After the Storms – Aillebrack

by Deborah Watkins. Posted on March 4, 2014

04 Mar

Today, March 4th was the first day of Spring in Connemara, a month late but let’s not argue now that it’s here ( fingers crossed ).

Homework was abandoned for the afternoon as I took my three daughters to the beach at Aillebrack, near Ballyconneely straight after school. The temperature was a balmy eight degrees but it seemed much warmer – so good to feel some sun after so many months.

I parked the car at Tra Mhor and we walked the full length of the beach which was heavily strewn with seaweed after the storms last month.

The defense wall seems to have done its job for the most part although the fence on the top of the dunes was badly damaged.

We followed the path beyond Tra Mhor towards the next strand.

As we descend onto the beach, there is a lot more visible damage. Large chunks of the coast have fallen in and the area is strewn with rocks.

Nothing prepares us for the next little cove which has been almost completely covered with rock. A favourite spot, this particular beach was a beautiful white strand before the storms. It is now almost completely covered with large boulders and is almost unrecognisable – where have they all come from?

There is just a small semi circle of rock free sand left.

Looking back from where we have just walked. It is quite a sight as we have spent many afternoons here on what used to be sand. We are thankful nonetheless for the warm, calm weather, a hopeful turning point in the season.

Renvyle – New Year’s Eve

by Deborah Watkins. Posted on January 3, 2014

03 Jan

Connemara was a wild and windswept place this New Year’s eve. I ventured out to the Renvyle peninsula, about 10 miles north of Clifden to meet a friend and walk along the White Strand. Passing through Letterfrack, I took note of the high tide at Ballinakill bay and sure enough the sea had overtaken the strand completely in Renvyle. The sea was washing hard over the remaining rocks and thrashing up against the dunes, no traces of sand left. The sound of it was remarkable – a kind of woosh as it pushed forward and then a roaring, crashing rumble as it pulled back over the stones.

Looking out to sea and beyond, the snow capped peaks of the Mweelrea mountains were clearly visible and then we spotted a group of black clad surfers in the water.

We watched them for several minutes – it was mesmerising..

A little further along the shore, we came across a rocky outcrop where we saw a shell midden. This is an ancient site consisting of shells, bone, vessel remnants as well as organic and other material. It is evidence of life here thousands of years ago where people gathered, ate, cooked and discarded their waste. My friend who is an environmentalist, informed me that this site is seven thousand years old, making it the oldest shell midden of its kind in Europe. As I take some photographs, I find it hard to conceive of this passage of time.

One more photo as we took a last look down the beach. The sky had darkened, the cattle silhouetted against the last of the light. They seemed to be grazing on the very edges of earth here. It started to rain and invigorated by the salty air and the spray we made a dash for the car. I made a mental note to return here again soon.

Mannin Beach

by Deborah Watkins. Posted on December 6, 2013

06 Dec

I made a trip to Ballyconneely last week, a short drive south of Clifden. I brought my camera and made a quick detour to Mannin as the weather was so good. I normally associate the end of November with a certain gloom – receding light, rain and bitter cold but here we are, into December and still there are clear bright days. There was real warmth in the sun on this morning and the sea was calm and inviting and empty, except for a few bird tracks in the damp sand. Here’s the approach from the field below – the mossy grass is still vivid and bright. It’s deliciously spongy underfoot, feels a bit like an expensive carpet.

The Twelve Bens mountain range is clear in this one.

Here’s the cover photo again. There was hardly a breath in the air – the water was completely still and a perfect mirror for the pastel sky. All this blue seems infused with pink.

A last look down the beach.

Evening light at Tra Mhor

by Total WP Support Inc.. Posted on July 20, 2012

20 Jul

I caught the last of the evening light at Tra Mhor this week. This is one of the biggest beaches, as it’s name indicates at Aillebrack in Ballyconneely, just south of Clifden. It was after 8.00pm when I arrived to find an empty beach lit by the low evening light..perfect!

I love the way the light seems to creep over the sand and the finger like shapes that the clouds have made in this image (above and below)

There was a bank of yellow flowers at the edge of the strand where I took some photos (below). Is it meadow vetchling?

Here’s a few close up’s. There had been a recent rain shower and you can just the rain drops clinging to the petals.

I took the next few photos from the other side of the bank.

I love this combination of yellow and blue together. We may not be having the hot Summer that we would like but all is forgiven at moments like these here at Tra Mhor..

White Sand Blue Sky

by Total WP Support Inc.. Posted on July 16, 2012

16 Jul

I spent an afternoon at Aillebrack beach last week. This area is just south of Clifden and it boasts a string of beautiful beaches, many of which are unoccupied even at this time of year. It was one of those unexpected sunny days after a bout of wet weather and so I seized the moment with my daughters and headed for the sea. This was what awaited us..

and looking out to sea..

We were pleased to have the beach to ourselves, save for some seagulls who decided to join us when we produced our picnic. Here’s a picture of them swooping down to the shore.

This one seems to be gauging the weight of this piece of bread!

We are so lucky to have these beaches on our doorstep, I believe that they must be among the most beautiful in the world. These last few pictures are of the clouds which made dramatic rippled patterns across the clear blue of the sky. I hope to be able to use some of what I’ve seen here in my paintings soon..

A Forest of Green

by Total WP Support Inc.. Posted on July 11, 2012

11 Jul

This tiny but prolific plant grows right on the shore at Candoolin in Errislannan. This is a small rocky beach, just south of Clifden which is accessible from the roadside. It is obviously thriving here in this environment and has spread over the rocks like a miniature forest with just stone and seaweed for companions.

Here it is again, a little closer up. The perfection of each plant and each leaf is a marvel.

And closer still..

The repetition of the shapes taken from above give the image a shimmering effect. One last photo (below). I love the vividness and vibrancy of this green. I need your help to identify this plant. Is it a liverwort? I’d love to hear from you if you know.

Return to Omey Island

by Total WP Support Inc.. Posted on July 5, 2012

05 Jul

I returned to Omey Island with G last week when the rare opportunity of an afternoon off without the kids presented itself! It was a glorious sunny day and we decided to walk the perimeter of the Island. The tide was well out when we arrived so we walked across the strand and made a right turn along the grassy edges. We met a small beach which we walked along before we had to climb up a bank to continue. This is the view from there across the sound to Claddaghduff (below).

Once we reached the top of the grassy mound, the view opened up to take in the rolling meadows and the sea as it wanders right out to the line of the horizon. I was immediately struck by the fields of flowers, the vividness of these tiny yellow plants ( Bird’s-foot Trefoil? ) and the sweetness of their scent in the breeze. It was a heady Summery rush and I had to suppress the urge go no further and just lie down and soak it all in! This is one of my favourite photographs (below) because it contains these perfect hues of blue, yellow and green which are my lasting memory of this walk.

Here’s the view heading West and looking out towards Cruagh Island and the Atlantic (below).

As we moved around the Western side of the Island we came across another beautiful beach (below). Looking back at this photo, it seems almost too perfect to have been real and it felt like that, a kind of earthly garden of Eden.

I took this last photo on the Southern side of the Island. The grassy slopes fall away to this outcrop of flat rock which sinks downwards towards a wide sandy beach (below).

We quickened our pace after I took this photo as thoughts of the incoming tide took over! In fact we had plenty of time. We resolved to check the times for the tides the next time and return to explore the centre of the Island.

Beach Flowers

by Total WP Support Inc.. Posted on June 29, 2012

29 Jun

The sun shone late one evening last week when I went for a walk along a beach in Errislannan with my family. This is a beautiful peninsula just south of Clifden. I took some pictures and we collected driftwood and paddled in the water. Unexpectedly, I found a treasure of flowers growing in the area. This is the view looking back down the beach from the furthermost point.

There is no sand here, just stones all rounded by the tidal movements of the sea.

I stopped to photograph this vivid blue plant on a bank along the beach. I am no botanist so I welcome advice on the naming of any of these! Is this one a Scabious?

Here it is again from on top. I love its starlike shape and its jewel blue colours.

I almost missed this next one. There were just two little plants on their own right at the edge of the shore. I’m going out on a limb here to suggest that this might be a wild Orchid..

The next photo is of some Thrift, my favourite plant of all. I am amazed how it manages to grow so prolifically in the most barren of places, it seems to sustain itself from rock alone.

I was surprised by how much it had turned, nearly all the clumps of flowers were a dry honey brown colour (below). I like the line of them still, their tall broad stems and their bobbles of crispy petals.

Here’s one that’s just beginning to fade (below).

This last picture is of a single Thrift flower still in full bloom. There were only a handful of these.

Omey Strand

by Total WP Support Inc.. Posted on June 17, 2012

17 Jun

Omey Island is a tidal island near Claddaghduff, north of Clifden. I drove there on a fine evening recently when the tide was out and I could walk across the strand. It is hardly noticeable as an island from the mainland until you get down to the beach. This is the view (below) looking across to Omey from the edge of Claddaghduff village.

It is possible to drive across the beach to the island at low tide and there are road signs along the way to guide you! It’s a strange sight in the middle of the strand and you have to remind yourself that the sea can cover a car here at high tide.

This is the view out to sea a little further along (below). The brightness of the open sky and glistening sand was stunning. I had the feeling I was in a desert and that I was absorbing a tonic sized portion of vitamin D that would last me a month.

I wanted to freeze the moment so that I could conjure it up again in my mind later and perhaps on some dark November evening when I will need to be reminded of such things.

This is the same view from the edge of Omey which is flanked by an idyllic stretch of golden sand and soft cushiony grass.

I returned back across to Claddaghduff making a mental note that I should allow myself more time on the next trip. Omey island has much to offer in terms of its natural beauty and its archaeological discoveries.

On my return, I took some photographs of the beach. There were some recent pony tracks in the sand (below).

These next images reminded me that this place would be under water again in a couple of hours.

Sea Paintings on Canvas – Next Stage

by Deborah Watkins. Posted on April 23, 2012

23 Apr

To day, I worked on two of the small paintings I started recently. At the risk of repeating myself, I am showing you the paintings as I left them. The first began like this.

I added lots more colour using ink and paint together to get it to this stage (below).

I left it to dry completely before working on it again. Then I touched up the house and added some charcoal to give the effect of rain in those clouds (below).

The next photo is of the same scene but it is the larger 8 x 8 inch canvas which began like this.

I really attacked this with colour (below) in an effort to emphasize the dominance of the elements in this landscape and the insignificance of the house as a manmade construction within it. This is how it felt on this particular evening – the power of the natural landscape over everything.
I often think about this in relation to how it feels to live here in Connemara and I remember being quite struck by it when I settled here first. We are at the mercy of the elements here in a way that one is not living in a city. I suppose it is the effect of the wide expanse of the sky and the exposed, mostly treeless spaces combined with the force of the Atlantic weather.

I used a combination of acrylic paint and ink and I used my hands instead of brushes to make strong gestures with the colour to achieve a kind of drama. It’s not finished yet but I am reasonably happy with the sky so far. I will let it dry and return to it later.