Inishbofin (Island of the White Cow)
Omey Island
Omey Island is a tidal island that can be reached by car or by foot across the 700m or so stretch of Omey Strand at low tide (follow the blue arrows and keep an eye on the tide times!), which was the site of a monastic settlement established by St Feichin in the 7th century.
Whenever I spend some time in Connemara, even if it's just a daytrip for a few hours, I feel so grateful to have this unique landscape right on my doorstep; this time around we visited a little corner that we had never been to before and it was a privilege to be able to do some exploring and learn more about our history and culture. As always, I'm humbled when I read about our ancestors, the brave men and women who farmed this land, fished these waters and raised families in times of indescribable hardship, and the monks and their followers who brought and disseminated Christianity to the people of Ireland, despite the very real dangers of doing so. It's so easy to forget where we come from and to take it all for granted: I'm inordinately proud to be Irish and I love my country.
This outing was especially meaningful as it's been such a hard year with lockdown and restrictions and COVID-19, and not knowing when we'd be able to venture out and about again. We still have no idea what the future holds and whether lockdown will be repeated and that is precisely why it's so important to get out and do the things we enjoy the most and spend time with the people who will sustain us. Although my legs didn't know what hit them from hiking around bogs and islands and up and down mountains; I managed to get eaten alive by midges (they adore me) and I was beyond wrecked from all the going, I felt recharged and replenished from our time away - hopefully it won't be so long again until the next adventure.
A note...
Happy reading/browsing/exploring!