We had barely enough time to squeeze in a quick lunch at Fresh Station before heading to our next meeting today. And I have to admit that I liked this place a lot more than I did last time, as somehow the fruit wasn't as blatantly in your face this time. Instead, different pieces were accentuated with just the right amount of yuzu, shiso, etc., and it worked well. Too bad that we had to go to a meeting later though; there were some raw onions in a couple items that would have been great with the food, but dragon breath was the last thing that we needed before meeting a client for the first time.

If you’d like to keep up with daily images and information about Ireland’s fantastic heritage sites please consider following Abarta Audioguides on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Spectacularly positioned on the cliffs overlooking the North Atlantic, Dunluce Castle has to be one of the most picturesque heritage sites on the island. The earliest parts of the castle are thought to date to the 14th century, but the majority of visible remains date to the 16th and 17th centuries, when it was the fortress of the MacQuillans and later the MacDonnells, who were descended from a powerful Scottish clan.

These families were embroiled in near constant conflict to control the area of North Antrim known as ‘The Route’ which extended between the Rivers Bann and Bush.

The MacDonnells rose to become the most dominant family of The Route and the Glens of Antrim, but they fell into conflict with the English Crown. In 1584, Queen Elizabeth Ist sent the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Sir John Perrot, to deal with the growing power of the MacDonnells. He laid siege to Dunluce and successfully took the castle. It was granted back to Sorley Boy MacDonnell in 1586 after he pledged his allegiance to Elizabeth, but the MacDonnells rose in rebellion again during The Nine Years War.

After the crushing defeat at the Battle of Kinsale in 1601, Randal MacDonnell surrendered and received a pardon. He prospered when King James VI of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth to the English throne. Randal brought large numbers of Scottish settlers to the area as part of the Plantation of Ulster. He established a new town for his settlers here at Dunluce. However the prosperous years of the MacDonnells of Dunluce would soon end, as his son, (also called Randall), forfeited Dunluce and his lands during the rebellions of the mid-17th century. 

Following the Restoration of the Monarchy, King Charles II regranted Dunluce back to the MacDonnells, however by then the castle had fallen into disrepair. It was abandoned as a main residence and quickly fell into ruin. Today it is a stunning site to visit with simply incredible views. You can find it along the scenic Causeway Coastal Route (A2 road) at co-ordinates 55.210404, -6.578216. For information about opening hours and entry fees please visit here. Please note that it is free entry for anyone bearing a valid OPW Heritage Card.

I really hope you enjoy our blog. If you'd like to discover more stories about Irish history, archaeology and culture and if you'd like to support us you can download audioguides from my website www.abartaheritage.ie, where we have 25 guides that tell the story of Irish heritage and the majority are absolutely free to download. 

If you’d like to keep up with daily images and information about Ireland’s fantastic heritage sites please consider following Abarta Audioguides on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Backpacker Magazine has a reputation of throughly "field testing" their gear before they make recommendations on it's quality. Any gear that makes their "Gear of the Year" list usally comes highly recommended and ends up being duralbe, functional, and well worth the money.

GoBlog has published the complete list of winners of this years Editor's Choice Awards, and as always, it's a list that will have our hearts beating a little faster and our wallets trembling in fear.

Highlights of this year's list include the Jansport Whittaker LT Pack (Yes, I was drawn to the pack first!), the MSR Reactor camping stove, which has been garnering a lot of attention it seems, and Big Anges Emerald Mountain tent.

So much gear...so little money!

The funny thing is that I actually got this monthly special at Tamoya in part because of how weird it sounded (and frankly, the shop's photo of it didn't look very good either). But that just got me even more curious: could this thing be as bad as I imagined it to be?

Fortunately, it wasn't, and in fact I finished the entire thing. Granted, I don't think I'll be getting it again, but at least I got some fresh veggies in my dinner. I ended up using that sesame dressing as more of a dipping sauce rather than trying to toss the salad.

Photo © Julie Jacobson/AP-All Rights Reserved
It is estimated that Afghanistan supplies nearly all the world's opium, the raw ingredient used to make heroin, and while most of the deadly crop is exported, enough remains in it to feed a cycle of addiction among its population. It's also estimated there are at least 200,000 opium and heroin addicts in Afghanistan.

It's a fact of life that many rural areas in Afghanistan have no access to basic medicine such as aspirin, so whenever a villager needs a painkiller for a minor ailment, they are given opium instead.

Julie Jacobson is an Associated Press Writer and Photojournalist, who produced a video on opium addiction amongst a family in Afghanistan. In many of Afghanistan's remote mountain villages, opium addiction has infected toddlers to old men.

Julie has also written an interesting article published by Nieman Reports titled Crossing The Line: From Still To Video, which includes these four main guidelines:

"Some moments should be captured in photographs only. With those, be true to your photography and don’t worry about video."

"Remain as true to your photography while capturing video imagery. Make good “pictures” in your video".

"Some moments and events clearly call for video. But it isn’t possible to be everywhere and to get everything, so don’t try".

"When shooting stills and video, anticipate moments carefully. If they’re not there or time doesn’t permit, then make sure to be complete in shooting only one or both will suffer."

A worthwhile read to photographers and photojournalists facing this transition.

The Augustinian Priory of St. Mary at Clontuskert is thought to have been founded in the later part of the twelfth century by Turlough O'Connor, King of Connacht, on the site of an eighth century monastery dedicated to St. Boedán, although no archaeological evidence has been found as yet of the earlier monastery.

Originally Clontuskert would have been a considerably sized Priory that was regularly expanded, with a large undivided church dating to the late twelfth century that later became the chancel when the church was expanded in the early fifeenth century, it was enlarged again when a north transept was added to the building in the late fifteenth century. Though the Church still survives well today, many of the other structures only survive as foundations, although a small part of the cloister has been reconstructed from the remains found on site.
The Priory was under the patronage of the powerful O'Kelly family who held sway in this region during the medieval period, and the head of the Priory traditionally had the honour of inaugurating the new head of the O'Kelly's.

An O'Kelly Tomb dating to 1646

It is recorded in 1413 that an indulgence was granted to raise funds for the repair of the Priory Church that had recently been 'totally destroyed' by fire, and much of the visible architectural remains on site date to after this point.

It appears that the original Augustinian Canons were replaced by Augustinian Friars in the early seventeenth century, and a doorway in the Church between the chancel and nave has the date 1637 carved above it.

For me the most spectacular feature on the site is the amazing west doorway into the nave. It is beautifully carved and bears the figures of St. Michael brandishing a sword and scales for weighing souls on Judgement Day, St. John the Baptist, St. Catherine and a Bishop. It also depicts a pelican, a star, a pair of griffins, a dog, a deer, a rose and strangely, a mermaid (see bottom picture) who has a mirror in her left hand and a star in her right hand. Similar mermaids can be found at Clonfert and St.Nicholas's Cathedral in Galway (thanks to Finn Delaney for the great reference there!).  The inscription above the doorway reads:
Mathev Dei gra eps Clonfertens et Patre oneacdavayn canonie esti domine fi fecert Ano do MCCCCLXXI
Which can be translated to:
Mathew by the Grace of God, Bishop of Clonfert, and Patrick O’Naughton, canon of this house, caused me to be made in 1471.

Close up of the top of the western doorway with (from left-right) St. Michael, John the Baptist, St.Catherine and a Bishop

 This doorway alone is worth the trip to Ballinasloe, as it has some of the finest fifteenth century medieval carvings in Ireland.
Contuskert Priory is very easy to find. Simply head from Ballinasloe towards Portumna on the R355, go past the Ballinasloe Golf Club and keep going straight down the road, after about 5-6km on the R355 you'll see the site on your left hand side. There is a small carpark then the site is a short 100m walk down a lane.

I hope you are enjoying the blog, I'm doing my best to cover as much as the country as I can so please do bear with me. If anyone has suggestions about great sites to visit please do let me know by leaving a comment, I'd love to hear from you. If you'd like to keep up with daily images and posts about Irish heritage you might like to follow us on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.
If you'd like to support us then perhaps consider downloading one of our audioguides to Irish heritage sites, packed with original music and sound effects they are a fun and immersive way of enjoying the incredible story of Ireland whether you are at the site or sitting in your favourite chair at home. You can find us at www.abartaaudioguides.com, our latest guide, The Rock of Dunamase is available completely free of charge.

All photographs © Neil Jackman / abartaaudioguides.com

The Mermaid at Clontuskert, she's no Darryl Hannah

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
During my Theyyams of Malabar Photo~Expedition™ in early 2009, I had arranged for a photo shoot at an ancient Vedic 'gurukul' (or training/boarding school very similar to the Buddhist monasteries for novitiates, or a Muslim madrasa) in Thrissur, where we were treated to a demonstration of this way of teaching the sacred Vedic scriptures.

The Vedas are the earliest literary record of the Indo-Aryan civilization, and the most sacred books of India. These are the original scriptures of Hindu teachings. The oral tradition of the Vedas consists of several rhythmic recitations and ways of chanting the Vedic mantras. The traditions of Vedic chant are often considered the oldest unbroken oral tradition in existence.

While photographing and watching the hypnotic chanting by the young boys, I was reminded of the similar recitation styles used by the Buddhist novices and the Muslim children at madrasas, who sway their torsos in time with the cadence of their chant. Moreover, many Jews also sway their bodies during prayer; a practice called shokeling in Yiddish.

This was an unplanned visit. I needed to run an errand nearby, but the store that I needed to go to wasn't open yet. So figured that I'd grab a quick breakfast here in the meantime (426 West Capitol Expressway, 229-2190). It didn't seem like anything spectacular from the outside, but when I saw pozole listed on the menu, it was a no brainer on what I was going to get.

I kept forgetting that pozole could come in a red variety though (in my mind, pozole is white, whereas menudo and birria are red). Either way, the broth was just what I needed, especially when spiked with some of those onions and lemons. And the meat was relatively tender too, even if was way more protein than I needed this morning.

So lettuce is usually used as a garnish for pozole rather than cilantro and avocado? I'm not going to come running back here, but it's good to know for future reference that they are open at 9 AM, and that they have cheap taco plates available here too.

Photo © Stuart Freedman-All Rights Reserved
Photo © Stuart Freedman-All Rights Reserved

"In Western art, few sculptors -other than perhaps Donatello or Rodin- have achieved the pure essence of sensuality so spectacularly evoked by the Chola sculptors, or achieved such a sense of celebration of the divine beauty of the human body."- William Dalrymple, Nine Lives

Stuart Freedman is an award-winning British writer and photographer whose work was published in, amongst others, Life, Geo, Time, Der Spiegel, Newsweek and Paris Match covering stories from Albania to Afghanistan and from former Yugoslavia to Haiti. His work has been exhibited in Visa Pour L’Image at Perpignan, The Scoop Festival in Anjou, The Leica Gallery in Germany, The Association and the Spitz Galleries in London.

One of his many galleries is The Idol Makers, which documents the work of Radhakrishna Stpathy, an idol maker, a caster of statues, a master craftsman in Tamil Nadu, India. Stpathy mastered the ancient art of bronze casting which traces its origins from the Indus Valley civilization and achieved its apogee during the Chola period.

Chola period bronzes were created using the lost wax technique, which is also know by its French name, cire perdue, and is the process by which a bronze or brass is cast from an artist's sculpture.

Be sure to read Stuart's accompanying article on Stpathy, and the historical background to idol making in Tamil Nadu.

I've previously featured Stuart Freedman's work on Kathakali here.

Djenne-- Growin' a beard so I can get in here

For several years I would wake up in the back on my VW van, crawl into the front seat and start driving wherever I wanted to go and stay for as long as I wanted to. I was just telling some friends of mine how much I loved discovering Peshawar, after too many months in Afghanistan, by just driving through the Khyber Pass til I found something that looked inviting. I loved the stately horse drawn cabs. All the horses had bright red plumes. And I never saw so many weapons for sales in one place in my life. It would be an NRA member's wet dream. (Well, not this week; I understand the Taliban has it surrounded and it may fall. It would be like the U.S. losing St. Louis or Denver.) Anyway, I'm in the middle of planning a trip to Senegal and Mali. Literally in the middle; I started planning 5 months ago and I'm leaving 5 months from now. Long gone are the days I just hop into the front seat and drive through a pass to see what I find on the other side. As part of my long drawn out preparations for Mali I've grown a beard and I'm taking Muslim lessons so I can get into the great mosque in Djenne, which was closed to non-Muslims in 1996 after a French fashion photographer from Vogue took inappropriate pictures-- soft core porn in the locals' eyes-- in the holiest house of worship in the country. Sometimes you just have to plan.

But not this week. I just got to Mexico City and it was as last minute as I can imagine travel these days. Toon, my best friend from my days in Amsterdam, e-mailed me on Wednesday and said he and his wife, Mieke, would be celebrating his birthday in Mexico City. I said I'd meet them and an hour later had found a good fare on Alaska Air and a decent deal at the Embassy Suites, which Trip Advisor rated as the #1 hotel in town. And here I am.

First off, it is hardly the best hotel in town. It basically is just a gussied up... Embassy Suites. The Four Seasons, which offers rooms at the same rate if you insist ($150/night), is way better. But the Embassy Suites is good enough and I'm perfectly happy here, despite the fact that the wireless connection is slow and costs $11/day and I hate being ripped off. I asked the concierge to make a reservation for me at Izote, one of the best restaurants in town, if you're looking for modern innovative Mexico cuisine, rather than lard and stuff that'll stuff your arteries up. This place was unpretentious and simple in ambiance and... well, I want to eat there every meal, every day. Chef /owner Patricia Quintana is a genius-- and a genius, it turns out who trained under my favorite chef in the word, Paul Bocuse. The hotel told me it was unsafe to take a normal taxi from Reforma to Polanco but that they would send me in the hotel car. That wound up costing $20. I laughed at myself for getting hustled and walked halfway back and then took a mini bus the rest of the way-- it started raining-- for 25 cents.

Oh, and speaking of raining, the one preparation I did make was to check the weather. Since it's been in the high 90s and low 100s in the L.A. area lately and Mexico City is further south, I had no intention of bringing a jacket. So I checked the Google and noticed it is quite cold-- as well as rainy. Sometimes you just gotta plan, even if just a little. Right?

When I was on the plane I asked the Mexican stewardess how to get to Reforma and she said everyone takes a taxi but that the subway was just as fast, a fifteenth the price and convenient and clean and safe and all that. I took her advice and it was just as she said. And it left me off a few blocks from the hotel. As I started walking towards it I discovered something I never had noticed before: Mexico City is the gayest city in the world. In fact, there were no straight people. I had left the Insurgentes metro stop and was walking down Amberes. It was just a colorful jumble of gays and lesbians. Then I figured I must be in the middle of an event. And although, it turns out that this is Gay Pride Weekend, that was in another part of town and this just turned out to be a neighborhood that's pretty festive all the time. I mean I knew Acapulco and Puerta Vallarta are gay havens but I always remember Mexico City as kind of staid and a bit uptight. Things sure have changed! Tomorrow: the Dolores Olmedo Museum in Xochimilco.

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved
Due to the distance between the historic Sultanahmet district and Kadikoy where the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop was based, I wasn't able to photograph much of Istanbul...except for some grab shots with my new GF1.

However, some of us did manage to take some time and attend a folkloric dance program in Sultanahmet, where we were allowed to photograph at will.

The above photograph was made at the Hocapasha Cultural Center in Eminönü during a wonderful performance. The dance was under black light or UV light...and was minimally color corrected.

I used my Canon 5D Mark II and a 70-200 2.8 Canon lens....and yes, my Foundry class attendees; it's a vertical!!!

Adventurelogue has put together a nice list of glacier hikes that are fairly accessible to hikers in different areas of the globe. Their are recommendations for Alaska, Washington State, New Zealand, and the Alps.

The title says "part 1" so presumably we'll see a part 2 at some point. Perhaps early next week. But as the article notes, you may want to take one of these glacier hikes soon, as global warming continues to change the atmosphere, it's likely they may not be around for long. I'd say you are safe waiting until part 2 comes out though. ;)

So I came back here today to try out some other stuff on the menu, and ended up with this noodle set. It wasn't anything great, and in fact, it made me lose interest in this place. But I am still rather fascinated by how Korean restaurants have no qualms about serving instant noodles. I guess that instant noodles in Korea don't have the same association with college dorms as they do in the US.

Photo © Paulette Waltz-All Rights Reserved
Here's an audio slideshow of black & white photographs of the Tibetan community in Manali by Paulette Waltz.

There are 3 Tibetan monasteries in Manali; two of which are located in the main downtown area of Manali, while the third monastery is on the opposite bank of the Beas river. In common with other Tibetan communities, there are a number of handicraft stores and restaurants. The two I frequented -while teaching at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop- was Chopsticks (not much imagination in the name, but decent and cheap food) and the delightful Peace Cafe which served a wonderful granola and yogurt breakfast, as well as noodle soup and other staples.

Paulette Waltz lives and works in Tokyo, but was born and raised near Washington, DC. She pursued Psychology at Emory University, studying in Europe and Africa. Post-graduation, she traveled Asia and lived in northeast China as well as Japan. She developed her interest in photography in Namibia, where coming across photogenic Himba women.

Manifestacion by my favorite Argentine painter, Antonio Berni


I forget so much all the time-- and more now than I used to-- that I figure I´ll jot down a few simple obervations on Buenos Aires whie they´re still fresh in my mind. The people seem friendly and prosperous. They look a lot better than Americans overall, especially in terms of physical fitness. You definately don´t see lots of obese people around, although I see lots of fast food joints so there may be an obesity-explosion in the future. The folks look like Europeans... Italians, Germans, Brits, Spaniards... People dress really well. I think a lot of men think they have to wear suits and ties to show status.

I never saw so many hair salons in my life. There must be one on every block. There´s also a policeman on every block. These guys look different... less "European" and I have a strong feeling they may be poor provincials.

Prices are incredibly good. I just had dinner at Oviedo, the best seafood restaurant in town, totally fancy and DELICIOUS. In NY or L.A. it would have easily been a $60 or $70 meal. It came to $25.

Everyone is so helpful and friendy-- except the Bush-haters at the Brazilian consulate. This is definately a city I could live in. I walk miles and miles everyday and it feels completely safe, day or night.

I think I lost track of what relaxed was after the whole election thing. I have nothing pressing bothering me whatsoever and that feels incredibly good. I need to involve myself more in that when I get home.


UPDATE: THE BUILDINGS

Porteños-- residents of Buenos Aires-- live in apartment buildings. They are everywhere and they all have a porter/doorman/security guard. The city gives the feeling that it has been a giant contest among architects for the creation of something unique and pleasing. Like with so much I have found in Argentina so far, outward appearances are very important. The residential architecture is very much alive and exciting and gives the city a vibrant sophistication.

Conna Castle stands on a height that looms over the valley of the River Bride, a tributary of the Blackwater in Co. Cork. The Castle is a classic Irish Towerhouse, built around 1500 AD. After the rise in hostility between the Gaelic Irish and Anglo–Norman settlers in the fourteenth century, tower-houses became a common sight across Ireland, particularly within The Pale, the Anglo-controlled territory along the eastern coast. The English Crown had offered a subsidy of £10 to wealthy inhabitants of The Pale to build 'small towers to fortify their lands'.

The tower-house was usually surrounded by a bawn wall. This was often a large stone wall that served as the first line of defence. However there are very little remains of Conna's bawn wall as with most tower-houses the bawn wall is often removed, with its stone being recycled into other buildings over the centuries after the site is abandoned.

Tower-houses were not solely used by the Anglo-Norman settlers, the Gaelic Irish began to construct their own from the early fifteenth century, calling them caislén or caistél. Conna Castle was built by the Fitzgeralds, Earls of Desmond, an Anglo-Norman family who had become increasingly assimilated into the Gaelic Irish culture. They resisted the Reformation during the reign of Elizabeth Ist and broke out into open rebellion in 1569. They failed, and the rebellion was ruthlessly crushed.  Their lands (including Conna) were seized by the Crown, even though the owner of the castle at the time Thomas Ruadh Fitzgerald had no part in the rebellion.

View from the base of Conna Castle over the River Bride

They were given to the famous English explorer, Walter Raleigh, who was granted 12,000 acres in Munster and made the nearby Lismore Castle into an elegant home. Thomas Ruadh went to London to try to press his rights as the legal heir to all of the Fitzgerald estates, but he was sent home empty handed, given only a nickname – Sugán Earl – The Straw Earl. 

When Hugh O'Neill launched his rebellion in Ulster in 1598, and achieved a great victory over the English at the Battle of the Yellow Ford, The Sugán Earl was emboldened, and launched his own rebellion. Supported by 4,000 troops sent by O'Neill, The Sugán Earl led a campaign to burn out the English settlers across Munster, however in 1601 he was betrayed by his kinsman, The White Knight. The Sugán Earl was taken to the Tower of London, where he became insane and died. Conna was then given to the Earl of Cork, Richard Boyle. In 1645 it was captured by Lord Castlehaven, and in 1650 Conna managed to hold off a ferocious attack by Oliver Cromwell, however it was burned in 1653 in a fire that killed three of the stewards daughters. 

Conna Castle passed from owner to owner until it came into the hands of the L'Estrange Family in the mid-nineteenth century, it was willed to the state in 1915. Conna Castle is easy to find as you can see it from miles away! It's located in the village of Conna between Fermoy and Tallow in Co. Cork. Park on the street and then access the site through the gate following the well made paths up the hill.

I hope you enjoy this blog, we're trying to cover as many sites as we can across Ireland. If anyone has any suggestions about sites you'd like us to cover please do leave us a comment. If you enjoy information and images of Irish heritage sites then do follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+

If you'd like to support us then please consider downloading an audioguide to one of Ireland's wonderful heritage sites. They are packed with original music and sound effects and are a great way of experiencing the story of Ireland. They only cost €1.99 and are fun whether you are at the site, or listening from the comfort of your own home. Our latest guide is to Viking and Medieval Dublin, visit us at www.abartaaudioguides.com for free previews.

All photographs © Neil Jackman / abartaaudioguides.com

Within the golf course of Ballymacscanlan House Hotel are two iconic reminders of Co Louth’s ancient past. The large portal tomb (also known as a dolmen), is one of Ireland’s best examples of this type of tomb. It has two large portal stones, each measuring over 2 metres tall, and a back stone supporting a massive capstone that is estimated to weigh over 40 tonnes.

Local folkloric tradition suggests that you will enjoy good luck if you can throw a small pebble behind you and over your head if it lands on top of the capstone.This monument dates to the earlier part of the Neolithic period, and is around 5,000 years old. 

Just a short distance away is a great example of a wedge tomb. This is a later monument than the portal tomb, and was probably constructed towards the end of the Neolithic period or during the Early Bronze Age some time around 2,500 BC.

The wedge tomb at Proleek

Proleek Dolmen is positioned at co-ordinates: 54.035019, -6.364104. The best way to access the site is to park in the carpark of the Ballymacscanlan Hotel (just off the R173) and follow the signs along the path to the site, the walk takes around 10 minutes or so but do look out for low flying golfballs!

I really hope you enjoy our blog. If you'd like to discover more stories about Irish history, archaeology and culture and if you'd like to support us you can download audioguides from my website www.abartaheritage.ie, where we have 25 guides that tell the story of Irish heritage and the majority are absolutely free to download. 

If you’d like to keep up with daily images and information about Ireland’s fantastic heritage sites please consider following Abarta Audioguides on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Do you have any suggestions for great sites to visit? I’d love to hear them, please do leave a comment below or you can contact me at info@abartaaudioguides.com

Darby’s Bed (also known as Duntryleague Passage Tomb), is the remains of a passage tomb, situated near the summit of a steep hill just outside the village of Galbally in County Limerick. We visited the site in November, and found it to be a really tranquil and atmospheric spot.

Facing south along the passageway toward the chamber

The interior of the chamber

The Neolithic tomb probably dates to around 3000 BC, and was once covered by a stone cairn or earthen mound. All that remains visible today are the stone orthostats that once lined the passageway and the capped chamber of the passage tomb. The entrance to the tomb faces north-west, possibly in alignment with the sunset at midsummer. Though the planted forest obscures much of the view, it is clear that this tomb once had spectacular views over the landscape. 


The tomb is steeped with legends and folklore, and the tragic lovers Diarmuid and Gráinne are said to have sheltered for a night inside this tomb when they were fleeing Fionn mac Cumhaill. This tomb is one of a number of prehistoric monuments in the locality, it really is a fascinating archaeological landscape.

Darby’s Bed is located just outside the village of Galbally in County Limerick. From the village square, head northwest and follow the signpost marked Duntryleague Cairns and Passage Tomb. Follow this small road for approximately 2km and you will come to a small gravel carpark on your right with a wooden sign marked megalithic tomb. Leave your car here and follow the path up the hill. It’s around a 500m walk though it is quite a steep climb, and comfortable boots are recommended. Just keep following the path straight up and you’ll see the tomb on your left. If you have time there is a marked hiking route around the area. To download a free hiking route map please visit here: http://visitballyhoura.com/index.php/2012/04/16/darbys-bed-loop-walk/.

The steep path to the site flanked either side by tall gorse bushes

The tomb at the end of the path

I really hope you enjoy our blog, if you'd like to support us then please consider downloading one of our audioguides from my website www.abartaheritage.ie where we have 25 guides that tell the story of Irish heritage and the majority are absolutely free to download. 

A rainbow viewed over the shoulder of the chamber.

If you’d like to keep up with daily images and information about Ireland’s fantastic heritage sites please consider following our company Abarta Audioguides on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

One of the frequent heavy showers of the day, thankfully it was heading the opposite direction to us!

Some Sources and Recommended Reading

Herity, M. 1974. Irish Passage Graves. (Irish University Press, Dublin).
Jones, C. 2007. Temples of Stone. (Collins Press, Cork).
Waddell, J. 1998. The Prehistoric Archaeology of Ireland. (Galway University Press, Galway).

I distinctly remember a former colleague of mine many years ago talking about how good this place was. But I've never been a huge fan of nasi padang, so I never made any effort to try it when it was at Hotel Rendezvous. Today, we needed a quick lunch though, and their current location at the Central was right in front of us, so we figured that we'd give it a try (6 Eu Tong Sen Sreet #02-72, 6339-7508).

Now I finally see why he liked it so much. Seriously, if all nasi padang were as good as this, I would be eating it a lot more frequently. The difference here was not just the quality of the ingredients, but also that one can actually taste things like eggplant rather than being overwhelmed with all of the spices. The sambal here was neither too stanky nor sweet, and those little begedil patties were fun to eat too.

It was only when we paid did reality strike: those items pictured above plus one dessert, two plates of rice, and two drinks were a whopping S$46 (US$37), which was multiple times more than what I would have expected to pay at other nasi padang shops. Still, I liked it, and I'll come back.

Want to take a little virtual getaway? Then check out this great video that was shot entirely in Australia. It does a wonderful job of capturing some of the more brilliant highlights of the country that is a fantastic playground for outdoor enthusiasts. There is some great camera work done here and the shots are wonderful. If you haven't been "Down Under" just yet, this will probably make you want to go.