Limerick, Galway, Ennis, and Doolin

King John's Castle in Limerick City

History plays amidst spectacular surroundings and small towns enchant. Fáilte (Welcome) to Western Ireland.

The River Shannon runs along the side of this 13th century fortification, King John's Castle. There's a tremendous view from the top of the cylindrical towers following the river to the green hills beyond. During the Great Seige of 1642, Cromwell's army dug mines beneath the castle walls to undermine this once mighty fortress. Invincible? Hardly.

Two Writers - Galway

In this imaginary scenario, two famous writers, Oscar Wilde and Eduard Wilde (from Estonia) are deep in conversation. It's anybody's guess what their talk is about. They had never met in real life. May I dare say they're exploring their "roots" since they bear the same last name?

Healing Hands by Shane Gilmore

Pro Cathedral of St. Peters and Paul, Ennis

There are various interpretations of these limestone hands modeled from the hands of Willie Walsh, the Bishop of Killaloe. All of these attributions - peace, cooperation, faith, and the welcoming of immigrants hit the mark. But the best interpretation may be this quote from Isaiah 49:15 that is engraved on a plaque by the sculpture: "I will not forget you. I have carved your name on the palm of my hand." How beautiful!

O'Connell Street, Ennis

My home base in County Clare was Ennis, a small, colorful town about 30 minutes from Shannon Airport and on both train and bus routes. This turned out to be a good choice as Ennis is well situated between the cities of Galway and Limerick and a short drive to the Cliffs of Moher. At the end of the day, I went home to peace and quiet except on the day of the World Cup finals when the occupants of the hotel room next door to mine were pounding the walls and shouting angrily. I guess their team lost. tsk tsk.

Doolin

The coastal town of Doolin is famously known as the home of traditional Irish music. Its pubs are alive with music sessions nightly in the summer and in February, a music festival is held to honor Doolin's own, the Russell brothers, for their many contributions to elevate traditional Irish music to the world stage. Doolin is centrally located between the Burren and the Cliffs of Moher and the perfect kicking off point for walking explorations in the area.

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Images by Charie

Brașov was once called Stalin City

White Tower Brașov is a city nestled in the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania. Remnants of its medieval fortifications and bastions are added attractions to this buzzing city. The White Tower along with the Black Tower are two of the remaining watchtowers still visible today. During the Communist period, Brașov was called Orasul Stalin or Stalin City after the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. Black Church This is such a storied Gothic church which was originally the Catholic Church of St. Mary before it was converted to a Lutheran Church. It was believed to have been affected by fire in 1689 which blackened its exterior walls and roof. But a new 21st century study reveals that this wasn’t the case at all. The only reason for its blackened state according to the study is environmental pollution caused by the industrialization of Brasov in the 19th century. The walls have since been cleaned but there are traces of black spots on the roof. Republicii Street This long pede...

The Gold of Ancestors: Pre-Colonial Philippine Treasures

Openwork basket, Surigao, 10th-13th century What a wonderful surprise this exhibition is! These gold objects, about a thousand of them, add a rich layer to Philippine history. This collection which was found in various sites in the Philippines, date back to the 10th-13th centuries. It demonstrates the well developed culture of pre colonial Philippines which the Spaniard, Antonio Pigafetta, recorded in 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan landed in the islands. A thriving interchange between the Philippines and its Asian neighbors existed prior to the arrival of Magellan as attested by some of these gold accouterments which show for example, images from Hindu mythology. The motifs and curvilinear ornamentation of the openwork basket (shown above) intimate Chinese designs found in their ceramics and textiles. Torso ornament, 10th-13th century Weighing four kilos of gold, this sash is worn across the chest similar to the upavita (sacred thread) style in Hindu culture. This sash w...

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...

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