Out in the Community

Last Friday for the first time in + a year, we went into our post-town for the Friday artisanal market: it is small but perfickly formed: Peter the veg;  Cormac the cheese; scones, pies & cakes; fresh fish. We came away with a cheese selection; spuds and fractal brocolli. Food fit for comp'ny - a bit too expensive for everyday. Then we repaired across the street to the pub-undertaker for coffee and viennoiserie from Seamus the Plúr, who was previously up the way when Fərmεntary was a thing. The Blob has been there before. We also met our friends & neighbours: the poet, the film-buff, the physiotherapist, the conceptual artist, the herbalist, the pilgrim. Three of these contacts flagged up the fact that there was a Talk "Bringing Rock Art in the The Cold" by Muiris O'Suilleabháin Emeritus Prof at UCD that very evening in the boutique hotel at the top of the street.

Since 2019, 9th October has been designated 
European Day of Rock Art! 
Who knew?! 

Ans: Not many, not enough.

We spent too long nattering over buns and coffee, because we had a different Agri meeting an hour+ away northern edge of the county. Rushed home, collected wellies, to stand in a shed being told about worms, silage, hoose, drench, scour, mineral-lick, selenium. Turned around, went home, had a quick cup of tea before I went back to town for The Talk, alone . . . The Beloved had run out of spoons for social interactions.

Not many, not enough? The County Heritage Office had laid on tea & sangers, and set out seats for 100 people but only 30 turned up. on European Day of Rock Art! that's missing a trick. All the more sandwiches for me. Early arrive also provided a chance to see the results [L] of an earlier Rock Initiative where local Artists Jules Michael and Máiréad Holohan had a session with 6th Class in the local National School. Dr. Seimi Ó Murchú also shared his deep knowledge of the landscape.

Emeritus Prof's talk ran on a theme of Rock Art across Europe (well at least Sardinia, Brittany, Galicia, Ireland) and seemed to make a big deal differentiating Rock Art from Megalithic Art: something something passage tombs something something orthostats something something steatite. before coming to the conclusion that the distinction was fuzzy. I may have missed something because I dozed off [free sandwich overload coma]. More accurately Emeritus Prof ran on and on and on finally closing out at 100 minutes.

The talk was fine actually, covered some ground, had excellent pictures of Rock Art from all over and talked about late neolithic, early bronze age long-distance trading (deer antler artifacts, serpentine and steatite beads). He floated some hypotheses (geological, ethological) about why Rock Art is here rather than there. Mentioned some of the tech.kit which is now available to pick sites to precision dig.

I met yet more friends and neighbours: the stone sculptor [of course], several hill-walkers and the adverb guy from Fáilte Isteach. I'd actually missed going to Fáilte Isteach the previous night despite my best intentions. I'd remembered at tea-time, then I was called to solve a software problem, which put a delay the count-down; then I had to see to the sheep before full dark; and water what's left of the veg; and so I found myself chopping wood in the gloaming when I should have been driving into town in a clean shirt. Next week! for sure!!