Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Lismore & Glensanda

I used a photo of Castle Coeffin on Lismore for the cover of Book 1. Here is another photo of the castle taken the same day. It is not quite as picturesque, for it also shows the massive super quarry at Glensanda.  I have always wanted to hike in to see Glensanda Castle, also known as Castle Mernaig (or Bhearnaig), but being on the grounds of the quarry it's pretty much off-limits. 

So why do I want to see the castle?  It is because of this quote from Nigel Tranter: "This must surely be one of the most elusive fortalices in all of Scotland, both as to its remoteness and inaccessibility and also in its identity, for it is also sometimes named Castle Mernaig, and is marked on the OS map as Casteal na Gruagaich."  (Gruagaich being the mythical creature also known as a Brownie.)  

Nigel Tranter wrote the above long before the quarry arrived, so these days it is even more elusive. But I still would like to find a way to see it. 



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