A Twister in the Comeraghs.

Yes a twister! a real bona fide tornado. On Sunday 8th May sitting having lunch at Coum Locha, it was blustery but we were comfortable surrounded by heather. Then out of nowhere there seemed to be a splash in the lake except instead of being in the one place the "splash" raced across the lake surface as if someone was pulling an invisible stick through the water. It was a tiny tornado. Unusual you may think but the locals have a name for it, a Shee Gaoithe or a ghost wind. A Shee Gaoithe is more commonly seen in summer as it lifts wisps of hay into to the air on an August evening. We we are not in Kansas now Dorthea, but the twisters do happen in the Nire also. 

Vandals in sandals.

It looks like not all vandals come wearing hoodies and drinking cans of cheap cider. The stone circle at Tooreen has, again, been vandalised. The vandals have left their paper lanterns and garden torches all around the site erected some sort of floral arch over the portal stones and worse of all they have constructed and lit a fire in the center of the circle. This fire has, possibly, compromised the archaeological integrity of the site. Yes, they cut the ferns around the site and tidied the site but why oh why did they light a fire within the site. They may as well have arrived in their hoodies and spray painted the site at least they would be honest to their trade of vandal.
   The vandalism occurs around Celtic festivals of Bealtaine, mid-winter, mid-summer etc. However these are Celtic rituals, the stone circle is early Bronze age, before the arrival of the Celts, if they ever existed, so get your history right.

   Please leave this site alone and either build your own stone circle or go back to daubing "Kilroy was here" on public toilet walls.