Irish Trees & Their Legends

Irish Trees & Their Legends
(Taken From 'Irish Trees, Myths, Legends & Folklore' By Niall Mac Coitir)

Willow - Saileach
The Willow with it's quick growing nature and love of growing beside water is seen as a symbol of fertility and life; however it is also linked with grief, particularly the Weeping Willow. Willow is also known as Sallow or Sally.

In 16th and 17th centuries it was the custom of jilted lovers to wear a wreath of willow.

It is good luck to take a willow rod with you on a journey and a peeled willow rod flexibly placed around a milk churn will ensure good butter.

Willow planted near the door will keep witches away and in particular a bundle of willow twigs hung on the door will keep away the marsh witch; perhaps also the 'will o the wisp' or 'banshee'?

Willow charcoal can bring back hair on an animal where it has rubbed off, such as on a wound.

Willow is a springtime tree and associated with water, milk and cows. It is used for basket making and wickerwork, being incredibly pliant.

The Irish Harp is traditionally made of willow and under early Irish law the willow is know as 'Commoner Of The Wood' being in general use for making household implements.

Good story about King Labhraidh Of The Horse's Ears on page forty three.

Business Blog - Step 13

A big chunk of time has passed since my last business blog post. Things have been nicely busy; neither massively hectic, nor particularly quiet.

We have been a little understaffed this past summer and lost some bookings due to it. I'm working to get our team back to normal spec and also up-skilling all of us; with both in-house training and external qualifications. Personally I'm working towards MIA Assessment and Kayak Instructor Course Provider over the coming twelve months.

Our Killarney operation is going strong and also going into year nine! Our Galway operation has really nice potential and is going into year three. I'm planning on focusing my attention on these two operations for the foreseeable future.

This means that our Bantry Bay Kayaking and Limerick City Kayaking; while available for group bookings; are somewhat parked for now. I don't want to spread ourselves too thin and sacrifice quality, and I also don't want to get stuck into a huge bank loan in order to do a large scale west coast expansion!

Our Burren Bike Tours went well this summer, so we will be running Killarney National Park Bike Tours next year as well. These are a brilliant tour, lovely to run and really enjoyed by our clients...

I've been trying to cover most bookings plus office work myself these past few months and it's just now I'm getting a chance to asses our past year and make some plans and changes.

It's always the constant question of whether I should tread water trying to simply stay on top of work; or invest more heavily which will allow me to step back and really develop the business. Think I'll be going for the business development option from the spring onwards...

I want to really set our reputation as a quality training school, delivered by hugely experienced and well qualified instructors; plus guiding tourists to a high level of excellence.

I have two weeks to kick ass in terms of stock checking, ordering new gear and begin setting up a couple of new packages. Then Christmas, with about three Mountain Skills Courses between now and then.

Here Are Some Of The Best Photos We Got Over The Past Year

Fingers crossed for some snow and ice conditions in the MacGillycuddy Reeks this Jan/Feb, which will allow us to offer some Winter Mountaineering Days...

That about wraps up the past year at Outdoors Ireland! Nathan

Up In The Burren

Some Burren Photos I Snapped Last Week, While Out Hiking & Climbing, Nathan

New Mountain Skills 1 Date In Galway (Mountaineering Ireland Recognised Course)

Due to extra demand we have scheduled another Mountain Skills 1 for Kinvara/Galway on Thurs 19th & Fri 20th Dec. We have three places left for this course and the price is €155 per person.

Contact Us To Book

Mountain Skills 1 is a two day course. Over the two days you will cover map reading, contour features, navigation techniques, mountain hazards, personal equipment, timing and pacing.

At the end of this course you will have a solid and comprehensive introduction to the skills needed to be self sufficient in the mountains. You will also have a good understanding of the overall Mountain Skills Scheme.

Burren Rock Climbing Photos (Learn to Lead Climb Course)

Ballyryan Crag

Warm Orange Sun, Despite Being November!

Sunset Over The Burren Grasses

Crescent Moon Over Aran Islands

Dawn Over The Burren

Practice Area, Galway Bay In Background

James Climbing Up To The Practice Area

 Lead Climb Rope Set-Up

Day 2, Learning The Basics

Here's some photos from our last Learn To Lead Climb Course, which ran in the Burren...

Keep Your Skills Refreshed & Progressing

As an initiative to keep our training course participants on top of their skills we are offering the option of returning to us on the same training course free of charge at a later date.

Skills can become rusty; it can be hard to find partners to get outdoors with; the motivation to progress can be difficult if you feel your current skills aren't at their best...

So for example if you complete a Kayak Skills Course or a Learn To Rock Climb Course with us and a year later feel like you have lost most of those skills, you are welcome to join the same course again free of charge.

There will be some exceptions but we will apply this to as many of our training courses and as many of our clients as possible.

It will be dependant on us having a free place left on a training course for you to join, and may change if a last minute booking comes in.

Learn To Lead Climb Course In Burren/Galway

Mountain Skills 2 Steep Ground Work

Lough Lein On A Sunny November Morning

We didn't catch this fish; just in case the park rangers are reading this blog!

Reflections on Ross Canal shortly after sunrise.

Sea Of Images From The Weekend's Irish Times

Lovely Description About The Burren, By Lenny Antonelli/Robert MacFarlane:

'Each fragment of the Burren is a mausoleum, each hill a necropolis of unthinkable dimensions, containing more dead organisms than there are humans who have ever lived'


Great Description About Achill By Manchan Magan; Which Could Apply To Any Of Our West Coast:

'...wild Atlantic skies that poured celestial colours across the verdant mountains and the lapping waters of Keel Lake. Even the feral sheep blocking the roads seemed less menacing than usual.'

Autumn

Perfect Mountain Skills 1 Weather In Kerry!

Superb Autumn Colours In Killarney National Park

Bits & Pieces

One place has just come available for our Galway Mountain Skills 2 this weekend, 16th & 17th Nov.

We also have one place left available for our Galway Six-Day Learn To Lead Climb Course, starting Wed 20th Nov.



For More Details/To Book Click Here To Contact Us

Two recent photos looking across Lough Lein, Killarney National Park, during an early morning kayak course set-up.