RHH's photos with the keyword: Picasa 2.7

Gentianopsis crinita.

Dunluce Castle is a ruin on the north coast of Northern Ireland (Ulster). The most recent parts of the castle date to the seventeenth century. This window is one of the best preserved parts of the castle and looks out to the west toward the town of Portrush. More information about this castle ruin can be found in the other pictures of the castle I've posted

Probably built around 1480, these ruins are on the Cushendall Road just east of the town of Ballycastle near the north coast of Northern Ireland. The friary belonged to the Franciscan order and was maintained until 1790 when the last of the friars left. A number of the Earls of Ulster are buried in the friary, including Sorley Boy MacDonnell. The most famous grave, however, is that of Julie MacQuillen, the Black Nun of Bunnamargie. In the area around the friary are also be found the graves of seamen from the destroyer HMS Raccoon and the cruiser HMS Viknor, both World War I warships, the former sunk on the rocks in a storm and the latter sunk by a German mine.

"The Giant's Causeway (or Irish: Clochán na bhFómharach) is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. It is located in County Antrim, on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland, about two miles (3 km) north of the town of Bushmills. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986, and a National Nature Reserve in 1987 by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. In a 2005 poll of Radio Times readers, the Giant's Causeway was named as the fourth greatest natural wonder in the United Kingdom. The tops of the columns form stepping stones that lead from the cliff foot and disappear under the sea. Most of the columns are hexagonal, although there are also some with four, five, seven and eight sides. The tallest are about 12 metres (36 ft) high, and the solidified lava in the cliffs is 28 metres thick in places. The Giant's Causeway is today owned and managed by the National Trust and it is the most popular tourist attraction in Northern Ireland. Legend has it that the Irish warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool) built the causeway to walk to Scotland to fight his Scottish counterpart Benandonner. One version of the legend tells that Fionn fell asleep before he got to Scotland. When he did not arrive, the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him. To protect Fionn, his wife Oonagh laid a blanket over him so he could pretend that he was actually their baby son. In a variation, Fionn fled after seeing Benandonner's great bulk, and asked his wife to disguise him as the baby. In both versions, when Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed the alleged father, Fionn, must be gigantic indeed. Therefore, Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Fionn. Another variation is that Oonagh painted a rock shaped like a steak and gave it to Benandonner, whilst giving the baby (Fionn) a normal steak. When Benandonner saw that the baby was able to eat it so easily, he ran away, tearing up the causeway. The 'causeway' legend corresponds with geological history in as much as there are similar basalt formations (a part of the same ancient lava flow) at the site of Fingal's Cave on the isle of Staffa in Scotland." - Wikipedia. The main area of the Causeway which includes the largest number of basalt columns is shown in this photo, taken from the cliffs above. This photo was taken by my wife.

The quote is for the Lord's Day, and the picture is from the north coast of Northern Ireland.

In Explore September 23, 2009, #407. "Slemish (Irish, Sliabh Mis) is the remains of the plug of an extinct volcano near Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland Its distinctive appearance—its upper reaches are very steep and rugged, in contrast to the tidy fields on its lower westward-facing slopes and the relatively flat bogland to the east—causes it to dominate the landscape for miles in all directions. Tradition holds that Saint Patrick, enslaved as a youth, was brought to this area and tended herds on Slemish, and that during this time he found God. (However, another theory contends that he spent this period in the west of Ireland...) In later times, it was the site of a United Irish camp during the 1798 rebellion in County Antrim." - Wikipedia

Please see my other pictures of the Causeway for a more complete descrition of this wonderful and scenic area of the north coast of Northern Ireland.

The ruins of Greyabbey are in the town of the same name on the east shore of Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland. "Grey Abbey is a ruined Cistercian priory in the village of Greyabbey, County Down, Northern Ireland, currently maintained by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.... Grey Abbey was founded in 1193 by John de Courcy's wife, Affreca, as a daughter house of Holmcultram Abbey in Cumbria. It had declined by the late Middle Ages and was dissolved in 1541. In the early 17th century it was granted to Sir Hugh Montgomery and the nave was refurbished and used for parish worship until the late 18th century."

Slemish is an old volcanic cone in County Antrim where Patrick is said to have herded sheep while a slave-boy in Ireland. It is also a landmark that is visible for many miles and, if climbed, a wonderful viewpoint. This picture was taken on our last visit to Ireland and was taken either by my wife or my daughter-in-law. I am not sure which one of them took it. The day has special meaning for us, since it was on a March 17th that we moved with our family to Northern Ireland and were there for nearly 10 years. While there we lived in County Antrim within view of Slemish.