Friday Photo
Thing to do today: supermarket, errands, collect kids, dodge sheep in the road…
While modern Dubliners seemingly want to shift away from the stereotypical imagery of ‘The Quiet Man,’ leprechauns and old gents in tweedy flat caps, I seem to bump into them with regularity.
Why, just last week I found myself swinging the car into a side lane to accommodate a farmer and his herd. Like a scene from ‘Babe,’ he came sauntering down the narrow lane with its towering hedgerows on either side. In front of him ran the group of woolly wonders, while he ambled behind—stick in hand, tweedy flat cap on head, faithful sheepdog alongside.
Kicking myself for leaving the camera at home.
But not to worry, sheep in the road are rather a common sight these days. Surely then, the leprechauns are lurking nearby…
Heh heh - but wasn’t Babe made in Australia?
01 Feb 2008 at 8:01 am
I love these little scenes that I also happen across in Leitrim. However I think the days of these salt of the earth farmers are numbered, when their generation is gone I wonder what will happen then. Will the middle aged farmers of today be the tweed cap, grass chewing, ambling, salt of the earth farmers of the older generation we have today? There aren’t many full time farmers left. Many of them do a bit of farming on the side, almost as a hobby, while working full time elsewhere off the land too. If ends can’t be made to meet by farming alone, where will that leave our countryside in the future without its full time custodians. Our countryside landscape is man made … the fields, the hedges, grazed land … I wonder what the future holds in terms of our landscape?
01 Feb 2008 at 10:42 am
I hope the leprechauns are nearby. Where I grew up there is the “Fairy Bridge” and whenever you cross it you must greet the fairies. Everyone does!
01 Feb 2008 at 11:28 am
Lovely photo.
01 Feb 2008 at 12:41 pm
When I read your’s and Rebecca’s blogs, I want to pack up and move to Ireland. Maybe we should just start with a visit? Lovely words and photo.
01 Feb 2008 at 1:31 pm
Check out
marie-funnyfarm.blogspot.com for your Make My Day Award!
01 Feb 2008 at 10:30 pm
I must agree with Jennifer - such beautiful scenery! I love reading your blog!
02 Feb 2008 at 12:50 am
I agree with Jennifer. Your photos and description make me want to move to Ireland, too!
02 Feb 2008 at 1:38 am
We’re just all going to move near you…and buy lots of sheep! Enjoy your weekend.
02 Feb 2008 at 1:51 am
I’m probably not very far from this kind of scenery…actually I can see the Dublin moutains from my balcony. It looks like my in-Laws who are visiting would like to visit the city center this afternoon when I would rather prefer to have a good walk in the mountains ans see that
We’ll see who wins, but I’m afraid I already know 
02 Feb 2008 at 10:20 am
Phew! I’m glad to hear that ya’all are keeping the world supplied with Barry Fitzgeralds and Irish charm.
Not to mention Guiness — keep up the good work!
(Our sheep around here don’t wander on the roads unless they get out — or I put out new seedlings. They seem to know…)
02 Feb 2008 at 3:13 pm
You forgot the faeries…..
02 Feb 2008 at 5:12 pm
lol, yeah just shear a couple…farmer might not notice a naked few!
03 Feb 2008 at 12:03 am
Soooo beautiful!
Somehow the sheep penned in alfalfa fields that I see on my way to Bakersfield don’t give me the same feelings that your photos do:)
03 Feb 2008 at 4:37 am
Silly me: I thought leprechauns were more to do with rainbows than with sheep in the road.
03 Feb 2008 at 6:52 pm