Out and About – Bogwarrior.com

Belfast – A flying visit on the train

In March of this year, I finally got around to visiting Belfast. I’ve only been to Northern Ireland sporadically, and not recently. I’d never been to Belfast either, so it was time to fix that omission.

Rather than driving, I travelled there by train. I began the long trek north by catching a morning train to Heuston Station, then a Luas across Dublin city centre to Connolly Station. Then finally, an Enterprise train to Belfast. I’d never caught a train to or from Connolly Station, so the journey along Ireland’s north-east coast was a pleasant diversion. A lifetime of shuttling up and down the line from Heuston had long since killed my enjoyment of simply looking out the window! The Enterprise train was modern, comfortable, and not too crowded. It also boasted that rarest of beasts on Irish trains these days – a catering trolley. Seriously, Irish Rail, what are ye at? The pandemic was 5 years ago… The trains to Belfast now terminate at the brand-new Grand Central Station. It’s within walking distance of the city centre, which is ideal if you don’t want to be bothered with buses or taxis. Should you wish to travel further into Norn Iron, there are plenty of buses and trains to get you there.

Trains to and from Dublin run every hour

I didn’t get to explore the city to any great extent (hence the flying visit comment) so here are the highlights.

The Ulster Museum is in the grounds of the city’s Botanic Gardens and has been extensively renovated in recent years. There’s plenty to see, but a highlight for me was a recreation of the famous blackboard from Derry Girls. It’s a beautiful building and I’ll definitely make a return visit when I have more time on my hands. The museum and Botanic Gardens are next door to Queen’s University. It was lovely to feel the energy that comes with a third-level institute, while at the same time being glad that those days were well behind me!

I keep my toaster in a cupboard #truestory

Walking around the city centre, it was interesting to see the mix of old and new. And as someone who grew up in the era when this part of the world was constantly in the news for the wrong reasons, placenames, buildings and signposts looked very familiar.

I spotted this disused building on Great Victoria Street. It was one of the places in the area where Terri Hooley ran his Good Vibrations record shop. For anyone who hasn’t got a clue what I’m on about, Terri Hooley was (and is) Belfast’s so-called “Godfather of Punk”. As well as running a record shop called Good Vibrations, he established an indie record label. Its most famous release was Teenage Kicks by The Undertones. A film about Terri’s life was released in 2012

Titanic

Because Belfast City Centre is so compact, the walk out to the Titanic visitor centre didn’t take that long. It was also a great way to take in the riverside area of the city, and to see how Titanic and Game of Thrones have benefited the region. There are many shiny new buildings in the area. These, presumably, have replaced something that was much grittier.

I’m a sucker for shiny floor exhibitions, so the Titanic Experience was right up my sleeve. It’s a self-guided tour which takes in everything from the social history of Belfast right up to the aftermath of the disaster. It has pretty much everything you’d expect from such an exhibition – multimedia displays, rolling interviews and documentaries, and reproductions of carpets/crockery/cabins on the ship. Another highlight of the exhibition is a fairground-style ride through the shipyard. It’s accompanied by sounds from the shipyard, voiceovers and heat. The building itself overlooks the original slipways where the Titanic and its sister ship, the Olympic, were launched.

The entry ticket also gives you access to the SS Nomadic, which is to be found in a nearby dry dock. This is the last surviving White Star Line ship and was built at the same time as the Titanic. It was designed by Thomas Andrews, who was also responsible for designing the Titanic. As it happens, it’s also the only surviving ship designed by Andrews. SS Nomadic was essentially a shuttle bus on water and was used to ferry first and second-class passengers from the dockside out to their ship. In 1911, it brought passengers from Cherbourg out to the Titanic. It continued to operate as a working tender for 50 years before being converted into a floating restaurant/casino in Paris. It was purchased in 2006 by the local government and restored. It’s well worth a visit, even if it’s just to observe the differences between the 1st and 2nd class areas.

I caught a Glider bus back to the city centre (I bought a ticket at the bus shelter near the Titanic centre) before doing some shopping/exploring. Yet again, I wished that we hadn’t gutted our rail network in the mid-20th century because the train is such a nice way to travel. The train back to Dublin was an Irish Rail one but was no less nice than the Enterprise one from the day before. Seeing as I started this post with a photo of a railway station information board, I might as well end with one as well.

Getting There

An hourly train runs between Dublin and Belfast – see Irish Rail or Translink’s website for more info. Belfast Grand Central railway station is within walking distance of several hotels and of the city centre.

Belfast has a regular bus service, including some Glider bendy buses.

As well as the famous black taxi tours, there are open-top bus tours which also come recommended.

Inis Meáin – the low key one and all the better for it

Having visited Inis Mór and Inis Oírr, it was only right that I should make a trip to the remaining one of the three Aran Islands. Inis Meáin (or Inismaan) is the least visited of the three islands, making it a very different experience from the other two.

Getting Around 🚶‍♂️

Straight away, you know things will be a little different here. For starters, there is no direct ferry – the boat which dropped us off was en route to Inis Mór and would make the same trip in reverse later on. Although the ferry was busy enough for mid-September, only a handful of people disembarked at the pier on Inis Meáin. And then…nothing! The piers on the other two islands are at the heart of their main villages and visitors are greeted straight away with the trappings of modern-day tourism. Bike hire shops, locals offering guided tours by horse or minibus, food trucks, signs for nearby shops and businesses. Here, the pier is 3km away from the main village, which is located inland. In a way, this is symbolic of the way this island works. You have to work that little bit harder to to get around but it is definitely worth it. There were no bikes to hire, perhaps the summer season was over, so walking was the only game in town.

As with the two other islands, the signposting is a bit sketchy. There are some signs for loop walks but really, your life will be made easier if you have a good printed map or decent map app on your phone. I used Google Maps and found it very useful, both for finding my way around and for calculating how long it would take to walk to the various highlights. Being on Shank’s mare meant a few places on the “to visit” list were snipped out. Still, there was plenty to see on the day. More than anything, a day out on this wonderful island proved to be a wonderful way to get away from it all and to clear my head.

Clochán

A Clochán is a dry stone hut which is built from stone and has a corbelled roof. Many of them were monastic huts and there are some dramatic examples around. The best known of these are probably the beehive huts on Skellig Michael off the south coast. Star Wars fans will recognise them from The Last Jedi. Like the other clocháns which are found in Ireland, it isn’t known when this one was built but it is many centuries old. Unfortunately, this one isn’t in good condition but the roof is still intact. As well as the little front entrance, it has a side window. You can still crawl into the hut but I chose not to – the photos online were enough to satisfy my curiosity! There is a small, very old graveyard overlooking the clochán.

Dun Chonchúir

Because I was on foot, I didn’t get more than a cursory look at the outer edges of this extensive and ancient fort. I was also conscious of how much time I’d spent going to and from Dún Aongasa on Inis Mór, only to conclude that it looked far more impressive from the air… It is the largest of the stone forts on the Aran Islands and is built on the highest point of Inis Meáin. There are a few small clocháns in its inner keep which were repaired in the 19th century.

Séipéal Mhuire gan Smál

I have to admit that modern-day churches don’t do a lot for me, especially the 19th century gothic revival ones. However, the 1930s church here is lovely and worth a visit. Most of the stained glass windows are from the Harry Clarke Studio¹ and they’re exquisite. The altar was crafted by James Pearse, the sculptor father of Irish revolutionaries Padraig and Willie Pearse. James died in 1900 (i.e. long before this church was built) so I assume this altar had been in an older island church before this. (Please let me know)

Teampal na Seacht Mac Rí and St. Kennerg’s Bed

On the way into the village, I walked past the remains of Teampall na Seacht Rí and St. Kennerg’s Bed or grave which is right beside it. There isn’t much left to see of the church but the grave beside it is more striking. Kennerg was the daughter of the King of Leinster and was highly venerated at one stage.

St Kennerg's Bed or grave. Stands beside the ruins of Teampall na Seacht RíSt Kennerg's Bed or grave. Stands beside the ruins of Teampall na Seacht Rí — St Kennerg’s Bed or grave. Stands beside the ruins of Teampall na Seacht Rí

Lunch

Armies and occasional bloggers don’t like to march on empty stomachs. And so, lunch was the next important milestone. Teach Ósta is the only pub on the island so being barred is not a wise move. Happily, they serve hot food and cold drinks – the chicken goujon wrap was very welcome. It was also a chance to hear the locals chattering as gaeilge because Irish is the first language here. There is a shop nearby but it was closed for lunch so I didn’t get to see what it was like. Like this pub, I believe it’s the only one on the island.

Teach Synge

The Irish writer John Millington Synge (1871-1909) is known for his connection to the Aran Islands. His travelogue “The Aran Islands” was published in 1906. It proved to be a far less controversial work than his play “The Playboy of the Western World” (1907). When it was staged in Dublin, and later in New York, the audience rioted. Happily, visiting this old cottage where he used to holiday is a far more peaceful experience. It is still in the hands of the family who owned it in Synge’s time and it has been restored to look like it did in his time. It is hoped that the cottage can be thatched again, which will bring it back to what it looked like in Synge’s time.

Restored cottage where playwright JM Synge lived for a time

Carrowlisheen/Diarmuid and Gráinne’s Bed

The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne (or “Tóraíocht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne” if you did Leaving Cert Irish fadó fadó) is a tale from Irish mythology. Gráinne, the daughter of the High King of Ireland, decides she can’t go through with her arranged marriage to the ageing Fionn McCumhaill (Finn McCool of Giant’s Causeway fame). Diarmuid, a hunky and younger warrior catches her eye and she magically enchants him so she can avoid marrying Fionn. Before you can say “Bye Granddad”, the pair go on the run and thus the adventure begins. The story inevitably ends in tragedy but not before the couple criss-cross Ireland. There are many prehistoric sites around Ireland which bear the name “Diarmuid and Gráinne’s Bed, including this one. It is actually a megalithic wedge tomb which is looking the worse for wear now.

One of the many Diarmuid and Grainne's Beds around Ireland. In reality it is a megalithic wedge tomb — Diarmuid and Gráinne’s Bed. Not very comfy.

After this, I headed back to the pier to catch the ferry back to Rossaveel. The walk took me past the small airport which brings people to and from the mainland. It also gave me a chance to look at this chatty sign telling motorists to drive carefully, and that the speed limit is 50km/h on the island. After that, it was a short walk to the pier and the wait for the ferry home.

Getting There

Inis Meáin is served all year round by ferries which leave from Rossaveel in Co. Galway or from Doolin, Co. Clare. Aran Islands Ferries operate out of Galway and you can either travel to Rossaveel Pier yourself, or catch their shuttle bus from Galway city centre. Two ferry companies sail from Doolin, Co. Clare – the Doolin Ferry Company and O’Brien’s Ferry. Aer Arann fly from Inverin in Galway if you fancy something different or like small planes.

As you will have gathered by now, a visit to Inis Meáin is a much more low-key affair than the other two islands. If you want the place almost entirely to yourself, go off-season and enjoy the solitude (in a nice way). Details on bike hire are sketchy but it would appear that during the summer season, bikes are available at the pier. It is possible to bring your own bike to the island but if you intend to do so, contact the ferry company first.

Harry Clarke(1889-1931) was a renowned Irish stained-glass window artist. After his death, the studio he founded continued to produce high-quality stained glass windows. ↩︎

Inis Oírr – sunken churches and wrecked ships

In 2023 I visited Inis Mór, the largest of the three Aran Islands. You can read about that here. Anyway, in 2024 I decided to visit the other two. First up was Inis Oírr (Inisheer) which is the smallest of the three. Despite its small size, there’s plenty to see and you’ll still be back in time for the ferry. I’ve added more of the travel details at the end, if you’re still awake by then.

Getting Around 🚤✈️🚲🏇🚶‍♂️

I hired a bike from one of the two hire businesses which operate near the pier. Inis Oírr is relatively flat, so even if you don’t hire a fancy e-bike you can still whizz around quite comfortably. The road surfaces are generally OK but there are uneven patches and you never know who might come around the corner. So be careful when going downhill – the language of eating concrete transcends international borders.

These warning signs also mean you can stop pedalling for a while

O’Brien’s Castle

O’Brien’s Castle (aka Furmina Castle) is one of the most noticeable buildings on the island. It’s a ruined 15th-century tower house built on top of a hill. The ruins themselves are a bit ho-hum but they’re in good condition. Once upon a time, wooden stairs linked the floors but they have long gone. The view from the grounds is worth the short climb though.

Further up the hill is An Túr Faire, a ruined Napoleonic signal tower. It was built in the early 19th century when it was feared that the French might attempt to invade Ireland. The grounds were locked up so this photo was taken through the gate. There are several more of these dotted around the Irish coastline.

The sunken church/aka Teampall Chaomháin

This is a ruined church found in the local cemetery. Its age is up for debate – although the OPW sign nearby indicates that it’s a 10th-century church, other sources claim otherwise. What isn’t up for debate is that this church is largely below ground level and looks like it has sunk into the ground. In times past it was buried by shifting sands from the nearby beach. There is a little roofed tomb nearby which is believed to house the remains of St. Caomhán who may have founded this church. You can walk into the church and that is an unusual experience. It is odd to be looking straight down into the ruins rather than up, and to find a church window at waist height. This may have been a larger church in times past – the chancel is what remains now.

The Plassey Shipwreck

This rusting shipwreck dates all the way back to WWII. It was built in 1940 by the British Royal Navy and was originally called HMS Juliet. It served its time in the war and was later converted into a cargo vessel. It was renamed Peterjohn. In 1951 the Limerick Steamship Company purchased it and renamed it as MV Plassy/Plassey (spellings vary). It continued to operate as a cargo vessel until 8th March 1960. On that day, the ship was caught up in a severe storm and was driven up onto Finnis Rock off Inis Oírr’s coast. The crew of 11 was rescued by a group of islanders. Some weeks later, another storm hit and this one brought the Plassey onshore. It has remained here ever since, slowly deteriorating and occasionally shifting if an Atlantic storm is particularly ferocious. It became better known in the 1990s when it was featured in the opening titles of the sitcom Fr. Ted. Somebody made a sign directing visitors to the shipwreck (see gallery below) but it too is starting to succumb to the elements.

Ironically, the shipwreck isn’t too far from a lighthouse…

Eatenin’ and Drinkenin’

You can of course bring your own food to Inis Oírr but if you’d rather grab something on the island there is plenty of choice. There are some pubs, cafés and food trucks serving all sorts of food, snacks and drinks. I kept it simple and had some fish & chips from Tigh Ned. Other eateries are available.

If you have never been to any of the Aran Islands, I think Inis Oírr is a great place to start. It’s a small island so you should be able to tick off most if not all of the places of note in one day. The locals are friendly too, and the scenery is beautiful. You can buy Aran sweaters here too – according to online reviews, they are cheaper than what you’d pay in Dublin. All the shops and pubs seem to take card payments so there’s no need to load up on cash.

Getting There

Inis Oírr is served all year round by ferries which leave from Rossaveel in Co. Galway or from Doolin, Co. Clare. Aran Islands Ferries operate out of Galway and you can either travel to Rossaveel Pier yourself, or catch their shuttle bus from Galway city centre. Two ferry companies sail from Doolin, Co. Clare – the Doolin Ferry Company and O’Brien’s Ferry. Aer Arann fly from Inverin in Galway if you fancy something different.

Inis Oírr can be explored on foot but most people hire a bike from Joyce Bike Hire or Rothaí Inis Oírr. Both hire out all sorts of bikes from e-bikes to tandems to dog buggies. If you fancy something less energetic, you can hire a local to bring you around the island by horse and cart, or by minibus.

Gallery.

Click on a picture to launch

Build it and they will come…or not

Yet again, my talent for visiting heritage sites under scaffolding does not disappoint

Ormond Castle in Carrick-on-Suir is a little bit different to your usual castle visit. For starters, the site isn’t obviously a castle. What catches the eye aren’t the ruins of the castle which are there, but the Elizabethan Tudor manor house built onto it. As we know, Tudor manor houses aren’t all that common in Ireland. This one could’ve been soo much more Elizabethan if only Queen Elizabeth I (i.e. Ms Elizabethan herself) had bothered to come and visit.

Anyway, let’s go back a bit in time. A castle was first built on the site in the fourteenth century. At the time it was very close to the River Suir (as depicted in a rather nice model that’s on display in the visitor centre) and was strategically important. It was originally owned by the Wall family but was given to the powerful Butler Family. James Butler would later become the first Earl of Ormond. The Butler family, incidentally, also owned Kilkenny Castle for many centuries.

Model depicting the castle and the river

Over 200 years later, Thomas Butler, the Tenth Earl of Ormond built the Tudor manor house onto the castle. Black Tom, as he was also known, was a cousin of Queen Elizabeth I through her mother Anne Boleyn. He became close friends with Elizabeth. So close, in fact, that there were rumours they were more than good friends. Elizabeth was known to refer to him as her “Black husband”.

Photo from Heritage Ireland website — The Long Gallery (photo not mine)

Thomas invited Elizabeth to come visit him in Ireland and she accepted the invitation. In 1565 he built the manor house here, in preparation for her visit. As an Elizabethan-style house, it had larger windows, brick chimneys and a layout different to traditional Irish buildings. It has a beautiful long hall that has some pretty amazing stucco plasterwork on the walls and ceiling.

Sideways view of the model, showing how the manor house was built onto the castle

Disappointingly for Tom, Elizabeth was long on promises but short on action. She never did get around to visiting the manor house he had built for her.

“She had promised to visit when her Irish wars were won”

In 1588 Thomas became a Knight of the Garter and in 1597 he became Lieutenant General of Ireland in 1597. He also found the time to get married 3 times and fathered at least 16 children (4 inside the marriages, 12 elsewhere). When he died in 1614, his illegitimate son Piers FitzThomas Butler of Duiske benefited most from his will. This led to rumours that Piers might’ve been a child he’d had with Elizabeth.

Over time the financial clout and power of the Butler family diminished. The house was abandoned in the late 17th century and fell into ruin. The Butlers handed the site over to the Irish state in 1947

The castle and manor house have undergone significant restoration since then. In recent years the manor house was plastered over again. If you do a google image search, you can see plenty of photos of the manor house with its stonework exposed.

Even if Elizabeth couldn’t be bothered coming to visit, it is worth a trip if you fancy looking at something that isn’t yet another castle. There are some remnants of the castle on the site, including the tower house. The guided tour didn’t bring us in there but perhaps that may change in the future. There’s also a short film on the history of the castle and a museum with some interesting bits and bobs

Getting There

The castle closes over the winter time, so check Heritage Ireland’s website before planning your visit. As of 2024 its season is running from March-November. More details here

The castle is accessed through the park you can see on Google Streetview. Carrick on Suir is a busy town so you may not find parking right beside the castle. Astonishingly, the payment machine in the nearby council-run New Street Car Park didn’t offer a contactless card payment option. If you don’t have enough coins to hand (luckily we did) then you’re required to download an app and pre-load it with credit. That’s fine if you park in Co. Tipperary on a regular basis. If you’re on a one-time visitor then it’s daylight robbery.

Temple Church

I haven’t posted here for a while so I have some catching up to do. The first new/old post I’ll do is about the Temple Church in London. When staying in the city last year, I had the good fortune to stay in a (then) very reasonably priced hotel that was right next door.

I knew very little about the church other than that it popped up in The Da Vinci Code which I read about 20 years ago, and that it had something to do with the Knights Templar. It turns out to be far more interesting than that and has connections to one of my favourite places in Ireland.

The church is at the end of a laneway, a short walk from Fleet Street. It’s nestled in the middle of London’s legal district and is surrounded by impressive looking office buildings and gardens. It’s also nice and peaceful which is always welcome in this part of the world.

The first thing of note when you reach the church is its impressive looking West Doorway. It’s the entrance into the round part of this unusual church – more of that in a moment. Part of the decorations on the doorway include heads wearing turbans, caps and buttons. Some of these point to the interesting history of the people who built it.

The organisation which became known as the Knights Templar was founded in 1118. One of its aims was to protect pilgrims travelling to and from Jerusalem. Although they were based in Jerusalem, in time they built a base in London. In 1162 a round church was built here, inspired by the (also round) Church of the Holy Sepulchre back in Jerusalem. A chancel was later added. The area surrounding the church became known as Temple and it became the centre of religious, political and political life in London.

The entrance into the church is just around the corner and once inside, you’re free to roam and get a good look at the place. One of the first things to be seen in the church are 9 male effigies on the floor. The most remarkable of them all is probably that of William Marshal, the first Earl of Pembroke. He has been described as “The Best Knight that Ever Lived”. He certainly lived an eventful life and his influence extended across into Ireland. Amongst other things, he was responsible for the building of Hook Lighthouse in County Wexford 😎 William served four Kings of England and was one of the main negotiators involved in the drawing up of the Magna Carta. Indeed he was one of the signatories of it. When excavations were carried out in the church in 1842, medieval coffins were found under the floor. These are thought to have included William.

Being a tower freak, it wasn’t long before I was heading up the stairs and into the gallery. Perhaps it’s for the best that I didn’t spot any signs of the creepy tiny penitential cell that’s just off the stairs. It’s little more than the size of a broom cupboard. The story goes that an unfortunate man called Walter Bachelor was locked into the cell and left to starve to death in 1301. Is the story true? It isn’t clear but it was just one of the nefarious rumours about the Templars which were floating around at the time. On Friday 13th October 1307, King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V moved to end the Knights Templar. King Edward II handed the church over to the order of St. John.

Like just about every other old building, the church was tweaked over the years. Sir Christopher Wren made some changes to it, but nothing like what the Victorians did. Their alterations weren’t universally popular. However, most of that was lost on the night of 10th May 1941 when German bombers dropped over 700 tons of explosives over London. Along with the huge cost to human life (an estimated 1,400 deaths and 2,000 injuries), huge swathes of the city were destroyed. The Temple Church, which had survived the Great Fire of London, was one of the casualties. It was badly damaged during the fire and it took 14 years for the church to be fully repaired.

Amusingly, some of the mediaeval-inspired encaustic floor tiles which the Victorians had laid survived. These can be seen up in the gallery and they’re very striking. I also learned a new word – encaustic, encaustic…

The fire had shattered the original columns in the church, so new ones were quarried for it. The originals had been noted for their crookedness, so when they were rebuilding, they continued the tradition. It goes without saying that the fire also destroyed the original church organ. Its replacement came from an unlikely source – Glen Tanar castle in Scotland. The organ had originally been built for the castle ballroom but the acoustics in the room didn’t suit it. (As an aside, I’ve never seen so many deer antlers in the one place…). And so, the organ was gifted to the church by Lord Glentanar and it was shipped down to London. Not only did it sound much much better in its new home, it gained a reputation for being a really great organ. Much of the soundtrack to Christopher Nolan’s 2014 film Interstellar was recorded on this organ, with resident organist Roger Sayer collaborating with composer Hans Zimmer. Unfortunately, I visited on a Monday so I didn’t get to hear one of the church’s Wednesday lunchtime recitals.

Churches to visit are ten-a-penny in London but this one comes highly recommended. Even though it was badly damaged during the war, the painstaking restoration of it is superb. It’s an unusual church with an interesting, sometimes dark history. And by London admission price standards, the entrance fee is pretty reasonable (£5 at the time of writing)

Gallery – click on a thumbnail to enlarge.

In search of Smash Hits

Carnaby Street London — Carnaby Street, home to Smash Hits

Like many youngsters who grew up in the 1980s, the fortnightly pop magazine Smash Hits was a must-read. It was irreverent, funny, and colourful and supplied its young readers with an endless supply of posters for their bedroom walls. It was also a great way to keep tabs on who was currently poptastic and who was hurtling down the dumper to hang out with Belouis Some and Sigue Sigue Sputnik. Famously, Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys worked for the magazine from 1982-1985, alongside Word in Your Ear stalwarts David Hepworth and Mark Ellen. The magazine folded in 2006 but it is still well remembered and loved amongst people of a certain age.

Neil Tennant on the front cover of his old employer’s fanzine

The Smash Hits office was at 52-55 Carnaby Street, in the Soho area of London. The New Musical Express (NME) offices were right across the street from them and apparently, these rivals weren’t having half as much fun as the Smash Hits journos. What never occurred to youthful me was that these offices were to be found upstairs over swankier shops and that they didn’t have shiny pop stars sashaying in and out through their doors all day.

There is a plaque on the wall of the building where Smash Hits used to be but there’s no mention of the iconic magazine. Instead, it commemorates the offices as being used by notorious rock manager Don Arden (father of Sharon Osbourne). Hopefully some day “they” will erect plaques for Smash Hits and the NME because for generations of music fans these magazines really were a big deal.

Smash Hits HQ (or was it Towers?), not that you’d know it

Carnaby Street in the 1960s was synonymous with swinging London but these days it’s about as cleaned up and nondescript as you can get. Even a nod to its past with a Rolling Stones pop-up shop doesn’t do much. Oh well, at least me and my frightwig were there. It’s just a shame it was 35 years too late.

If you’re of a certain age, you might enjoy looking back at old issues of Smash Hits. There are oodles of them online

Michael Mouse’s Smash Hits Magazine Remembered
Like Punk Never Happened – Mark McCloskey’s archive on Flickr
Archive.org
Word Podcast 225. Smash Hits alumni Mark Frith, Sylvia Patterson, David Hepworth and Mark Ellen reminisce about their old job
Word Podcast 170 – Neil Tennant joins David Hepworth and Mark Ellen for a natter. A lot of it is about Smash Hits, starting 6 minutes in
Google Maps – Smash Hits office location

Cartoon Museum

During my trip to London in 2022, I visited the Cartoon Museum. I grew up reading DC Thomson comics and have a lot of nostalgia for the characters from The Beano, The Dandy, The Bunty, the Judy and The Mandy in particular. I grew out of reading comics when I was 10 or 11 but I still have a soft spot for clever current affairs cartoons. I also greatly admire the skill of the artists who draw these comic strips. And so, a visit to the Cartoon Museum in the centre of London was always going to be an easy sell.

Dennis the Menace. The infinitely superior one (sorry yanks)

I was really impressed by the friendly people behind the reception desk. One of them took the time to give me a good overview of what was on display and told a funny story about how the Beano means something different in the USA. Think wind, and not the weather sort. It also turned out that I knew one of his Irish relatives, which isn’t as weird as it sounds if you come from Ireland…

In museums and exhibitions like these, it never ceases to surprise me how far back some of the exhibits go. Cartoons were no exception, with some surprisingly old drawings. Thankfully these were a higher calibre than the offensive anti-Irish etchings which seemed to be a staple of Punch magazine back in the day. I think we tend to forget that people from the past were just as funny and acerbic and clued-in as we are now. Or at least, how we like to see ourselves.

Roy Hattersley (Spitting Image) — Roy Hattersley

Needless to say, the many cartoons on the walls were really interesting. Some were funny, many were thought-provoking and some brought back memories of current affairs issues I’d mostly forgotten.

I was pleasantly surprised to see an actual old-school Spitting Image puppet on display. Back in the day, Spitting Image was must-see TV and some of their latex puppets become iconic in their own right. As I later learned, being made of latex means some of these old puppets have had to be restored. If you’re interested, the lady who restored the Roy Hattersley puppet has some interesting information here.

At the time of my visit, there was a Judge Dredd 45th anniversary exhibition on the go. The charms of Mr Dredd and his judgements passed me by but all the same, there was a lot to like in that section. You don’t have to be a fan of all of these genres to admire the work that the cartoonists put into their comic strips.

There is a room in the museum which brings those of us of a certain age straight back to primary school again. They encourage people of all ages to have fun drawing cartoons. What isn’t there to love about being able to sit in a brightly coloured room and play with crayons, pencil sharpeners and colouring pencils. The 5-year-old in us never dies! I might have baulked at trying to draw a caricature of the then UK prime minister Boris Johnson. Or should that be, Booo-ris Johnson.

In short, if you’re in any way interested in cartoons, satire, staring into Roy Hattersley’s false eyes or drawing superheroes in a playroom, the Cartoon Museum is worth a visit. It certainly woke the child in me. Oh, and the gift shop is pretty cool too.

Cabmen’s Shelters

While I was in London back in April, I spotted a large wooden hut that looked like Dr Who’s TARDIS if it had been a Siamese twin and had turned green around the gills from all the crazy adventures. Alas, the truth was a bit more grounded but at least there were no Daleks to deal with.

This hut (@Hyde Park Gate) is one of a number of Cabmen’s Shelters which can still be found around London. They were built by the Cabmen’s Shelter Fund which was founded in 1875. The idea for the shelter came about after journalist/gentleman with deep pockets George Armstrong tried to hail a cab during a blizzard but found that the taxi drivers were sheltering in a nearby pub and weren’t sipping orange juice and sparkling water. The idea behind these shelters was to give the cab drivers somewhere else to go and to stop them from getting drunk on the job. The cabs were built to be no bigger than a horse and cart and served food and hot drinks to the cabbies seeking some shelter. Needless to say, no alcohol was served at these huts.

The first hut was built at St. John’s Wood and it still stands to this day. In total, just over 60 huts were built in London over the coming years but only 13 survive now. The existing ones are run by the wonderfully titled Worshipful Company of Hackney Carriage Drivers and 10 of them are still in operation. Many of them now serve drinks and snacks to the public. The one I found is near Hyde Park Gate and wasn’t serving a morsel of anything 😦

The huts are now Grade II listed so all going well, they’ll be around for a while yet.

The chances of anything coming from Mars…

On a recent trip to London, a friend and I went along to Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience. Billed as “the only place in London where you can experience a real Martian invasion” how could we not go?

The show, for want of a better word, is being staged in the historic Hallmark Building on Leadenhall Street. For years, it was home to the London Metal Exchange and was the perfect setting for this. Even the windows look right for what’s going on inside.

Once you check-in at the venue, you’re assigned a “team” with whom you’ll experience the Martian invasion. You’re issued with a wrist band which makes it easier to know where to go. Amusingly, the young man who checked us in got mixed up so we were double-tagged 🙂

And so, on to the experience itself. It’s described as being a mixture of live-action, multi-sensory effects and virtual reality. It follows the plotline of the 1978 Jeff Wayne album and either uses music and songs straight off that album or a score adapted from there. Really nice. At the beginning of the tour, we were greeted by a lady in Victorian dress who explained the ground rules and how to adjust the magical headwear we’d be popping on later on. By now everyone had put their phones away (no harm in that!) and were doing their best to pretend they were back in the early 1900s. And so, on to the show. Over the next hour and three quarters, we made our way through the set. Sometimes the settings were indoors, such as in people’s houses or outdoors (Horsell Common, most notably). Without spoiling too much, the first part largely involved live actors and sets, holograms and a surprise special effect or two. All of it was enjoyable but things really stepped up a gear once we got to wear the Virtual Reality headsets. I had never worn any sort of VR equipment before so it was great to experience it in such a spectacular way.

My first introduction to Virtual Reality here was a boat trip down the Thames and out to sea, soundtracked by Justin Hayward’s “Forever Autumn”. At the start of the boat trip (in which we were sitting in an actual wooden boat), it’s nice and pleasant and autumnal. By the end of it, London’s not looking too good after being trashed by those pesky Martians and we’re out at sea. Rough seas at that! It certainly felt real and that’s the praise the creators are after. Some of the footage can be seen in this short trailer by Layered Reality, the company staging this.

Half way through, there’s a chance to stop and have a drink at the Red Weed bar. This was a welcome break because experiencing a Martian invasion first-hand is thirsty work. A toilet is never unwelcome either, it has to be said.

It was all good fun, with the good-humoured actors adept at thinking on their feet when interacting with dumb members of the public. Special praise should go out to the lady who has undoubtedly heard those jokes about telephones never catching on about 5 squillion times. After surviving (spoiler alert!) the Martian invasion, we returned to real life and the bar outside.

Overall, it comes highly recommended. One minor quibble, which has nothing to do with show itself, is about the VR headsets. I wear glasses most of the time and would have found life a little bit easier if I’d popped in a pair of contact lenses before going to this. My specs didn’t spoil the experience by any means but they sometimes made taking the headsets on and off a bit of a faff. Anyway, enough of that. If you are thinking of going, keep an eye out for special promotions or vouchers to reduce the entry cost.

On a final note, when my friend and I walked outside afterwards and looked up along the street, we noted that The Gherkin seemed to be looming over us ominously…

Roscam – Never finished?

A recent trip to Galway afforded me the opportunity to “bag” another round tower. And so, I went in search of the tower at Roscam, which is on the outskirts of the city, overlooking Oranmore Bay. It’s a beautiful location, though the view is hampered somewhat by the inevitable development on the other side of the bay.

Very little is known about the monastery which once stood here. It is thought it may have been established here in the 5th century, which would make it one of the oldest monastic settlements in Ireland. It has been associated with St. Patrick (yep, that one) and with Odran, brother to St. Ciarán of Clonmacnoise. In 807, the site was attacked by those serial monastery pillagers, the Vikings. The monastery might also be where the bones of King Brión mac Echach Muigmedóin were brought to by Saint Aedus. There are question marks as to whether King Brión ever actually existed so you can make up your own mind.

The putlock holes are still visible on the tower

The tower stands 10.98m tall and is unusual for two reasons. One is that the lintelled doorway is quite low to the ground. The other is that the tower still has numerous putlock (or putlog) holes on its external walls. These were used to support scaffolding while the towers were being built, but were covered up afterwards. The presence of these holes in the tower raises doubts as to whether this particular one was ever finished. There is just one window in the tower, directly over the door. At some point afterwards, somebody attempted to add some height to the tower but the new stonework is not of the quality of what went before.

Close to the tower are the ruins of a medieval church. I wasn’t able to get near them because of the extensive stone walls and unclimbable gates in the area. Some of these are the remnants of ancient fortifications and they’re still doing their work effectively in 2021!

Far more interesting is the ancient graveyard which overlooks the bay. It doesn’t appear to be still in use but it looks like it was used extensively over the centuries. It’s populated with lots of broken, illegible headstones and rocks and it’s wonderful. There are two large bullaun stones in there as well, one of which is associated with St. Patrick. It seems the great snake banisher was also a dab hand at making round dents in big rocks.

One of the bullaun stones in the grave yard

By a long shot, this was the trickiest round tower to get to. For better or worse, I accessed it by driving along the Rosshill Road, then walked (carefully!) along the rocky beach that runs south of the site. Then some clambering over stone walls and navigating electric fences came into the equation. The tower is in the middle of a working farm, so naturally the animals come first.