Ireland XXI (Ross Errilly to Ashford Castle, Ireland)

Digital original

The Ross Errilly Friary is a medieval Franciscan friary and among the best-preserved medieval monastic sites in the country. Though usually referred to by locals as "Ross Abbey," this is not technically correct as the community never had an abbot.

Digital original, 2 frame exposure blend

The grounds of the abbey also contain a monks’ fishing house, probably built in the 15th or 16th century, on an island in the River Cong leading towards nearby Lough Corrib. The house is built on a platform of stones over a small arch which allows the river to flow underneath the floor. There is a trapdoor in the floor in which the fish may have been kept fresh. According to local tradition, a line was connected from the fishing house to the monastery kitchen to alert the cook to fresh fish.

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Cong Abbey is a former Augustinian abbey mostly dating to the 13th century and described as featuring some of finest examples of medieval ecclesial architecture in Ireland.

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The Harris hawk is a medium-large bird of prey which breeds from the southwestern United States south to Chile and central Argentina. This was is from the hawking centre at Ashford Castle, Ireland.

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Ashford Castle is a medieval castle that has been expanded over the centuries and turned into a five star luxury hotel near Cong on the Mayo-Galway border, on the shore of Lough Corrib in Ireland. It is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World organization and was previously owned by the Guinness family.

Digital original

Connemara is a district in the west of Ireland, the boundaries of which are not well defined. It is closer in feel to western Scotland, especially with the lack of stone fencing on the roadsides.