Inside View

Cashel by Candlelight

OUR HOME, OUR LOCAL pub and effectively all of Cashel in County Tipperary welcomed sunrise on 13 February 2014 with candles. Only a few places have electrical power, giving parts of the town a shroud unseen since Cromwell's days.

I bring Cromwell into the frame because one of the Cromwellian Laws, documented on paper in the local Bolton Library, required homeowners on the main street to display a candle in their front windows, thus effecting rudimentary street lighting. We have ours in places like the stairwell shown in the photo.

Before the local SuperValu ran out of fuel in its generator, I made a dash for milk and bread. But our fridge is dark so I don't expect normal shelf life on what's inside. I don't know how long the freezer will keep things frozen without power so we won't open it until our second day off the grid.

These challenging times created queues put the door of Pearl Garden, our preferred Chinese takeaway. All other taleaways lacked generators. Pearl Garden ran out of rice and chicken balls when we were there.

We had planned to offer special guest Christian Payne a local walkabout of Hore Abbey and the Rock of Cashel but the snow and wind changed our plans. Christian spent a dark night in Peggy O'Neill's B&B. I gave him a wearable torch. Jim O'Neill promised him coffee in the morning if the house generator started up again.

Along with a standing room of Arsenal and Manchester United fans, we watched the second half of a Premier League match. The packed venue scowled when people realised our multipoint power strip killed the lights and the Sky TV coverage at the 59th minute of the match. Ronan Kirby's Macbook could have served up the match but not at 54" in HD flat screen presentation.

For years, I had associated February 12-13 as the days marking my dad's funeral and burial among snow drifts in an ice-packed plot. With 2014, I have another significant memory and I thank Christian Payne for playing a major part in that memory.

[Photo snapped by @topgold with Nokia Lumia. Post sent mail2blog using O2-Ireland Typepad service.]

@documentally Visits Candlelot

ONE FAT CANDLE burns gloriously on our kitchen table as I anticipate how we will accommodate Christian @documentally Payne in snow-swept Cashel. The answer is in the hum of the generator across the street at Peggy O'Neal's B&B.

When asked how she would find her way safely on and out of our windowless bathroom, our six year old daughter quickly pointed to the Flashlight app on my Nokia Lumia 925. Her 15 minutes of exploration reduced battery life by 22%. So we introduced her to the fat candles in the house, showing her why they are year-round Christmas decorations.

Snow is falling horizontally around the Rock of Cashel. The only lighted licensed premises is the Cashel Palace Hotel--a fine venue with candlesticks and tapers.

I expect to hear crunching metal as some local resident misjudges the turn into our housing estate since its tight entranceway is now unlighted. We live at the throat of the estate and that could mean we will help remove plastic trim from our shrubbery at daybreak.

We could not have planned a better welcome to the sunny southeast of Ireland for distinguished guest Christian Payne.

[Photo of candle by @topgold using a Nokia Lumia.]

@documentally Visits Candlelot

ONE FAT CANDLE burns gloriously on our kitchen table as I anticipate how we will accommodate Christian @documentally Payne in snow-swept Cashel. The answer is in the hum of the generator across the street at Peggy O'Neal's B&B.

When asked how she would find her way safely on and out of our windowless bathroom, our six year old daughter quickly pointed to the Flashlight app on my Nokia Lumia 925. Her 15 minutes of exploration reduced battery life by 22%. So we introduced her to the fat candles in the house, showing her why they are year-round Christmas decorations.

Snow is falling horizontally around the Rock of Cashel. The only lighted licensed premises is the Cashel Palace Hotel--a fine venue with candlesticks and tapers.

I expect to hear crunching metal as some local resident misjudges the turn into our housing estate since its tight entranceway is now unlighted. We live at the throat of the estate and that could mean we will help remove plastic trim from our shrubbery at daybreak.

We could not have planned a better welcome to the sunny southeast of Ireland for distinguished guest Christian Payne.

[Photo of candle by @topgold using a Nokia Lumia.]

Morning Snow Pellets

WE FEEL CHEATED that our lowland Irish weather has not resulted in real snow--the kind that you need to build snowmen.

[Photo of snow pellets snapped by @topgold with Lumia.]