Connemara National Park covers 2,957 hectares of scenic mountains, expanses of blanket bogs, native heaths, grasslands and woodlands.
My first visit to Connemara was back in 2015. I remember specifically driving through Maams Cross and asking Kevin, “Where is the cross?” I expected to see a High Cross with intricately carved symbols, soaring 20 feet, marking a boundary of a significant territory. Alas, there was no cross.
The coastline of Connemara is known for hidden coves and rocky inlets
I loved the raw beauty, just as I did this time, when we drove up from Clare to visit with our friend Ronan Garvey. He apparently fell in love with this staggeringly beautiful rugged land several years ago and decided to build a house there. Connemara has such a unique combination of farmland and rocky geological features. Even while it was raining and misty, the magical was tugging at my heart. Look at me! Try to, anyway.
Marconi station in Clifden, 1907
One thing I did not know about until now was the role of Connemara in Guglielmo Marconi’s experiments. He was famous for inventing the wireless telegraph system, culminating in the first transatlantic wire signal in 1901. Marconi built his high-power transatlantic telegraph station near Clifden in 1907, which sent the first commercial wireless signals across the Atlantic to Canada. His contributions to wireless telegraphy led to being awarded the 1909 Noble Prize in Physics.
Connemara marble, found only in this region
Another thing I did not know about was Connemara Marble, found only in this region. The pure white rock, riddled with green streaks, is stunning. It is recognized and exported, adorning buildings worldwide.
And just where did I see this stone? On Connemara Golf Links, while playing golf with Ronan and his friend Mike O’Hara in late August. We caught it on a perfect dry day. And it made the entire visit extraordinary…just not enough time to try a hike in the Connemara National Park.
Ronan Garvey on 14th tee at Connemara Golf Links
If you are ever wondering WHERE is the Wild Atlantic Way? You will find it in Connemara. This jagged coastline certainly did stir my soul and yank me out of any kind of mundane mentality that permeates our earthly world, if only for a few short hours.
A long stretch of Lettergesh Beach with golden sand contrasts beautifully with the crystal-clear Atlantic waters and scenic mountains beyond.
Beautiful rainbow appeared when we got to 14th tee at Lahinch after a very sudden and heavy downpour.
It’s the wind again. Whistling through a window in the kitchen. Buzzing in a corner of the living room. It’s not usually both at the same time. In fact, neither noise is usually happening when there is just a typical breeze.
Liscannor Bay from Lahinch Golf Club where we played a few days ago, with the castle ruin in the far distance.
However, at night time, we sometimes hear the wind howling on the other side of the house. When we open the window at night, once in awhile, it will even bother Kevin enough to shut the window, since the inside temperature of the house is quite cool anyway.
I’ll be heading back to Scottsdale in two weeks time. I remind myself often how lucky I am to be in Ireland, escaping the scorching heat of the desert in the summer.
Whether the sea looks completely calm or the water is roiling with white caps, I tell myself to appreciate it either way. Even if the sea is choppy and turbulent, soon my view will be of solid granite mountains, and the deep blue sky where there is no sense of unrest.
High winds and waves hitting hard the County Clare seashore.
Unless, that is, there is a dramatic monsoon storm with powerful superbolt lightning strikes and fierce wind. Then the big sky country is agitated and chaotic. The booming thunder can probably be heard over the entire Valley, frightening every creature large and small. It’s rare and sensational. Spectacular, even.
But then, while gazing out the window, I pick up a bottle of W.B. Yeats Artesian Water and find this profound message on the label: THE WORLD IS FULL OF MAGIC THINGS, PATIENTLY WAITING FOR OUR SENSES TO GROW SHARPER. – W.B. Yeats
That’s right, I’m holding this wisdom on a bottle in my hand. How brilliant of the marketing arm of this Irish bottling company to use the image and quote of the 1923 Nobel laureate to deliver enlightenment along with quenching our thirst.
Wonders will never cease.
However wisdom reaches us, it is always a good moment in life!
Beware of Unicorns!
It’s not every day you see a Ploppet. It would be considerably more rare than seeing a unicorn.
By comparison, the Unicorn Tree would be quite common. Should you want to see one, you can find it in the south of Spain along the Costa del Sol.
Oddly enough, I would never have seen the Ploppet myself had I not been walking around the neighborhood at Troon with some friends when we were stymied by a barbed wire fence!
Barbed wire in this part of the “settled” desert is certainly a thing of the past, you say. In the days when ranchers let their cattle roam or even let their tame horses out of the stables to forage, barbed wire would have prevented them from wandering where they weren’t supposed to go.
But now we have fancy fences and gated communities that are designed to make us feel safer. They are not much of a barrier, though, for Amazon’s Prime trucks that even deliver their goods on Sunday!
So how did we encounter the barbed wire in the first place? When trying to take a short cut from one gated community to another (hey, we live here, so not exactly dangerous riffraff, right?), we were going along a narrow trail through an un-landscaped desert area when we spotted it ahead.
Oh no, we thought, we will have to retrace our steps and go back out to another paved road and make it a longer loop.
Along with seeing the Ploppet, the biggest blessing of having to reverse ourselves was, I discovered my new iPhone was laying smack dab in the middle of the road. Eeeek! It must have fallen out of the pocket of my jacket when I peeled it off my shoulders and tied it around my waist.
Even though we were in a very low-traffic gated community, it would surely have been run over by a car and I would not even know where I lost it.
It’s a good thing I believe in miracles. There’s one, for any of you non-believers!
Now it’s time to negotiate getting around the pedestrian gate, which is a piece of cake. Except, wait! Hold your horses! What is that we spot up ahead?
Why, it’s a Ploppet. See it for yourself.
The Ploppet is the craziest car I have ever seen. I spoke to the guy driving it and had a peek inside and it was just as bizarre.
I asked him, “ How in the world did you create this…this…?”
He filled in the blank, “Ploppet.”
“The what?” Did my ears deceive me. “Why do you call it the Ploppet?”
“It’s been a project for years. I just kept plopping stuff on to it, so it got to be called the Ploppet.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” I had to concur.
My friends were hanging back, but I was glad they were there so they could take my picture.
“Wait a minute,” I pleaded. “Let me take a photo of the back please.”
Lo and behold, the Ploppet has it’s own license plate!
Seeing the Ploppet sent me into another dimension. When IT appeared in view, I could see nothing but IT.
Reflecting on that moment, it makes me wonder, is this how it feels to see a giant teddy bear for the first time? Or is it like the enchantment of Mickey Mouse greeting you at Disney World?
The Ploppet just goes to prove that Albert Einstein was right when he said:
“Logic will get you from A to B but Imagination will take you everywhere.”
