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ainekeenan.bsky.social
Áine Keenan
@ainekeenan.bsky.social
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An Irish Woman In India
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ainekeenan.bsky.social
Buddha statue head entwined with the banyan tree branches at Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya, Thailand. The tradition is to show respect by kneeling when photographing the Buddha head, but a longer lens allows for the wider context of the tree itself to be photographed. .
December 10, 2025 at 5:35 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
It's hard to believe that
the fear of offending
can be stronger than
the fear of pain,
but you know what? It is.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, 21st century

#Photography #Wisdom #Poetry #SpéirGhorm #StreetPhotography #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
A temporary outdoor tattoo stall offers permanent colour tattoos and ear piercing services. The tattoo artist works on a woman's arm while a man, probably her husband, sits beside her looking at the display of tattoo designs on offer. To the left, a third man stands and rests his arm on a blue metal box branded with 'Mr. Velan Tattoos' and 'Khadija' in decorative script.
December 10, 2025 at 4:38 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
His long-lost brother, took too much bhang lassi and never returned?
Scarecrow in paddy field, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India
December 9, 2025 at 11:18 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Green double-gate with kolam design on the entrance ramp.
December 9, 2025 at 9:23 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Awake!
Approach the great
and learn.
Like the sharp edge
of a razor
is that path,
so the wise say—
hard to tread and
difficult to cross.

Upanishads, 700-300 BCE

#Photography #Wisdom #Poetry #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
A young Indian Brahmin dressed in a white dhoti and angavastram (a single rectangular fabric piece used for religious or ceremonial purposes), his hair tied in a neat bun, a black handbag over his left shoulder and a cellphone in his right hand, and wearing a holy thread, a necklace and earrings, deposits his grey and yellow chappals (sandals) at a footwear stand. He carries a cellphone in his right hand. The English text on one sign reads: "FOOTWEAR NOT ALLOWED", "PLEASE LEAVE IT IN THE FOOTWEAR STAND", and "KEEP SILENCE". Sri Ramanasramam, Chengam Road, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
December 9, 2025 at 6:06 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
The NHS tribunal believed Beth Upton’s version of events on the Sandie Peggie changing room confrontation. Judge Sandy Kemp and his panel said the doctor’s description of the encounter on Christmas Eve at Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital was “more convincing”.

www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/politics/...
The Courier 8 December 2025 Beth Upton evidence on Kirkcaldy hospital changing room row ‘more convincing’ than Sandie Peggie account The ruling panel said the doctor’s account of the confrontation was “more reliable and cohesive” than nurse Ms Peggie’s.
December 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
The goddess Parvati, known as Unnamalai Amman, adorned with extensive floral decorations and mounted on a large, decorated carrier (vahana) shaped like a peacock. Arunachaleswar Temple, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
December 8, 2025 at 5:54 PM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Who will buy my sweet red roses?
Two blooms for a penny.
Who will buy this wonderful morning?
Such a sky you never did see!

Oliver, 20th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #India #RamanaMaharshi #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
Kala Amma sits behind her stall at the gates of Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu from 7 am to 8 pm each day selling water lilies (nymphaea) to pilgrims and devotees, as well as jasmine, roses and chrysanthemums arranged in garlands and bunches. Next to a tree and out of the way of traffic, she displays the flowers in a simple plastic pot on a weathered counter. These are purchased for religious offerings, personal decoration or on shrines to the family deity at home. To shade herself from the monsoon rains and the intensity of the scorching sun, Kala Amma uses a large orange and white umbrella advertising 'Poorvika', a major electronics and mobile phone retailer in South India.
December 8, 2025 at 5:55 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
My awareness is united
and focused in the Real.
Caste, order, and scripture
are gone;
I am the Supreme Brahman
beyond all attributes.

Avudai Akkal, 18th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #RamanaMaharshi #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
A garlanded line-drawing mural of Sri Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950) on the rear wall of Sri Ramanasramam, Chengam Road, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India. There is a small platform beneath it on which to light a diya, candle or incense. Carl Jung wrote: “Sri Ramana Maharshi is a true son of the Indian Earth. He is genuine, authentic and, in addition to that, something quite phenomenal. In India, he is the whitest spot in a white space. What we find in the life and teachings of Sri Ramana is the purest of Bharat [India] with its breath liberating humanity. The life and teachings of Sri Ramana are not only important for India, but also for Westerners."
December 7, 2025 at 7:03 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Blackadder quote - Don't worry, I have a cunning plan.
December 6, 2025 at 4:41 PM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Album cover, "Pink Floyd, The Wall" in red against the outline of a brick wall.
December 6, 2025 at 3:31 PM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
If in your heart you make
a manger for his birth,
then God will once again
become a child on earth.

Angelus Silesius, 17th century

#Photography #Wisdom #Poetry #SpeirGorm #Christmas #StreetPhotography #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
Saint Nicholas Day, 6 December. A young boy sits on a pink and black bicycle with protective plastic wrap on the frame and training wheels attached to the rear axle. He is wearing a gold-colored long-sleeve shirt, blue jeans, and a colourful plush scarf. The lane is in a residential area with buildings and scaffolding in the background. Ramana Nagar, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
December 6, 2025 at 5:27 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Cover of U2 album 'Boy'.
December 6, 2025 at 4:46 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Ah, sorry, hadn't want to bore everyone else with such a specific Irish reference. George 'AE' Russell (1867-1935), writer, artist, mystic and contemporary of WB Yeats, had painted works based on Celtic mythology with fairies in them ... including onlinecollection.nationalgallery.ie/objects/1702...
Oil painting of fairies in the wood by George 'AE' Russell (2867-1935)
December 5, 2025 at 5:07 PM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Love
Devotion
Feeling
Emotion

Don't be afraid to be weak
Don't be too proud to be strong
Look into your Heart my friend
The return to your Self
The return to innocence

Enigma, 20th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
A barefooted Indian woman wearing a dark long raincoat over her salwar kameez stands transfixed with her hands open in supplication at the moment of the Deepam Flame being lit on Mount Arunachala at 6 pm, 3 December 2025. On the ground all around her are small clay lamps (diyas) burning ghee or oil and casting a warm glow in the fading darkness at the courtyard of Adiannamalai Temple, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India. Visible also are other devotees of Lord Shiva equally immersed in the emotional intensity of this moment.
December 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
I can see clearly now,
the rain is gone
I can see obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds
that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright, bright,
bright sun-shiny day

Johnny Nash, 20th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
Five Indian women, each clad in a different-coloured plastic raincoat costing ₹100 (approximately €1), walk barefoot with their hoods down in a line past a roadside fruit-seller. They are doing so in sacred worship of Mount Arunachala, Lord Shiva in form, as they complete the 14 km circuit by road and have 'darshan' (vision) from different aspects along the way. The circumambulation is performed in a clockwise direction and is believed to purify the soul, remove sins, fulfill desires and offer spiritual merit. Devotees are encouraged to walk slowly, similar to a woman in the ninth month of pregnancy. Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
December 4, 2025 at 4:36 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
To make the intellect rid of
the sense ‘I am the body’, and
fixing it securely in the Heart,
this is the significance of
witnessing the Beacon Light
of Arunachala.

Ramana Maharshi, 20th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
Today is Maha Deepam, 3 December 2025, at the 2,688 foot Mount Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India, pictured here from Adiannamalai village almost in silhouette with a faint rose-pink hue. Possibly the most spiritually charged nights in the Tamil calendar, it is dedicated to Lord Shiva in his infinite light form. At 6 pm, an enormous flame will be lit in a huge cauldron on the highest peak using 600 kg of ghee, 10 kg of camphor, a wick of 1,500 metres of cotton cloth and a 15 foot bamboo stick. Organisers are prepared for more than 4 million devotees to be present for this moment - including many from the nearby states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka - and to walk barefoot the 14 km around the base of the Holy Hill.
December 3, 2025 at 7:06 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
They insisted on posing so I could get a 'proper' photo of them. Wouldn't happen with eight Irish youngsters as a group!!! There was such an innocence about them ...
Eight Indian youngsters posing for a photo
December 2, 2025 at 8:09 PM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Yellow electronic machine with a green luminescent wire.
December 2, 2025 at 6:29 PM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Teenage boys flashing an infrared beam to see how the photo would turn out ... Car Street, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India
December 2, 2025 at 6:14 PM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
"And that, Marjorie, just so you will know, and your children will someday know, is the night the lights went out in Georgia!"
Actresses Dixie Carter and Delta Burke in their roles as sisters Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker from the 1980s sitcom Designing Women.
December 2, 2025 at 2:39 PM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
We will, we will rock you,
sing it
We will, we will rock you, everybody
We will, we will rock you, hmm
We will, we will rock you
Alright

Queen, 20th century

#Photography #Wisdom #Poetry #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
Yesterday, 1 December 2025, ‘Periya Ther,’ the enormous wooden chariot of the presiding deity of Arunachaleswar Temple was pulled in procession by hundreds of devotees around the four main streets surrounding the temple using large chains as part of the annual Karthigai Deepam festival. The chariot carrying the goddess, Unnamulai Amman, was similarly hauled by women, followed by the chariot of Chandikeshwarar. The main chariot is the largest of its kind in Asia weighing 300 tons and with a height of 90 feet and was built in such a way that the lower-most tier made of teak wood is heavy and, as it goes up, it is constructed with lighter wood to ensure stability when the chariot moves. This is a TV report from 2024: https://youtu.be/y3iQ9uP5muI
December 2, 2025 at 5:27 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go?

The Clash, 20th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
A brown Bargur cow with sharp curved horns and distinctive white markings all over its body glares menacingly at the camera in the entrance to VIP Gardens, Post Office Road, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India. The breed is native to a forest region in the Erode district of Tamil Nadu. They are known to be very aggressive and of fiery disposition. Admired for their endurance, speed and trotting ability, they are mainly used as draught cattle for agricultural operations in the hills. Clearly visible in the background is extensive overgrowth, randomly dumped refuse and a dirt track leading to three apartment blocks. There is also the merest of glimpses of Mount Arunachala in the distance.
December 1, 2025 at 6:43 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
As sure as night is dark
and day is light
I keep You on my mind
both day and night
And happiness I've known
proves that it's right
Because You're mine,
I walk the line.

Johnny Cash, 20th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
It's nighttime and there is relatively little traffic on the road. Four Indian men stand on a crosswalk and look on as a fifth manually operates a specialised machine applying white durable thermoplastic paint for road markings. This is being heated to a high temperature and carefully spread on by the steersman as a hot melt. The lyrics come from Johnny Cash's first number-one hit which remained on the American charts for over 43 weeks. Bob Dylan described it as "... a song I'd always considered to be up there at the top, one of the most mysterious and revolutionary of all time, a song that makes an attack on your most vulnerable spots, sharp words from a master." Chengam Road, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
November 30, 2025 at 6:36 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
It's dangerous to go alone ... take this.
Theravadan monk carrying a large stick. Luang Prabang, Laos.
November 30, 2025 at 5:32 AM