Moorehall, a house and estate built in 1795 in Mayo, Ireland, was tragically burnt down in 1923 during the Irish Civil War and has remained abandoned since. The history of Moore Hall is rich, with tales dating back as far as 400 AD. The Moores, an aristocratic Irish family, were the builders of this grand estate between 1792 and 1795. George Moore, a wine merchant who amassed a vast fortune in Spain through his fleet of ships, was a prominent figure in the family. Over the generations, the Moore estate witnessed the active involvement of several family members in the social, cultural, and political history of Ireland, spanning from the late eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. Notably, George Moore, the renowned Irish writer, was the last owner of the house, and it attracted frequent visits from W.B. Yeats, another prominent literary figure. According to sources, George Moore had been warned about the ill fortune surrounding the area near Muckloon Hill. Local legends recount the death of Drithliu, the King of Connaught's druid, in the vicinity around 400 AD. The burning of Moore Hall in 1923 during the Irish Civil War was a significant loss for Irish history on various levels. Sadly, the house was never restored and stands today as a haunting reminder of the past. Although the estate currently serves as a visitor attraction, the house remains closed to the public due to its dilapidated state. Descriptions depict the house as a desolate shell, with broken walls, toppled bricks, and fallen masonry, illustrating its poor condition. please log in to view this image 7
Places Beyond the Wall #4 The border between East and West Germany. It ran nearly 1,400km from the Baltic coast to Czechoslovakia. The border strip was a deadly no-man's land, so a haven for wildlife developed, which is preserved today as the 'Green Belt' nature reserve. please log in to view this image ALT please log in to view this image ALT 4
Larwood was a good bowler but did what his captain Jardine requested, who, was a cheat & a bad sport, knowing that he wasn't good enough the get Bradman out and had to resort to dirty tactics, being Bodyline, to get a result.
“To Harold. For The Ashes. From a Grateful Skipper.” The blind eyes mist over and stare at the wall in a reverie. “Mr Jardine gave me that when we came back. His inscription still means an awful lot to me. He was a real leader of men. I’d bowl two or three overs for him on that tour and he’d come up and say, ‘Anything in this wicket for you, Harold?’ and I’d perhaps say, ‘Yes, quite lively, skipper.’ Sometimes he might wait for Bradman to come in, then he’d clap his hands and everyone would move over and suddenly my field would be Les, at wicket standing back, not a slip, just a short gully to stop the sort of jump and jab, then a mid-off, and every one of the rest in a leg-trap ring. I just used to watch Bradman’s feet as I bowled. If he shuffled slightly to leg I’d follow him, if he moved across his stumps I’d follow him there. No, the barrackers never got at me, just at Jardine. They detested him. ‘Sardine’ they called him.” Larwood came into the final Test at Sydney, the Ashes already well won thanks to his 32 wickets at 19 apiece. “Bradman comes in. At once my foot went and I’m collapsed in agony. Jardine picks me up and says I must finish the over. ‘I can’t, skipper, I’m finished.’ He orders me. So I do, in terrible pain. “‘Can I go off now, skip?’ I say. ‘No,’ he whispers, nodding towards Bradman, ‘not until the little bastard’s gone. Let him think you can come back for another spell any time. I want you to stand at short cover-point and just stare at him.’ So Hedley Verity comes on at my end and that’s where Bradman loses his head, thinking to cash in while I was ‘resting’. He dashes out at Hedley’s second ball, head up, and it bowls him. At once Mr Jardine signals me off. He’d done the trick – and Bradman and I walk off beside one another and neither of us spoke a word.” Larwood never played for England again. “Well, I wasn’t about to apologise, was I? I had nothing to apologise for, did I? To tell the truth, from the moment we got home from that tour I’ve been fed up to the back teeth with the word ‘bodyline’.
Clyde Tunnel: Unseen photos revealed on 60th anniversary please log in to view this image Archive pictures show the Clyde Tunnel open to traffic in the 1960's A batch of unseen archive photographs have been released to mark the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Clyde Tunnel. Plans for the tunnel - which links north and south Glasgow - were first proposed in 1945 as ferries across the Clyde were struggling to cope with the volume of traffic. At the time, the city's docks were still in use and a new road bridge with enough clearance for ships was considered impractical. The tunnel was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip on 3 July 1963. It cost £10.5m to build - the equivalent of £180m in 2023. It has gone on to become an integral part of the city's road network, carrying more than 25 million vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians every year. please log in to view this image Before the Clyde Tunnel opened cars used to cross the river using ferries There used to be 11 ferry routes across the River Clyde. The Govan Ferry carried vehicles until it was replaced by a smaller passenger boat after the Clyde Tunnel opened. please log in to view this image Miners excavating the tunnel in May 1960 please log in to view this image The tunnelling work was carried out by 16 miners The photographs were released by the Scottish Roads Archive and captured the early tunnelling work undertaken by 16 miners, work to install cladding, lighting and ventilation and early use of the tunnel. Glasgow councillor Ruairi Kelly hailed the achievements of the engineers who built the tunnel. "Sixty years on, the Clyde Tunnel remains a stunning feat of engineering," he said. "The tunnel has been such fixture in the city's roads network for so long, it is easy to overlook the incredible skill and commitment involved in its construction." please log in to view this image The pictures highlight the dramatic changes to the landscape along the River Clyde since the tunnel opened Due to the limited space available on both banks of the River Clyde, the tunnel needed to be built with a 6% gradient, which made it the steepest of any highway tunnel in the world at the time. Once complete, the tunnel was said to have a world-leading control room. It continues to be the only road tunnel in Scotland and is used by 65,000 vehicles every day. please log in to view this image The northbound tunnel was completed in June 1963 please log in to view this image The tunnels control room was said to be one of the best in the world at the time please log in to view this image The tunnel was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip in July 1963 Mr Kelly said the pictures give a fascinating look back in time to a "very different Glasgow". "The tunnel has now been an integral part of Glasgow's road system for decades and is still unique within the national network," he said. "We monitor and maintain the tunnel on a 24-hour a day basis and we are investing substantial sums to ensure it remains operational for decades to come." please log in to view this image This is believed to be the first leaner driver to use the Clyde Tunnel The Scottish Roads Archive has produced a booklet that contains further detail on the story of the tunnel and other exclusive pictures from the time the tunnel was built. Stuart Baird of the Scottish Roads Archive said: "The tunnel has a fascinating history behind it and remains one of the most ambitious civil engineering projects ever constructed in Scotland. "It's no surprise it's become such a well-loved landmark." please log in to view this image A bus breakdown recovery test being carried out in the tunnel in July 1963 please log in to view this image The tunnel is now used by 65,000 vehicles every day New lighting and CCTV has been installed in the tunnel and a further £3.45m will be invested in the tunnel by 2025 to improve features such as traffic control, ventilation and the information and alarm system. "We're delighted to release these photos on the 60th anniversary of the Clyde Tunnel's completion," Mr Baird said.
Never thought about it before, but you know that famous picture of a bunch of construction workers sitting on a girder way up in the sky and having lunch? Well, here's the photographer who took that picture: Charles C. Ebbets. please log in to view this image
