The remains of a tower at the monastery of Nendrum.
TURNS OUT THAT sustainable power has been around for centuries.
On a recent family trip to Northern Ireland we visited the remains of the 1,500-year-old monastery of Nendrum on Mahee Island in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland. Perched on top of a hill with spectacular views of the surrounding bay and undulating countryside, the site was carefully chosen for a number of reasons. Firstly, you could see the enemy coming from every direction. Which enemy? Well there were tons of them, including their closest neighbors and vikings.
So in addition to being a place of worship and contemplation, there were remnants of battlements, and awkwardly small, easy-to-defend entrances. The monks had to fight off blood-thirsty marauders. Must have been interesting training at the seminary.
A doorway and the magnificent view across the lough. it helps that the sun always shines in Ireland.
Apart from the beautiful site and completely un-typical sunny weather (it was gorgeous all week!), what intrigued me was the way they milled their flour. The tide comes in and fills up the bay. The monks had a watergate that they would lower when the bay was full. After the tide went out they channeled the water to their mill and allowed it to power the mill while it drained out. Simple, effective, ingenious.
This article is taken from Living & Painting in France. Click here for your subscription. It’s Free!