Meat-Loaf area Photo

Photographer’s Note

When Saint Patrick arrived in this country, not only he told Irish people about the God but also he taught them many other useful things like how to prepare a meatloaf. Especially in the area north of Dublin this dish became very popular so to commemorate this fact two neighbouring counties north of Dublin were named after the St Patrick’s dish: meat-loaf (County Meath and County Louth respectively).

This photograph presents ruins of the friary church on the Hill of Slane in County Meath.

Hill of Slane stands 158 metres above the surroundings, north of the village Slane. There are a number of historic sites located around the top of the hill. In the Metrical Dindshenchas, a collection of bardic verse, the ancient Fir Bolg king Sláine was said to have been buried here. There is an artificial mound on the western end of the hilltop. The hill may have been chosen as the site of Christian abbey due to the presence of an existing pagan shrine, the remains of which may be two standing stones in the burial yard. Muirchu moccu Machtheni, in his highly mythologized seventh century Life of Patrick, says that St. Patrick lit a Paschal fire on this hill top in 433 CE in defiance of the High King Laoire who forbid any other fires while a festival fire was burning on the Hill of Tara. Historians and archaeologists agree that Muirchu has moved to Slane a fire lit elsewhere; Brú na Bóinne, and Knowth have been suggested. The Hill of Slane remained a center of religion and learning for many centuries after St. Patrick. The ruins of a friary church and college can be seen on the top of the hill. It is known that Slane Friary was restored in 1512. The ruins include a 19-metre high early gothic tower. The friary was abandoned in 1723. The traditional Christian hymn Be Thou My Vision is set to an early medieval Irish folk song named Slane which is about the Hill of Slane.

Here you can see darek1978’s uploads from the same trip, which we took together.

Ah, the story in the first paragraph was a sample of my creativity.

mikolaj_kawa, Buin, PixelTerror, lgir, darek1978, ophelcia, Philippe, AiresSantos, chawax, jjanczyk, Amaz ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

mikolaj_kawa (30601) 2009-05-23 1:33

Czesc Mariusz! Wspaniale rysuje sie na tle dramatycznego nieba ta imponujaca ruina. Dobra kompozycja. Bardzo dobra ostrosc. Klaniam sie!

Buin (37952) 2009-05-23 1:34

Hallo Mariusz!
A great photo - accompanied by a great note!
This reallymust be a very special and somehow touching place. Your point of view here works very well in order to create depth and to transmit the atmosphere of this site. An outstanding photo ...
Greetings from sunny and warm Germany!
frank

PixelTerror (86358) 2009-05-23 1:46

Hi Mariusz
Very nice pov to get to see this ancient church in its equally nice graveyards environment, superb light, I'd just clone the few bushes interfering at the bottom
Have a nice day JY

lgir (2845) 2009-05-23 1:50

Hello Mariusz,

beautiful work on this composition so to obtain remarkable colors and contrasts in all circumstances. Only remark, on the latter, the foreground on the left of the image is not very aesthetic.
Good work
Regards
Laurent

Jeppo (11994) 2009-05-23 2:02

czesc Mariusz,

nice Irish Landscape...it reminds me Clonmachnoise....

btw I like that dramatic sky above the church and graves

pozdro
silvio

Amaz (7060) 2009-05-23 3:02

Wonderful Irish landscape, Mariusz.
Very interesting note, indeed.
Great shot!!

Thanks for sharing.

Kind regards

darek1978 (11371) 2009-05-23 5:27

Czesc Mariusz,
Kolejny rainy day za oknem, wiec odgrzebujemy troszke slonca z naszych galeryjek;) Ja pewnie tez cos ze swiatlem posadze, totalnie znudzony juz nawet narzekaniem na pogode.
Powiem Ci szczerze, ze przez chwile mialem opory, aby zgadnac co to za miejsce. Wieza niby znajoma, ale z drugiej strony takich wiez w Irlandii zatrzesienie.
Ciekawie to poukladales w kadrze. Nie do konca jestem przekonany do LD i jego nieostrosci, ale to juz wina GO. Niebo za to jest naprawde wystrzalowe i ostatnio nawet takie odjechane kolorki podobaja mi sie bardzo.
Na wielki plus obrobka.
Pozdrawiam,
D.

Pablo25 (1755) 2009-05-23 6:28

czesc Mariusz,
swietna robota, bardzo fajna wieza dobrze pokazana. Mam gdzies podobne zdjecie z okolic Galway przedstawiajace swiatynie Franciszkanow, ale jakos nie jestem przekonany do swojej fotki, te groby jakos tak razily w oczy! Tutaj natomiast wszystko poukladane i wyprostowane jak nalezy. Acha no wlasnie mi to w dodatku wyszlo krzywo!:( super kolorki i niebo.
pozdrawiam
Pawel

ophelcia (5490) 2009-05-23 7:57

Wy tam nadal macie showers?
Perfect ujęcie, jak z jakiegoś straszliwego horroru cmentarnego z przebłyskiem słońca!
Pobobają mi się te celtyckie wieże:)
G.

ilDottore (4004) 2009-05-23 12:15

Hej MAriusz,
Doskonała kompozycja i ogólna jakość, fajne światło i kolory.
Gratuluję i pozdrawiam!
Krzysiek

Philippe (11779) 2009-05-23 13:00

Hi, Mariusz. A very nice tower and a nice Celtic cross that both stand out well against the sky. The texture of the stones is very well rendered. I think I would have stepped a little forward to get rid of the stone in the left corner. But for the rest a very good picture.
Have a nice weekend,
Philippe

Vasa (5850) 2009-05-23 15:26

Hi Mariusz,

your pictures have a very nice look on your last page. This is one of your best: superb thematic image and strangely nice colors. Really excellent! Proud of your work and your friendship,

Branko

Graal (58267) 2009-05-23 23:31

Czesc,
interesujace miejsce z bogata historia. Dobry pionowy kadr chociaz ten fragment w LD troche przeszkadza. Ladne swiatlo, niebo dopisalo w tle. Ciekawy dokument.
Pozdr. Al.

AiresSantos (42440) 2009-05-24 0:45

Hi Mariusz
Irland is wonderful through your eyes.
Amazing POv and colours in this very beautiful picture. Fine contrast
TFS and have a nice day
Aires

Felip (3905) 2009-05-26 9:46

I said to my self, what the hell has to do a heavy metal singer with a celtic cemetery?...I'm an ignorant, sorry!. Thanks to your note now I know the origin of this word and dish....but then I continue with my lecture and...what?...your creativity?, Now I don't know where I am...the story about the singer, I mean about the meat-loaf, is true ?
Hugs.

Felip

marietom (32040) 2009-05-27 10:12

hello Mariusz,

Superbe endroit, bien mis en valeur par ta composition.
Bonne soirée
Marie

chawax (6090) 2009-06-04 14:14

Hi Mariusz,
I just uploaded a picture of these nice ruins ! You had a better weather than me there so you have a very nice sky ! I love the point of view you chosed and the very nice light. Excellent sharpness too.
Regards,
Olivier

jjanczyk (1856) 2009-06-05 4:39

Witaj Mariuszu,
Doskonaly kadr. Musze przyznac, ze te stare mury i nagrobki wygladaja niezwykle interesujaco w swietle promieni slonecznych. Ciekawy POV.
Technicznie - jak zwykle - super.
Swietna notka.
Pozdrawiam

jafadabret (39923) 2009-06-15 11:53

Bonjour Mariusz.
Un ciel prodigieux sert de fond à cet édifice d'une grande prestance et combien vénérable. Le premier plan avec les tombes ferait penser à une image de film d'épouvante.
Une photo qui a du caractère !
Jacques