Bring in the green on the May Day

02May

Bring in the green on the May Day

Bringing in the green on May Day was a common yet lovely tradition around here, the idea was that by bringing greenery and the blue flowers of the periwinkle or Vinca Major you would also be bringing in good luck to the house. The tradition is ancient and even the Romans celebrated the Roman  goddess of flowers and vegetation, Flora from April 28th to May 3rd! Other piseogs incuded the fanciful notion that washing one's face in the dew on May Day morning would result in astounding beauty, no need for plastic or serums then! 

Convent girls of a certain vintage will no doubt remember the May Procession and singing 'bring flowers of the rarest, bring blossoms the fairest, from garden and woodland, hillside and dale' and then oh joy the trip into the Nuns' garden, the very picture of perfection with flower beds and fruit trees!

A wet and windy May fills the barns with corn and hay…So says the old adage, the last few days certainly bear that out, sweet peas and rockets and other plants recently planted out were a bit lack lustre until the rain yesterday, this morning all are standing to attention and look as though they grew a bit even over night! Amazing the power of soft rain and mist it seems to just nudge the plants on into growth. Rain pearls sparkle in the heart of lupin leaves today and they are as appreciated as the flowers themselves. New raised beds are going ahead a pace in the back garden, with peas, red cabbage, lettuce, artichoke and spinach and of course a few indian prince calendulas, and nasturtiums , still a few beds to put together and fill up with some herbs and beans, courgettes and a very audaciously named pumpkin ‘invincible’  ect. Hopefully providing some tasty bites as well looking pretty!

Bio-diversity will be the focus from June 6th to 12th where you can enjoy a multitude of free wild-life/ heritage events taking place the full programme is listed here.

Cape Clear Bioblitz Programme

TUESDAY 7TH JUNE

08.00 – 09.00 Bird walk/ringing demonstration – Steve Wing

10.00 – 12.00 Flower walk – Geoff Oliver

10.30 – 12.30 Goat milking/husbandry – Ed Harper

11.00 – 18.00 Maritime Photographs – Pat Con O’Driscoll

12-00 – 16.00 Heritage Museum – Joan Kearney

13.00 – 15.00 Rocky shore as Gaeilge – Paula Ní Ríogáin

13-00 – 15.00 Fastnet Trip (low tide 14.19) – MJ Cadogan

19.00 – 21.00 Slideshow of Cape photographs – Simon Cocking

21.00 – 22.00 Bird Observatory Log (daily record of wildlife sightings)

 

WEDNESDAY 8TH JUNE

08.00 – 09.00 Bird walk/ringing demonstration – Steve Wing

10.00 – 12.00 Dry-stone walling – Áine Ní Ríogáin

10.30 – 12.30 Goat milking/husbandry – Ed Harper

11.00 – 18.00 Maritime Photographs – Pat Con O’Driscoll

12.00 – 14.00 Flower walk – Geoff Oliver

12-00 – 16.00 Heritage Museum – Joan Kearney

14-00 – 16.00 Fastnet Trip – MJ Cadogan

14.00 – 16.00 Net-mending demonstration – To be confirmed

21.00 – 22.00 Bird Observatory Log (daily record of wildlife sightings)

 

THURSDAY 9TH JUNE

08.00 – 09.00 Bird walk/ringing demonstration – Steve Wing

10.00 – 12.00 Dry-stone walling – Áine Ní Ríogáin

10.30 – 12.30 Goat milking/husbandry – Ed Harper

11.00 – 18.00 Maritime Photographs – Pat Con O’Driscoll

12.00 – 14.00 Flower walk – Geoff Oliver

12-00 – 16.00 Heritage Museum – Joan Kearney

14.00 – 16.00 Net-mending demonstration – To be confirmed

15-00 – 18.00 Fastnet Trip – MJ Cadogan

 

FRIDAY 10TH JUNE

08.00 – 09.00 Bird walk/ringing demonstration – Steve Wing

10.30 – 12.30 Goat milking/husbandry – Ed Harper

11.00 – 18.00 Maritime Photographs – Pat Con O’Driscoll

12-00 – 16.00 Heritage Museum – Joan Kearney

14.00 – 16.00 Flower walk – Geoff Oliver

16-00 – 18.00 Fastnet Trip – MJ Cadogan

21.00 – 22.00 Bird Observatory Log (daily record of wildlife sightings)

22-00 – 23.00 Bat walk and star gazing – Paddy Sleeman

SATURDAY 11TH JUNE

08.00 – 09.00 Bird walk/ringing demonstration – Steve Wing

10.00 – 12.00 Flower walk – Geoff Oliver

10.30 – 12.30 Goat milking/husbandry – Ed Harper

11.00 – 18.00 Maritime Photographs – Pat Con O’Driscoll

12-00 – 16.00 Heritage Museum – Joan Kearney

12.00 Launch of Island BioBlitz 2016

12.30 – 15.30 Sea watch from the cliffs – Padraig Whooley, IWDG

14.00 – 18.00 Pelagic boat trip – Paul Connaughton

16-30 – 18.30 Fastnet Trip (low tide 17.26) – MJ Cadogan

21.00 – 22.00 Bird Observatory Log (daily record of wildlife sightings)

22-00 – 23.00 Bat walk and star gazing – Andrew Harrington

SUNDAY 12TH JUNE

08.00 – 10.00 Bird walk/ringing demonstration – Steve Wing

09.00 – 11.00 Opening of Moth traps – Eamon O’Donnell

10.30 – 12.30 Goat milking/husbandry – Ed Harper

11.00 – 18.00 Maritime Photographs – Pat Con O’Driscoll

12-00 – 16.00 Heritage Museum – Joan Kearney

12.00 FINISH of Island BioBlitz 2016

12.30 Winners of Island BioBlitz 2016 announced

14.00 – 16.00 Heritage walk – Diarmuid Ó Drisceoil

 

 

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