We love our laneway. It keeps us a little separate from the world and creates a haven. It signals the seasons. Summer and Spring introduce a dense green canopy, birdsong and wild flowers; In Autumn and Winter the road turns russet with shed leaves as trees hibernate and their structure reappears. On the right as the road forks, travel past the hornbeam hedge we planted some 12 years ago, selected for its dense, thick foliage and because it is wildlife friendly, offering safety and security.

One Picture … Two Losses

A venerable beech tree graced the entrance to our laneway. During a gale in 2012 it fell heavily, its wide girth rendering the lane impassable for days. Two hundred years of living history was lost. We miss it sorely but are comforted that it lives on in an award winning poem by Paolo Febbraro, who stayed here many times with Daniela, both close friends of Séamus Heaney. We pine also for Maggie, our beautiful, gentle dog - who departed our walks and our world in July 2020 - and who can just be seen here, approaching the tree - a favourite stroll each day for her and us.

MOODS, HUES … and CLIMATIC SENSE

The moods and hues of Ballymurrin depend on more than season and hour, they are about the position of sun and moon, twilight and dawn, the wind, shadows, cloudscape, landscape and soundscape … Each day, after 26 years here, we catch ourselves holding our breath at yet another natural tapestry.

No harsh winds descend directly on us. These Quaker settlers designed with climate and shelter in mind … just as design should be … over 350 years ago … and just as our ‘Building Sensitively’ design booklets recommend.