A docile giant with fringed hooves cropped tail, strong leather harness and long thick rope slowly pulled a wooden barge into the harbour. On the bank, a waiting crowd of paupers, priest and gentry cheered, celebrated and applauded its arrival. The barge was secured and, as the passengers disembarked, the drone of bagpipes was heard
O Wise old Owl, the smartest one You are smarter than- everyone! That large brain book, Intelligent in every look, Is even larger than the sun! That is what the Wise Old Owl sang to himself every morning. Until this one. He had just spotted the juiciest mouse in the world. So, he picked him
Flowing beautifully and calmly through Mullingar for over 200 years, the Royal Canal is a great reminder to us of Irish innovation, engineering and good old hard work and graft. No longer a hive of commercial and business activity on the banks, the waterway is a valuable source of leisurely recreation for locals off the
Summertime was a great time for us in 1960s Parnell Square. We rose early and were out of the house and gathered in the square to plan our day which was usually dependent on the weather. Hot Sunny days were spent by the river swimming or if we had the money we’d hire one of
The Cloghataney River rises in ‘the Captain’s Bog’, in the shadow of Esker Riada, 2 km. north of my hometown of Moate Co. Westmeath. It flows in a southerly direction, through Moate Castle grounds where it undergrounds before emerging in Lower Main Street beside the Old Quaker Mill. It then forms a mill pond and