One unique thing about Mallow is that we have a breed of white deer that live up by the castle. White deer have a mythological blessing behind them but these deer come from a historical exchange between Earl of Desmond and Queen Elizabeth I back in the 1500’s. We’re not going to go there in terms of politics but they are a lovely sight on my morning walks. To commemorate them I painted up some stones and hid them around the grounds for people to find.
Painting on stones and pebbles is a form of art that has been practiced for thousands of years. Some of the earliest examples of painted stones have been found in prehistoric cave art, where people used natural pigments to paint images of animals, hunters, and other subjects on the walls of caves. Pebbles were used as a medium for painting religious imagery, and in the 19th and 20th centuries, artists experimented with using stones and pebbles as a canvas for a variety of subjects, including landscapes, portraits, and abstract designs. Today, painting on stones and pebbles is enjoyed as a hobby by people of all ages and is often used as a form of mindfulness and relaxation.
Deer play an important role in Irish mythology and folklore. In ancient Ireland, deer were seen as sacred and mystical animals, believed to possess special powers and to be associated with the Otherworld or the world of the gods. They were often associated with fertility, abundance, and life-giving energy, and were seen as symbols of grace, strength, and nobility. All the stories I grew up with, deer hold a special place in Irish mythology and folklore, serving as powerful symbols of the beauty, strength, and mystery of the natural world.
