White O'Morn Cottage

White O'Morn Cottage Shamrock

 

Here is a little sample of shamrock from White O'Morn Cottage garden. I only had three frames so I only made three for sale on my website www.suchprettyoldthings.com  (£2.99 including shipping worldwide)

Repurposed antique tablecloth & Beautiful Bride

  I recently came across a turn of the century damask tablecloth. It was gorgeous but alas it had several areas of damage and rust marks sooooo....it got repurposed as: Four damask guest towels, three vintage tea towels, one cushion cover, one needle case, two lingerie pouches and some very posh dusters!

 

 

 

 

 

Maureen O'Hara / Mary Kate Dannagher's Wedding Photograph.

Angie, my sister, visited Cong in county Mayo where "The Quiet Man" Film was made in 1952. She brought me back a truly beautiful photo of Maureen O'Hara in her Mary Kate wedding dress.  I think you'll agree that she makes one of the most beautiful brides ever!  

 

Also pictured here are two pairs of exquisite handmade lace gloves that Angie found for me for the new website www.suchprettyoldthings.com

Thanks Angie! .....Actually Angie is the best "pickers" one could have as she has an instinct for sourcing the fabulous and beautiful items you love. She is always on alert for special pretty old things!

 

 

The Quiet Man Film...White O'Morn Cottage...John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara

     Welcome! Failte! Are you here  because you Googled White O'Morn Cottage?

 

 

....or The Quiet Man Film?

DON'T GO! -PLEASE!... I get oodles of people looking for info on this fab film and they leave because they think this is not what they are looking for......but...

 ...well, the truth is..there is very little on the Internet on the above. I know - because I am a big fan of it and I have been searching for two years, to little, or no avail.

So ...you might as well stay for a minute or three and see what I have for you regarding same. So - come in to the parlour.... settle down by the fire -relax and.... Will ye' have a cup of tea?

Ah, ye' will, ye' will...ye' will!

The Quiet Man....It is ...without doubt the best chickflick ever made!

So enamoured was I, that when I got to  buy my dream home....I named my cottage after the one in the film.

Alas, the original White O'Morn is now just a pile of stones near Maam Cross - near Cong, the village where it was made. I know 'cos I have made the pilgramage to Cong. It was well worthwhile visiting as many of the originals are still there...but not THE cottage.

There is a recreation museum cottage in the village and I loved every minute of it but why oh why did they let the real one fall down?

 Anyway...when I was lucky enough to get my own country cottage...I had to call it ...(you know what!) and it just happened to have the very same layout as the original...sooooo...I set about recreating it!

If you have not seen this cult film then...go watch it and call back for a chat. I have a category on my list to right hand side called The Quite Man and I will be adding to it from time to time.

In the meantime here is a poster of the film (it hangs just to the left of my fireplace in my White O'Morn) It shows John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in a scene on their wedding night..No..no, no....none of that ...(but that's the theme of the story 'cos she wont go ... you know where ...with him on their wedding night 'cos.....) I'm not telling you any more...go watch it! Raunchy stuff for 1952! 

In this scene Sean is trying to get her to come back into the cottage to go to bed but she (Mary Kate Dannagher/Maureen O'Hara) is just about to say to him (John Wayne/ Sean Thornton).... "I'll cook and I'll clean and I'll work the land - but that's all!...for without my fortune I'm nothing. I'm just the servent I have always been!"

...Ooohhh, ...and then it gets really interesting 'cos she locks the bedroom door...which only serves to rile him and he brakes it down.....aaggghhhh and he says  these memorable words..." There'll be no locks and bolts between us Mary Kate...except those in your mercenary little heart!"

 

This is one of my favourite books...The Complete Guide to The Quiet Man by Des McHale. Published by Appletree Press and isbn no. is

 0-86281-827-3 This is a MUST  for any Quiet Man fan.

Oh, - by the way I often quote lines from the film...my favourite being ..."I'll have it...and I know it!" (I said that when my DH said ...

" But... but ...but ...we can't afford a cottage" and ...." NO!...you can't use your credit card to put a deposit on a cottage")

Ah yes, ... I just quoted Mary Kate Dannagher's  "I'LL HAVE IT ...AND I KNOW IT!"...(and so I did :-) and...he is one happy camper now!

Glad you read on? ...Well, I will be adding to The Quiet Man category from time to time. And... in the meantime there are great goings on in this White O'Morn Cottage!

So call back soon.

Off ye' go now...here's your hat - what's your hurry?

Introducing ...the kitchen! ....and the Nualas are in the house!

I don't know it you have ever noticed but I have never put up a picture of the cottage kitchen  - and for good reason too!

It was a bit of a mess, storeroom, workroom and unusable as a kitchen or for dining. But this weekend it was the setting for the inaugaral dinner!

My two lovely friends, Ruby and Nuala came to stay for the weekend and this motivated me to sort out the kitchen for once and for all. Here is the table set for our special dinner. I used the lovely Willow Pattern dishes I have collected for years. Ruby and Nuala cooked and I set the table and we had a fabulous meal and finished it off with a bit of line dancing in the living room!

Before and After Cottage Photos

White O'Morn Cottage living room before...                                     ...and after -

I just love before and after pictures so I made sure to document all the rooms before any work was carried out.

This was both a labour of love and an exercise in recycling, lifecycling and re-purposing. Only new item in the room is the paint on the walls!

I love to sit here in the evenings watching my favourite film The Quiet Man, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. Their cottage in the film lends its name to ours...White O'Morn. It was filmed nearby in Cong county Mayo, Ireland and many of the original settings are still to be found there. Alas the actual White O'Morn cottage is gone but there is an exact replica in the town of Cong. Well worth a visit for any fan of this wonderful film.