Grammy & Pappy's House

01/13/2024

06/15/2023

Beautiful scenery and amazing history await you and your family this Father’s Day weekend at the historic East Broad Top Railroad.

Trains are filling up quickly… grab your tickets now at eastbroadtop.com!

📸: Bob Krug

01/14/2023

We’re looking forward to preserving history, and making history, in 2023. We hope you’ll join us.

Happy New Year from the East Broad Top Railroad!

📸 Matthew Malkiewicz

01/14/2023

10/23/2022

The Ruins of Galey Castle
Galey Castle was a tower house on the western shore of Galey Bay in Ireland. Only the east corner of a vaulted four-story structure survives, with a grass-covered cairn at its base and a passage in the southeast wall. The castle was built in 1340 by William Bui O’Kelly, and housed the O’Kelly Clan who were Chieftains of South Roscommon/East Galway at the time. Galey Castle is famous for hosting the first music festival in Ireland. Fearing that the Gaelic culture was under threat, William Bui O’Kelly invited poets, brehons, bards, harpers, and jesters to the castle for a massive party which became known as the Fleadh Ceol (music festival). Sadly, William’s fears had merit. During Oliver Cromwell’s Irish campaign, the castle was attacked. The resisters (mainly members of the O’Kelly clan) were hanged en masse on a hill. As a result, the village of An Creagán came to be known as Cnoc an Chrochaire (“Hangman's Hill”), now Anglicised as “Knockcroghery.”

There’s a scene in my new book, Witterkin which contains some interesting castle ruins. Witterkin is free at Amazon KU. Links are in the comments.

Image: Travel Through Ireland

10/22/2022

Crazy Horse memorial. South Dakota

10/22/2022

Amazing tree house.

10/22/2022

Another View of the Beautiful Longford Castle, Salisbury