This rather quaint little church sits, appropriately enough, in the village of Churchill in County Donegal. It is not a big place. There’s a couple of pubs (obviously - we are in Ireland), one which doubles up as a tea-room and a takeaway. The other doubles up as a Funeral Parlour, which is rather amusing. I wonder how many drinkers have ended up ‘taking the short-cut next door’ after a few too many Guinness.
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| Churchill, on Pan F+ 50, via the 'Blad and the 50mm FLE, developed in HC-110 (1:79, 9.5minutes) and printed on Ilford MG Classic fibre paper. Ilford describe this film as slow speed, high contrast with exceptionally fine grain. They're not wrong - I had real trouble finding any grain to focus on. This is only the second time I've used Pan F+. It is higher contrast than FP4+, that's also true and while it does offer rather nice-looking negatives I don't think the higher contrast will suit every occasion. I've one roll of it left so I'll get another chance to explore its possibilities. I think it might end up being a film that I keep a stock of and use for particular lighting conditions and scenes but I need a bit (or a lot) more experience of it before deciding. Another thing about Pan F+ is that Ilford recommend development as soon as possible after shooting and no longer than 3 months. That shouldn't cause me too many problems as I don't generally keep films in the Hasselblad for that long - well, you've only 12 shots to play with and it's usually not too hard to get through a film in a couple of outings. 35mm is a different game. Last time in Oxford I forgot to take a spare film with me (left it in the hotel room) so I found myself buying a single roll of HP5+ in Boots on Cornmarket Street. I was pleased they stocked it but less pleased at the price - £7.99 for 36 exposures. Mind you, I can't remember the last time I bought a film over the counter as usually I bulk-load from 30m reels, so I can't complain too much. But weeks later the film is still inside the OM-4ti, in spite of me trying to shoot as indiscriminately as I can :) |
Getting back to Donegal I don’t think I noticed a shop in the village, although I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the pubs sells a few groceries and essentials on the side. That's not unusual in Irish villages, where one building can serve many purposes. Apart from a few houses that’s about it for Churchill. Quite lovely, it is.
Great picture. Is it unusual for the tower(?) to be a different material than the rest of the church? Mentions of pubs and funeral parlours put me in mind of the song "The Night That Paddy Murphy Died."
ReplyDeleteThey stopped the hearse on George Street outside Sundance Saloon
They all went in at half past eight and staggered out at noon
They went up to the graveyard, so holy and sublime
Found out when they got there, they'd left the corpse behind!
Thank you Marcus - appreciated. It is unusual, you are correct - and perhaps that's what caught my eye. Most bell-towers would be made from the same stone as the rest of the building. I don't know what went on here, but I'm guessing there's a story of some sort. I would find it hard to believe they ran out of money - few organised religions are strapped for cash, and when they are, they do a bit of asking and the community is generally happy to stump up. Read about one of the newest churches (not too far from us) here: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/inside-the-evangelical-church-linked-to-wrightbus-1.3299728
DeleteI'm not a big fan of organised religion, as you can probably tell. I can admire good works and good people but in Ireland the church held far too much power for far too long. When I drive through Donegal and see tiny, tiny villages with huge Churches I can't help but feel a little sad for the sacrifices people made to build them. I understand the hope that some people might have had for what they represent, but generally they were being built at a time when most people in Ireland were living in abject poverty.
That's a good song, with more than a hint of truth in it, I dare say!
I think the song might originally be an Irish one, but the lyrics were changed a bit to fit Newfoundland. That's quite a story about that church.
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