Youghal- Aherne's- Coastal Living

The Get Away by Viioletta

One of my favourite restaurants in Ireland is Aherne's, located in the Historic Walled port of Youghal (Old Town Walls, built in 12th century are still intact) is one of Ireland's Heritage Towns and is seeped in history.  Sir Walter Raleigh was Mayor of this town.  Myrtle Grove his home is worth visiting.

When Katie Fitzgibbon, owner of Aherne's asked if we would exhibit our paintings in their dining room we were thrilled to be associated with this fine establishment.

Coastal Living Series 19 is now at Aherne's.

Should your travels take you to Ireland, Aherne's is a must.  

My cottage garden by Mary Rose Holmes

 Ballycotton Glow by Violetta

Summer's Dream by Mary Rose Holmes

Over the Sea; Under the Sky by Helen Tilston

It Takes Time  by Helen Tilston

Ahernes

Open turf fires and warmest of  welcomes await you in this family run hotel in historic walled port of Youghal.  Rooms are comfortable and luxurious, decorated with antiques and original art work. Their famous seafood bar and restaurant specializes in the freshest of local seafood: lobster, crab, prawns, mussels and salmon.  The FitzGibbon family have been running Aherne's since 1923 and the present owners, third generation, David and John and their wives Katie and Gaye are always on hand to extend a welcome and offer personal advice.
Aherne's is the perfect base for touring the South East, Waterford Crystal, Jameson Whiskey, Ballycotton, Ardmore, Lismore and Cork City are all in close proximity.

Aherne's is one of the exclusive properties featured in the prestigious "Ireland'sBlue Book"

Oysters and Guinness @ Aherne's

Open turf fires and the warmest of welcomes await you in this family run hotel in the Historic walled port o 

Youghal harbour

Cozy Fire @ Aherne's

Thank you for your kind words of condolence and prayers on my previous post.  They were greatly appreciated.  Thank you my friends.

Gone Too Soon

Thatched home photo Helen tilston

Born in a thatched house in the west of Ireland to two loving parents, three brothers and three sisters. My sandbox was the Atlantic Ocean, just a few summersaults from our front door.
Learning to read, my sister Philomena's mystery stories, at five years of age, presented me with a love of literature, poetry, drama and music.  I am told I, annoyingly, read aloud, in my treble voice, the Sunday newspapers.    Music and love was in our hearts.

I bade  farewell to my siblings on May 23rd and have joined my parents, sister Philomena and ancestors, hopefully, in heaven.  Slán agus beannacht  Thomas Glynn, Dublin, Ireland.  Now I hand you over to my sister Helen:

Thomas Glynn

Our handsome, young brother is missed more than he will ever know.   A poet and bard I would like to share a poem he wrote when he was sixteen years old.
           

My Life   
by: Thomas Glynn

Within my life

I weave my colours

My thread is long enough

Between my life and death there are no boundaries

Nor is there an edge to Space

Photo Helen Tilstn

Thomas presented me with this poem"Wind" when I first immigrated to the New World.

Youghal, Photo Helen Tilston

WIND for my beautiful sister Helen

Will the Wind be wild enough,
To clear our warm worn ways,
And bring to life and light,
Some young green off-spring,
Or will my words be withered
In your winter
And my song be torn to tears
In the wailing wind               ......Thomas Glynn 5A

Celtic Cross -Photo: Helen tilston

Thomas was also a talented amateur actor and singer.  In 1988,  RTE held a contest for Ireland's Worst Singer.   Thomas on his way down Grafton Street in Dublin, stepped into a phone booth, rang RTE and sang, completely off key "I did it my way"   He won two tickets to Michael Jackson's concert in Cork City.

I will leave you with Michael Jackson singing Gone Too Soon

Lights Camera Action Art and What's Right With Tampa Bay

What's Right With Tampa Bay is a weekly feature by Fox TV Tampa.   They contacted us in March asking if they could follow us as we painted for a morning.  Brian Grey is a talented interviewer and photographer.  We were immediately made feel comfortable as his camera zoomed in. Brian has been to the finest museums and galleries in Europe and before long we were chatting like long time friends.

Three hours of filming and interruptions with passing traffic and enthusiastic tourists passed all too quickly.  As you can see from the shadows, we were in the noon hour sunshine. Temperature was 88 degrees and our umbrellas provided relief

Fresh Florida strawberries and oranges replenish our energy

 Back at Mary Rose Holmes studio for afternoon tea and refreshments.

Artists Mary Rose Holmes and Violetta Shtumeyzen Chandler

We extended an invitation to Brian Grey and Fox TV Tampa to join us in Ireland on June 13th at The Old Market House Arts Centre, Dungarvan, Co Waterford Ireland, when Coastal Cottages Series 18 is unveiled.  The show features paintings of Ireland and Florida and last count it looks like we will have 36 new paintings.

Artists Mary Rose Holmes and Violetta Shtumeyzen-Chandler 

Click on Video Below to View What's Right With Tampa Bay

Do you get nervous when speaking publicly?

Bluebell Festival, A Folly & His Lordship

The Fox hounds entertain us

Our destination this morning was Curraghmore House for the Bluebell Festival, a benefit supporting cancer patients.

Curraghmore House in Waterford is the historic home of the 9th Marquis of Waterford, Henry de la Poer Beresford also known as Lord Waterford.  His ancestors (the de la Poers) came to Ireland from Normandy following a 100-year stopover in Wales around 1170.

Some 2,500 acres of formal gardens, woodland and grazing fields make this the largest private demesne in Ireland.

A Folly - The Shell House Photo Helen Tilston

The Shell House

Hidden in a shrubbery near the main House at Curraghmore, is the most enchanting Shell House, created by Catherine Countess of Tyrone with 'her proper' hands in 1754.

Statue of Catherine, Countess of Tyrone by John Van Nost

The decoration of the folly took her 261 days to complete and the intricate patterns of shells from all over the world still glow with colour above a statue of the Countess by John van Nost.

Interior of Shell House Photo Helen Tilston 

Records indicate that Lady Catherine herself negotiated with Captains of ships sailing to and from the important Georgian Harbour at Waterford to collect and return shells to her from all over the World.  

We were thrilled to meet Lord Waterford at the Shell House and hear from him about it's construction. 

I apologize for the quality of my photos, taken on i-Phone on an overcast Sunday.

Hold Your Tongue

Gates in Youghal, Co Cork. Photo Helen Tilston

My I-Phone pings at 5.00 a.m. each morning and I know Lauren has sent me her latest poem.  Lauren, an identical twin, is the daughter of my good friend Daryl.

Today's message holds great wisdom and I pray that we will all make an effort to remember this in our daily comings and goings.

Spring in Ireland, Photo Helen Tilston

Should you wish to receive daily original poems by Lauren - her contact is:

lauren@wordsbeneathwings.com

If the role that you feel yourself ASSUMING

is one that is either “steamed up” or “FUMING”,

be extremely careful of what is about to be SAID,

or better yet, choose to wait until you have a “COOL HEAD”!

In other words, when your head is completely “scattered” with NOISE,

do not react until you “gather up” your grace and your POISE!

And, having gotten yourself back to a place of being balanced and “LEVELHEADED”,

you will have avoided saying something that you would later have surely REGRETTED!

So, always return to a peaceful state of QUIETUDE

before responding with a poor and shameful ATTITUDE!

Remember, speaking out in a “hurtful” state will only cause you to wind up getting “STUNG”!

Therefore, until you can regain your calm, it is best that you continue to “hold your TONGUE”!

(LCF)

Missoni and Valentino Yarns and Designs

My past life featured in Filatura Di Crosa

Recently whilst in the waiting room of my doctor's office a basket of yarn and knitting needles sat on the coffee table. This indicated to me that my doctor would not be punctual.    I picked up the white wool and continued to knit what looked like a scarf which a previous patient had started. 
I became engrossed in knitting and started to form a pattern using the blackberry stitch. 
Before long a woman commented on my speed at knitting and asked where I learned to knit.
I told her I learned at four years of age, at school, in Ireland.  She was surprised at my knowledge and I shared with her that I did make a living at knitting, designing and selling yarn for many years and had sold my business approximately twenty years ago.

She then asked where my shop was located.  I told her the name of my shop was The Knitting Place in Toronto, Canada and she said "Is your name Helen by chance?   I was stunned and said yes it was, whereupon she immediately pulled out her cell phone and placed a call to her mother and said "Guess who I am sitting with at the Doctor's Office"?   Her mother had been a client of mine for many years.  When I sold the shop she apparently missed me and my name was often mentioned at Shabbat Dinner and her mother still treasured and wore many of the one of a kind sweaters we designed for her.
We exchanged numbers and made a plan for a morning coffee meeting.

Our shop specialized in luxury yarns and we were recognized as the number one seller of Missoni and Valentino yarns, a line from Filatura di Crosa, in North America.  

The Knitting Place featured in Filatura Di Crosa Magazine circa 1992

It made my day to connect with this delightful and memorable client.  

Brain Tattoos

"Across the Blackwater" by Helen Tilston



"Original Art Work is a tattoo for the brain and will not scar the body"
Helen Tilston


A rare and beautiful woman who takes the road less travelled.
Our most recent collector is 25 years old.  She is tall, slender and stunningly beautiful.   She is in the world of fashion.  She confided that she is confident in her taste for design and paintings and has been visiting art galleries and museum from a very early age.   She knows colour and the finite nuances of shade and values.    She  said she likes to build a relationship with the artist and wants to know the heart and personality behind the painting. Her late father advised her to be very careful in preserving her home and only invite those with a good spirit.    Over tea, in my studio, she spotted this quote:


"Original Art Work is a tattoo for the brain and will not scar the body"
Helen Tilston   (This quote hangs in my studio)


She shared that she is vehemently opposed to tattoos and finds them repulsive.     She will not date a man who has a tattoo.  

Was your taste this strongly formed when you were 25 yrs old?

Tattoos or Branding

Photo Unkown 

In the early 1990's I designed one of a kind knitwear and owned a store in Toronto.
In bespoke design a measuring tape was a permanent fixture around my neck.
One day while working with a new client, I asked to take her measurements
She removed her jacket and branded upon her arm were the blurred blue numbers of the tattoo. I had seen these numbers in movies and literature but nothing, nothing prepared me for this.

My tape measure dropped to the floor and my eyes clouded over in tears.  With my greatest will, I was able to get the measurements I needed and tried as best I could to compose myself.   She knew.
Her kind blue eyes are imprinted in my memory.


We became friends and she visited me on Mondays usually bearing my favourite coffee and bagel.


Today is the 70th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.   I bow my head in memory and I never will forget those blue eyes and blurred blue numbers.

I know an Angel

Another Angel with Spice Girl on his lap

On a dark blustery winter evening he is buzzed into the residence.   The residence is home to twenty men and women of varying needs.
A---- is a familiar face at the residence and the staff at the front desk greet him as one would a friend. He humbly signs the guest register which reveals he will visit TJ.   TJ is a young man in his early fifties who has been living with Parkinson's disease for the past fifteen years.   TJ's heart leaps with joy at the mention of of A----'s name.   A---- has been visiting TJ for the past eleven years.

Our Lady by Helen Tilston

Who is A or Angel as I like to call him?  He is an a young executive who is very successful in his field.    Angel lays no claim to any organized religion.   He simply volunteers his leisure time to visiting four patients similar to TJ.   Angel is single and on his annual vacation he goes to a third world country to volunteer, sometimes this involves building.

Angel is a marathon runner and raises money for those in need.  A recent example of his generosity was when TJ's old hearing aid was causing him trouble when trying to install the batteries with shaking hands,  Angel took one look and said: "TJ there are new digital hearing aids now which are much simpler"  Angel organized a road race and with the funds raised purchased a new hearing aid for TJ.   No fanfare, no publicity is Angel's modus operandi.

The Annunciation by Helen Tilston Encaustic (beeswax and oil)

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year.