Snow covers the Sliabh Mis mountains stretching west out from Tralee, county town of Kerry, today. As the sleety rain passes and the mist rises, by early afternoon the spine of hills and peaks pressing further along the Corca Dhuibhne (Dingle) peninsula out towards the Atlantic show only splashes of white among the dark green and browns of the higher ground.
It’s a sunny day.
Temperatures have risen over the past few weeks to nearly 10 Celsius with mostly bright skies and drier, longer days but the breezes bring a moist chill reminding us never to take the better weather for granted.
And you’ll never know what tomorrow might bring.
Sunset...rebirth
It’s St.Patrick’s Day on Thursday next (17thMarch). A public holiday. Such a shame it wasn’t in May!! There are no stories or legends about him in this part of Ireland but his influence in introducing excess alcohol intake and outrageous shamroguery lives on. It’s a well known fact that snakes and most other reptiles have no time for this type of carry on at all which is why they all decided to emigrate when St. Patrick started messin.
St.Brendan made a great play for this role in Kerry and succeeded fantastically well having his own holy mountain named after him.. Cnoc Bréanainn/Mt.Brandon (below).
But the snakes weren’t convinced and anyway it’d be too much hassle to come back.
West Kerry is a small place with BIG skies.
Imeall An Domhain/ Edge of The world
People have always been drawn to the west of Ireland. It’s on the edge in more ways than one. Free from the rigid constraints of urban existence but faced with the challenges of rural life. For every vividly sharp day of tangible glory there are ten days of enveloping mist, rain and gloom. But that doesn’t have to mean gloomy.
It’s a 360 degree world. The skies above. The mountains behind and the seas all around. There is no choice but to engage with it and Live your life in these days in the West.
touch and go
daysinthewest 
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