Holy Place

On the day before Christmas Eve when the snow, ice and clear blue skies cast away the feeling of cold and festivities are almost here, a stroll away from the madness can bring us to a moment frozen in time.



Newtown Churchyard

This is believed to be one of Ireland's Holy places. A Church or Monastic settlement has existed above the banks of the Borora River for many centuries. Usher's Visitation of 1622 describes the ancient church and chancel "as in ruins". The roofless building seen here in the churchyard was erected in the late 18th century.

Theme: Time Gone By

Dark.
It was always dark.
The snow covering the earth.
       I remember it always covering the earth during the dark winters.
       I remember the snow.
    Lights filled the windows of the houses around ours. Red, green, blue, yellow and white, of course white, like the stars in the sky.
    I often lay on the ground, wearing snowsuit to keep the cold away, my nose red like Rudolf's.
    I often lay there staring up at the stars wondering what I'd be doing ten years from then.
    20 years from then.
    30 ...
And I tried counting the stars while making snow angels.
    Then I just lay there still until the cold crept up on me through the thick clothing, watching the northern lights play with themselves.
    Eventually I had to jump up and leave the stars and the lights, always attempting to jump so that the angel wouldn't be ruined.
    There could be no footprints where the snow angel was supposed to be.
    If there were steps it was a failed angel.
    A fallen angel.
Afterwards I guess I went inside and continued to wait anxiously for Christmas to arrive. I would stand in the window and look down on my snow angel, the beautiful white snow angel that was sometimes even prettier when it had fallen...
    ...sometimes steps in the snow still remind me of those days.