Tag Archive: Standing Stones


QUEST 34: HIGHER LAND

“The Isles of Orkney. Wild and free in time and space. A purposeful past”

From Yorkshire and the North, to Scotland, the beautiful Orkney Isles, the magical Isle of Mull, back through Durham, Nottingham and home. So many memories, so much to catch up on, so much beauty to embrace. You will notice my write-ups being more concise this time due to the longer quest, though i may add more over time.

Day one: Friday 25th Feb 2022:

  • St Edith Church: Pulverbatch. Shewesbury: A peaceful church of medieval origins, rebuilt in 1853, the west tower in 1773. Lovely energies, set in the heart of the beautiful Shropshire countryside. A Keystone Church. It is said that the Grail was here in 368 AD-450 AD.
  • The Church of the Holy & Undivided: Edale. Hope Valley: Was dark and closed. An earlier church was on the site in 1633 and prior to that a chapel was on the grounds. In 1886 a new church was consecrated. Flickerings, orbs and beams of light were observed. We were not alone on this occasion. A Keystone Church. It is said that the Grail was there from 143 AD-182 AD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Pulverbatch

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_the_Holy_and_Undivided_Trinity,_Edale

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

St Ediths Church. Pulverbatch.

A two night stay in Kendal

Day two: Saturday 26th Feb 2022:

  • St John the Baptist Church: Skelsmergh. Kendal: Set in the beautiful rolling countryside of Westmorland, built in 1869 on an older foundation. A Keystone Church with good energies. It is said that the Grail was here from 311 AD-368 AD.
  • Holy Trinity Church: Coverham. North Yorkshire: Peaceful but closed. Built 1223 AD. Ancestry Line: Lord Robert De Neville. B.1223 Coverham. Yorkshire. England. D. 6th June 1282. Middleham. Yorkshire. England. 59 years. (21xGGF) 2nd of the ‘New Neville’ line. It is said there is a link here to both the Holy Grail and to Infinity…   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinity_symbol
  • Malham Cove: Malham. Skipton: Known as ‘Devils Rock’ in times gone by. Interesting ‘happenings’ that very dark night we were there. Aligned energy. Dark void. Moonless sky. The void in space and time. The site of ‘Landings’. Ancestry Line: Lord Maldred Fitz Dolfin. 1157 Raby Castle. Durham. England.1183 Raby Castle. Durham. England. (23xGGF)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skelsmergh

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_Church,_Coverham

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malham_Cove

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

St John the Baptist Church. Skelsmergh.

Day three: Sunday 27th Feb 2022:

  • Saint Andrews Church of Scotland: 1 Church Place. Moffat: Donald very kindly specially let us in, as it was closed. Built in 1055 AD on the grounds of an older chapel. Ancestry Line: Lord Gilladomnan of the Isles. 824-885. Dull. Caithness. Scotland (33xGGF)
  • Tweedsmuir Kirk: Glebe House, Tweedsmuir. Biggar: Kept open for us by a kind lady. Built in 1874 Ad on a much older site. Ancestry Line: Lord Gilladomnan of the Isles. 824-885. 61 years. Dull. Perthshire. Caithness. Scotland (33xGGF)
  • Saint Mary of Wedale: Stow. Galashiels. Shut but a beam of Light and an apparitions were seen. Built in1876, but with the chapel according to history being one mile away. It has been claimed that Stow was the scene of one of the victorious battles won by ‘King Arthur’ over the Saxons, and the story also goes that Arthur founded the first church the first church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. A Keystone Church with connections to the Neville Line. It is said that a chamber below, that is now the church held the Grail from 182-191 for nine years.

https://www.standrewsmoffat.org/visitor-information

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/peebles/tweedsmuirkirk/index.html

https://www.stowandheriotchurch.org.uk/950847804546.htm

A three night stay in Bathgate. Scotland

Day four: Monday 28th Feb: Rest Day.

Day five: Tuesday 1st March 2022:

  • Rosslyn Chapel: Chapel Loan. Roslsyn: Built in 1446, known all all over the Earthly plane, famous for featuring in films and books and for always capturing the imagination. It still has many secrets and stories yet to tell…  It took 40 years to build and was founded by Sir William Sinclair, the 11th Barron of Roslin and 3rd Prince of Orkney. The Sinclairs and Nevilles are connected, due to them being cousins. The famous ‘Appentice Pillar’ is actually named ‘The Princes Pillar’, the name having  morphed due to a legend in the 18th century. A Keystone Church,  It is said that the Grail was here in 191-217, hidden in a vault beneath the chapel, for 26 years.
  • Uttershill Castle: 10 Pomathorn Road. Peniculk: A ruin undergoing maybe some renovations, as all now behind safety fencing, but still plenty left to see, with amazing views across the valley. Built in 1604 AD. Ancestry Line: Sir Edward Neville (14xGGF) had connections to the area, 1471-1538 (8th Dec) of Abergavenny. Monmouthshire. Wales. Beheaded at Tower Hill. London. Middlesex. England.
  • Kelvinbridge Parish Church: 99 Garriochmill Rd. Glasgow: Built 1899 on a much older site. The area today i feel, has seen much better times, but one gets a feeling that it was lovely in ‘it’s day’. A Keystone Church. The Grail is said to have been here for 14 years from 297 AD- 311 AD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosslyn_Chapel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uttershill_Castle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelvin_Stevenson_Memorial_Church

Day six: Wednesday 2nd March 2022:

  • Dunkeld Cathedral: 10 Cathedral Street. Dunkeld: Closed. Cold. Low energy. The original construction dates from 1574 AD, this building was built  between 1260 AD- 1501 AD. It is not formally a ‘cathedral’ as the church of Scotland nowadays has neither cathedrals of bishops. . Ancestry Line: Connections to Governor Duncan Mac Donachadh, 920 Dunkeld. Perthshire – 965 Battle of Duncrub. Perthshire. Scotland (30xGGF)
  • Blair Atholl & Struan Parish Church: Cold. Closed. Low energy, yet in pleasant enough countryside. The energy lines of the MacAndrews & Nevilles meet here. Ancestry Line: Lord Duncan Mac Donachadh. 949 Atholl. Perthshire. Scotland. 1045 Atholl. (29xGGF)
  • The Church of the Holy Rood: 58 Maule Street. Carnoustie. Cold. Closed. Low energy. Built in 1836 AD, on an older site of a Gothic style chapel. Carnoustie is considered to be the ‘Brighton of the North’. A Keystone Church. The Grail is said to have been here for 15 years from 217 AD-232AD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkeld_Cathedral

http://www.scottishchurches.org.uk/sites/site/id/959/name/Blair+Atholl+and+Struan+Parish+Church+Blair+Atholl+Tayside

http://www.scottishchurches.org.uk/sites/site/id/4510/name/Holy+Rood+Episcopal+Church%2C+Carnoustie+Carnoustie+Tayside

A two night stay in Aberdeenshire. Scotland

Day seven: Thursday 3rd March 2022:

  • Holy Trinity Church: 5 Trinty Place. Elgin: Built in 1826 AD with direct links to the Fordham line through marriage via the McAndrews lineage. The church is set right in the middle of the town on a busy road, yet very beautiful and peaceful inside, with some very relevant Craft symbols and features. We were specially let in by the kind Reverend. A Keystone Church. The Grail was said to have been here for nine years from 232 AD-241 AD.

http://www.scottishchurches.org.uk/sites/site/id/515/name/Elgin+Holy+Trinity+Church+Elgin+Grampian

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

Holy Trinity Church. Elgin.

Day nine: Friday 4th March 2022:

  • Invergordon Parish Church: Castle Road. Invergordon: Very closed and looked very empty too. Built in 1560 AD on an old style chapel site. Where the Sinclair line crosses into the Neville Line.  Ancestry Line: Earl Dungad of Caithness had a connection to the area. 871 AD-910 AD, Caithness. Scotland. (32xGGF)

https://www.invergordonparishchurch.org.uk/parishProfile.html

Day eight: Saturday 5th March 2022:

  • St Fergus Church: High Street. Wick. Very important to Craft. Full of amazing symbolism relating to the Grail and many other aspects of our quests. Has a very ‘tardis’ feel to it. A Keystone Church. The Grail was said to have been here for 56 years from 241 AD-297 AD resting in a lower chamber nearby… Old St Fergus Church and graveyard is also nearby and has a very important significance, and well worth a visit. There are some amazing old headstones and carvings there the see.
  • Dunnet Head: Dunnet Head Lighthouse. Brough. Thurso: At the very end of the UK, spectacular scenery with many points of interest, the very end of the land!. Very wild and windy.

https://canmore.org.uk/site/9136/wick-high-street-old-st-fergus-church-and-graveyard

A two night stay in Thurso

Day nine: Sunday 6th March 2022:

  • The Italian Chapel: Lamb Holm. Orkney. A very pretty and unusual chapel with an interesting history. A point of interest but sadly very closed on this very bright and very cold day.

A four night Stay in Quoloo, Orkney

Day ten: Monday 7th March 2022. Rest Day:

Day eleven: Tuesday 8th March 2022:

  • St Magnus Cathedral: Broad Street. Kirkwell. A magnicant building, full of mystery and history and maybe a few secrets too. Construction began in 1137 and continued for 300 years. A very cold day but could have spent many hours in there. Many interesting headstones nad carvings to be found there and many other fine monuments too.
  • The Ring of Brodgar: Stromness. A national monument, a Neolithic henge and stone circle with world heritage status. Extremely windy and exposed here, but Karl escorted me to the stones as the winds tried to knock me off my feet. ‘Time out of time’ here, and ‘out of our time’ for sure… The stones and the wind hold their own counsel here, for only the few shall really know their tales….

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Magnus_Cathedral

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Brodgar

Day twelve: Wednesday 9th March 2022: Planned visits closed:

Day thirteen: Thusday 10th March 2022. Fare thee well to The Orkneys:

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

From the Orkney Isles: The Quests so far….

A four night stay in Argyll and Bute

Day fourteen: Friday 11th March 2022:

  • Lochbuie Standing Stones: Isle of Mull. The Isle of Mull is a truly magical place that seems to drift in and out of time. Many riddles and secrets make sense here as the unknown becomes the known to the few. A place where the Ethergilan meets, some say a portal… Sadly part of the stones which would have been ideal for disabled access was on privately owned land, and the public path from the road was a long distance to walk. But see the stones we still did manage too…
  • St Kildas Church: Isle of Mull: Lost in time to all but the astute travellers, but actually built in 1876. A place of interest and understandings. ‘A place of greatness’ with a ‘tardis’ quality and some interesting features both inside and out that could easily be missed. But just who was St Kilda, some say he was a mythical person, some say someone else entirely.
  • Pennygown Chapel: Isle of Mull: Aspects of reality are to be found here, a chapel that drifts in and out of time. It is said that on the sunrise of the day of judgement Pennygowan will rise up from its roots… A very magical place.

https://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=491

https://www.alamy.com/st-kildas-church-lochbuie-isle-of-mull-inner-hebrides-scotland-uk-image385673704.html

https://www.britainexpress.com/scotland/Strathclyde/churches/pennygown-chapel-mull.htm

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

St Kildas Church. Isle of Mull.

Day fifteen: Saturday 12th March 2022:

  • St Columba Church: Midton Road. Ayr:  Built in 1898 AD on a much older site. Quite an imposing building, on a busy urban road junction, with some interesting stained glass inside. A Keystone Church. The Grail was said to be here  for 17 years from 1509 AD to 1526 AD.

https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/200357049-ayr-st-columba-church-midton-road-ayr-ayr#.Y_5NUx_P1PY

A two night stay in Kilmarnock

Day sixteen: Sunday 13th March 2022: Rest day:

Day seventeen: Monday 14th March 2022:

  • St Cuthberts Church: North Road. Durham: In pretty grounds, built in 31/05/1827 replacing two older chapels but sadly closed for renovations the day we were there. Felt very out of season with current time. Ancestry Line: Lord Uchtred Fitz Maldred. 1075-1120 45 years. Raby Castle. Durham. UK. (25x GGF) A Keystone Church. The Grail was said to have rested here for 36 years from 1473 AD-1509 AD.

https://www.thisisdurham.com/things-to-do/st-cuthberts-north-road-p953671

A two night stay in Worksop

Day eighteen: Tuesday 15th March 2022:

  • All Saints Church: Raleigh Street. Nottingham. Full of interesting and relevant artworks inside. A Keystone Church with Grail clues inside.

Grail Quest Video Link: Craft information and symbolism explained:

Our last days round-up!

Arrive home in Cambridge on Wednesday 16th March after a truly incredible quest where time and tide told their secrets to those whom could see. But does the mystery deepen or become clearer over time?

‘More than one nod to the enigmatic and mysterious ‘Fisher King’ here in St Kildas Church on Mull.

‘The Keeper of Scrolls’

moon.willow@ntlworld.com

Published 23/02/2023

 

 

‘The next day, day six was a beautiful sunny day as the photos will testify and it was just a ten mile drive from Clonakilty, Cork where we were staying for the next 4 nights, to Rosscarberry and our first port of call for the day’

Day Six: 17th September: St Fachtna’s Cathedral. Rosscarberry: (Irish: Ros Ó gCairbre, meaning ‘Cairbre’s wood’) is a town in County Cork that sits on a shallow estuary, opening onto Rosscarbery Bay. The area has been occupied since at least the Neolithis period, as evidenced by several Neolithic sites such as portal dolmens. The area is also home to a number of Bronze Age remains, including stone circles, ring forts and holy wells. Due to its popularity as a centre of pilgrimage it was also known as Ros Ailithir (“Wood of the Pilgrims”). The hereditary chieftains of the area, or tuath, were the O’Leary’s, known as Uí Laoghaire Ruis Ó gCairbre, until it passed to Norman control in the early thirteenth century. In March 1921, during the Irish War of Independance, Tom Barry’s 3rd Cork IRA Brigade attacked and destroyed the Royal Irish Constabulary barracks in Rosscarbery. Two RIC officers were killed in the attack, and nine others were injured. There is a plaque on the site of the former barracks, beside the current Garda station, commemorating the event. In the 20 years between the 1991 and 2011 census, the population of Rosscarbery grew by approximately 17%, to 534 people. As of the 2016 census, the population of the town was then 490. Although it looked an interesting place to explore, it was the catherdral which was our focus of attention and we spent an interesting time there.

A gorgeous day to visit St Fachtna’s Cathedral, one of the keystone churches <click to enlarge>

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosscarbery

Although at first the cathedral appeared to be locked, a quick phone call was all it took for us to be let in by a very chatty and obliging guy, attached to the church of course. He of course turned out to be the very kind Rector Chris, whom shared his history and knowledge with us. He certainly knew his history of the cathedral and the area, so we were treated to a personal guided tour. It was so important to be able have access to St Fachtna’s Catherdral today, as it is a Keystone Church, an energy point and it is said that there are some very important remains hidden within it’s walls… This cathedral is one of the smallest in Ireland, yet lovingly looked after and beautiful inside and out. St. Fachtna’s Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Church of St Faughan, has been a place of Christian worship for over 1400 years and is one of the most significant religous sites in Ireland. The current cathedral dates from the 1600’s, and was extensively restored in the 19th century. It is the smallest cathedral in Ireland, being the size of a small parish church. It is also the only cathedral in Ireland in which the bellringers can be seen from inside the building. There are a fine set of six bells here, in the key of G, and they are regularly rung.

 

The interior was immaculate and beautifully cared for <click to enlarge>

Here St. Fachtna founded a monastic school in AD 590. Pilgrims and scholars came from near and far and gained for Ross the title “Ross Ailithir”: the wooded headland of the pilgrims. The ruins of a church erected by St Faughnan still exist on the southern slope of the land on which Rosscarbery is built . A church or cathedral has occupied the site since at least the tenth century, and after Bishop John Edmund de Courcy resigned in 1517, Pope Leo X ordered an inquiry into the state of the diocese, and it was noted that by then a cathedral stood on the site. It was known at that time as Tiompal mor Feachtna, or “Feachtna’s big temple”

Such wonderful carvings to see, and very much a part of our Grail Quest, with subtle clues for the keen and learned of eye <click to enlarge>

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fachtna_of_Rosscarbery

The first reference to a Cathedral on this site is in the 12th. century. The present building dates from 1612 and was extensively rebuilt following the Rebellion of 1641. Significant developments occurred within the building in the nineteenth century. The spire of the original building was removed in either 1785, 1793, or 1795, with the current spire being added in 1806. The walls of the church were freestone, but what remained of the old walls were plastered and dashed in 1880. Storms have blown the top of the spire over on two occasions, once in the winter of 1886, and then again in February 1923. Between 2002 and 2005, major restorations were carried out on the cathedral, including rebuilding the organ and restoring the bells. In 2012, an additional bell was added to the tower.

A joy to see so many treaured artifacts still in place <click to enlarge>

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_Church_of_St._Fachtna

 

Many stunning windows and plaques tell the history of the cathedral <click to enlarge>

Grail Bloodline Connection:

  • A Keystone church and energy point

Drombeg Stone Circle Co Cork: Just a very short drive away was this very impresive stone circle, a small axial stone circle, also known as ‘The Druid’s Altar’. Luckily it was quiet when we arrived even though a very popular place to visit. The stone circle originally consisted of seventeen closely spaced stones, made of local sandstone, of which 13 survive. The circle spans 31 ft in diameter. As an axial or “Cork–Kerry” stone circle, it contains two taller entrance stones placed opposite a recumbent axial stone. Its axis is orientated south west towards the setting sun. The most westerly stone is the long recumbent and has two egg shaped cup marks, one with a ring around it. An axial stone circle, also known as a “Cork–Kerry type” stone circle, it is flanked by a pair of high axial portal stones, which mark the entrance to the stone circle, and face the recumbent altar stone. This arrangement creates a south-west axis, and orients the monument in the direction of the setting sun during the midwinter solstice.

Drombeg Stone Circle: an amazing site with powerful energies, interesting features and of course Craft/Grail quest connections hdden within the land. Old stories, from the physical and the metaphysical realms never fail to delight….  <click to enlarge>

Near the stone circle, approximately 40m to the west, are two round stone-walled prehistoric huts and a fulacht fiadh which evidence suggests was in use until approximately the 5th century AD. Of the two huts, the largest had a timber roof supported by timber posts. The smaller hut contains the remains of a cooking sport on its eastern side. A causeway leads from the huts to the fulacht fiadh, which has a hearth, well and a water trough.

The domestic areas, although some parts allude to a more sinister past (as the energies testify) especially as bones have been recovered here…<click to enlarge>

Following a number of surveys in the early 1900s, the site was excavated and restored in 1957. Radio Carbon Dating of samples taken from the site suggest that it was active c. 1100 – 800 BC. An inverted pot, found in the centre of the circle, contained the cremated remains of a young adolescent wrapped with thick cloth. The pot was found close to the centre of the circle and was found alongside smashed sherds and a collection of sweepings from a pyrle, so one could hazard a gues that it was a place of sacrifice too…. Parts of the site are still to be excavated, so who knows what will be discovered there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drombeg_stone_circle

A riddle from Mr Karl Neville to make you think about the secrets of the stones & what they may have witnessed…

Grail Bloodline Connection:

  • King Niall Mac Echdach. King of Ireland (53rd GGF) 311 – 378 (67)

Mizen Head: Not a part of our quest but this stunning area was recommended to us by some fellow travellers and as we were in the area it proved to be well worth a vist, for the views of the coastline are simply out of this world! It is a stop on the ‘Wild Atlantic Way’, a route that takes in all the wild and ancient places. Ireland truly is the land of dreams…. 

It was a stunning drive to reach it too. Mizen Head is one of the extreme points of Irealand and is a major tourist attraction, noted for its dramatic cliff scenery. One of the main transatlantic shipping routes passes close by to the south, and Mizen Head was, for many seafarers, the first (or last) sight of Europe. The tip of the peninsula is almost an island, cut off by a deep chasm, now spanned by a bridge; this gives access to an old signal station and a lighthouse. The signal station, once permanently staffed, is now a museum housing displays relating to the site’s strategic significance for transatlantic shipping and communications, including the pioneering efforts of Guglielmo Marconi. The “99 steps” which formed part of the original access route have been supplemented by a series of paths and viewing platforms, and a full range of visitor facilities is available at the entrance to the site, however it is not for the faint-hearted or for those challenged by walking, for there are lots of steps and very steep slopes to navigate up and down the rocky cliffs.

Mizen Head: A most stunning place, one of the most stunning on the planet! <click to enlarge>

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizen_Head

Day Seven: 18th September: Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral. Cork: It was another gorgeous day as we left our digs in Shannonvale, Clonakilty for a very full day ahaead but not before we espied the welcome sign over the door!

The city of Cork: (Irish: ‘Corcaigh’ from ‘corach’ meaning “marsh) is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and is  located in the south-west of Ireland, in the province of Munster, in 2019 it’s population was 210,000. The city centre is an island positioned between two channels of the River Lee which meet downstream at the eastern end of the city centre, where the quays and docks along the river lead outwards to one of the largest natural harbours in the world.  Cork was originally a monastic settlement, reputedly founded by Saint Finbarr in the 6th century and became (more) urbanised some point between 915 and 922 when Norsemen settlers founded a trading port. The ecclesiastical settlement continued alongside the Viking longphort, with the two developing a type of symbiotic relationship; the Norsemen providing otherwise unobtainable trade goods for the monastery, and perhaps also military aid.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cork_(city)

 

Views of Cork from the car <click to view>

This cathedral is stunning both inside and out and we spent quite a long time there, as there was so much to see. It is full of symbolism, beautifully represented in astounding pieces of artwork. We met some really kind and freindly people there and took part in a little personal service too. Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral (Irish: Ardeaglais Naomh Fionnbarrra) is a Gothic Revival three-spired Church of Ireland on the River Lee, dedicated to Finbarr of Cork, the patron saint of the city. The Christian use of the site dates back to the 7th century, when according to local lore, Finbarr founded a monastry there, which survived until the 12th century, when it fell into disuse, or was destroyed during the Norman invasion.

The stunning architecture of Saint Fin Barre’s Cathedral <click to view>

Around 1536, during the Protestant Reformation, the cathedral became part of the Church of Ireland, but the previous building constructed in the 1730’s was regarded as plain and featureless, so a demolition and rebuild was commisioned and work began in 1863; a project for Victorian archetect William Burges who designed most of the archetecture, stained glass and interior features etc, including the beautiful angel on the roof. Saint Fin Barre’s foundation stone was laid in 1865 and the cathedral consecrated in 1870 and the limestone spires completed by October 1879.

So many amazing artworks and treasure inside the cathedral, it is hard to know where to look; and maybe some grail clues too… <click to view>

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Fin_Barre%27s_Cathedral

Because we had a personal tour kindly given by one of the guys connected to the cathedral, we were shown a few things that many visitors would just pass by, and thus learned some interesting infomation about te cathedral too, such as seeing the original artworks and designs of the cathedral. They were right at the back of the building, so easily missed. We were also shown a simply amazing register of some of the fallen of the parish, hand written and guilded as of times of old.

The original designs for the cathedral <click to view>

“A grand cathedral yes, but hidden amongst all the ‘pomp and circumstance’ of that which stands in for spirituality these days, one can still feel the energies of an older site, an older place, older energies of that which went before, and that which we seek both in the metaphysical and physical can surely be found within the subtle clues that are all around us and that which is hidden can be revealed…..”

Grail Bloodline Connections:

  • Earl Gospatrick Mac Maldred (26th GGF) 1042-1082

Christ Church: Rath-Healy, Fermoy, County Cork: So the last location of the day, on what had been a very busy and interesting day. Sadly though as it turned out this church was closed and looked to be it really in much use, although i still took some lovelt photos! Fermoy(Irish: Mainistir Fhear Maí, meaning ‘monastery of the Men of the Plain’) is a town on the River Blackwater in east County Cork. As of the 2016 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,500 people. The town’s name comes from the Irish and refers to a Cistercian abbey founded in Fermoy, in the 13th century. At the dissolution of the monastries during the Tudor period, the abbey and its lands passed through various dynasties. However, the site could hardly have been regarded as a town and, by the late 18th century, was little more than a few cabins and an inn.

Mick Davis’s powerful sculptures from 2001 reference the Cistercian monks in Fermoy and they stand as guardians outside Christ Church. <click to enlage>

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermoy

Christ Church, Fermoy was designed by Abraham Hargrave the Elder, and consecrated in 1809. The land on which it is sited was donated by the Baylor Family, whose descendants worship in Christ Church to this day. The majority of the building costs were paid by John Anderson, Founder of the town of Fermoy, and John Hyde of Castlehyde. There is not a lot  on the internet about this particualar church and many visitors whom like us, could not get in, seem to think it is closed premantly, which is a shame. It is a classical town-church by Abraham Hargrave, 1805-1810 with a  south transept added by Welland and a north transept not built, but with a vestry by Arthur Hill, 1890.

Sadly closed but it still felt nice to be there with the flowers and guardians watching over…. <click to enlarge>

A broach spire and transepts in the Hiberno-Romanesque style were added in the late nineteenth century. The attenuated neo-classical proportion of the windows are typical of County Cork, while the east window case, which incorporates ionic columns and robust scroll brackets, is the most interesting feature of the building.

http://www.blackwater.ie/fermoy/ferpchr.htm

Grail Bloodline Connections:

  • Lord Robert De Neville (21st GGF) 1237-1271

And finally some words to share…

“Truth within
And truth without
Through many realms
Through many years
I tell my tale
For i have known
An older truth
Not often told
Maybe a song upon the wind
Maybe a wave on mankind’s shore
Maybe a hand that offered love
For i have come this way before
And so within
As is without
I’ll keep my truth
And all who doubt….”
 
The Keeper of Scrolls” February 2022
<moon.willow@ntlworld.com>
 

 

 

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