Tory Cottage
From DirtyWiki
Tory Cottage sits alone on the southern end of Tory Island, off the coast of Donegal. The island itself is often described as one of the most inhospitable places in the whole of the country, especially of the islands. There is little to no vegetation (and only one proper tree, really), with lots of rocky earth and mossy cliffs. The island itself has four towns clumped together and a population of 170. It is only a half-mile wide and three miles long, so you can see just about everything from any point. Especially the eastern end, where the cottage sits.
The eastern end rises high above the ocean. The cliffs were are extremely steep and extremely rocky. There are many shipwrecks along the island as it is always difficult, even on the ferry from the mainland, to get to the island itself. The waves are famous. The weather is bleak and there is no way for Tory Island, which is about seven or so miles off Donegal's coast, to hide. During winter, the island is sometimes impossible to reach, and the islanders are cut off. They live very much as they always have, though fishing and farming have declined.
There is one spot on this very barren but very beautiful landscape that differs from the rest. Here, you can find the lushest spot on the island. For good reason.
It sits on an incline only a couple of yards from the sharp drop of the cliffs very close to Tor Mór, and faces the north. An old stone fence once surrounded the property, but the weather and time has reduced it to rubble in many places, as it is over a thousand years old. The house itself is a very traditional cottage, with a thatched roof and stone walls. The exterior is always whitewashed and the door is usually painted a vibrant color, though the salt winds wear the color away fairly quickly. The door is a Dutch door but the halves are usually locked tightly together.
There are not many windows, and the panes are old, yellowing glass. There are only four in the whole of the house, one of which is at the far wall of the bedroom, another two are in the main living area, and a fourth is in the small kitchen.
There aren't many rooms, either. There is a hearth with a turf fire that sits in a dirt and stone floor. There is one chimney. The hearth room is a sitting room and a dining room and connects directly to the bedroom. There is also a small kitchen, as mentioned before. It has a large stone basin sink and pump, but the only area they use to cook is the hearth. The kitchen is mainly for preparation and storage of goods.
Having been built in the 18th century, the cottage boasts no amenities. There is no electricity so there are no phones, no televisions, no radios, no running water, no stoves, no central heat. Despite this, the cottage is actually very cozy. There is plenty of seating, with many hutches filled with various objects dating back hundreds and hundreds of years. There is a shelf of journals and papers written by many of the relatives about their kind. Things hang from the ceiling, such as old pots and plants and pans and clothing, odds and ends, even an old kite. Shelving runs along the living room, near the ceiling, and is covered in jars of odd things and knickknacks of ancient origins. There are also instruments on display, played by Cecily's father but not by either of the remaining women. A bodhran, a whistle, even an old fiddle. The bedroom has two beds with strong frames and old quilts. The wall is painted a light greenish blue color, but the walls everywhere else are simply stone (though the wooden sills of the windows are painted a darker blue-green color, just on the inside). There are no photos in the house, only paintings here and there (and in fact, the family has no photos at all, though Cecily's father once brought home a broken camera he found in a garbage dump). A small chest in the bedroom contains most of a daughter's old clothing. A larger chest of drawers (one made by a grandfather some centuries ago) contains the clothing of the adults. There is a flowerbox under a sea-facing window in the sitting room, flowers around the house, and the entire back wall has become covered in moss. And other vegetation. The side facing the rough sea hasn't been as overgrown.
To the back of the house is a large garden. Next to it, and carving into the cliffs, is a small crick that doesn't exactly run anywhere, but still manages to flow. There are small trees and thick tangles of plants that extend for several yards over what should be difficult soil to till, let alone have success farming. On a land devoid of proper vegetation, it's a mysterious area to see. There are chicken coops lined along one side and sheep tend to roam the boundaries of their bridge. The entire house and its property is a very strong bridge, which means that most of what is visible there has supernatural origins. From the gnarled orchard to the rooster on the thatched roof.
A stranger could lose himself in the abundance of things the cottage has stored in its walls. There are secrets in every object. There are fairies in the greenery, as well as other odd creatures, and it all seeks to make the cottage something of legend and fairytale myth.
And the people of Tory Island are very protective of it. The single road ends in a roundabout before anyone can reach it, and the friendly people tell tourists that they are free to roam anywhere but not to the cabin and not to the garden. They tell the stories and share the rest of the islands mythology very willingly, but first hand accounts are expressly forbidden.
Tory cottage's current inhabitants are Aoife Dunne and Cecily Ó Móráin. Temporarily, there are also five additional family members living there. Sinann, William, Gemma, Geraldine, and Dearbháil Butler.
THE GARDEN
