Tade Carthy's

What a day - we have seriously worn ourselves out. Bright and crisp, the sun shining we donned our boots and decided to do the Cahergal Loop. Apparently it's only 8.4km but I don't believe a word of it - more like 15km!!  You scramble up mountains, skid down teeny tracks, squelch through bog, clamber over countless stiles and go across the peninsula not once but twice! It is challenging but some amazing views and lots of interesting things on the way. The most interesting thing was this - Tade McCarthy's cottage, recently restored by local families. It's one of eight in a teeny hamlet clinging to the edge of the mountain overlooking the sea in a spot known as the Crimea! Crimea apparently because of the feuding that went on. We were fortunate in that the only other human we met was here and he had been involved in the recent restoration and had plenty to tell us. He was out videoing for Tade Carthy who had been brought up in the cottage, one of ten (!), and was one of the last to be moved out in the late 1940s. Tade Carthy is about to celebrate his 100th  birthday and the restoration and video was to be a present to him - a video, as Tade himself is now in a nursing home in Cork.
There was much excitement whilst renovating for the original flagstone floors were found and the little well. They have tried to make it as authentic as possible with the thatch roof, the reeds gathered just below and the old timber half doors. Inside little oil lamps are in crevices and a hearth has been reconstructed against the wall. No chimney, but an opening above. A ladder led to a little bed chamber above. It was actually very cosy inside but life must have been incredibly tough. Our new friend said we should rejoice in what we had today but it was  no bad thing to be reminded of what went before.Wise words.