A quiet, quite delightful little Ring

My family and I were a farming family who lost everything in Mugabe's infamous land grab. I'm not going to dwell on that except to say, that we had already done enough in our lives to be considered reasonably successful people. But now we had to start again from the bottom in a new country and culture which by and large was foreign to us and with next to no money. However because of my experiences, I considered myself to have some experience of how money works.

We had no option but to rent housing,( we lived in three different ones ) up until such time as we established ourselves despite the fact that I considered this throwing money against the wind. However through all this it was our quest to have something which was ours again. Another farm was just not economically possible. That left a house and we looked at thousands while ' working away ' as the Irish say. In my opinion the asking prices were ludicrous.

My argument was, " look it costs so much per square foot to build a house," and I refused to follow the argument of the boom at that time. Sure I understand that certain areas have a higher value but that doesn't mean in those areas, it cost more per square foot to build the house. In other words a three bed 900 square foot terraced house ( in town ) is worth more than a 2500 square foot four bed detached house three miles out.That's nonsense. No one would listen to me and my wife was going " nuts " not having her own place. Then one day she drove to Ring and chatted to a builder who was knocking up a couple of houses.

Everyone from lawyers to estate agents told us we were nuts to even contemplate that mess. However that was what I was relying on, it WAS a mess and that told me we might be able to drive a bargain and the longer it stayed a mess and put people off the happier I was. Moreover the mess as such, I knew that I could personally clean up in two days with a front end loader and we got the house. Everything is still a mess five years later but I still think I made a wise move. Unfortunately the recession has put a spoke in my wheel. I will leave it to you.

Wherever you are from and if perchance you happen to want to visit South West Cork, there is no way around it. You have to take the N71 route out of Cork. Moreover it is a lovely drive with some spectacular scenery, lovely houses, rivers and fields and beautiful trees. Eventually, you will come to a town called Bandon, known as the gateway to South West Cork. You are about twenty minutes away from where we are. As you approach a lovely little town called Clonakilty, you will come across a roundabout ( circle ) and will see this sign. It is the first roundabout you come to and one cannot miss it.

Follow that left for about three miles along a beautiful meandering drive and there one will find Ring. Then we can go for a walk.

I'll start on this walk with me at the quay at Ring and take you on a short stroll from there leading back to my house. Unfortunately the tide is out at the moment. Never fear it comes in as always. But so far only at night so I am waiting for the summer months where the sunlight is longer so I can get those pictures as well. The wheels of justice, turn exceeding slow.

Just trying to give one an impression and I've walked to the end of the quay, turned around and taken another pic. It shows the channel of water still left at low tide which some smaller vessels can manipulate and if you follow the road on the right it will lead you back to Clonakilty.

At low tide like this on the sands one can find a variety of birdlife, so make sure you bring your camera and a pair of binoculars. You might even bring a couple of fishing rods as there is plenty to catch here.

Here is a great guide to fishing in South West Cork

Don't forget to come and join in the fun at the Ring fishing festival. Prizes galore, a superb setting, barberques of the caught fish ( mackerel is so tasty ) dancing, singing, great pubs and a wonderful atmosphere. Coming soon.

Standing on the edge trying to get a view of the sea. It's between the two headlandsin the distance. Don't worry to much as I'm very new to this and still trying to get the hang of it all. Start small, keep trying and get better. I'll get back to all this once I improve. In the meantime are you enjoying it on this small quay?

I have not concentrated on the boats here at the moment as they are grounded in the sand. Just trying to get a shot of that reddish looking house. You might not believe it, but it's a bar ( blesses himself quickly ) which has been revamped since I first moved here. It is now also a restaurant which is fast making a name for itself for being a dab hand at fish recipes. Wonderful location in the peace and quiet. God bless the Irish but it is one of three pubs in this small setting. I'm trying to show you but it takes a bit of time. Please bear with.

Well here we are at the the restaurant come bar. The small wooden deck outside is a kind provision by management for smokers who are no longer allowed to smoke in public places, 'God save us.' Not only will governments go bust without the smokers but so will publicans. The irony of all this is that when it is a grand day in summer and all, non smokers like to sit here as well. Quite happily apparently.

Find out what others have to say.

Once again the tide is out but never fear I will return one day when hopefully it is sunny and the tide is in. Sea is between the two headlands.

Hard by Deasys bar is a very sharp corner turning left or right whichever direction you might be heading. I am turning left heading home and it is the scene of many a car crash. The Irish consider it their fundamental right to use a solid white line as a navigational guide, usually aligned with the middle of the bonnet ( for steering purposes ) and despite having the highest accident rate in Europe, see no reason to change this. Exercise extreme caution when approaching any bend. Hug your side of the road and look out for anyone on a bike. Oh silly me, I forget they also like to pedal in the middle of the road. Also watch out for pedestrians, usually Mammies taking babies or doggies for walkies. Look carefully at those walking dogs, they are breaking the law

No one I have spoken to in my time here has been able to fill me in on the origins of this great building. It appears that it is lost in antiquity. Personally I love old things like this and believe it adds a lovely quaint touch to the area where I live. It also brings back forcibly why the Irish are known as such great builders. It is in their bloodstream as far as I am concerned. In todays world I have seen first hand evidence of this and they are the greatest plasterers I have ever come across. I always love watching people who are good at what they are doing, however menial.

As seen from the other side. If you notice the boat, just now in summer it will be full of flowers as the villagers prepare for the tidy towns competition. Two years ago we won our category in all Ireland. Which reminds me, in these photo's there is no evidence of litter and we have haven't even started yet to tidy up. It's another small thing to be proud of.

Once again I apologise because the tide is out and at this time of the year it only comes in late at night. These are my pictures and I am just starting and my idea is actually to show everybody the two different scenes, between high tide and low tide and the difference that can make to the beauty of the place. However I need to publish this lens in the meantime and then reinforce it with some better snaps at a later date. I got the inspiration and the idea for this by a lovely lensmaster here on squidoo and she is a quite delightful person.

Between the ruin and the first bar here known as Kitty Macs is about 50 metres. Then between that and Barrys bar is about ten metres. They are both quite delightful pubs with very different atmospheres. In the former, the younger generation hang out and there is television and a pool table and music is on hand from the CD players and a jukebox.

In the later is more an old Irish bar, with a more elderly clientelle and no TV and other accoutrements. Talk is considered what you do. Sometimes a young lass might appear and sing some old rebel songs and creates a lovely atmosphere. Cork is not known as the rebel county for nothing you know.

This is the bar that I mostly frequent now. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first most important part, is that I always used to go to the pub next door but nobody ever talked to me there. It is a recurring theme with me here and if by chance somebody does talk to me, then I do not have a clue what they are talking about. I just cannot lip read or understand the Irish in rural areas bar one or two. Furthermore, with my implant it has a tendency to pick up whatever is loudest and drown out anything else. So once a crowd builds up or a CD or jukebox is turned on that's all I can hear and have to revert back to lipreading. Unfortunately, subconsciously one hears more than one realises with the implant and subsequently my lipreading has taken a real dive. I am nowhere near as good as I was prior to the implant.

The other part is that it's best to get to know me before going into a pub situation. It then makes it easier to cope in such a situation. However in my time here, I went to work in the dark and came home in the dark and nary a person did I see. The Irish life in general revolves around the pub and that's where they meet, rather than at home.

Then one day my next door neighbour took me into this bar and I was hooked. Depending on what time, it is generally quiet and subsequently it is easier for me to talk. However the owner is a lovely lady and I can follow her so often go down for a pint and a talk before more people come in. Her name is Kitty believe it or not and she has been in the pub for a long time. On the surrounding grounds they used to have a small dairy farm but the husband gave it up years ago. One couldn't find two nicer people and sadly the rural pub is declining because of stringent drink and drive laws. Luckily many people are in walking distance of this bar. I have not been down there for months lately due to economic times but if ever one is near Ring it is a must visit. Just good old fashioned country charm.

Well, well, well, here we are at the junction between the two pubs. I live just up the road heading North, however this is a walk with me and I just want to head South until we arrive at the cul de sac which heads into the sea.

It's just to show you the different angles around the bay and because I wish it so. I'm leading up to something but that remains a secret for the time being. Come on and walk it's not that far and it's fun trying to show you this.

There are some holiday homes further down and another quay ( private ) for some shrimp fishermen and then back home at long last.

I trust this gives you an idea of where we are standing at the moment. If you look between the two bars, at the back in the distance. That's my house and that is the secret. It is time to move on now as I have shot my bolt in Ireland and not being able to find any work and relying on my wife to bear the brunt of keeping up with the mortgage and all our needs is just more than any man can bear.

We are nearly done with our kids now, Dagny has her degree, Michael writes his finals in June which just leaves Siobhan to go onto College.

I mentioned earlier in the introduction that the recession has put a spoke in my wheel because just as it is time to move on house prices have bombed. Never mind, I have been through a lot of worse things in my life and no doubt I will get through this as well. You see that's the great thing about Squidoo, it gives one ideas and my idea is to try and get the best for my house by using Squidoo lenses. Anyway there is no harm in trying?

I digress come on and walk although I do like to chat a bit if I get the chance. Those walking with me let out a long relieved sigh and mentally say, " I never knew the deaf were so hard to keep quiet."

Still heading South and Deasys from the other side of the bay.

Over in the distance one can just see a couple of houses on the hill. We rented one from a vet I met on the farm and became friendly with. Actually the very first house we rented in Clonakilty was one of his as well. The problem came in, in that we managed to get our household furnishings out of Zimbabwe. However little did we realise that most households here come furnished as it is a holiday town. The storage in Dublin was costing a bomb and the vet told me that he had a big house in Inchydoney and perhaps there was enough room there to store our furniture. That's what happened and we are forever grateful to him.

Terrific views from up there overlooking the sea but that's another lens.

Almost there and it has been a long walk. We have returned from the cul de sac, reached the T junction again between the two pubs, turned right and are heading North. These are a few council houses about a 80 metre walk from Kitty Barry's and my house is just around the corner.

Believe it or not this sign was like this during the boom years and it is like this during the bust years. My house is about 20 metres left of this.

None of the signs point in the right direction even the one lying on the ground doesn't. However in rural Ireland this is a time honoured ploy. I believe to confuse the British. Moreover since then it has confused most tourists as well. Never fear that is the plan as it can get lonely out here or was so in the past. So this is a quaint old Irish ploy to get people to stop and talk with them, sometimes known as great ' craic ' (Irish for talk ).

Moreover, the funniest thing of all, after exhausting the ' craic ' is to then send them ( tourists ) in the wrong direction. What a gas hey!

Don't be concerned, it will not harm you, it's just their way of making sure you see more of the countryside. Eventually you will come across another signpost and history will repeat itself. You might have done a couple of miles more, but that's all and you will reach your destination ( blesses himself ) eventually. There is of course a sure fire way to avoid this. So if you don't want to miss the fun be prepared.

No doubt when everybody sees this they will say so what is all the fuss about. However when one has lost eveything and has to start all over again at age 45. Perhaps then one can understand that as a family we were so proud of this house. We have done a lot to it since we first got it and here you can see the garden.

The original mess of boulders, bricks, dried cement etc. is now these new houses which are still being worked upon. You see the builder concentrates on farm structures which are his core business and this is just an agreeable sideline.

When we first came here there were just three houses, then one was build next door and these are the one's left and then that is it.