Poland for just a sec ...

I urge all of you who have a love of rural countryside, nature, etc., to add your voice to this call for the saving of Poland's magnificent Bialowieza Forest complex. I've been there and appreciate what an amazimg place it is and how lucky all Europeans are to still have such a forest to treasure.
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Forest Protection Blog

Winter sun, Connacht

I've been lucky enough to be up and around and out in the beautiful Connacht countryside often enough recently to appreciate the winter sun over this western end of Europe.

I hope you enjoy these pictures - I know they're not exactly professional, but they seem okay to me.

The first is of surely Ireland's most magnificent roadside piece of art - The Gaelic Chieftain, by Maurice Harron, which stands just north of Boyle, one of the prettiest towns in Connacht. I guess you could say he's riding off into the sunset.

The second is of one of my favourite spots in the province - perhaps my very favourite. The Carrowkeel cairns sit atop the Bricklieve Mountains of south Sligo. Often, when you visit megalithic sites, it takes more than a fertile imagination to comprehend what you're looking at. Up here, you simply climb inside and you're transported back. Pity some people feel it necessary to leave their little candles behind them. I always carry them away anyway.

The third is sunrise over Ben Bulben, taken from slightly north of the mountain, at Grange. My positioning is not quite right to get the impression of the sun rolling up the mountain. Still, better to have tried than not. Back in October, I was walking along the top of Ben Bulben, from the Glencar Lake side. The wind was mad.

The fourth, I took along the Shannon flood plains of east Roscommon. These flat lands allow the river to burst its banks every single winter. I remember about eight years ago when the then N5 between Tarmonbarry and Strokestown was completely cut off by the flood waters, forcing people some 12 miles out of their way. The road has since been moved.

When driving can be fun ...

On Thursday, I have to drive to Ballinamore. From there, I must push on to Blacklion, admittedly some 5 km beyond Connacht's final frontier.
Now if I tell you that I'll actually be paid for such a beautiful drive, well that's something worthwhile. Of course, it's not the actual driving I'll be paid for, rather what I'll be up to when there.
Such a drive will bring me along the lovely restored Shannon-Erne Waterway, past countless small lakes of Leitrim, swelled by the recent heavy rain and up over the great Iron Mountains - Sliabh an Iarrainn. If I'm lucky and have a little spare time, quietly I'll drift over the heather to see if I can spot a red grouse. If I remember my wellies, then I'll let myself down into one of the many ditches, to get a worm's eye view of the surroundings. Bliss.
As if that wasn't enough automobile pleasure for one end of week, on Saturday I'll head west to Belmullet, for a complete contrast of what this great province has to offer. My goodness - once again I'll get paid for my travails. It's tough, but somebody has to do it ...
Heading west from the now defunct Bellacorrick power station (whose enormous cooling tower was recently knocked down), the road follows the famous Owenmore River (above), a serious spot for serious salmon fishermen.
For those of us less likely to do harm to any living thing, the forest is pretty impressive. Although coniferous plantations uniquely, the sheer size of the forests around these parts do impress. Both north and south of this stretch of road, mounds of mountains rise up all around, giving the road a real 'valley' sense as we head west toward the Atlantic. Take a stroll if you have the time.
Eventually, I'll get to the sea, pulling in for a quick sniff. Looking out over the bulk that is the north of The Mullet and the inner Broadhaven Bay, I'm forever seeking dolphins. The sheer wildness of this place is wonderful, as the sea makes its presence felt. This is not inner Connacht - oh no. This is the Atlantic Ocean. Get past the town (I won't have time Saturday) and you see it in all its powerful majesty, all the more in winter.