Hello friends! Where did October go? However you spent it, I hope you were able to get outside and enjoy.  After careful consideration, we made the decision to travel to Ireland to visit our girl. We were COVID tested before we left and followed every guideline and protocol to keep both ourselves and those around us safe during our travels…and it was all wonderful! Our timing couldn’t have been better, as Ireland went into full Stage 5 lockdown (all non-essential businesses closed and residents confined to a 5 kilometer radius of their home) just two days after we returned home. 

But while we were there, we did beach walks and forest walks and meadow walks and I thought maybe you would like to come along with me and see beautiful Ireland, especially now when travel is so restricted.

We stayed close to the town of Sligo, situated on the west coast just below Donegal and not too far from the border of Northern Ireland. The landscape here is magnificent, with breathtaking cliffs and crashing surf and mountains that seem to pop up out of nowhere. Here we are on Lissadell Strand (beach), not far from where W.B. Yeats is buried. You can see beautiful Benbulben in the background.

We also did a forest walk beneath Benbulben. This rock formation always takes my breath away.

Ireland has so many legends of fae folk or fairy folk, and one afternoon we took a drive along  a very remote dirt road. We parked the car on the side of the road and made our way through a narrow, wooded path that was overgrown and muddy. I couldn’t imagine where our daughter was taking us until suddenly, an enormous clearing appeared in front of us…it was a deep gorge, hemmed in on either side by towering, ivy-covered walls and blanketed by a floor of fallen leaves. A row of massive trees marched down the center of the gorge and the entire site was as silent as a tomb. I can’t express how eerie and oppressive this place felt, and I had a strong sensation of being watched the entire time we were there. I was actually glad to leave this fairy glen and retrace our steps back to the main road! 

On our last day, we visited Carrowmore, a passage tomb within a stone circle, built in the Neolithic era. Surrounding the tomb were ancient  standing stones and ring forts, scattered across acres and acres of sun-drenched fields. Here is John in the passage tomb.

This was the largest of the standing stones. 

On our last full day, we drove out to Strand Hill, a coastal resort although everything was now closed up tight. Swimming is forbidden at this beach due to the violence of the surf, but we happily sat on the rock wall above the water and watched the sun set over the horizon. 

I hope you enjoyed this little trip through County Sligo! Until next time, and hopefully it won’t be another year until we can visit again. Stay safe, my friends!