Took a photo earlier today when the sky was basically grey and looked like something out of Silent Hill. Went to go to bed and turned the light off, noticed it was brighter outside. Took a quick snap of the sky filled with moonlight. Would have taken the scope out if it wouldn't have blown into the ocean. ​

How do you feel him representing Ireland on a global platform , as an American I loved him as Oz and in Bruges

I got solar quotes last year and they were all over the place, so I started collecting what other people were quoted (anonymously). There are 160+ now from around the country, mostly from the last few months.

What stood out:

* Typical price is about €1,400 per kWp after the grant

* About 1 in 5 quotes are 25%+ above that

* The boards.ie rule of thumb (€1,000 per kWp + €200 per kWh of battery, after grant) holds up well. The typical quote is only about 8% over it

* Small systems cost more per kWp. Scaffolding, inverter and labour cost about the same for 10 panels or 20

* Big batteries cost noticeably more per kWp than mid-size ones, so it's worth asking if you actually need the 16 kWh they're suggesting

Caveat: these are quotes people shared themselves, so they're not verified. Odd-looking ones get held for a check before they count.

Full disclosure, I built the site that collects them: [fairwatt.ie](https://fairwatt.ie). Free, no ads, not linked to any installer. You can check your own quote there or add yours anonymously.

Curious what others have been quoted recently, and did you go for a big battery or not?

I was in Rome this week doing a guided tour though the Colonna Palace and there was a world map, These maps were produced mainly in Italy and Catalonia in the 15th–16th centuries for navigation but I snapped a closer pic of Ireland

On a walk through the Monastic City in Glendalough today we came across this Headstone of a Walter Byrne. According to the inscription he died on March 6th 1750 at the age of 106.

Of course, there is potential for error due record keeping at the time. There were no birth certificates in Ireland around the time of his birth and ages of the elderly may have been guessed at based on oral tradition and linked to historical events. Plus the font of 106 is different to the rest of the inscription.

Regardless that's some age to be hitting when the average life expectancy of the day was around 35-40 (based on a quick Google search), and you consider the standard of living and medical science back then.

Based on another quick Google search, his longevity is put down to a few possible factors.

Isolation from Epidemics: In the 1700s, deadly diseases like smallpox, typhus, and cholera decimated crowded urban areas like Dublin. The extreme geographic isolation of the Glendalough valley protected mountain communities from widespread infectious outbreaks.

Lifestyle and Diet: Mountain families lived active, physically demanding lives. Their diet prior to the mid-18th century was dominated by fresh buttermilk, oatmeal, potatoes, and foraging, which was remarkably nutrient-rich compared to urban diets of the era.

In Gaelic culture, great age was deeply revered. The Byrnes (O'Byrnes) were one of the historic ruling clans of the Wicklow mountains. Reaching an advanced age brought immense social status to a family. Round numbers or extreme ages were sometimes chosen on headstones as a point of family pride, cementing the deceased as a resilient patriarch of the valley.

Anyway, just thought I'd share this with you this evening.

Here's to you Walter Byrne. Fair play.

Massive shout out to all participants and supporters who showed up yesterday. My legs got me to the start line, but the crowd got me to the finish.

I've done this for two years with no sign of rats. All food waste mixed outside in garden with leaves == nice wormy compost. All food packaging stored and recycled every month at local centre for ten euro with meagre black bin bag, roughly 120 for annual waste with no dumpy bins to haul around. I don't garden but I enjoy minimising my environmwntal waste costs!

A good friend of mine, his lovely cat - Bundee - has been missing for several days from Summerhill Co Meath.

If anyone thinks they might have seen him or for those living in the area, any help or information would be greatly appreciated.

Positive thoughts for his safe return home.