The Beauty of Achill Island
October/18/2008 Ireland Journal
I a so grateful to Eamonn McCarthy for suggesting the trip to Achill Island, and the route he sent us on was perfect. It took us through the lovely town of Newport, which we'll certainly want to explore more thoroughly on another visit.
Along the way, we stopped to photograph some interesting "animal buddies" . . .
. . . and we even encountered some sheep who were standing watch over their home.
Then we came to the town of Mulranny, where a bridge connects the mainland with Achill, Ireland's largest island.
Almost immediately the landscape became more rugged, starting with the windswept beaches.
I was not surprised that all day we experienced typical coastal weather: rainy one minute and sunny the next. Unless it is blowing sideways, the rain isn't a problem when you are photographing in Ireland; you just need to be dressed appropriately. Luckily, by the time we reached land's end at Keem Beach, the sun was out, so we spent some time soaking in the magnificent environment, deciding that this would be the perfect place to come for a picnic.
I really love Ireland in October, because you miss the usual crowds. We were almost alone at the beach . . .
. . . except for a few surf fishermen . . .
. . . and a young couple enjoying each other's company.
Finally we were ready to tackle the narrow mountain road that brought us down to the beach. Fortunately the trip up the mountain is much more comfortable, since your car is against the mountain, not hanging out over the cliffs, as you are going down because of the left-hand driving arrangement in Ireland.
As we headed back to Westport, the clouds began to gather, but they made a wonderful picture out over the Atlantic.
Along the way, we stopped to photograph some interesting "animal buddies" . . .
. . . and we even encountered some sheep who were standing watch over their home.
Then we came to the town of Mulranny, where a bridge connects the mainland with Achill, Ireland's largest island.
Almost immediately the landscape became more rugged, starting with the windswept beaches.
I was not surprised that all day we experienced typical coastal weather: rainy one minute and sunny the next. Unless it is blowing sideways, the rain isn't a problem when you are photographing in Ireland; you just need to be dressed appropriately. Luckily, by the time we reached land's end at Keem Beach, the sun was out, so we spent some time soaking in the magnificent environment, deciding that this would be the perfect place to come for a picnic.
I really love Ireland in October, because you miss the usual crowds. We were almost alone at the beach . . .
. . . except for a few surf fishermen . . .
. . . and a young couple enjoying each other's company.
Finally we were ready to tackle the narrow mountain road that brought us down to the beach. Fortunately the trip up the mountain is much more comfortable, since your car is against the mountain, not hanging out over the cliffs, as you are going down because of the left-hand driving arrangement in Ireland.
As we headed back to Westport, the clouds began to gather, but they made a wonderful picture out over the Atlantic.