Print - Sixmilebridge Weir with Flowers, County Clare

“Sixmilebridge Weir with Flowers, County Clare” Print by Irish Artist/Photographer James A. Truett.I captured this tranquil scene and colourful reflection while passing through the County Clare village of Sixmilebridge, once a thriving mill town. These lovely flower planters are mounted atop pilings at a weir on the O'Garney River, just before it funnels water into the old mill.Archaeologists believe the area had Bronze Age settlements, as evidenced by ring forts, mounds and wedge tombs discovered.Established in the early 1600s when a bridge was built to cross the river (about six miles from Thomondgate in Limerick — hence the name), the village launched into industrial development with an influx of Dutch settlers who found the river ideal for milling. Rapeseed oil and soap were key exports, but conflicts over river passage triggered a decline in river-related activities in the early 18th Century.Now, this colourful village is a bedroom community for people working in Limerick, Shannon