📖 Ancient Restoration

St Valentine's Tomb - Whitefriar Church, Dublin. Gifted by Pope Gregory XVI in 1836, the casket contains Saint Valentine's bones and a vessel tinged with his blood.

St Valentine's Tomb - Whitefriar Church, Dublin. Gifted by Pope Gregory XVI in 1836, the casket contains Saint Valentine's bones and a vessel tinged with his blood.

It is Shrove Tuesday - from the word ‘Shrive’ - meaning to obtain forgiveness by way of Confession and penance. Traditionally pancakes were eaten on this day as a sign of absolution (being 'the food of angels') and to rid the house of dairy & sugar before…

It is Shrove Tuesday - from the word ‘Shrive’ - meaning to obtain forgiveness by way of Confession and penance. Traditionally pancakes were eaten on this day as a sign of absolution (being 'the food of angels') and to rid the house of dairy & sugar before the Lenten fast.

The custom of eating pancakes in February has very ancient roots. During the Roman festival of Fornacalia ('Feast of the Ovens') sweet flatbreads called 'Alita Dolcia' were eaten & sacrificed. In Christian times, the pancake is associated with absolution before…

The custom of eating pancakes in February has very ancient roots. During the Roman festival of Fornacalia ('Feast of the Ovens') sweet flatbreads called 'Alita Dolcia' were eaten & sacrificed. In Christian times, the pancake is associated with absolution before Lent. Enjoy Shrove Tuesday.

St Gobnait's Well at Ballyvourney, #Cork. One of Gobnait’s miracles was that she rousted her bees from their hives in order to chase off evil invaders from her native land.

Bunratty Castle in beautiful County Clare - Built in 1425, it is the most complete & authentic medieval fortress in Ireland.

Sunset above the clouds at the Cliffs Of Moher, in Co. Clare, Ireland.

Not only were the Irish monks meticulous beekeepers, they also lived in hive-shaped structures known as 'Clochán', or beehive huts.

"The custom of 'Telling the bees' suggests that there is an ingrained connection between the bees & the souls of the dead."

'Telling the bees' is an Irish folk custom. Bees were told of important events - births, marriage, death, lest they take offence & leave.