Donard Statue

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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