On the west coast of Ireland, you encounter vast coastal vistas. The air is fresh and bracing; the scenery is stunning; and the countryside is balanced between land and sea, and between civilization and wildness. It's stimulating and awesome. Long ago, Ireland was densely forested...no wonder, with a climate similar to the Pacific coast from Northern California to Vancouver Island, where the big kahuna trees grow. That's not the case now...no more than 10 percent of the country is forested. Most of the trees were cleared for farming centuries ago. Others were cut down and became masts for His Majesty's British Navy ships of the line. But a few patches of old growth forest remain, such as this forest park near Glengarriff. Here, large old oaks such as this one, and ancient pine forests are still thriving. In other areas, pine and fir forests have been planted in recent years...some will probably be commercially logged. These are fairly common, and I reckon that by 2050 Ireland will be considerably more forested than it is today.





Healy Pass, on the Beara Peninsula. It's a barren, cold, windy, alpine scene...at only a thousand feet above sea level! Scenery consists of grand rocky heights, grasslands, and sheep.

The light for photography in Ireland is outstanding. The northern latitude gives low sun angles which accentuate colors. The mix of clouds, sun, and showers brings clear air and constantly changing hues. This is the shoreline near my B&B on the Ring of Kerry.

At 8 PM it's still over an hour before sunset. The shades of the rocks, sea, mountains, and sky become mysterious and magical.

Mussels cover rock and compose a modernist scene. The coast here is ancient, beautiful, wild, and surreal. It's easy to get absorbed into it.