6/6/14- On the second day in Ireland we eased into fieldwork. We woke up bright and early to get a full day of work in. After a long search we found a place in the town of Youghal for a quick breakfast. Early morning in Ireland is not the busiest time, it seems that most of Ireland is a late rising country.
Our next challenge for the day was to actually get on site. Ballynatray Estate is a fortress. The only way in or out of the area is through the many gates that surround the land. After many failed attempts to contact staff inside, we tried 3 different gates until we found one open. We drove onto estate’s farmlands to find a very helpful tractor driver that informed us we had no access to the main house on these roads. We were directed back to the first gate we came to and finally got in contact with staff and gained entrance. We informed the office we would be working for the next week or so onsite but they were puzzled why we were doing our work (as most people were) in the first place.
We moved on to the abbey finally around midday. My main objective was to orient and acquaint myself to the Molana Abbey site, while Carter and Eric had to reacquaint themselves to the site after two years away. Carter gave Donna and I a tour of the site, explaining the areas of concern and puzzlement within the ruin. I took some preliminary photographs and we even started taking a few samples!
The same afternoon we found a quaint restaurant for lunch and then ventured to St. Mary’s Cathedral in Youghal. The Cathedral was built around the 11th century as a Catholic cathedral but was later taken over by the Church of Ireland under the English reign over Ireland. As Youghal is a port city, the craftsmen available were ship makers, who constructed the church. This is apparent in the ceiling of the nave as it looks like the haul of a ship.
We rounded out our day with a trip to the Tesco, or the supermarket, to collect food for meals of the upcoming days. We stayed in after a long day on site to enjoy a home cooked meal!
First Mortar Sample
Carter, Donna and Eric on site
St. Mary’s Stained Glass
Ceiling of the naive of St. Mary’s
Thanks for sharing this nice and helpful blog! Sunray Academy is a great Virtual High School in Canada. They offer quality education, flexible timing, and friendly teacher support. It’s a smart choice for students. Join Sunray Academy today for better learning!
Nice post, I really like your blog. Did you know IIMT Rohtak offers one of the best MBA Training Course in Janakpuri. Join IIMT Rohtak in Janakpuri for a successful future in business. Admissions are open now. Don’t wait – boost your career today with IIMT Rohtak!