IRELAND’S Wild Beauty A Book of Days
First published 2023 by The O’Brien Press Ltd., 12 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6, D06 HD27, Ireland. Tel: +353 1 4923333. Fax: +353 1 4922777 Email: books@obrien.ie. Website: obrien.ie The O’Brien Press is a member of Publishing Ireland. ISBN 978-1-78849-459-5 Text and photographs © Carsten Krieger 2023 The moral rights of the author have been asserted. Copyright for typesetting, layout, editing, design © The O’Brien Press Ltd Cover and internal design by Emma Byrne. Quotes from ‘The County Mayo’ / ‘Cill Aodáin’ by Antoine Ó Raifteirí, translated by James Stephens in Reincarnations, Macmillan and Co. Ltd (London, 1918); ‘June’ by Francis Ledwidge from The Complete Poems of Francis Ledwidge, Brentano’s (New York, 1919); ‘The Stolen Child’ by W.B. Yeats from The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Stories, Kegan Paul, Trench & Co (London, 1899); ‘The Song of Amergin’ from Gods and Fighting Men, arranged and put into English by Lady Augusta Gregory, John Murray (London, 1904). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage system without permission in writing from the publisher. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 26 25 24 23 Printed and bound by Drukarnia Skleniarz, Poland. The paper in this book is produced using pulp from managed forests. Published in:
IRELAND’S Wild Beauty A Book of Days Carsten Krieger
Introduction
I
f you believe the old joke, the only difference between winter and summer in Ireland is that the lashing rain in summer is a bit warmer. Unfortunately, there is some truth to this, and the changeable and uncertain weather is still one of the main topics of conversation here. The reason for Ireland’s predominantly wet and windy climate, where the seasons are indeed hard to tell apart at times, is its location. The island’s spot on the edge of the North Atlantic means it is exposed to low-pressure systems that bring high winds and rain, and its proximity to the Gulf Stream ensures temperatures rarely fall below freezing. While Ireland might not have picture-perfect seasonal changes, we do still experience transformations from spring to summer, summer to autumn, autumn to winter and winter to spring, even if they are more subtle than on the European mainland. The Irish winter can be a dark and damp affair. In midwinter, when there are only six hours of daylight, low-pressure systems push dark clouds over the island, casting the landscape into a murky twilight, while gale-force winds bend trees and shrubs. This kind of weather also brings one of Ireland’s greatest spectacles: the storm. Large waves crash into the cliffs and onto rocky shores, sending spray many hundred meters into the air and inland. From a safe spot, these events can entertain for hours. Every once in a while, however, the wind changes direction from west to east, bringing calm, sunny days that let the rusty colours of the Irish winter landscape glow in the sunlight. Winter is a time to seek the coast: countless birds populate sheltered bays and river estuaries. Many come to Ireland for the winter to take advantage of the mild temperatures and the rich food supply. Spring arrives around April with cold dawns and mild days, soft sunshine and heavy showers, and birdsong fills the morning air. Then the month of May sees a sudden transformation. Apparently overnight, fresh green appears everywhere, blackthorn and gorse burst into bloom, adding white and yellow to the scenery, and wildflowers do the same: primrose, lesser celandine, wood anemone, bluebell and others make it clear that winter is over. Along the coast, the cliffs echo with the noise of seabirds that have returned from spending winter on the open ocean to breed. The days get noticeably
longer and high pressure brings blue skies and temperatures of over 20 degrees Celsius – the Irish version of a heatwave. Spring turns into summer and the landscape changes again. Gone are the yellows and browns of winter, replaced by the succulent green tones Ireland is so famous for. Wildflowers burst into bloom everywhere and in all shapes and colours. This is the time to visit places like the Burren, where Mediterranean orchids grow side by side with arctic and alpine plants, or venture to the coast, where thrift paints the landscape pink. This richness in growth has to be nurtured by loads of rain, and so the typical Irish summer takes hold. The sun rises around 5am and doesn’t set until 11pm. Heavy clouds bring regular rain showers or lasting drizzle – those grand soft days. It isn’t cold but it isn’t really warm either, which can be blamed on the chilly westerlies blowing from the ocean. The inhabitants of this ocean don’t care much about the weather and are more interested in the food this part of the world offers in the summer; dolphins, whales, basking sharks and even the strangely shaped sunfish visit Irish coastal waters to feed. Autumn comes late to Ireland and is often over in the blink of an eye. The leaves hardly have time to change into their warm and vibrant autumn colours before the first storm blows them away. What lasts, however, are the berries: blackberries, haws, sloes and others are not only beautiful to look at in their many strong colours but also very tasty. The resident birds make the best of this situation and are joined by the summer guests, who gorge themselves ahead of their travels, and the first winter visitors, who also enjoy the feast. Coastal areas see passage migrants flying close to Ireland’s shores on their long journey from the arctic circle to warmer places. Autumn is a busy time for birdwatchers. While an Irish autumn is mostly a prequel to the wet and dark days to come, sometimes there is a lull in the weather. Then the autumn colours get their chance to shine, and all living things soak up the last warmth of the sun before the long winter takes hold once again. Carsten Krieger
J an u ary E a n á i r
January Eanáir 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Previous spread: Loop Head, County Clare. Opposite: Goldfinch.
New Year’s Day Lá Caille
January Eanáir 8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Opposite: Oak forest in Killarney National Park, County Kerry.
January Eanáir 15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Opposite: Bloody Henry starfish.
December Nollaig 22
23
24
25
Christmas Day Lá Nollag
26
St Stephen’s Day, Lá Fhéile Stiofáin
27
28
Opposite: Near Camp on the Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry.
December Nollaig 29
30
31
Opposite: Birch trees in Glengarriff Nature Reserve, County Cork. Right: Male stonechat.