Category Archives: Travelling

How goes the shamrock in Ireland?

The shamrock. A familiar Irish symbol, featuring alongside the harp and round tower, thatched house and donkey on all sorts of material destined for the tourist market. Witness my new socks below. In primary school, we learned how St Patrick … Continue reading

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Raggy trees, an Irish pishogue

A pishogue, in the Irish tradition, is a charm or superstitious practice. And there are many associated with trees, including raggy trees, adorned with physical proof of enduring traditions. Here are just two of them, one at Fore, County Westmeath, … Continue reading

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Archaeological curiosities in Finland

In Finland recently for a few days, I spent a very happy morning in Aboa Vetus in Turku, Finland’s only archaeological museum. From what I can gather (I have barely a word of Finnish), the museum was a bit of … Continue reading

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Mystery metal man

The photo below shows the slightly rumpled bust of an unknown man. It was found on Baker’s Flat at some time in the last few years. It’s not very big, about 7 cm tall, and I’m assuming at this stage … Continue reading

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The Monastery, Petra

At Petra, you can walk past The Treasury and the Roman ruins, and up into the mountains. Eventually, after 850 steps and many pauses to gasp for breath look at the view, you turn a corner, and this is what … Continue reading

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