Juvenile Football

10.00pm..........Under 12 team lost out on a place in the Western Final after a gallant display against a much fitter and stronger Clashmore-Kinsalebeg team earlier this evening. We were two ponts to the good at half time but came out the wrong side of a 3-9 to 2-6 scoreline at the end. Still, Ardmore have a lot of very promising youngsters and many of them are still under 12 for next year. Not a bad season really seeing as they got to the Western Final in the hurling and as far as semi tonight. Well done. Now we can all get ready for the schoolboy soccer season.....yehaaaaaa !!

Give me your hand...

The lovely ladies from Waterloo, who are an ABBA tribute act : performing at Ardmore Pattern Festival 2009. A fantastic few days was had by thousands of folk who crammed the streets and lanes of our little village from July 24-26 last. For hundreds of photos and info on this annual event follow the link to ardmorepatternfestival.ie

Pride restored

No more talk of the 2008 Final. Today the real deal. A solid exciting match with marvellous scores and performances from both teams, no dirty play even though Barry Kelly flashed a good few cartai buis and at the end the better team on the day won. But they are beatable and the gap between the Cats and the rest of the hurling world is closing.

Ardmore Ladies..and a few outsiders

Ardmore ladies from left...Linda O'Mahony, Catherine Stilwell, Noreen Crawford and Michelle Seward. Don't know the names of the fellas....

Our dog Harry

An absolute pet but don't be fooled...he would disappear for hours off down the village if he could. Frontdooritis

Kerry Footballers

Well Holy God as himself used to say. What has been going on down Kingdom way over the last few months ? A six or seven week long training session(the qualifiers) or a genuine redemption all of a sudden on a fine day in Croke Park. One thing is for sure. The display of pure Gaelic Football by the men from Kerry was jawdropping, eyeopening and any other adjective you wish to use.

Just give them Sam now and save all the others the suffering that was inflicted on the "boys" from the Pale.

Wagons Ho!

A fine looking piece of transport seen at the Patricks Day parade 2009 in Dungarvan

More from Pattern Festival 09

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St Patricks Day Parade 2009

A tune or two being belted out by this chap on a chilly Paddy's Day back in March.

Hurling Semi Finals 2009

The now seemingly yearly clutching at straws by all hurling teams other than the K boys is in full swing. Who would have thought that at the semi stage we would have Waterford and Limerick joining K and Tipp. Ok, the Premier lads are on a roll again this year but they were on a similar roll in 2008 and ended up with Deise egg on their faces. Will Limerick do the same to them this year, I wonder ? Limerick showed great resolve to get over Dublin when it looked like the game was up and who knows, they could do it. Remember the series of thrillers the two of them played out a couple of years ago? Another scorcher could be on the cards. I go for the Shannonsiders by a few points, Tipp to fade in the last five minutes.

Waterford and Kilkenny. Now this is all over bar the stratospheric scoreline according to the "experts" but I'm not too sure about that. Sure, the thrashing handed out last year was beyond belief but that was then and this is now as the song goes. Waterfords form all year has been erratic to say the least but K have not been tested yet in 2009. All it needs is for the Deise to have the same dogged fight to the end spirit that they have shown recently and a major upset is on the cards. No one is really sure which Waterford is gonna turn up..the one that stuck it to Galway or the one thart wilted and collapsed in the Final last year. If I was realistic and put aside my county loyalties one can only see a win-huge one- for Kilkenny but then buckets, wells, water etc......

The weather

The weather. A perrenial topic of discussion if you happen to be living in Ireland. It is just p###### down again and looks set for the day. August Bank Holiday how are ya

Sheep on Mam Tor, Derbyshire

Some of the sheep who graze on the common area of Mam Tor near Castleton. Friendly.

House in Eyam, Derbyshire

This is a house in the village of Eyam in Derbyshire and the place is well known for being one of the few places in England to pro-actively deal with the Black Death in the Middle Ages. They simply sealed themselves off from the rest of the world in an effort to curtail the spread of the plague. While it did not completely stop the spread of the Black Death in their village it was instrumental in keeping the fatalities down.

Today the village is a very busy tourist attraction and welcomes visitors from around the globe to its streets. The gentleman who works in the main museum in the village makes everyone feel welcome and just loves to talk about the Eyam rats !

The Fudge Shop Sign

The fudge shop in Castleton where we called while on holiday in the nearby village of Hope. If one is any way sweet toothed then this is a heavenly place, full of jar after jar of sweets which can still be bought in the traditional measure of "a quarter of those please".

Windy !

Three of my lot (Graham, Scott and Grace) holding on for dear life at the top of Mam Tor, Castleton, Derbyshire on July 9th 2009.

Peak District hols July 6-13 2009

This the summit of Mam Tor (Mother Mountain) which is a well known climbing hill in the Peak District of Derbyshire. This particular shot was taken on July 9th 2009 at about 9.00pm, facing west. The summit is about one mile outside of Castleton which is one of the most picturesque places we have ever visited, truly serene. And it has one of the finest varieties of fudge in all of England...sweet just does'nt describe it. Cousin Mick Casey had shown me earlier in the day how to scale Mam Tor and I took the whole family back that evening to see it. Herself did'nt fancy the wind too much(very windy at the top) but the kids loved it. The summit stone here in the pic is the highest point and people climb up just to touch it and then go back down straight away.

The Devil's Arse

This is in the village of Castleton in Derbyshire, England but I did'nt check it out ..would you ??

Great name though....

A bunch of snaps...Sunday 26 July 2009

A smile of satisfaction

Coming ashore

Maurice Power...the real boss

Declan Hurley and dog

My cousins from Bunmahon..Martin and Sean Mulcahy(twins)

Ian and Nathan

Nathan Bryan on the left and Ian Henry O'Mahony watching the Thundercats in Ardmore Bay on 26 July.

Counterfeit Blues Brothers (and sister)

The Counterfeit Blues Brothers on stage for the Finale concert of Pattern 09. They were really good and hopefully we will see them back again very soon, maybe as the opening act next year. The standard of musicianship by this group was very high and toe tapppin along was the order of the evening for everyone

Hi there everyone

WOOF WOOF !

He was a very friendly fella and posed like a human...

Paddy Murphy and the man with the dog...

Paddy Murphy in all his glory a few hours after the Deise slapped the Galway boys across the face and sent them packing back across the Shannon for another year ! They can join their footballers who are also out for 09 and go off to Ballybritt to watch the nags for the week !

Storm Wall, Ardmore..26 July...This doggie must have wanted a better view or else they were not on speaking terms on the day.

Caroline Carlton enjoying the craic...

Caroline Carlton looking very relaxed as she takes in The Counterfeit Blues Brothers at the Finale Concert of Festival 09. She will probably skin me alive if she sees this !

Beetlejuice,Slash and the ABBA heads

ABBA heads, Beetlejuice, Slash, who else was here ???

Up up and away !

Taking off (almost) at the Pattern Festival 2009 weekend which was held this year from July 24-26 incl. This is one of the Thundercats powerboat racers which thrilled the crowds on Sunday 26th.