Purple and Pink – and Everything in Between

You all know of my fascination with the colourful houses that dot the Irish countryside. It’s been a while since I posted about them so for new readers, check out A Lick of Paint and An Extra Lick of Paint and All the Trimmings.

Today I am concentrating on the red side of the colour wheel – from purple to pink. We’ll stop where it shades into blue at one end and orange on the other. This gives us a vast range to choose from and, because it’s all diametrically opposite the greens of the Irish countryside, guarantees that the house will stand out in the countryside.

It’s always a wonderful surprise to come around a corner on a tiny boreen and discover something like this…

Or this…

Or this.

I’ve included a few shops as well, because – Kinsale! Located on the southernmost extent of the Wild Atlantic Way, it’s one of the most colourful of all Irish towns and a delight to stroll around.

But it’s by no means the only colourful village – lots of other examples here too. Ballinspittle, for example – home of the famous grotto of the moving statue – is a kaleidoscope of colour.

Humble terraced cottages can assert their individuality through subtle architectural variations, or through one huge difference – colour!

The main streets of towns and villages are enlivened with splashes of bold colour that catch the eye and brighten your day.

Perhaps one of the best examples I’ve seen of how a building can be transformed by colour comes from our own Ballydehob. Here is the old bank building, abandoned and unloved.

And here it is now – our vibrant Bank House, home to the Tourist Information Centre and all kinds of events and occasions. As I said – purple and pink display to excellent advantage when contrasted with green!

Next time we’ll wander over to a different area of the colour wheel. I’ve seen some mighty oranges and limes lately!