Monday May 20 2002

We went down the road to Kinnegad this weekend mainly to get some Bird Produce i.e. Free range eggs. On the radio as we went, was some Sibelius music, namely The Swan of Tuonela.


On the way back we detoured at Clonard in toward the Hill of Down. Returning we arrived at the entrance to the old site of St Finnians Monastery. I wanted to have a look around the place. There is a more recent church there now, derelict, but which served as the local Church of Ireland up until 1991. As I pulled up Lo and behold there is a Grey Wagtail flitting about in a puddle of dirty rainwater. The Grey Wagtail has some yellow in his plumage so we often think that we are seeing a Yellow Wagtail but that is not so. The Yellow Wagtail has a lot more yellow to him. Anyway I was quite delighted with that and decided to go in over the gate and walk down towards the church. There were many Bluebells still to be seen though they were on the wain. As I walked I disturbed two baby rabbits. They didn't stay around for long I tell you. I got to the main gate into the church grounds but didn't go in as the place is really over-run with wild growth. I noticed a little plaque near a young copper beech tree and read that the tree was planted by Colleen Gasteen in memory of the Gasteen Family. It's an unusual name to me.