On the Bank of the River Barrow
@NormanDarlo (1071)
Ireland
October 27, 2018 1:24pm CST
The River Barrow is supposed to have got its name when Dian Cécht, the god of healing, slew three dragons found in the heart of the Morrígan's --the Phantom Queen's-- infant son and threw them into the river, causing it to boil. (The Proto-Celtic root for 'boil' is *boru-, which is associated with Borvo, the Celtic god of minerals and spring water.)
When I was a teenager, a few lads and myself stayed overnight in an abandoned pub in the nearby town of Graiguenamanagh (owned by the family of one of us). The next morning we wandered down here and borrowed a row-boat and rowed downriver between the wooded slopes. The silence and the peacefulness made a huge impression on me. Although it was only February it was warm enough that we had to take off our tops to cool down from our exertions. Happy days 
Do you have an idyllic memory of your youth that you will carry with you to the grave?
Do you have an idyllic memory of your youth that you will carry with you to the grave?8 people like this
7 responses
@CarolDM (203449)
• Nashville, Tennessee
27 Oct 18
I have many childhood memories thankfully of my brother and my cousins and I swimming in my Grandmother's pond. And did I say there were alligators in the pond? Yep we swam with the gators and lived to tell about it. Crazy times! Of course my Grandmother never knew, or did she.
1 person likes this
Are you serious?@CarolDM (203449)
• Nashville, Tennessee
27 Oct 18
@NormanDarlo Yes I am serious. We were about 9 or 10 y/o.
1 person likes this
@vandana7 (99110)
• India
1 Nov 18
My hostel days...me draping me in white bed sheet and holding a lit candle in a candle stick or saucer, I fail to recall, I think it was can..Whatever, that was in the middle of the night and girls would have their mosquito nets ..then I would walk past them as if I did not know they were there...it was fun all those screams.
1 person likes this
@NormanDarlo (1071)
• Ireland
2 Nov 18
@vandana7 Something tells me you still are, at heart!
1 person likes this
@xFiacre (12498)
• Ireland
27 Oct 18
@normandarlo And nobody’s asked you yet how to pronounce Graiguenamanagh. I’m impressed.
1 person likes this
@NormanDarlo (1071)
• Ireland
27 Oct 18
Gregway-namanamanaggg of course! I guess they were afraid of it
1 person likes this
@NormanDarlo (1071)
• Ireland
27 Oct 18
We all have a mix of positive and negative. It is great to be able to remember the positive
1 person likes this
@Courage7 (19633)
• United States
27 Oct 18
Yes the dales and trout fishing, picking mushrooms on the hillside, swimming in the lake with no light but the moon, taking showers under the waterfalls all in the Lake District when I was in my teens then. There are many others too like walking the roads in the West of Ireland also in my early teens., eating fresh cheese off the farms, being chased by a bull and jumping over the stone walls lol
Pontooning on the river Thames in Oxford.
That place is gorgeous there Norman. We are lucky to have such good memories.
Pontooning on the river Thames in Oxford.
That place is gorgeous there Norman. We are lucky to have such good memories.1 person likes this
@Courage7 (19633)
• United States
28 Oct 18
@NormanDarlo Yes we are blessed indeed. One day I would love to have time to document all the places and memories..perhaps we should do that Norman. I bet you have plenty to share.
1 person likes this
@NormanDarlo (1071)
• Ireland
28 Oct 18
@Courage7 Anyone who has survived into adulthood has the contents of a book inside them, of this I have no doubt!
1 person likes this
@NormanDarlo (1071)
• Ireland
28 Oct 18
Oh, that's a wonderful cascade of gems! Yes, we are darned lucky
1 person likes this
@MommyOfEli2013 (82316)
• Rupert, Idaho
27 Oct 18
Thank you for sharing these memories with us....and I do have memories from my youth that I will always carry with me....of my best friend from that age, of spending time with my cousins,and my favorite uncle (who passed away in 2005). I'll always remember spending time them even if I don't see them anymore.
1 person likes this
@NormanDarlo (1071)
• Ireland
27 Oct 18
Isn't it wonderful to have that bank of good memories to draw on! You have reminded me of my favourite aunt (and I think I was her favourite nephew too!) and all the crazy things we got up to as children in those long-ago years
1 person likes this
@NormanDarlo (1071)
• Ireland
28 Oct 18
@MommyOfEli2013 We should all count our blessings!
1 person likes this
@MommyOfEli2013 (82316)
• Rupert, Idaho
27 Oct 18
@NormanDarlo Yes it is great to have those memories! I just wish I could still experience those times in real life! But I hear you....it was fun to do all those crazy things with our favorite people
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (171190)
• United States
27 Oct 18
Yes, quite a few as a matter of fact, one of my faves, was riding on a tractor with my grandad while he was plowing the fields.
1 person likes this
@NormanDarlo (1071)
• Ireland
27 Oct 18
Oh that sounds wonderful, Snowy! Memories of our grandparents are especially important, I believe
