Romancing the (Old) Stones

Lately I have been tackling a back log of photos, organizing, editing and slowly posting to Flickr. Among them are images from a September, 2009 trip to Ireland. The photos here are of Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny. There has been a castle on this site since 1172. The property was purchased by James Butler in 1391 and since that time, the castle was continuously inhabited until 1935.

On the whole, we experienced fantastic weather in Ireland, but on the day of our visit to Kilkenny Castle, the sky was overcast, the temperature quite chilly and I recall picking our way around large puddles from a recent shower. The castle looked cold and unwelcoming. I remember thinking one would have a difficult time finding a warm and cozy nook in that forbidding expanse of unrelenting gray stone. Still, there is an ineffable atmosphere, especially walking the perimeter. Parts of the path appeared to be overgrown and remnants of summer roses were visible. When I later looked at my shots, I was reminded of the fairy tale "Briar Rose." I tweaked the photos and this is what I saw in my mind.