Page 298 - Guerin Media | The Wild Atlantic Way
P. 298
The Ocean’s Gift
We have witnessed the power of the sea in shaping Ireland’s coast. We have felt
the strength of relentless waves, the crystal waters and foamy ocean sprays. The
Wild Atlantic Way is a unique journey and is it’s own reward. As the time honoured
saying goes – “it is not the destination but the journey that matters” - and no where is
this more true than here. Ireland’s Wild West. At the periphery of Europe, at the edge of
civilization, a place we can reflect on life itself.
Here is where the sun sets and where the final rays of sunlight linger.
You will have had your own experiences on this journey and I hope that this guide has
been a helpful companion. Have you felt the wild spray of the Atlantic against your skin
or tasted the salty sea on your lips?
Man’s love for the sea is a call to experience with all of our senses this magical element of
water – salty like the womb, set upon a horizon that points us to the infinite. As powerful
as Man is, with our technology and fast cars, we can never hope to grasp this untamable
force of nature. And yet we can embrace this experience of nature’s power as a part of
ourselves. We too are made of water. The emotional and even spiritual experience that
the ocean can evoke in us is a reminder of our connection to all things. Our connection
with water is an elemental relationship. The gift of water is a gift of life.
Like life itself, the journey along Irelands rugged coast has its many ups and downs, from
the towering Cliffs of Moher, Achill and Sliabh Liagh to gentle sandy beaches where the
waves softly murmur and we can find rest and peace. You have seen an oceanic majesty
and perhaps stood silent witness to this vast and terrible beauty of unfathomable depths.
When faced with the Atlantic we are perhaps also reminded of our own mortality.
Looking out upon the vastness of the ocean we may feel small, fearful of the ocean’s
power and aware of a danger lest we fall in to be swept away!
And yet, this salty ocean is not unlike our first home – the womb. In having spent time
along Ireland’s wild western coast we travel as a vigil to “la mer”, the mother of all life on
earth : Water.
I hope you have been touched by something of the mystery, the magic and the majesty
of these western landscapes of Ireland. Enchanting and beautiful, rugged and wild – they
too have their stories.
I hope that your encounters with “áilleacht na mara” – “the beauty of the ocean”, along
Ireland’s Wild Atlantic have left you emboldened, ennobled and enriched – to face the
world renewed.
We trust that you will return once more to visit us, to breath again the fresh sea air, and
leave your cares – to the wind....
Go n’éirigh an bóthar leat!
May the road rise to meet you
296
We have witnessed the power of the sea in shaping Ireland’s coast. We have felt
the strength of relentless waves, the crystal waters and foamy ocean sprays. The
Wild Atlantic Way is a unique journey and is it’s own reward. As the time honoured
saying goes – “it is not the destination but the journey that matters” - and no where is
this more true than here. Ireland’s Wild West. At the periphery of Europe, at the edge of
civilization, a place we can reflect on life itself.
Here is where the sun sets and where the final rays of sunlight linger.
You will have had your own experiences on this journey and I hope that this guide has
been a helpful companion. Have you felt the wild spray of the Atlantic against your skin
or tasted the salty sea on your lips?
Man’s love for the sea is a call to experience with all of our senses this magical element of
water – salty like the womb, set upon a horizon that points us to the infinite. As powerful
as Man is, with our technology and fast cars, we can never hope to grasp this untamable
force of nature. And yet we can embrace this experience of nature’s power as a part of
ourselves. We too are made of water. The emotional and even spiritual experience that
the ocean can evoke in us is a reminder of our connection to all things. Our connection
with water is an elemental relationship. The gift of water is a gift of life.
Like life itself, the journey along Irelands rugged coast has its many ups and downs, from
the towering Cliffs of Moher, Achill and Sliabh Liagh to gentle sandy beaches where the
waves softly murmur and we can find rest and peace. You have seen an oceanic majesty
and perhaps stood silent witness to this vast and terrible beauty of unfathomable depths.
When faced with the Atlantic we are perhaps also reminded of our own mortality.
Looking out upon the vastness of the ocean we may feel small, fearful of the ocean’s
power and aware of a danger lest we fall in to be swept away!
And yet, this salty ocean is not unlike our first home – the womb. In having spent time
along Ireland’s wild western coast we travel as a vigil to “la mer”, the mother of all life on
earth : Water.
I hope you have been touched by something of the mystery, the magic and the majesty
of these western landscapes of Ireland. Enchanting and beautiful, rugged and wild – they
too have their stories.
I hope that your encounters with “áilleacht na mara” – “the beauty of the ocean”, along
Ireland’s Wild Atlantic have left you emboldened, ennobled and enriched – to face the
world renewed.
We trust that you will return once more to visit us, to breath again the fresh sea air, and
leave your cares – to the wind....
Go n’éirigh an bóthar leat!
May the road rise to meet you
296
