An Irish Wood - Dooney Rock Forest Park

County Sligo is Yeats' Country in Ireland. It is a place of epic legends and landscapes that inspired the Irish poet W.B. Yeats. In Sligo you will find many places that feature in the poetry of Yeats including Dooney Rock Forest Park which we just happened upon while driving a ring around Lough Gill where you'll also find Benbulben and Glencar Waterfall. Dooney Rock features in Yeats' poem "The Fiddler of Dooney" and Dooney Rock is an elevated part of the wood from which you can see sweeping views of Lough Gill, the Ox Mountains and Knocknarea Mountain. Look carefully atop Knocknarea and you can see "a huge flat-topped cairn called Maeve's Cairn (Miosgan Meadhbha). The cairn is 55m in diameter and is 10m high. It was supposed to have been built for Queen Maeve, the Iron Age Queen of Connaught (source)."  You can see why Sligo and this atmospheric woodland inspired Yeats and I always find it quite special to find places that connect to history in such a way. The woodland itself was stunning. Occasional trees were labeled with their species. The forest was mainly one species of coniferous tree (though I cannot recall which) which made for a striking fairy tale atmosphere, with moss creeping up each tree and a lovely filtered light. There were benches around to sit a spell and soak in the forest.  

FIDDLER OF DOONEY

W.B. Yeats - 1889

WHEN I play on my fiddle in Dooney.

Folk dance like a wave of the sea;

My cousin is priest in Kilvarnet,

My brother in Mocharabuiee.

I passed my brother and cousin:

They read in their books of prayer;

I read in my book of songs

I bought at the Sligo fair.

When we come at the end of time

To Peter sitting in state,

He will smile on the three old spirits,

But call me first through the gate;

For the good are always the merry,

Save by an evil chance,

And the merry love the fiddle,

And the merry love to dance:

And when the folk there spy me,

They will all come up to me,

With "Here is the fiddler of Dooney!"

And dance like a wave of the sea.

What appeared to be an old stone foundation or rock wall. 

Queen Maeve's Cairn atop the flat topped Knocknarea in the distance. 

An Irish Wood - Gougane Barra Forest Park

Gougane Barra Forest Park in County Cork Ireland is one of my favorite woodlands. It is pillowed with moss. A small stream wends its way down to Gouganebarra Lough where St. Finbar's Oratory sits reflecting onto the dark pool of water. The can drive a ways back into the woodland and then hike easy trails into the green wood, all the sunlight to enter this forest is green. There was a wedding taking place in St. Finbar's Oratory while were there but the woods, we had those all to ourselves. Also worth mentioning that this place hosts about the coolest restrooms in Ireland.

A previous hiker (or woodland creature) had left a mushroom collection on a table here. 

St. Finbar's Oratory

Charming thatched loo (toilets)

A Different Sort of Portal

My Portal Collection shows love to the architectural doors of Celtic lands but nature, especially an Irish forest, offers us many portals to other worlds, literal caverns of arching trees as well as sun dappled or shadowy worlds of our imaginations. I am grateful for the places that the natural realm takes me in my life and in my mind, with my feet and with my soul. Grateful, too, for the magical places I've been that have really transported me. I often include this quote by Stephen Graham in the journals I take on trips to remind me that doors are everywhere, but we must look for them:

As you sit on a hillside,

or lie prone under the trees of the forest,

or sprawl wet-legged by a mountain stream,

the great door,

that does not look like a door,

OPENS.

- Stephen Graham

Painting in the woods in my travel journal from last trip to Wales and S.W. England. 

Natures does seem to present me with actual doors, too, sometimes, though I think they lead to the Faerie Realm...

Glendalough, Ireland - The Valley of the Two Lakes

There is a magical, mystical place in a remote wooded valley, deep in the Wicklow Mountains of Ireland. Some call it holy, many call it beautiful, but its name is Glendalough. Glen-duh-lock and it means Valley of the Two Lakes. It is a special place indeed. The woods which are now an Irish National Park are soft with moss and colored with that green light that only seems to shine in Irish woods. Hiking trails crisscross the seemingly ancient forest. The Poulanass waterfall rewards intrepid hikers who trek to its heights with a stunning view and the Glendasan river sings its song over the water-worn boulders below.

And then there is the history of this place. The ruins of an Early Christian Monastic settlement sit at the base of the woods. St. Kevin was a hermit and sought solitude and peace here at Glendalough in the 6th century. He later established a monastery here where he found peace with the wild animals of the woods. In fact, many of his legends involve animals, most famous is St. Kevin and the blackbird:

Legend holds that one day, St. Kevin, with his arms outstretched, knelt deep in prayer. As he did so a blackbird nested I his hand & laid an egg. St. Kevin, being compassionate & patient, did not move his hand nor remove the eggs until the birds hatched & flew away.

Today, many structures remain from the time of St. Kevin through later centuries when Glendalough served as a holy center. Tranquility, perhaps, is what the monks sought here and I can attest that here, tranquility remains.

This locus of peace and natural beauty seems to be at wild corner of Ireland, far from modernity but it is, in fact, just about an hour drive from the capital, Dublin. And if you ever go to Ireland, especially if you are only visiting Dublin, make a point to take a day bus trip to Glendalough. (Note: it's quite busy on weekends). It is such a great slice of the history, landscape, & soul of Ireland. 

My visits to Glendalough inspired a block print in February's Emerald Post and it is still available HERE.

We captured this view after we accidently took one of the longer, and much steeper trails that Glendalough has to offer. Pretty much worth it though.

Enchanting & Intriguing

Ancient eyes peer down from ancient trees...

Long ago, a tiny, yet green, seed was planted in my soul. This seed was an idea, a dream, a plan to visit Ireland. In 2009, finally, my feet and this seed were planted on the green, rolling hills of Ireland. My enchantment with this land & its culture was instantaneous and I've been devouring its history, art, culture, folklore & customs ever since. From this tiny green seed, Emerald Post grew, which is a passion project of the many things I adore about Ireland, Celtic culture, & nearby lands such as Scotland, Wales, and Cornwall. I've been traveling to these verdant lands ever since.  Above and below, you can see the intriguing nature of Ireland, with spirits in the trees and forests beckoning you to follow whimsical and winding ways. These photos were taken at Tintern Abbey in County Wexford, Ireland which was established in 1200 AD! I'm looking forward to sharing these worlds here on my blog and in your mailbox with Emerald Post.

  

Tintern Abbey, County Wexford, Ireland