A Taste of the Connemara
October/21/2008 Ireland Journal
If you want to do some serious landscape photography, it can't get much better than the Connemara, which comprises the entire area northwest of Galway city, Lough Corrib and Lough Mask. Nothing could have prepared me for the dramatic beauty of the hypnotic environment that we traveled through as we drove from Westport along the Atlantic coast through Louisburgh to Leenane. I'm not much of a landscape photographer; I typically prefer to photograph outdoor environments that include people, animals or architecture, but I was thrilled with a chance to do even a little photography of the unspoiled Connemara. I had heard that it takes at least a week to visit all the most scenic areas of the region, and that is definitely true. But even in the small area where I was photographing, the terrain is so diverse—ranging from lush to austere—with the ever-changing light adding to the drama. I shot over 3,000 images, so it will take a while to sort them out, but here are just a few that show the range of scenery I found in the Delphi Valley area, starting in southwest County Mayo between the Mweelrea Mountains, the Sheffrey Hills and Ben Gorm Mountain, and our Leenane, County Galway, destination. Along the way we passed two lakes: Finlough (Bright Lake) and Doolough (Dark Lake), with Bundorragh River connecting the two before entering the sea at Killary. The village of Leenane lies nestled between the Mwelrea, Devil's Mother and Maamturk Mountains and overlooks Killary Harbor, Ireland's only fjord.
May and June are the months that have the least amount of rain in the Connemara, but to be there in October, when there were virtually no tourists, was an unmatched experience. Stretches of time as long as ten minutes would go by when there were absolutely NO cars on the road except ours. All you could hear were sounds of nature—mainly the rush of streams, the whistle of wind, and the occasional bleating of sheep.
As we drew closer to the village of Leenane, the landscape became more lush . . .
. . . there were more sheep . . .
. . . and an occasional sheepdog on duty.
We also passed some kayakers navigating the rapids on Bundorragha River. Adventure sports facilities are now bringing more tourism to the area, which has to be a help to the local economy.
Jim figures that fishing the Bundorragha will be a day well spent, and he is already making plans.
So if you love nature—participating in it or photographing it—then put Connemara on your list. Here are two websites that will help you start making plans: www.connemara.ie has an excellent video on its home page, and www.goconnemara.com provides directions for navigating "The Connemara Loop," with information about all of the villages along the way. We're already planning our return to the area next year, and I'm determined to visit each of these villages and the land in between. Connemara has truly cast its spell on me.
May and June are the months that have the least amount of rain in the Connemara, but to be there in October, when there were virtually no tourists, was an unmatched experience. Stretches of time as long as ten minutes would go by when there were absolutely NO cars on the road except ours. All you could hear were sounds of nature—mainly the rush of streams, the whistle of wind, and the occasional bleating of sheep.
As we drew closer to the village of Leenane, the landscape became more lush . . .
. . . there were more sheep . . .
. . . and an occasional sheepdog on duty.
We also passed some kayakers navigating the rapids on Bundorragha River. Adventure sports facilities are now bringing more tourism to the area, which has to be a help to the local economy.
Jim figures that fishing the Bundorragha will be a day well spent, and he is already making plans.
So if you love nature—participating in it or photographing it—then put Connemara on your list. Here are two websites that will help you start making plans: www.connemara.ie has an excellent video on its home page, and www.goconnemara.com provides directions for navigating "The Connemara Loop," with information about all of the villages along the way. We're already planning our return to the area next year, and I'm determined to visit each of these villages and the land in between. Connemara has truly cast its spell on me.