The Great Hunger of 1845 to 1852

Virtually overnight potato blight turned Ireland into a country of mass starvation, emigration and abandoned homes and fields. To this day, the Irish landscape is pitted with  famine-era ruins and undulating potato fields.
© www.anniewrightphotography.com

The Hare's There...

...somewhere.
Photo: Annie

Alfie...

...the Pirates' mascot on his way to the wild, wild west of Ireland.

Photo: Annie

Upstairs in the Folly

A place of contemplation and inspiration!
©Annie Wright

Secret Treasure

Collection of shells (etc.) in the television room
at the house in Polranny.
Photo: ©Profoundly Superficial

There are Fairies at the Bottom of the Garden!

No, not leprechauns as you would expect but beautiful little fairies, who briefly appeared during the stay of an exceptionally talented 11-year-old called Josefien.

Photo:Ineke Oostveen

Shiny and new

The Pirates have acquired a shiny, new garage so that the
car will be well protected against the winter snows.

Photo: Riny

Enlightened Christmas

Pirate Peti writes: "Hank was responsible for the Hanukkah candles, José for the Christmas lights and I read the Koran."

Photo: Peti

Spotting the Similarities

Artist and recent visitor Monique Besten at work in Polranny and Achill.

Photos: Monique Besten

Well Done, Charlie!

(The invitation can be enlarged by clicking it)

Charlie Tyrrell, whose mother and grandparents lived at the house in Polranny, is having a major exhibition of his works on canvas and aluminium. The show will be held at the Solstice Arts Centre in Navan, County Meath, from 24 March to 6 May. It then moves to the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork where it can be seen between 13 May and 2 July.

Badgers Were There...

According to people who know about these things, these are the signs of badgers attempting to dig up the front garden. For years there have badgers in the back garden, although nobody ever sees them. Personally I was beginning to think that they were mythical, much like the leprachauns.

Photo: Profoundly Superficial

The Height of Fashion

Wellies by Barbour!
Manolos and Jimmy Choos should be left at home.

Photo: Profoundly Superficial

The Day of the Auction

It's September 1944 and the house is about to be auctioned. It would pass through several other hands before ending up with the Polranny Pirates. Some the men in the photo are related to the Sweeney family, who had lived here up to now.

Photo: Courtesy of Charles Tyrrell

The Family Car

And a magnificent beast it is too! Artfully posed in front of it are previous residents Peter and Margaret Sweeney while their daughter Gretta sits behind the wheel.
Photo: Courtesy of Charles Tyrrell

Sewing Machine

I love this photograph of Margaret Sweeney, sitting outside with her sewing machine and the turkeys or geese behind her. Margaret was the mother of the Sweeney family who lived in the house in Polranny many years ago.
Photo: Courtesy of Charles Tyrrell

The Drive Seventy Plus Years Ago

The house and the wall are unchanged but nowadays there's far more foliage around the drive.

The demurely smiling lady is Margaret Sweeney, the matriarch of the Sweeney family that used to live here.

Photo: Courtesy of Charles Tyrrell, Margaret's grandson.

Things Have Hardly Changed

The house in Polranny, the porch, the kitchen on the right, AND that all important car. This photo was taken sixty plus years ago when the Sweeney family lived here. But essentially not that much has changed... except the car is slightly more modern.

Photo: Courtesy of Charles Tyrrell

Eileen (2)

Here is another image of previous resident Eileen Sweeney; this time shown as a proud graduate.

Photograph courtesy of Charles Tyrrell.

Eileen

A sweet photo of Eileen Sweeney, a member of the family who lived at the house for most of the first half of the 20th century.

If the house could speak, what tales it would tell...

Photo courtesy of Charles Tyrrell.

Tonragee National School

This is Tonragee National School where Peter and Margaret Sweeney taught, the couple who lived with their daughters Patty and Gretta at the Pirates' house in the early 20th century. Peter is standing at the back on the far right-hand side. But Margaret's absent. Maybe one of her girls had just been born. In her place - and standing to the left - is their aunt Bridget Flynn.

Many thanks to Charles Tyrell, Patty's son, for the use of this photo. Click to enlarge. It's well worth it!