Dublin to Cork with some knitting in between!

I'm on the train home from a very pleasant weekend in Cork.

Yesterday, we had to drive to Tipperary on a top secret mission.  Obviously I can't divulge any details at the moment, but let's just say, that phase one of the covert mission has been accomplished and I'll fill you in when the time comes for all to be revealed.

We took a picnic with us and on our way back took the old road from Dublin to Cork and stopped at some woods that I've forgotten the name of, to eat our food.  We were joined by some ants and a small grasshopper who stowed away in our bags and was only discovered when we got home!  He was quickly dispatched to the garden and sent on his way.

Keeping to the old road and avoiding the motorway, we made a stop at a little place called Kilworth.  In all the times I have driven the old road I have never stopped at Kilworth.  Now I either use the motorway or take the train! Well shame on me for not stopping here before as it it a typically lovely little Irish village.  And it was especially colourful this weekend as there had been a 'knitting bomb' 

Look:  

What a lovely sight.  And, with all that knitting going on I thought I'd better join in! Sure it would be rude not to. 

I was having a great time sitting there knitting, until a little boy came by and asked me was I one of the knitters!  I felt like a bit of a fraud then and had to tell him no.  I quickly packed up my knitting and ran for the hills!  

And speaking of fraud, or in fact fraudsters, look what we spotted In between all the knitted trees,  A small stone monument with this plaque fixed to it.

So, by a strange twist of fate, even though I'd never been to Kilworth before, it seems that my ancestors have. And a notorious one at that.  I wasn't the only Brennan running for the hills!

I did look but, I can find much about him.  Apparently he was the most popular Irish highwayman since the second half of the 19th century, and was immortalized in the ballad "Brennan On The Moor" as it tells you on the monument.  We laughed when we read the bit that said 'brave young highwayman'.  Nowadays he would not be so popular for his brave deeds, he would be brandished a 'thug' for stealing with menace! 

I would liked to have spent a little more time in Kilworth to dig up the dirt on our ancestors, but we had to get home to feed the dogs.

Poor Ellie was being ever so patient waiting on her dinner...