Fabulous Follies

 Follies are ubiquitous in Ireland, and here at Ballymaloe Cookery School they abound, much to my delight. A folly is a deliberately constructed ornament or building that generally serves absolutely no purpose. There is often an element of fakery in their design, and follies are considered highly impractical and maybe even silly. I love that ... not everything in life needs to have a point to it!

In Ireland, follies were traditionally built as entertainment, and also to provide employment for peasants or unemployed artists.

At Ballymaloe, founder Darina Allen had a vision to create follies throughout the vast expanses of the stunning gardens on the farm. In particular, she was keen for visitors to stumble across 'surprises' whenever they rounded a hedge or came to the end of a path.

The Shell House (pictured above) is a fabulous example of a folly. Simple from the outside, its interior is finished top to bottom with shells - even the chandelier is encrusted with shells. The shells were sourced from around the world and include Irish cockles, mussels, periwinkles and mussels. The designer was Blott Kerr Wilson, an innovative shell artist who grew up in Wales. The interior is pictured below, along with some other Ballymaloe follies.

The silly nature of follies is reflected in the unique paper design work of our dog Solly, who in his elderly years has developed a strange paper fetish. We often find "Solly's Follies" on the bedroom or living room floors when we get home at night. Sometimes he even takes his *source materials through the doggy door and constructs his creations out in the back garden.  Given that 'an act of folly' is an idea that shows lack of judgment, the word folly is a good one.

*Source materials range from electricity bills, to wrapping paper, to novels and even once a prescription that he had dug through my handbag to find.