The last trip brought me to a very unique place quite unexpectedly. We took a wrong turn, once maybe twice and there it was. Looked as if someone has just left and forgot to lock the doors…
This abandoned cottage must have belonged to a very religious and Catholic family. The first sight that caught my eye when I walked in was the electrical Sacred Heart fitting on the wall – it was still alight! This was unbelievable to see – is someone still looking after the house? Maybe the family who are trying to keep the memories of someone special alive? Or either indicating that someone maybe still keeps it lighting in memory of someone who lived here passed away or the house wasn’t that long left abandoned? Still though, the former is the most likely because the cottage is in a pretty bad shape.
In the main living area an old rusty kettle sits on the old stove begging to be put on the boil just one more time. The old stove first installed over 70 years ago still stands strong as the main focal point of the kitchen/dining area and has definitely seen some better days.
The stairs to the second floor didn’t look the most stable so I passed. A room under the stairs must have been a special and important area – it seemed to have been used maybe as some sort of small chapel or alter. The dark blue interior and beautiful stained glass window peeping into the other room was a strange thing to see in a typical country cottage of this era.
The final wander around the house revealed other very intriguing sights. A magnificent fireplace with an even more spectacular mantel piece dominated the small dining room. A vintage Big Ben West clock ticked its last tock at 3:36 by being closely watched over by St. Rita, the patron saint of impossible cases, parenthood and difficult marriages. In the porch on the way out I noticed a small sink with yet another religious painting. This time it was Sainte Philomena who was the patron saint of babies and youth death.
These religious paintings, symbols and ornaments, even though very normal for a traditional old Irish cottage of this era (bar the stained glass window), made me really think of the life stories of those who lived here. All very saddening but a real sense of comfort came over me while visiting this house.
Conor Finn