Maybe I'm from the Wild West

A friend told me recently that the first time she visited the Beara Peninsula in County Cork she instantly felt an affinity; a tie of some kind, a soul anchoring feeling, she felt home.  Years later she had her DNA tested and it came back with a 98% match to the South West Irish Coast; specifically the Beara Peninsula.  It made me wonder if I had ancestry in Connemara; I’ve always felt such a strong sense of peace and familiarity when I’m there and when I’m back home I feel the pull of the mountains, beaches and bogs of the West.  Anyone who knows me will have heard me say, ‘heart on the North Coast, soul in Connemara.

na Beanna Beola/ The Twelve Bens

I try to have a holiday out West at least once a year and have been away this week over Easter and my birthday; soaking up the solitude of the special landscape that I love so well.  I thought I’d share some pictures and musings from our week just to give you a taste of the West through my eyes, not an itinerary.  Give this beautiful song by Clare Sands a listen now while you read, ‘Sail On’. And if it’s a movie you’re after it’s got to be ‘The Field’ or ‘Into the West.’

First thing’s first this landscape has been drastically altered by humans over thousands of years, especially through agriculture; contributing to what Eoghan Dalton describes as a ‘sheep trashed ecological wasteland’. But this barren bleakness has a story to tell, there is beauty in it; the furrows of the long gone lazy beds on the hills, the stone walls and tiny harbours. There’s been hardship here and heartache too. You can see it, feel it.

Let’s explore

We visited beautiful Inishbofin for the first time, a short ferry journey from Cleggan, my brother has been urging me to go for years. Much like our beloved Rathlin island off our own coast it is tranquil and quiet with gorgeous beaches, plenty of wildlife and a few options for refreshments along the way. It’s best to explore on foot, though the hills can be too much for some…

Mum and me looking smug after finding a little honesty box with home baked sourdough and rhubarb muffins, thanks Mary. I think it’s always important to support the island economy when you’re there, to contribute in some small way. We are bundled up in our coats and hats as there was a cold, cold wind but the next day we swam in the sea, prepared for any eventuality.

The washing line on the bog. I usually book a self catering cottage for the week and choose a slightly different location each time. There are so many special places to explore, even though we have our favourites it’s fun to discover new spots. We always have the Ordnance Survey maps so we can find little roads near tiny bays and inlets, the less travelled routes. Most important of all is to go with flow, take your time and try to give in to a slower pace.

Big skies Connemara, straight out of a Paul Henry painting; speaking of which, Ballynahinch Castle has an incredible Irish Art collection; if you pop into the bar you can see a few in the reception areas and, if you can stretch to it, the restaurant headed up by the incredible Danni Barry is amazing for dinner.

This photo was taken just by the Connemara smokehouse where you can have a tour and pick up some fish.

We saw Basking sharks twice, they arrive in large numbers along the Coast of Ireland feeding on the plankton and we were lucky to see them from the Ferry and then again from the shore the next day. Yes that’s a fin behind Dara if you zoom in, it looked much closer in real life!

Many food spots don’t open until the summer but you can find some old school charm like these crab claws in garlic butter. I’m not recommending anywhere, it’s best to find out for yourself, if in doubt chowder and chips. By far the best meal we had was a delicious fish curry in a gorgeous family home by the shore, made all the more beautiful by the happy sound of the children playing contentedly and us enjoying the company of new friends, thankyou Katie and Jasper.

I love this walk along the shore; a little garden with seaweed replenishing the soil, cowrie hunting, samphire munching, stone walls, donkeys, playing on the beach and a quick swim. The beaches in this part of Connemara are characterised by their white sand; comprised of millions of fragments of shells, foraminifera.

I have a very special place in my heart for Roundstone. This tiny fishing village its stupidly picturesque but go out of season to truly soak up the magic. Great memories of coming out of the pub on a dark, wild evening under the stars and the streetlights with the clink clink of the rattling masts of the boats in the harbour.

The Irish Food Writing Awards are open and if you have time and felt I deserved to be nominated in the category Online Food Writing I would love to be in with a chance! Thanks so much x