Winter, 1907. You live in Clifden in western Ireland, and your favorite way to spend the rare clear-skied evening (after a hard day of farming or herding or shopkeeping) is to walk up the hill to the monument. The sunsets are gorgeous over the Atlantic ocean, and as dusk falls you can look south toContinue reading “From Newfoundland to Ireland with Marconi”
Tag Archives: Ireland
Mercury in the Bath
August, 2017: the sun is shining on the edge of North America, but the foghorn still cries its warning to the clouded sea. Two paired blasts per 60 seconds; a signature to identify location by sound. In the dark, you need to know which horn you’ve heard. This is Cape Race lighthouse, which holds oneContinue reading “Mercury in the Bath”
“Do Not Become Casual with Stressing Procedure”
February, 2021: Crouched between bushes at the top of a steep hill, listening and watching for activity. First sighting from inside the perimeter: a huge hare, bounding between stacks of scattered concrete beams, beams left like a child’s building blocks to gradually erode and gather moss and become part of the Irish landscape. Alone, then.Continue reading ““Do Not Become Casual with Stressing Procedure””
How to decide if you’re up for hiking Slieve League (because obviously you’re thinking about it)
Yesterday I hiked Slieve League, a.k.a. Sliabh Liag, a.k.a. some of the highest sea cliffs in Europe (located in County Donegal in Northwest Ireland). They’re three times higher than the more famous Cliffs of Moher, for those keeping score, and when you reach the top, you’re standing at the edge of a nearly 2,000-foot sheerContinue reading “How to decide if you’re up for hiking Slieve League (because obviously you’re thinking about it)”
Shastified, Continued 