Old Barn

Ryan Calhoun, on August 21, 2007, said:

The stones here look almost red, but I guess that could be the sunset. I suppose the farmer just picked up stones from the field to make better grazing, then built a barn out of them. Some of the rocks look pretty big, but I bet he did the whole thing by himself.

♫ Swissmay, on August 22, 2007, said:

Ryan, the stones are red, but it's the sunset as well, which intensifies the colour. I put the bigger one, so that you may better see the details. I think it has been built originally dry-stacked centuries ago and as so many buildings show, has been abandoned when the people left their houses and country because of the terrible hunger period shortly before 1850.

If we look closely, we can notice that the first third of the front on the right, which is built dry-stacked, has remained as a ruin and the owners of our time have put up the barn with plaster (the 2/3 on the left of the front). May

Ryan Calhoun, on August 22, 2007, said:

It's interesting, May. I'm well aware of the great potato famine in Ireland that caused so much immigration to New York and other places (though my ancestors had immigrated more than a century before that), but I hadn't considered all the things left behind. There must be many ruins all over Ireland, especially farmland, for that reason.

A similar thing is happening in New Orleans now, with all the property left standing and abandoned after the hurricane, and most of those people will never go back.

♫ Swissmay, on August 23, 2007, said:

Yes, just as you say, Ryan. Whole villages have been abandoned and have fallen into ruins. The population sank from 8'000'000 to half because of the great famine and emigration. Probably this barn above has been used as a house until it was abandoned.

It's very sad about New Orleans as well, I didn't realize, that people wouldn't go back again. Very sad for the inhabitants and all to see a lively town like New Orleans lose its charm, which has made it famous until the catastrophy happened. May

ღ Domi, 15 days ago, said:

Simplicité et beauté !

Domi