# Magical cottages



## Gael (Mar 19, 2014)

> After shamrocks and harps, thatched cottages might just be one of the most iconic symbols of Ireland. And with less than 1,500 left on the whole island, these dwellings are more precious than ever.
> 
> As durable as they are environmentally friendly, Irish thatched cottages are the products of centuries of history and tradition. While they currently make up less than 0.1% of the total housing stock in Ireland, in the 1800s as much as half of the population slept under thatched roofs.


http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/The-magic-of-Irelands-thatched-cottages---PHOTOS.html


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## That Guy (Mar 19, 2014)

Cool.

In the islands, palm fronds used to build roofs were always full of big bugs.  Not cool.


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## Gael (Mar 20, 2014)

That Guy said:


> Cool.
> 
> In the islands, palm fronds used to build roofs were always full of big bugs.  Not cool.



Yeah and not cool when critters set up home on those thatched roofs. They have to spray them periodically.


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## Fern (Mar 20, 2014)

While the house looks 'quaint' with it's thatched roof, I'd hate to try and keep warm in the winter. With the small windows not much sun would get in.


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## Denise1952 (Mar 20, 2014)

Gael said:


> http://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/The-magic-of-Irelands-thatched-cottages---PHOTOS.html



You reminded me of one of the neatest movies Gael, 
*The Secret of Roan Inish*


It had a place in it looked almost exactly like your main photo here Denise PS the one with all the hanging flower baskets, think that was my fave


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## Gael (Mar 21, 2014)

Fern said:


> While the house looks 'quaint' with it's thatched roof, I'd hate to try and keep warm in the winter. With the small windows not much sun would get in.



This from someone who lives in one:
We've found that having a thatch is like having very good loft insulation. In the summer it is incredibly cool and in the winter our heating bills are far lower.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-2076034/Why-country-cottage-thatch-heaven.html


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## Gael (Mar 21, 2014)

nwlady said:


> You reminded me of one of the neatest movies Gael,
> *The Secret of Roan Inish*
> 
> 
> It had a place in it looked almost exactly like your main photo here Denise PS the one with all the hanging flower baskets, think that was my fave



Oh yes, that is one of the best loved Irish films and it was about selkies, that legendary creature.

That cottage was on the Donegal coast, not actually on the island of Roan Inish.

Here more about the location:
http://been-seen.com/travel-blog/movie-atlas/the-secret-of-roan-inish


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## Denise1952 (Mar 21, 2014)

Oh that is so cool Gael. I don't remember in the movie if they used that term Selkies, in fact, I want to watch it again when I can, it was so good  ty for the link, I'll take a look, Denise

edited: Yesssss, I remember now, the seals!  Thanks again Gael


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## Gael (Mar 21, 2014)

nwlady said:


> Oh that is so cool Gael. I don't remember in the movie if they used that term Selkies, in fact, I want to watch it again when I can, it was so good  ty for the link, I'll take a look, Denise
> 
> edited: Yesssss, I remember now, the seals!  Thanks again Gael



Here you go Denise!

*Sean & The Selkie*
_by Grainne Rowland_






The sun was just about to set. Three tired fishermen plodded along the narrow coast road to their homes. They were famished for their evening meals and looking forward to a bit of a rest.

Sean was the first around a bend in the road. He stopped so suddenly that the others bumped into him.

"Shhh!" Sean whispered. "Look!"

The three stared at the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. She sat on the rocks combing her long red hair.

"Who is she?" asked one. "I've never seen her before."

Sean answered, "She's got to be a selkie. Look, there's her skin lying on the rock beside her."

Patrick whispered, "You're right. Since I was a young lad, people have told stories of the selkies, the seal people. But this is the first time I've ever seen one."

Sean crept forward and made a quick grab; he stood up with what looked like a seal's skin. He held it tightly with both hands.

The woman looked up with a sad expression on her face.

"Will you not give back my skin?" she asked sadly.

"No," said Sean. "I am the only man in the village without a wife. I know selkies make the best wives. You will be my wife."

"I will miss the sea if I come with you," she said. "But as long as you keep my skin, I must stay with you."

"You may come to the sea whenever you wish," said Sean. "But I will keep your skin."





Sean was married three days later, and his two friends were at the wedding. No one but the three knew that Sean's wife was a selkie. As for Sean, he locked the selkie's skin in a strong chest and kept the key on a chain around his neck.

Sean's marriage was a good one. His fortunes improved as soon as he was married. He soon owned his own fishing fleet, and his two old fishing friends worked for him. His wife gave him three strong sons and two beautiful daughters. Sean was very happy.

Sean's wife spent as much time as she could by the sea. She loved especially to sit by the sea on a night with a full moon. It was then she met her own people, the seal people, who came to console her on her fate among humans. Often, after they left, she would weep. How she missed her own people! 

After many, many years, Sean decided that he was so rich that his family must move to a bigger, grander house. As they were all stepping into an elegant carriage to go to the new mansion, Sean's wife went once more into the house to take a last look around. In one corner, she noticed something that looked like a small pile of rubbish. 

Curious, she knelt down to see what it was; her heart began to beat faster. It was an old chest, rotting with age! Could it be? She quickly searched through it. There it was! Her skin! Her heart singing, she took it, ran out the door and raced down to the sea. As she reached the sea, she heard Sean chasing after her and shouting his love. But, before he could catch up, she threw on her skin. In front of his eyes, she changed back into her seal form and then swam far out to sea. She was never seen again.


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## Denise1952 (Mar 21, 2014)

I loved this so much, thank you Gael You and Phil both made me cry today, LOL!  Happy tears!!  Yeah, this was just wonderful, and I'm so glad she got to go back.  When I read "pile of rubbish" I thought Sean had burned it up so she could never returnk:


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## Gael (Mar 21, 2014)

nwlady said:


> I loved this so much, thank you Gael You and Phil both made me cry today, LOL!  Happy tears!!  Yeah, this was just wonderful, and I'm so glad she got to go back.  When I read "pile of rubbish" I thought Sean had burned it up so she could never returnk:



You're so welcome. The selkie legend is a most magical and romantic one. 





Once a fair and handsome Seal Lord
Lay his foot upon the sand
For to woo the Fisher's daughter
And to claim her marriage hand
'I have come in from the ocean
I have come in from the sea
And I'll not go to the waves, love,
Lest ye come along with me.'

'Lord, long have I loved you
As a Selkie on the foam
I would gladly go and wed ye
And be lady of your home
But I cannot go into the ocean
I cannot go into the sea
I would drown beneath the waves, love,
If I went along with thee.'

'Lady, long have I loved you
I would have you for my wife
I will stay upon your shoreland
Though it robs me of my life
I will stay one night beside you
Never go back to the sea
I will stay and be thy husband
Though it be the death of me.'

Dae dae dae da da dae dae...

'Lord, I cannot go and wed thee
All to watch my lover die
Since I'll not be left a widow
I have a plan for us to try
Let us speak with my grandmother
Who has ever dwelt beside the sea
She may know some trick or treasure
That I may wed my fair Selkie.'

So they've gone to her grandmother's
Little cottage by the sea
To inquire how a maiden
Can be wed to her Selkie
For the Selkie's watery kingdom
Would surely rob her of her breath
But to stay on land past midnight
It would surely be his death.

'Lord, I know not how to aid you
You may never live on shore
For your kind to live 'til dawning
It has ne'er been seen before
But my mother had a seal coat
That she buried 'neath the tree
And she told me that its wearer
Would become a fair Selkie.'

Dae dae dae da da dae dae...

So they've journeyed farther inland
Though the Seal Lord's getting weak
And she's shouldering the shovel
To unearth the thing they seek
At the rising of the fullmoon
Underneath the elfen oak
She has unearthed that faery treasure
Of which her grandmother spoke.

Just before the stroke of midnight
They have made it back to sea
And she has donned the magic seal coat
And become a maid Selkie
Now they've gone into the ocean
Hand in hand into the sea
She has gone along
A fair seal bride for a Selkie.

Dae dae dae da da dae dae...


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