about next! Well that is exactly what I did. I finish writing about the caves of Ireland last night and then today I went and did some searching about the haunted castles of Ireland. And one of the one that stood out the most to me was Leap Castle. It is reportedly one of THE most haunted castles of Ireland.  If you have ever seen the show "Ghost Hunters" which is one of my favorite shows. They have actually been there and done an investigation there. So let me start tell you about Leap Castle!


Leap Castle



Leap Castle

 Leap Castle has a violent and turbulent history. It was built in the 14th or 15th century as a stronghold of the O'Carroll Family, powerful Irish Princes, Chieftains of the area.  The Gaelic name for the castle is  "Leim Ui Bhanain" which means  "The Leap of the O'Bannons".  Under the O'Carroll Chiefs, the  O'Bannon Clan were the first owners of Leap Castle. Later occupied by the O'Carrolls themselves. From here the O'Carroll's would set out for victory and defeat, and here they would bring their brides and there captives.

Leap was an impregnable fortress impervious to attack. In 1513, Leap Castle was attacked by Gerald Fitzgerald, but was  not taken. Gerald Og Fitzgerald of Kildore attacked the castle in 1516. In  1557 during an attack led by the Earl of Sussex, the O'Carroll's made a successful escape. In 1532, on the death of the  O'Carroll Chieftain a fierce rivalry for the leadership erupted within the family. The bitter fight for power turned brother against brother. One of the brothers was a priest. The O'Carroll priest was holding mass for a group of his family in what is now called the "Bloody Chapel", while chanting the holy rites, his rival brother burst into the chapel and  plunged his sword into his brother, fatally wounding him. The wounded priest fell across the altar and died in front of his family. The heinous act of brother killing brother and the blasphemy of a sacred mass cut short by murder is said to have sent an echo of misery ringing throughout the castle.

After the failure of the Revolt of the Earls in 1619 the plantation of Ely O'Carroll took place. Along with the English rulers, loyal protestant Scots and Englishmen settled into the area depriving the local Gaelic population of their land. Leap Castle then passed into the hands of the Darby family. After this many Darby's became High Sheriffs of Kings County.  The most famous Darby is Admiral Sir Henry Darby who fought at the Battle of the Nile and escorted Napoleon Bonaparte into exile after leaving France.

Another source of evil  at Leap Castle was the Oubliette (a form of a dungeon) which was found off the Bloody Chapel.  It was a small room with a drop floor. Prisoners would be pushed into the room to fall through the floor and land on spikes eight feet below. If they were not lucky enough to die quickly on the spikes, they would have died from starvation in a doorless room with a narrow window where they could see others come and go in freedom. Around 1900 workmen who were hired to clean out the Oubliette made hideous discovery, human skeletons laid piled on top of each other. It took three full carts loads to remove all the bones. Among the bones workmen found a pocket watch  made in the 1840's. It is not certain if the dungeon was still in use then.

The Oubliette

Shortly after Leap's dungeons gruesome discovery, a psychic disturbance may have caused the emergence of the Elemental Spirit. In 1659 ownership of Leap Castle passed in marriage from the O'Carroll family to an English family, the Darby's.  The Darby family turned Leap Castle into their family home, with improvements and additions and landscaped gardens. In the late 19th century descendants Jonathan and Mildred Darby were looking forward to raising their family here. The occult was the fashion of the day, and Mildred Darby did some innocent dabbling, despite the Castle's history and reputation for being haunted. Mildred's dabbling with magic awakened the elemental with ferocious velocity.

In 1909 Mildred Darby wrote an article for the Journal Occult Review, describing her terrifying ordeal. "I was standing in the Gallery looking down at the main floor, when I felt somebody put a hand on my shoulder. The thing was about the size of a sheep. Thin gaunting shadowy....its face was human, to be more accurate inhuman. Its lust in its eyes which seemed half decomposed in black cavities stared into mine. The horrible smell one hundred times intensified came up into my face, giving me a deadly nausea. It was the smell of a decomposing corpse." The Elemental is thought to be a primitive ghost that attaches itself to a particular place. It is often malevolent, terrifying and unpredictable.

After Mrs. Darby's experiments in the black arts, Leap Castle has never been the same. Hauntings plague Leap Castle leaving a sinister air throughout the Castle. The Darby's remained at Leap Castle until 1922. Being the home of an English family, it became the target of the Irish struggle for independence. Destroyed by bombs, completely looted, nothing but a burned out shell remained. The Darby's were driven out.

In the 1970's Leap Castle was purchased by an Australian who had a White Witch brought in from Mexico to exorcise the Castle. She spent many hours in the Bloody Chapel, when she emerged she explained that the spirits at Leap Castle were no longer malevolent, but that they wished to remain. In the 1990's during restoration to the Castle the Owner suffered a "freak accident"  which left him with a broken knee cap delaying restoration for for nearly a year. One year later while on a ladder working on restoring the Castle, the ladder suddenly tilted backwards away from the wall causing him to jump several stories resulting in a broken ankle. Both were strange accidents.

The owners say they would be happy to share the castle with the spirits as long as there are no more "occurrences".  In 1991, Leap Castle's Bloody Chapel held christening of the owner's baby daughter. For the first time in centuries the  "Bloody Chapel' was filled with music, dancing, laughter, and most of all love. The day had been a "happy, pleasant, wonderful day". If the troubled spirits of Leap Castle did not leave, maybe they had finally found some peace.


I am really hoping that Dan and I can get a tour of Leap Castle!  Those of you who know me pretty well know that I am really interested in the paranormal and that I belong to a paranormal research group here, so getting the chance to see and walk through one of Ireland most haunted Castle would be like winning the Stanley Cup, World Series and the Superbowl all rolled into one!!!!  I only wish that I could take my fellow investigators with me!! Oh how they would love it!!!!  I could just see Dom now he would be like a kid in a candy store! LOL  Well keep your fingers crossed that I can get a chance to get in there an see it, If not I would be happy with just seeing it from the outside and taking pictures!


Until next time!

Caves Of Ireland

Hello again friends!

So there are a couple of places that I found particularly fascinating while doing my research on places to visit. And those are the Caves of Ireland. If I were to say one was of lesser significance then the other I would have to say it would be Ailwee Caves only because it is smaller then Marble Arch Caves. So let me go ahead and tell you about Ailwee Cave first.


Ailwee Caves


Ailwee Cave

Ailwee caves are located in Ballyvaughan in the County Clare.  Ailwee is part of a cave system created by the action of melting water from a prehistoric ice age on the limestone below the Burren. The stalagmites and stalactites and columns within the cave have formed over about a million years, with an inch of change taking a century or more to occur.  They say that seeing these structures is a very humbling experience.

The most interesting feature of the cave is its many stalagmites and stalactites. These are calcite formations created by the constant slow drip of water through the limestone, each water droplet contributing a few tiny crystals of dissolved minerals to the slow growth of the formation. Some are tiny- just little straws hanging from the ceiling of the cave or small bumps on the ground, but even these have taken thousands of years to form. The large impressive ones have taken up to 350,000 years to reach their present size. The formations have been given names due to their shape, there is the  "Wasp Nest",  "Praying Hands", and the "Carrots". The caves were once used for hibernation by bears, which have been extinct in Ireland for more than 1000 years!


Marble Arch Caves

Marble Arch Cave

The caves at Marble Arch are unlike any other Irish cave by virtue of their sheer scale- an underground river, the Cladagh, runs through caverns of breathtaking splendour, as well as narrow winding passages, and past a beautiful waterfall. Its like entering a subterranean alternate world. The caves have been open to the public since 1985, but were first discovered in 1895 by a pioneering figure in the history of  cave exploration, a Frenchman named Edouard--Alfred Martel. For many decades only those skilled in caving were privy to their beauty, but now they have been carefully developed to allow ordinary mortals in , providing safe ways to getting around without compromising the delicate structure and environment inside.

The caves and their rivers are all under the Cuilcagh Mountain, a very scenic area which since 2004, along with the caves, has been a designated European geopark, in recognition of that importance of its environment and geology. The mountain has a distinctive table-top profile which is a dominant feature of the landscape in Co. Fermanagh, and indeed in bordering Co. Caven- the mountain is half in Northern Ireland and half in Ireland with the border running along its ridge.  The top of the mountain is composed of grit stone, which as you go downward changes to sandstone and shale. Underneath the caves are limestone. This unusual geology has resulted in some very dramatic scenery, with soaring cliffs and steep slopes which provides a challenge for the climbers and walkers with whom the area is very popular.

Cuilcagh Mountain

The middle slopes has one of the best areas of active blanket bog left in Europe. Blanket bog is fast disappearing worldwide, and active efforts to conserve this important heritage is ongoing. The unique habitat of the bog is home to many rate species of plants and is an important breeding site for the Golden Plover and the Peregrine Falcon.

Blanket Bog

Golden Plover

So that is some information on the Caves of Ireland. I am still up in the air on whether or not I want to see Ailwee Caves or not.  Marble Arch Caves really seems to have my interest! Its much bigger and with the underground river and all it just seems like it would be so much more interesting. Plus the Ailwee tour only last 45 minutes where the Marble Caves tour last over 75 minutes! And even though I am claustrophobic I am willing to push  myself to my limits to see this! I cant wait to get there and start sharing stories and picture with you all!!!!

Glendalough

Well I am having so much fun researching all of these wonderful places that Dan and I want to see and sharing them with all of you,that I think I might be getting a bit carried away. I am beginning to wonder if I might run out of places to share with you before we even leave! I mean we still have about 5 months to go! But then I remember.....its England and Ireland!!!!! there is SO much history and beauty to share that it just isn't possible to run out of things to tell you about!!!  And I figure that all this "pre-trip" blogging is your history lesson. So, when we get there you just get to share our excitement and awe as we soak up all the wonders, and the beauty the land has to offer.

Today I thought I would share with you one of the places I am really looking forward to seeing, It is Glendalough, It is located in Wicklow National Park. And it is incredibly beautiful. So, hope you enjoy what I have to share today.

Glendalough

Glendalough, or "The Valley of Two lakes" is a place with which almost everyone is vaguely familiar even before they visit, so famous and iconic are the images of its high round tower.  Surrounded by the stillness and splendour of the Wicklow Mountains its easy to see why St. Kevin chose it first as a place to live the austere life of a hermit and later to find what would become one of the most important early Christian monasteries in Europe.

Even before St. Kevin arrived this was a spiritual place and there is good evidence that it was important in pre-Christian Ireland. Near the Eastern shore of the Upper Lake is a bronze age stone fort or caher. Close to the main Monastery site on land recently bought by the Goverment is a series of seven bullaun stones, known as the "Seven fonts", large stones in which cup shaped depressions have been carved. Their purpose is unknown but is thought to be ritualistic in some way and they date to the bronze age or even earlier.


Wicklow National Park

 St.Kevin is said to have first arrived as a hermit, living on the shores of the upper lake in small cave like place, now known as Kevin's Bed, which was probably a bronze age tomb, though he later built a circular stone hut of which only a few stones remain- St. Kevin's Cell. In the mid-6th century the monastery was founded, by which time St. Kevin was already revered and had a significant following.



St. Kevin's Cave



Whats left of St. Kevin's Cell


 Little is known about the original monastery, which was probably in the area of the upper lake, but it's quickly became a place of pilgrimage to which people flocked in numbers. This is probably why the settlement gradually moved to its current location at the lower lake, which is much more accessible. By the end of the 8th century it was a large and thriving settlement, home to as many as 1000 people and famed as a center of learning throughout Europe. The buildings which survive today were all built between the 8th and 12th century. the best known of these is the 110ft  high round tower, which was built approximately 1000 years ago and used as storage and a place of refuge in times of danger.

In the 11th century the small oratory known as St. Kevin's Kitchen (Not sure why it is called this, it was never a kitchen) was built near the lake. The Priest's house, one of the most complete of the other buildings, is in the middle of the oldest part of the graveyard and was the area where priests and monks were traditionally buried. Most of the graves date back centuries some with elaborate and ornately carved gravestones, others, especially the mass graves of those who died during the famine are simple and sad.  They say there is one grave of an extraordinary man who died in 1768 at the age of 102! Which is exceptional considering at that time the life expectancy was about 35 years. There would once have been many more buildings and they say there is a model in the visitors center of what the settlement probably looked like. It was known at one time as "The seven Churches of Glendalough" so was undoubtedly a very much larger place than it appears today.




St. Kevin's Kitchen


From almost the beginning Glendalough's powerful position in the Irish Christian world made it the target of attacks by those who feared its power, at first probably local chieftains, later the Norman English. It was attacked many times and its churches and houses were burned or broken, but each time it was rebuilt. During the late 14th century Gaelic leaders in Wicklow had achieved considerable power and were perceived as a threat by the English ruler in Dublin. In 1398 the English attacked Glendalough and comprehensively destroyed it- bringing monastic life there to an end. However its important place in the lives of the Irish was undiminished and it remained a place of pilgrimage, especially around the time of the feast of St. Kevin on June 3rd. While most of the pilgrims were undoubtedly devout, this annual pilgrimage evolved into something of a event and was for a time officially banned by the church.  And today some still walk St. Kevin's way, an 18 mile  marked route starting in the village of Hollywood and crossing the beautiful Wicklow Way before dropping down into the valley Glendalough.


Well, I hope you enjoyed today's history lesson on Glendalough and St. Kevin. Glendalough is one of the top 5 on my list of places to see. For me there is just something very spiritual about it that has called out to me for as long as I can remember. Mom use to always say that there was something about Ireland that always pulled at your Irish roots. And I firmly believe that.  Its a feeling that cannot quite be explained. Its a yearning, a longing for......home. I guess that is the best way I can describe it to you. I have always had this feeling of belonging somewhere other then here. That I don't quite fit into this time and place.  And for what ever reason, for something that is beyond me, beyond my putting into words, I think the only time I will ever feel truly "at home and at peace" will be when I am standing there. With my feet firmly planted on Irish soil, when I can put my hands on the ground and feel the energy, smell the damp earthy smell uniquely Ireland will I feel whole and at peace.

Holy Wells and Stone Circles

So, here you find yourself, back on my page to see what I have to talk about today.  What interesting facts or bit of history do I have do share? Well, today I am going to tell you about The Stone circles and the Holy Wells of Ireland.

Lets start with the Holy Wells-

Almost every part of Ireland has at least one Holy Well. Places usually associated with local Saints or Gods/Goddess's and who's water is believed by many to have healing properties. There are over 3000 of them in Ireland. Some wells are still tended to carefully by local people, with flowers and nice planting surrounding them, some have statues close by and have had access improved with steps or cleared pathways.  Others are hidden away and overgrown.

The Pre-Christian belief that drinking from or bathing in the water associated with Gods or Goddesses would confer gifts of wisdom or healing meld almost seamless with the Christian belief of healing bestowed by Saints.  With the coming of Christianity to Ireland the old Pagan wells, rather than being abandoned, were gradually given new significance in line with new belief, probably with the support of pragmatic missionaries. There is still a belief in many places that the water from a holy well will keep a person healthy, with some people traveling regularly to fill bottles with the water. The reality is that the water is usually contaminated, and should be drunk with great care if at all.

And now for the Stone Circles-

In simple terms stone circles are just that.........rings of standing stones. The world's best known stone circle is Stonehenge, but Irish stone circles tend to be smaller and composed of smaller stones. They are found most often in the North of Ireland, around Tyrone especially, and in the Cork-Kerry region, though there are scattered examples elsewhere. Most have a similar layout, with a larger gap between two of the stones,often two larger stones, forming an entrance, opposite which there is an "axial" stone, often smaller than the others, sometimes flat rather than standing.

What were they used for?  Most are believed to have been built between 3000 and 1500 BC for a purpose which is not entirely clear. Occasionally bodies have been found during excavations, though not often enough to suggest that they were burial grounds. Most authorities agree however that they may have had a ritual or religious function. If you stand at the entrance of many stone Circle facing the axial stone, you will be looking directly at the place of either the rising or setting sun at one of the solstices or equinoxes, leading to another theory that they were some sort of astronomical observatories.

Well there you have it! That is some interesting information on the Holy Wells and Stone Circles of Ireland. I am really looking forward to visiting St. Brigid Well while we are in Ireland. She was originally a Pagan Goddess who was then converted to a Christian Saint.  And I am also sure that we will get to see a few Stone Circles. I really want to stand in the middle of those stones and just soak up the energy.  I have a feeling that Ireland is going to leave a HUGE impression on me. Not only physically,but emotionally and spiritually. I am really looking forward to sharing my experience with you all while I am over there. I really hope that you are all enjoying reading this. I do wish that you would leave me a message or to so that I know who is following this and how your liking it!

Slan ( Gaelic for Goodbye)