View of Clare island + Clew bay from Carrowmore beach just outside Louisburgh

And still we had a great holiday! Cast a cold Eye On Life, on Death Horseman, pass by On W.B. Yeats' grave, Drumcliff, Co. Sligo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W.B._Yeats Celtic High Cross and remains of Round Tower, Drumcliff, Co. Sligo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drumcliffe Ghandi(?) Statue, Drumcliff http://flickr.com/photos/20176570@N00/2423679378 Benbulben (mountain) Dolmens and megalithic tombs at Carrowmore - and some floral images http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrowmore Dolly's Cottage Gillighan's World - fairy statues and gardens. Great for the kids. Lough Gill http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lough_Gill The isle of Innisfree - poem by W.B. Yeats: I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evenings full of the linnet's wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear the lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray, I hear it in the deep heart's core. Parke's Castle, Co. Leitrim http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parke%27s_Castle Glencar Waterfall, Co. Leitrim http://www.lookaroundireland.com/scenicinteractive/glencarwaterfall.htm And, to round off, in the words of W.B. Yeats: Once every people in the world believed that trees were divine, and could take a human or grotesque shape and dance among the shadows; and that deer, and ravens and foxes, and wolves and bears, and clouds and pools, almost all things under the sun and moon, and the sun and moon, were not less divine and changeable. They saw in the rainbow the still-bent bow of a god thrown down in his negligence; they heard in the thunder the sound of his beaten water jar, or the tumult of his chariot wheels; and when a sudden flight of wild ducks, or of crows, passed over their heads, they thought they were gazing at the dead hastening to their rest.... Hi def images: http://www.carobit.com/Forum/ShowThread/YouTube%20Discussions/20080818111130Pino%20Carafa.html

In Mayo Shell and Statoil, with the approval of the Irish government, are planning to: Take land from local residents and build a high pressure gas pipeline that will go past their houses: The pressure inside the pipeline will be up to four times greater than that of the biggest Bord Gais pipelines. The pipeline will be going through boggy land with a history of landslides. Construct a gas refinery on unstable bog: This construction will be using previously untried methods to stabilise the bog surface and involve a massive amount of traffic. Emissions from the refinery will affect the nearby Carrowmore Lake, source of the regional water supply. Pump toxic waste into Broadhaven Bay: A U.C.C. research team found that Broadhaven Bay was an important breading and rearing area for dolphins and whales. They recorded over 220 sightings of seven whale and dolphin species, plus sightings of two seal species, in Broadhaven Bay and north-west Mayo waters. The government is giving them our gas for practically nothing and then we will have to buy it back: From 1975 for oil and gas companies there was a tax rate of 50%, an automatic 50% state stake in any commercial well, and royalties of 6 %-- 7%. In 1987, after lobbying by the companies, Ray Burke got rid of the 50% state stake and removed royalties. In 1992 after further lobbying Bobby Molloy reduced the tax rate to 25% and 100% tax write offs were introduced, meaning that the companies can subtract their costs from their tax bill. In other places in Europe the state take can be 55% or even 79% of a field. Shell have been given permission by the High Court to start work on the on land parts of the pipeline in about a months time, construction is due to start on the landfall, where the off-shore pipeline hits the beach, on May 31st. Help the local people to stop Shell! Who Pays the Piper? On a side note this issue totally demonstrates the importance of the independence of Indymedia. Tony O'Reilly, owner of the Belfast Telegraph, the London and Dublin Independents, the Sunday Independent (Ireland), the Independent on Sunday (England), the Sunday World, The Star, The Evening Herald, some of the Sunday Tribune, various local weeklies including The Kerryman and the Drogheda Independent, as well as other media internationally, also owns Providence Resources. Providence Resources are an oil and gas exploration company with interests in potential fields off the south and west coasts of Ireland. There is the possibility that what is happening in Erris, Mayo, will only be the first instance of corporations cutting corners at the expense of the environment and local communities as they exploit the potential oil and gas reserves off the coast, particularly the west coast, of Ireland.

The legend Vincent Broderick receiving his Composer of the year award from TG4 in 2003. Vincent Broderick was born in 1920 in Carrowmore, Bullaun, near Loughrea in Co Galway. He died in Dublin on August 7, 2008.

Here are the last 100 steps that I took while climbing Benbulben at the west end of the Dartry Mountains in north County Sligo, Ireland. I did this on September 1, 2008. From the moment I saw this face of the mountain I was in awe. It ended up following me around for days, it was in the background of the Carrowmore burial site, as well as Sliabh Liag, way over on the other side of Donegal Bay. I had to see how high I could get climbing it, so up it I went. It would be suicide to try to climb all the way up, at least without proper gear, as the slope gets more and more steep as you go up. I just had me, my videocam, and some basic boots, so I definately was not geared up for real mountain climbing. Summer 2008 has been very wet in Ireland and the sod was soaking wet. Wet grass has some grip but wet rock can be slippery, and one bad step would be all it would take. So up front I told myself not to go any higher than what I felt comfortable with. I started the video at 900 steps past the gate, and stopped at 1,000. That's as close to the top as I got! Next time I plan to go at least to 1,100 steps past the gate, but next time I'll be wearing shoes with cleats. And I won't make the mistake again of looking down before I'm ready to start heading back.

Sea trout returning to Carrowmore lake via fish pass counter, on the Muinhin river in Co. Mayo