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| General | Whatever you want to say that doesn't fit under the comments about mountains or another forum. |
| Post details | Post (Expand pics) | ||
| david kirk 2008-01-04 20:44:06 |
David Kirk
What is difficult to understand about grieving people erecting memorial tablets etc to mark the passing of a loved relative or friend is why they think the place of their death should be the most appropriate place to put it - in this context on a mountain which presumably had some siginficance in their lives. Without being facetious, death tends to be the low point of anyone's life - is it not more suitable to create a memorial at a place where they lived and were loved? And if it is wished to mark a special relationship which the poor departed had with a particular place would it not be more appropriate to have something useful created, such as a seat at a popular viewpoint where people can take rest and reflect and enjoy, with a suitably inscribed plaque - or similarly a stile over a wall on a popular route. The Mournes are being cited as a 'problem' area and it is an ideal one where such alternative memorials could be sited, or in Tollymore Park. Having said that, the ones reported as being on Bearnagh and Commedagh must be very discreet - I've never noticed them. The one on the lower Trassey Track is to a youngster who died on a school outing and should not cause discomfort to anyone. Donard is, or was, slightly different; it commemorates a man who was killed by lightening on the summit a couple of years ago and the plaque there placed by his Army comrades, is not obtrusive, tucked in at the base of the summit tower. Originally there was a very innapropriate brass and mahogany plaque scewed to the lintel of the tower doorway - obviously done in the moment of grief - but this problem has now been resolved.The reality is that with increasing numbers of people 'finding themselves' by walking and scrambling our mountain areas, there will be increasing numbers wishing to have their ashes scattered where they most enjoyed being - if they are to be memorialised the new Ben Nevis model is probably the best - a small memorial garden near one of the access points, where families if they wish can place a plaque to remember their loved one. |
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| Bleck Cra 2008-01-04 17:21:22 |
ON DEAD MAN'S LAND
Volsung, sadly I think I agree with you. I say “sadly” because I suppose when speaking of the dead, one should be “sad”. The solution eludes me but I am less sad about that…., because I think it should. There is no more desperate affect on people than the loss of a friend or relative (although there certainly can be exceptions – some of which I myself am looking forward to) and the vote has to go with them. I don’t like these memorials because they jar with what I confidently call “my environment”. But how does that compare with death? Not well, I am afraid – and so plastic flowers and cheesy epitaphs adorn the roadsides, weary plaques and tattered mementos pepper the hills. But we greatly exaggerate – there are half a dozen of them across the Mournes main routes and were there two dozen would it be more painful for us than their architects? Alas and uncomfortably I think we have to put it in perspective (although of course I understand the inference, that an inch soon becomes a mile) and buy into it as best we can. Is it litter? No. Is it offensive? No .Is it a bad thing? On balance, a guarded No. My own Da, post the pyre, was launched out into the golf course he inhabited when alive, to inhabit it when dead. It is what he (but not the golf course) would have wanted – so his mates spread him around under cover of darkness – they all, in flesh and spirit, had a ball. For the moment, I am going to go with the dead people – although hopefully not immediately. |
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| tsunami 2008-01-03 23:42:15 |
Why walk?
Was taking a drive through the Mournes today when some distant light caught my eye! Who needs Berghaus size 12's anymore? Just get a Nissan Navara! |
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| dino 2007-12-22 19:58:17 |
Re Memorials
I haven't come across any of these in the hills but then Donegal is a quieter spot than many and especially the Mournes. I'm not a great fan of the roadside memorials and really can't understand their place on a mountain, especially if that's where the person died! The only memorial I've heard of before is the one to Joey Glover on Errigal but despite being up there 3 times I've never come across it. Definitely can't call that one intrusive! |
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| Bleck Cra 2007-05-29 21:50:52 |
Bang goes the View
There’s one thing in the North we love more than setting things on fire – and haven’t we done well over recent months, igniting anything torchable within a fag’s stroll from a Subara Impreza - goading girning hillwalkers, poking fun at pompous firefighters, indulging indignant swamp lovers and convulsing incorrigible firelighters? The craic’s been mighty. And the one thing we love more than burning them is …., why of course …, blowing them up! Sure this is the North after all. If we all loved each other with a maternal passion, we would still go for blowing-up every time. The attached pic shows the latest offering from a rapidly downspiralling youth in peace-torn Ulster. We’ve set fire to the trees in Donard Park, then the trees above Donard Park, the whins above the trees above the trees above Donard Park and now we’re bored. So let’s trail some Buckie bottles up the Annalong track, hang a left up past Percy Bysshe, wing up to Binnian’s North Tor and blow a piece out of it. Admittedly a very small piece – but blown out nonetheless. Cra thought of drawing this to the attention of the new virgin Police Service of Northern Ireland (sure why wouldn’t they be – have you had a look at them?) but given they are now pushed to fill their day (other of course than the business I myself selflessly provide them), I fear an introduction such as “Good Morning Officer” would get me arrested for being in possession of a dangerous vocabulary….., I chose to appraise mountain viewers instead. Anyone any notion what this is about? We have G1 granite shrapnel from a 3 feet hole over a radius of 40metres, circa the main Binnian/Lamagan track. Perhaps someone told them the North Tor was made from “ice”. |
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| volsung 2007-12-17 19:48:35 |
Memorials
Walking in the Mournes these days I come across more and more memorials to dead people. On Slieve Bearnagh for instance there is a stone commemorating 'Judith aged 27' Further down the Trassey track another reminds us of a young chap of 14 years. On top of Donard there is another and I believe one on Commedagh. While I understand people's wish to commemorate their loved ones and their love of the Mournes is this the best way to do it? If we all did this the place would begin to resemble Roselawn. What do people think on this? |
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| simon3 2007-12-12 13:02:17 |
Barbara Lennon
Barbara Lennon, very active member of the Dublin club, the Wayfarers and a friend of many including myself, died recently at her home.Funeral service in Christ Church, Taney, Dundrum, Dublin on Saturday, Dec 15 at 10am, followed by funeral to Mount Jerome Crematorium. Donations in Barbara's memory to Mountain Rescue in Wicklow (AIB Bray, Acct. 08080020, Sort Code 933481 or the DSCPA, Mount Venus Road, Dublin 16. Spare a thought also for the Wayfarers who are experiencing an Annus Horribilus following the death earlier this year of Maurice McLoughlin in a walking accident in Kerry. |
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| Nellyg 2007-12-12 12:07:15 |
best hills
where are the best hills to cover in a 4 day visit and where is the bstplace to be based for this - camping wise? Coming from Scotland |
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| Alex92 2007-12-10 22:45:58 |
Walking Poles continued
I too always use walking poles in the hills. I find they reduce stress on the knees, increasing endurance and making ascent easier. As pointed out by padodes, you can go into quadruped mode and spread the weight out more evenly around the muscles by using the arms. Also, as people who hike in the Mournes will know all too well, crossing soft, marshy ground can be difficult with a heavy pack on your back. However with two poles you are much better balanced and they can make aided jumps across really boggy bits. They are also effective when crossing rivers. The only thing is that they keep your hands full, so if you're in a bit of a tight spot where they are not required, they can be a bit of a nuisance. |
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| padodes 2007-12-10 20:29:20 |
Walking poles and more
I have no unkind word to say about walking poles. Being a quadruped in the hills has definite advantages that mountain goats have discovered long ago. I am a little bemused, however, by the readiness of a growing number of walkers with a taste for photography to take to the hills with a cumbersome DSLR in tow and a flailing tripod slung over their shoulders. Maybe this is a tribute to falling camera prices and rising artistic passion, but it has a way of hindering serious intent in the mountains. The mind is divided between two purposes that are not necessarily incompatible but that sit uneasily with each other, and the tripod will surely catch in every rock and branch along the way. It would be interesting to know the experience of other contributors as regards the way they integrate photography into their walks and climbs. A lot of our efforts, I suppose, are reduced to a quick point-and-shoot in bad weather, but many photographs are also beautifully taken and convey the true atmosphere of the hills. |
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