📍 THE BLACK NUNS GRAVE - Bonamargy Friary, #Ballycastle. So, when I said I was visiting Julia this weekend, I meant this, the grave of the Black Nun. The legend says that Julia McQuillan was a reclusive nun who lived at Bonamargy during the 17th Century. She is said to have died on the friary steps and that her ghost haunts the abandoned staircase even now.
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The signs inside the friary proclaim her to have been a dark prophetess, seeing calamity in her visions. I’ve often wondered about the source of the name - Black Nun not being particularly remarkable among a group of women known for their dark clothing!
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Anyway, any child who grew up in Ballycastle knows that Julia wished to be buried at the entrance to the church as a mark of humility, that people would have to pass over her grave on the way in. And that is why this unusual, disc shaped stone sits where it does.
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So the next time you’re in Ballycastle, take a moment to stop by and sit with Julia for a little while… — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2VEjyRn
I don’t often print out photos these days, but I had a notion that the set of four black and white shots from Castle Coeffin on Lismore would work beautifully. So here they are all framed - I’m very happy with them. Just need to find a spot on the wall to hang them! #Scotland #Lismore #Prints #SummerHolidays #TravelGram #ScotlandTravel #Moody #Moodygrams #Monochrome #DailyPost #Wanderlust #wanderlusttribe — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3kWC542
Sunrise over City Hall and @spbbelfast this morning. We do domes pretty well in #Belfast, don’t we? — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2VkUKxE
Find me a better image that says unparalleled glamour than this one 😂 We stumbled across this down a side street in Oban and the faded shop front plus the lineup of bins just begged to be photographed. I love everything about it. Legend has it that this was an old Oban bingo hall. #StreetScene #Urbex #AbandonedPlaces #Cityscapes #Scotland #Oban #ScotlandTravel #Shopfront #Bingo #ExploreScotland — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/38iio0K
Back to Castle Coeffin for one last shot. There’s something forlorn about this window facing the ocean for centuries, the only feature remaining in a crumbling wall. I decided to do this entire set in black and white as it just adds to the sense of desolation. As you’ll have seen from the rest of this series, the castle is a whisper of its former self and the windows is the last remaining discernible aspect of habitation. #Scotland #Lismore #Moodygrams #Travelgram #Haunted #AbandonedPlaces #BlackAndWhite #TravelScotland #Wanderlust #Castle #Ruin #Urbex #Window #Sadness #DailyPic #PhotoOfTheDay #YourScotland — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3CIg6FY
The hollow at Castle Coeffin. It may be nothing, just a random outcrop topped by two wiry, windblown trees. It has an intentionality about it though: like an earthen throne sitting to the side of Castle Coeffin. The second picture should give you an idea of where it is in relation to the ruins. You get these a lot on the coast - little outcrops hollowed out at the top by visitors over the years. A peaceful, desolate spot to sit and contemplate before the waves and the ruins of the castle. #Scotland #Travelgram #ig_worldclub #TravelScotland #VisitScotland #Islands #Bleak #Gloomy #Moodygrams #Lismore #wanderlust #monochrome #scotlandtravel — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3xxeIlZ
Castle Ceoffin. Tucked away in a remote corner on the Isle of Lismore is this fantastical ruin. We set off in search of it after a sudden and heavy rainfall, wading through fields and past Highland cows until it appeared on the shoreline: less a castle, more a series of gnarled fingers reaching skyward. As we descended to the shore, we were joined by a horse grazing quietly nearby, and a huge highland hare popped up seemingly from nowhere and sprang across the field. The whole place had a sense of mysticism and reverence to it. A magical solitude. Hence the black and white, which feels like the only proper way to capture the bleak beauty of this special place. More to follow from this set, some of my favourites from this Scottish tour. #TravelScotland #Scotland #InstaScotland #Lismore #Island #Castle #AbandonedPlaces #Urbex #UrbexPhotography #Haunted #MoodyGrams #BlackAndWhite #Gloom #Abandoned — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2WWdvrA
IONA ABBEY ⛪️ From yesterday’s trip to Iona - weirdly Saint Columba/Columcille showed up on a recent trip to Derry, so the connection between Scotland and Northern Ireland was prominent in my mind on this tour. The abbey was founded by Columba, though there was an existing religious site here before he arrived and the existing buildings have replaced even the monastic buildings of Columba’s time. Top marks to tour guide Jon, who remarked that vikings used cathedrals as cash points on their way around the islands - really engaging tour! — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3rQroTE
Inveraray Castle, home to Clan Campbell. A fairytale castle with incredible views and beautifully landscaped gardens. It also has an exceptional weapons hall which I’ll share later and history of the clan. #Scotland #ExploreScotland #Wanderlust #Travelgram #Scottish #Highlands #Castle #StatelyHome #aristocracy #DailyPic #InstaScotland — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3llvhP7
Cityscapes this week. We’ve moved to a *very* fancy new office in #Belfast city centre. The views are jawdroppingly good. More to come over the next couple of months. This is looking down Wellington Place towards Inst on a scorching July afternoon. #CityScapes #Skyline #UrbanPhotography #NorthernIreland #Rooftop #CityCentre #SummerVibes #SummerInTheCity #PicOfTheDay #DailyPic — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3kF8sG4
Battle Angels: I love a theme, so angels carrying shields was one of the key takeaways from Greyabbey yesterday. Also: is it Greyabbey or Grey Abbey? — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3wPqM1w
I don’t know how it’s taken this long, but today was my first visit to Grey Abbey. It’s possibly one of the grandest abbeys I’ve seen, brought to you by those fine Cistercian folks who also made the fine abbey at Mellifont in the South. Definitely on the must see list #Travelgram #history #historicbuildings #NorthernIreland #Ireland #AncientIreland #ReligiousBuildings #AbandonedPlaces #Ruins #AncientRuins #Greyabbey #DayTrip #FreakinWeekend — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3BgBPV2
Blackhead lighthouse this afternoon. I normally get this one in gloomy weather. Started the Twelfth in Belfast, watched the Lisburn Road parade and then hit the coast for a drive. #lighthouse #northernireland #coast #coastalwalk #oceanview #dailypic #picoftheday #ig_worldclub #traveller #wanderlust #framing #clifftop — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2T8BdQ0
When wandering through an old peat bog, the abundance of rushes means you can easily make a St Brigid’s Cross. It’s believed Brigid was the originator of the cross, idly constructing it from rushes as she sat at the bedside of a dying Irish chieftain. Whatever the truth, they’ve become quite iconic designs #Ireland #IrishFolklore #Folklore #StBrigid #History #Design #Pattern #Green
Crafty cross construction by @maryjagram — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/3e88r9s
Today’s outing was a nostalgic return to the moss where our family used to cut turf when I was a boy. In the 80s, our summer evenings were spent in the wild plains between the Vanishing Lake and Ballypatrick Forest. But just opposite the back where we cut the turf, there was a huge boulder. We never went near it - until today. What we discovered was two portal tombs. One has long ago collapsed under the weight of its capstone. The other much better preserved. On a vaguely gloomy day, with mist rolling over the forest, this barren place seemed a little more mystical. There’s probably a bigger post about turf cutting, but maybe one for the blood #blog #dolmen #megalithic #tomb #irish #ireland #irishheritage #turf #countryside #wanderlust #hiking #outdoors — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2TYyRnc