Well the fine Irish weather has put an abrupt stop to my ruin hunting activities recently. So today I was experimenting with a few images I took down in the village green in Donard. Some of you might remember earlier in the year I posted a piece on the Donard Ogham stone? Well if you missed it, you can check it out by clicking HERE. Donard is a picturesque little village near the northern end of the Glen of Imaal in Co Wicklow. It takes its modern name from the Gaelic Dún Ard, which means ‘High Fort’. Some say that the ruins of this fort can be seen on a hill above the town, I have also learnt that there is an old medieval church ruin nearby, but these will be an adventure for another day.
Im not by any means a religious person, and I know even less about this statue, which I would assume is depicting Mary of the christian religion. I do however have a fasination with certain statue’s, dont ask me why. Perhaps it is the history behind them, or maybe its the uncanny feeling that you might get passing by as if they are watching you. One thing is for certain, they do look darn good in black and white. This statue sits in the same little public green area in the center of the village as the afore mentioned Ogham Stone. Surrounded by bright colorful fower beds and various shrubs, its a nice place to sit down for a while and enjoy the peace and tranquility. But Donard was not always the quite little village we see today. In 1798 the village was burnt by British troops and the inhabitants had to flee to nearby Dunlavin for safety. Meanwhile the local church was garrisoned by yeomen. Thankfully today things are much more peaceful.
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Beautiful photos! I believe this depiction of Mary, with her arms outstretched arms toward those on earth, is called Our Lady of Grace. These images do look wonderful in black and white. Inspired by your blog, I’ve started experimenting with B&W. Thanks, Ed!
Cool thanks Cheryl. I find that B&W can show more in an image than a colour version, it reflects the mood and atmosphere much better. Best of luck with your endevour, let me know how you get on. I you need any help just shout 🙂
Thanks! Will do.
She looks fab against that sky, Ed!
Ed, what you said about statues reminds me of the 1946 film La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast). If you’ve seen it, you know exactly why I’d mention it. Maybe you saw that as a small child…
Excellent framing of image with that sky. Maybe how the original sculptor imagined it. And yes, 1798 was a bit lively wasn’t it 🙂
Sure was, ands its looking like 2014 might be set to follow suit with all the troubles we have 🙂