Tag Archives: Courtmacsherry

Ireland

Road Bowling in West Cork

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Last summer, happened upon some Irish road bowling. Been wanting to witness road bowling for some time, and as luck would have it, there was a practice competition last summer (2024) in Lislee, a village in the Barryroe parrish in West Cork, Ireland.

It is a very intense sport, whereby two participants throw a 28 ounce iron bowl down country roads from point to point.

As you can see, it is a very physical sport, and the spectacle draws crowds of folks wagering on the competitors. I recommend it even if I’m not quite certain what’s happening.

Ireland, Sunsets

High Tide

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High Tide over the Courtmacsherry Strand, the evening before the Strand Race
High Tide over the Courtmacsherry Strand, the evening before the Strand Race

When we last spoke, we saw a picture of the set-up at the Strand Race in Courtmacsherry in County Cork, Ireland.

This photo was taken approximately 6 hours later of the same scene. Granted, this is from an elevated and drier vantage point, but roughly the same direction. Take a look at the dots floating in the water- those are the poles being driven into the strand by the farmers in last week’s post.

I love horse races, one unfortunate aspect to last summer was, any time I traveled, I had to leave the town the day before a major event occurred.

Consequently, I was not able to capture any of the action race day. No worries, my sensei was there to witness and capture the events as they unfolded.

Ireland

At Long Last, a Picture with People!

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Local farmers drive posts demarcating the Courtmacsherry Strand Race of 2013.
Local farmers drive posts demarcating the Courtmacsherry Strand Race of 2013. 

I realize a few weeks ago, I promised more photos of Courtmac. I have also bemoaned the lack of images featuring people.

Well now, patient followers of this blog, we have a twofer!

This photo was taken in the summer of 2013, shortly after I acquired my camera.

I only know one of the folks in this photo, the gentleman to the far right who happens to be one of the finest hosts in Corcaigh. The other four folks driving the posts in, I do not know, but as they are all Irish farmers, I’m reasonably certain they are more charming than your average human. The lady driving the tractor got it done that afternoon, and got it done quickly. Most of this landscape will be subsumed by the cold waters of the Irish Sea in a few short hours…

51.6347° N, 8.7092° W