Before we get back to the #toyshow discussion, I'm very curious to see some Irish homes and it's only fair to show mine. We had it built in 2001 and will finish paying for it in 18 months. You needn't tell me the roses need deadheading. I know. That's a typical Florida winter sky, cloudless and blue - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

davidmccullough.bsky.social • 78 days ago

Before we get back to the #toyshow discussion, I'm very curious to see some Irish homes and it's only fair to show mine. We had it built in 2001 and will finish paying for it in 18 months. You needn't tell me the roses need deadheading. I know. That's a typical Florida winter sky, cloudless and blue

Comments

suerussell.bsky.social•78 days ago

Nice gaff. Looks ginormous. My current house was derelict when I bought it in 1999. Took me a good while to get it habitable, but it's nice and cosy now. I don't have a current pic, but this is my craft shed in the garden of which I am super proud! #spéirgorm

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

I can't begin to tell you how envious I am of all that

keith1275.bsky.social•78 days ago

David, here's a bunch of homes in Athlone.

https://www.daft.ie/property-for-sale/mapArea?showMap=true&top=53.436302360687165&left=-7.968033072627264&right=-7.890218444860238&bottom=53.41439849869607&geoSearchType=BBOX&mapView=true#5872846

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

The one called Skelig House might be most comparable to mine

teflondub.bsky.social•78 days ago

Hi David. A few different Irish skies in this one that you might see over the course of half an hour in Dublin. This would be fairly typical of the early 1960’s houses built in Dublin’s north side. Small houses with good sized back gardens.

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

Yep, I could live there and never have to leave

jobw.bsky.social•77 days ago

It's brilliant, Dublin city centre a 25 min walk, all local shops/coffee shops, pubs, 2 min walk away.

jobw.bsky.social•77 days ago

The first one is very, very close to my street, thought it was our road at first!

fhayesmccoy.bsky.social•78 days ago

Here's mine at the end of the Dingle peninsula.

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

That soil looks so beautiful. We have nearly pure sand. It takes years of work for me to get soil that good. And your view is spectacular, as I'm sure you are aware

fhayesmccoy.bsky.social•78 days ago

Many years of being fertilised with seaweed brought from the beach after Atlantic storms. 😊

If you're ever planning a visit to Corca Dhuibhne (Irish language name for the area), let me know and I'll get a copy of this to you.
https://www.trailheadireland.com/Collins_Press-Dingle_And_Its_Hinterland-People_Places_And_Heritage

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

Very interesting about the seaweed. We have "liquid kelp" as an organic fertilizer. Rather expensive but good stuff. And as I'll be coming to see every part of Ireland, I'll be looking for that book!

fhayesmccoy.bsky.social•77 days ago

We grow comfrey too, and steep it to make liquid fertiliser. Hardly necessary, though, with so much bounty from the ocean (and the cows 😊🐄)

davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

I've grown comfrey with the intention of making the fertilizer but never got around to it. Pretty plant, though. We also use cow manure and worm castings as well

margaretleahy.bsky.social•78 days ago

Very neat veg beds

fhayesmccoy.bsky.social•78 days ago

Our 80 year-old neighbour wouldn't have accepted anything less in the village

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

This reminds me. Is there an Irish equivalent of Monty Don?

margaretleahy.bsky.social•77 days ago

We have some great gardeners. One of my favourite though she no longer appears on TV is Helen Dillon

donegalpaul9.bsky.social•77 days ago

Surely Gerry Daly must be up there? Radio, TV, books and consultancy. His "Ask about gardening" radio programme in the 90s on RTE was very popular.

margaretleahy.bsky.social•77 days ago

Love Gerry Daly

nordaltsee.bsky.social•78 days ago

Lovely Felicity 😍 it's dark now but I'll post a photo of my chaos tomorrow

jhshelley.bsky.social•73 days ago

An almost typical Dublin suburban housing estate. I grew up in 2nd from left.

Almost all houses in Ireland are brick built, very few timber.

And typical older housing estates are more densely terraced than ours.

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•73 days ago

I have a couple of questions if you don't mind. What do you mean by "terraced" as I think it's different from what I'm used to. What is that small window? next to the front door. Is it a window or something else?

jhshelley.bsky.social•73 days ago

No bother, ask away.

Yes to the small window beside the hall door.

Terraced - houses joined with shared walls either side .
Semi detached - open one side, adjoined on the other.
Detached, standalone, no party (shared) walls.

davidmccullough.bsky.social•73 days ago

Okay, got it. We would call these townhouses or condos (condominiums). If there are only two houses conjoined, it is a duplex.
Thanks for sharing this. I'm really curious to learn how Irish people actually live, knowing that there is a lot of variety

dochara.com•78 days ago

House I used to live in on Google Maps. A very typical suburban semi-detached of which there are 10s of thousands in Ireland. That's me in the doorway, our cat on the wall and my son and his friends cavorting around like fools at the sight of the Google car!

https://maps.app.goo.gl/pU15NGCqoaAgwgPu5

noreenbowden.bsky.social•78 days ago

That’s great fun it caught the cat and the kids!

dochara.com•78 days ago

Yeah it's really nice to have it.

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

That's so grand! And looks like a really nice neighborhood

duncanjonesmerrion.bsky.social•78 days ago

This is our place. An 1880s two bed labourers cottage originally built on the edge of the landlord estate for his workers.

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duncanjonesmerrion.bsky.social•78 days ago

The cottage still has a lot of original features, including the flag tile floor and the outside toilet. Fortunately, we have added a timber extension with the kitchen and indoor bathroom.

keith1275.bsky.social•78 days ago

My grandfather was born into a house like that, remained in our family until he passed away at 99 - i had the privilege of living in it with him for a year. It had been "improved" a bit by then, with inside bathroom, third bedroom and separate kitchen. Open fire heating. Single glazing sash windows.

duncanjonesmerrion.bsky.social•78 days ago

Yeah. We are currently trying to get our single glazed sash windows upgraded to double glazing but the council planning objects.

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

I'd happily give my right arm to live there

keith1275.bsky.social•78 days ago

With property prices being what they are, you may have to add a kidney to that.

duncanjonesmerrion.bsky.social•78 days ago

You're not wrong. The house on the corner sold for over €900k because there was a bidding battle. Properly "return of the Celtic Tiger" madness.

duncanjonesmerrion.bsky.social•78 days ago

It has taken about a decade to get it how we want it, including all the insulation and changing the heating system, so it is a good deal greener. When you buy an old house you also get a to-do list.

https://bsky.app/profile/duncanjonesmerrion.bsky.social/post/3l6rnrjlhzt2w

pianoodle.bsky.social•78 days ago

Comparing houses? Absolutely classic irish theme you hit on there Dave, your posts are aligning with a certain irishness in you that you hitherto obviously were unaware of

keithspriggs.bsky.social•78 days ago

Nice house.

tisme.bsky.social•78 days ago

My house picture from Google maps taken a few years ago typical of a one off rural house 1990 to early 2000s (2004)

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

It looks like you're out in the countryside, where I'd like to be. But what's all that sticking out of your chimney?

tisme.bsky.social•78 days ago

That was my tv ariel we have since removed the chimney to make the house warmer as we never lit the fires except maybe at Christmas

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

Okay. We don't see those much here. Everyone pays a small fortune for cable tv

tisme.bsky.social•78 days ago

I know I lived in NYC for 3 years and had cable. Though we have had some satellite Internet here we were recently connected to high speed fibre broadband and now have a tv subscription for the first time in years through broadband,it held up well during #stormdarragh .what part of Florida are you in

davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

I'm in Central Florida, not far from Disney World/Orlando

rebelalliance77.bsky.social•77 days ago

Shabby old place in Dublin City center

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

I've never lived in a city like that, but one can dream

rebelalliance77.bsky.social•77 days ago

You’re more than welcome and will be looked after when you come over.

dochasisgra.bsky.social•78 days ago

Probably only right to tell you for context David, we have a huge housing crisis at the moment, very hard to find secure affordable accommodation to rent or buy, so those of us showing you our houses are very lucky.

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

I understand. It's the same here. Our son, age 27, still lives with us. He has a decent job but can't find a place to live and still be able to feed and clothe himself and keep gas in his car (which is essential here). It's very, very common. And very different from when we were that age and younger

dochasisgra.bsky.social•78 days ago

Yes, exactly the same here.

margaretleahy.bsky.social•78 days ago

As it is in most countries

seafoid19.bsky.social•78 days ago

They’re handy to reach things for me I find

davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

That's lovely. We have a native variety here but the leaves aren't so big and it not usually that colorful

dochasisgra.bsky.social•78 days ago

Congrats on your almost mortgage-free status! My house is not a typical Irish rural build though there are more of them popping up now- it's a wooden Scandinavian style passive house. My favourite thing along with low fuel bills is our view. Blue skies NOT current- photos from our 2 weeks of summer!

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

I'd sell my mother for that view. Lucky cat

dochasisgra.bsky.social•78 days ago

She likes watching the birds! Here's one with the dog, for balance:

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

Funny how dogs have no nationality. They're the same everywhere. And what are the red flowers, please? I feel that I should recognize them

dochasisgra.bsky.social•78 days ago

Penstemon. I'm no gardener but my mum planted these when we moved in 17 years ago and they have thrived with no attention at all from me.

davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

Ah, okay. I can't grow those but have seen them. And I love having plants that are a reminder of someone I've loved

nordaltsee.bsky.social•78 days ago

Lovely house 😍

dochasisgra.bsky.social•78 days ago

Thank you! It's very simple to look after and we love it. We're very lucky.

dancerlady.bsky.social•78 days ago

Not our house but where we live.

https://www.visitdublin.com/guides/things-to-do-in-howth

grainneblair.bsky.social•78 days ago

Well just remember we have 30,000 castles here in Ireland so you’ll never be stuck for a place to stay/visit!

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

I can't tell if you're serious about 30,000, but I wouldn't mind visiting every one of them

grainneblair.bsky.social•78 days ago

https://www.irishcentral.com/travel/how-many-castles-ireland.amp

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

I had no idea...

grainneblair.bsky.social•78 days ago

Night Night!

grainneblair.bsky.social•78 days ago

Yes not ‘Disney type ones’! Mostly built as defence fortress types but here’s a few to be looking at https://www.discoveringireland.com/castles-in-ireland/

liammoran1947.bsky.social•78 days ago

These photos are very misleading David. Usually can't see an Irish house through the sheets of rain 😜

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

Is it really so bad year-round? I'm asking because I'd like to visit when the weather isn't so miserable and don't know when that would be

photaculous.bsky.social•77 days ago

Late May, June, and July usually get some fine weather, but bluesky days or overcast days can occur at any time.

September can be good for clear sunny weather also for some reason.

South and East Coast get less rain usually.

gothcaptain.bsky.social•77 days ago

We’re all looking at each other and shrugging our collective shoulders on that one.

Having said that I’ve always had good luck in September.

davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

We were in England this September and the weather was tolerable, though I did need to buy some warmer clothes there. I was the guy wearing sweaters while the locals were in t-shirts

tattoodlebug.bsky.social•77 days ago

Your best shot would be May or September. Otherwise it’s cold rain or warm rain, usually sideways rain not straight down like yours. Bring the right clothes and expect rain. Then , Anything better is a bonus

taraodonovan.bsky.social•77 days ago

I think summer is due to be on a Tuesday next year

ainemccaul.bsky.social•77 days ago

May or September are usually the best months for warm, dry weather.

liammoran1947.bsky.social•77 days ago

I once spent a wet afternoon in July playing golf with one of my American cousins and as his ball came to a premature stop on a sodden green he let the putter fall from his perished hands, turned to me and said "now I know why we invented whiskey"

davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

I really did laugh out loud

liammoran1947.bsky.social•77 days ago

There's an interesting little factoid if you look up Irish inventions on Wikipedia you'll notice that for 300 years after we invented Whiskey we didn't appear to invent anything else... all our problems had been solved 😂

davidmccullough.bsky.social•76 days ago

That's really funny

fionanlynch.bsky.social•77 days ago

It's pretty random these days, we can have our best warm and sunny days during Spring and Autumn(Fall) rather than Summer, blink and you'll miss them though. It's fairly average/mild/temperate on the whole. Besides the rare odd storm, snow is fairly rare as well, sleet/hailstones more frequent.

camaderrygirl.bsky.social•77 days ago

The last week of May & first week of June are traditionally the best weather weeks of the year - the school students sit their final exam (prosaically called the leaving cert) in the first week of June & it invariably brings on the sunshine!

davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

Awww, that's grand!

camaderrygirl.bsky.social•77 days ago

Unless you’re a 6th year student (or parent of same)! 😂 The rest of us enjoy it… every year

liammoran1947.bsky.social•77 days ago

I try to save feed for the winter at the end of May. So that'll scupper the invariably bit 😜

davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

and that's another sentence which I cannot understand

liammoran1947.bsky.social•77 days ago

Sorry David. I'm a farmer, and I try to cut and dry grass to feed my animals through the winter at the end of May. While there is a higher probability of dry weather at that time of year... there's no invariably about it though. 🙂

nordaltsee.bsky.social•77 days ago

The sun is shining in #WestCork !
Here is our self build #offgrid house... still needs a lot of finishing... ongoing since 2001 but we love it

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

That's a lot of work, just the flagstone alone! Do the solar panels provide as much power as you could want?

nordaltsee.bsky.social•77 days ago

Between the Equinoxes yes... the between the cross days (1 Nov and 1 Feb) no dishwasher and it can be tricky... but we have a generator
Seriously in may june and july our immersion is always on... too much power

davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

...and now I see that I'm going to need to learn a new calendar along with a new language

fhayesmccoy.bsky.social•77 days ago

Ah - has anyone told you about the fine exit line "Slán má' sea.Cífhidh mé idir an dá Nollaig thú" - "'Bye, then. I'll see you between the two Christmases"?

davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

That's a new one for me. And that too many consonants in some of those words

irlguide.bsky.social•78 days ago

Where are the solar panels ?

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

We looked into them. Many neighbors have them. The way our roof is designed and oriented, the cost outweighs the benefit given that we don't plan to keep the house much longer. The next owners will benefit if they install them right away and stay there long term

brianmlucey.bsky.social•77 days ago

Ours, with the newish solar panels. Absolutely the best money we spent

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

The brickwork is beautiful, isn't it

brianmlucey.bsky.social•77 days ago

I suppose so never really noticed this it's just the wall !
But yeah it is nice...The entire estate is like that

itsnotsuzalright.bsky.social•78 days ago

It’s a pity the creeper loses her leaves but glorious while it lasts 🍁

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atticuspeirgorm.bsky.social•78 days ago

Here's a capture from my ring door bell, I'm still not sure whether they were coming to my house or that Pod Guy from up the road. Other castles are available for sale in ireland. #Speirgorm

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

You win, Atticus!

nevshek.bsky.social•78 days ago

Our special place, built c98, we slightly modified it in 14.

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

You have a meadow!!! I'm sooooo jealous

karenoc.bsky.social•77 days ago

Our house and the view last May when the Northern Lights gave a show - Valentia Island, Co. Kerry

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•77 days ago

That is spectacular (the house and the lights). I've never seen the lights and would love to

karenoc.bsky.social•77 days ago

Thank you - I’ve been lucky enough to see them twice this year from here. We live in a designated Dark Sky Area so clear nights (very rare with Irish weather) are spectacular

trionac.bsky.social•78 days ago

Are you anywhere near Ocala?

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

About 2 hours away by car

trionac.bsky.social•78 days ago

I’ve asked because you are church going. My mums very good friend has worked in multiple parishes in a two hour radius of Ocala. He is 50+ years ordained and has spent all his ordained life in Florida, he’s a bit of a legend over there. Fr. Pat Sheedy. You may have heard of him?

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

I've not heard of him myself but I see that he is rather famous in the Catholic community here and has done a lot of good work

trionac.bsky.social•78 days ago

He is amazing, comes back to Ireland every summer to visit all of his friends and family. Im pretty sure he does the pilgrimage in to Lough Derg (another thing for you to look up!). A neighbour and very good friend of our family in West Clare.

niamhroisin.bsky.social•78 days ago

I love that we have reached the ‘you must know so and so’ stage of #speirgorm with #FloridaDavid 😂

igo107.bsky.social•77 days ago

🤣

croballycat.bsky.social•78 days ago

The blue bit is the original traditional Irish cottage, built in about 1929. It's history includes a bakery & síbín (drinking place). Mam & Dad bought it in 1976. We built on the timber frame extension in 2003. The sweet peas in the garden enjoyed the last hot summer I remember (2021)!

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duncanjonesmerrion.bsky.social•78 days ago

Beautiful garden

croballycat.bsky.social•78 days ago

Thank you! Needs a bit of care now, after all these storms 😕

davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

Are those sweet peas? And what's the wine-colored tree in the background, please?

croballycat.bsky.social•78 days ago

I had mainly red & pink sweet peas that year. I think the tree is a purple beech. They grow well here, small pink blossom in spring, but the birds eat the buds - Ah well!

bkates.bsky.social•78 days ago

I've tried to grow sweet peas here (Philly suburbs). They won't grow here 😟

bkates.bsky.social•78 days ago

The front of my house..but I'm in the Philly suburbs David!

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

But you're a gardener, so we're kin

bkates.bsky.social•78 days ago

Yep..I'm a gardener bro!

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davidmccullough.bsky.social•78 days ago

Wow! Very nice (I grow the same carrots)