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Posted on October 13, 2024 by admin

Nightmares in wax

Father Dougal Maguire waxwork at the National Wax Museum, Dublin, Ireland

I love waxworks. When they are good they’re very, very good and when they’re bad they’re even better. I’ve been hooked since experiencing the famously terrible Louis Tussaud’s House of Wax in Great Yarmouth, and never miss a waxworks if there’s one to visit.

George Best waxwork at the National Wax Museum, Dublin, Ireland

The National Wax Museum Plus in Dublin is a mix of waxworks and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not-type exhibits. Believe it or not, this is footballer and heartthrob George Best.

Jedward waxworks at the National Waxworks, Dublin, Ireland

The waxworks are mainly famous Irish people, which is great, as you have Jedward rubbing shoulders with Oscar Wilde.

Samuel Beckett waxwork at the National Wax Museum, Dublin, Ireland

A perturbed Samuel Beckett lurks by a fire exit. It’s hard to tell if this placement is an afterthought or a sophisticated joke.

Van Morrison, Phil Lynott, David Bowie, Elvis waxworks at the National Waxworks, Dublin, Ireland

Irish music is well-represented with a very flattering U2, unrecognisable Bob Geldof and a truly insulting Van Morrison. The recently-added Sinead O’Connor waxwork had to be removed after causing an outcry.

Take Your Picture with a Black and Tan at the National Wax Museum, Dublin, Ireland

In the basement, there are waxworks from Irish history and a House of Horrors. At times it’s hard to tell between the two. Goes without saying that it’s really, really worth a visit.

More photos in this Flickr set: The National Wax Museum Plus, Dublin.

Posted on September 22, 2024 by admin

Three by three

Toilets / Waiting Rm / Snack Bar, Fionnphort

Fallen Christ sculpture, shop and toilets sign - Isle of Iona

Posted on July 27, 2024July 27, 2024 by admin

Words, don’t come easy

The Burg road sign, Mull Museum, Tobermory

I’ve been writing and editing for such a long time now that I’m well trained in the art of brevity. So I enjoy finding signs that don’t obey the rules. The disruptors and mavericks – mixing things up. A bit wordy. Slightly long-winded. They meander to the point. This one might be better as a map, but I’m glad it’s this very stolid (and highly legible) sign.

A few examples of hand tools used on Mull until about the middle of the 20th century, Mull Museum, Tobermory

This one is like the ‘before’ part of a Plain English exercise. I can feel the red pen itching to come out. It made me slow down and appreciate the objects.

And this one. Oh boy! You get a clear picture of the person who wrote it. I am relieved to report I was not taking small children into the museum and no valuable exhibits were harmed.

Posted on June 26, 2024June 26, 2024 by admin

Mull Museum

Mull Museum on the main street in Tobermory is a real treat. Free entry and so much to see inside.

Housed in a former baker’s shop, it is one room crammed full of all kinds of stuff.

The handwritten display captions are particularly fine, including this crazy wall explaining the history of Mull’s ferry crossings.

It feels like somewhere that will be modernised at some point, if not closed down completely, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Posted on June 16, 2024June 16, 2024 by admin

Ulva

Ulva is another island off the coast of Mull. It’s community-owned with an interesting history. Much bigger than Iona, there is more to explore and if you fancy full day’s walk, Ulva is linked by bridge to Gometra, an island off an island, off an island, off an island.

The Ulva Ferry moored at Ulva, looking towards the Isle of Mull

Getting to Ulva is fun because you summon the ferry by sliding a cover across a wall facing the island, to display a red square. I’m pretty sure the ferryman can see who’s waiting anyway, but it’s fun to follow the procedure and feel all powerful when the little boat, that’s like something out of Thunderbirds, makes its way across the short stretch of water.

Sheila’s Cottage, close to the ferry tells the story of life on Ulva, in a traditional thatched cottage. It was closed for refurbishment when we visited but was suitably atmospheric from the outside.

There are no cars on Ulva. There are no paved roads to put them on. There are plenty of walks though. We did a shortish walk to see a church designed by Thomas Telford. I found it a bit of a trudge to be honest, possibly because it headed inland on rough tracks or perhaps I was just spoilt after a beautiful day on Iona.

Beside the ferry landing on Ulva, The Boathouse does cakes and meals and is a great place to watch the comings and goings on the water. For ferry times and some truly beautiful photos follow The Ulva Ferry on Facebook, or @theulvaferry on Instagram.

Posted on June 12, 2024June 12, 2024 by admin

To Iona

Fionnphort bay and blue-roofed cottage, Isle of Mull

The Isle of Iona lies just off the south-west coast of Mull. The ferry leaves from Fionnphort, a pretty wee place with a particularly stunning beach (above).

MV Loch Buie waiting on the Isle of Iona slipway

The ferry takes 10 minutes and runs frequently. Cars are only allowed on Iona with a permit that must be organised in advance.

Iona Abbey and John Smith's gravestone, Isle of Iona

Famous as the cradle of Christianity since St Columba arrived in 563, there are various landmarks, like the ruins of the 13th century nunnery, St Oran’s chapel (below) and the Abbey. John Smith, the former Labour leader is buried in the churchyard.

Iona is a relatively small island – 1.5 miles wide by 3 miles long. The main attractions are fairly close to the ferry slipway and beyond that there are longer walks and beautiful white beaches. There’s an interesting mix of locals, tourists and pilgrims floating about. Lots of international accents in this remote corner of Scotland.

The view from Iona to Fionnphort on Mull

Iona is often described as a “thin place” where the gap between heaven and earth is closer than usual, like Holy Island and Holy Isle. I didn’t feel that (I’m not religious), but it was extraordinarily beautiful. I’ve never seen a colour palette like it, with the blue sea and the salmon-coloured rocks offset against the rugged yellows and browns of the hills.

I understand what people mean now, about it being a place that stays with you.

Posted on June 5, 2024June 5, 2024 by admin

Ardalanish Weavers

Ardalanish Weavers is on Mull, and is worth a detour off the main road to Fionnphort near Bunessan. This is a long-standing family weaving business (similar to the Islay Woollen Mill) where not only can you buy woollen products, but you can see them being made too.

Daffodill and madder naturally-dyed yarn at Ardalanish Weavers on the Isle of Mull

Ardalanish’s speciality is naturally-dyed wools. This yellow yarn gets its colour from daffodils, and the orange one is from madder. If you want to get into natural dyes, Snapdragon Life is very educational on how to do this and get great results. The hues and gradients are really beautiful.

Multicoloured yarn cones at Ardalanish Weavers on the Isle of Mull

The weaving room is full of old industrial looms (in good working order) and paraphernalia like bobbins and empty yarn cones.

Yarn on cones at Ardalanish Weavers, Isle of Mull

The looms were quiet when we visited, all the better to nose around. We had an enthusiastic guide, and the Ardalanish website also has a great explanation of the weaving process. It’s always good to see old machines being looked after and making something wonderful.

Best Bull rosettes at Ardalanish Weavers, Isle of Mull

The shop sells blankets and jumpers, and some food products from the farm. I bought some wool dyed with madder to knit a scarf I saw in a film – a project for the winter!

Posted on May 29, 2024May 29, 2024 by admin

The long road to Mull

Road leading to the queue for Corran Ferry on the Ardnamurchan side

I had a little break in Mull, and went the long way round to get there. When you can explore new bits of Scotland and ride on new ferries, why not take a bit longer.

The trip from Glasgow, along the banks of Loch Lomond and through Glencoe was beautiful. Everything looked rugged and dramatic at this time of year, still with its winter coat on.

Corran Ferry waiting for vehicles to disembark

Instead of going to Oban and getting the ‘big’ ferry to Craignure, we got the smaller Corran Ferry that links the main part of the mainland to Morvern, Ardnamurchan and beyond. This is a tireless little car and passenger ferry run by Highland Council. Set up for speed and convenience it runs fairly constantly for most of the day, taking about 5 minutes to cross. Impressive.

The road to Ardnamurchan point was quiet and scenic, with some beautiful views over the water. Ardnamurchan Distillery is worth a look. Its dancing Scotsman mascot comes from an old Punch cartoon.

At the end of the road, Ardnamurchan Lighthouse sits on a headland, looking over the westernmost point of the British mainland. The Egyptian-style lighthouse is a real beauty, eclipsed from some angles by its fabulous bright red foghorn. There is a great book called The Foghorn’s Lament by Jennifer Lucy Allen that explains why foghorns are disappearing – it was a treat to see one in such magnificent condition.

Last leg of the journey was the ferry from Kilchoan on Ardnamurchan to the Isle of Mull. This takes 35 minutes and delivers you right into the centre of Tobermory, the main town. It’s a ‘turn up and go’ service that can’t be booked. We got lucky and turned up just in time to catch the last one.

Posted on April 27, 2024April 27, 2024 by admin

I❤️EK

I❤️EK is a tribute to East Kilbride, Scotland’s first new town. I worked there for a few years and admired it everyday from the top deck of a bus. It’s a surprisingly colourful place, with lots of green space and fantastic buildings.

Some of the original details are still there, but they are increasingly being erased as buildings get upgraded, or demolished in some cases. This book features many of these modernist moments – original signs and lettering, colourful decoration – collected over the last 20 years.

It took me a long time to finish this book, as I kept going back to take more photos. No regrets though – every time I would wander a little further and find another interesting scene. Some of these places have changed beyond recognition now, but it’s still a great place to wander and soak up the new town optimism.

An added bonus of taking these photos was having some of them used by Roddy Frame (one of EK’s famous musical sons) as a backdrop to his performance of High Land, Hard Rain at Glasgow Concert Hall in 2013. A dream come true for a teenage Aztec Camera fan.

I❤️EK is an A5 photobook containing 60 full colour photographs. It is fifth in a series of photobooks and costs £10 including UK P+P.

Buy now.