Ponies and ewes

When we arrived in Clifden, Co. Galway we found out that it was time for the annual Connemara Pony Auction. What luck! The streets were lined with cars and horse trailers and there were lots of Irish cowboys and girls walking the streets. We headed down to get a look at all the action.
In this photograph a mother and her yearling were being auctioned off together but when there were no buyers the mother was sold separately.






The Connemara pony is the only native Irish breed of horse. Some believe that the Connemara developed from Scandinavian ponies that the Vikings first brought to Ireland. Another source was likely the Irish Hobby, a now-extinct breed established prior to the 13th century. Legend, however, says that galleons from the Spanish Armada ran aground in 1588, and the Andalusians on board were set loose. The Spanish horses bred with the native stock, redefining the local ponies.



Ponies were going for a variety of prices. It seemed to be highly dependent on bloodlines and registrations. In the time that we were there, one male colt went for only 25 euros, while another beautiful mare went for 2500 euros!







While hiking the Twelve Bens in the Connemara we came across this herder, who bounded over the boggy heath lands with an agility and ease that we were certainly lacking. He crossed over an area about 4 square miles, trotting up and down the slopes with his two border collies. He continuously called to the dogs as they worked the sheep into a group and then moved them down the mountain. The sheep are spray-painted to help the owners identify their flock. All over Ireland sheep are painted either bright pink or blue.

Connemara II: around Letterfrack

The salmon-rich Dawros River



Looking south to Diamond Hill. Bienvenido compadres.








Commercial-scale turf cutting. Peat bricks set out to season before being hauled to market. Most are pressed into rock hard bricks, sold, then burnt in the fireplace.



A grown-over dig. Bog bursts are a problem here. Blankets of peat that cover the earth help hold the ground together, protecting it from lateral slides. When the peat is removed, especially on sloping bogs, its stabilizing function is removed, and the subsoil is let loose, clogging streams and burying valuable topsoil.

Connemara's Twelve Pins

Connemara, which derives from Conmhaicne Mara (meaning: descendants of Con Mhac, of the sea), is a district in the west of Ireland comprising of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway or south west Connacht. The Conmhaicne Mara were a branch of the Conmhaicne, an early tribal grouping that had a number of branches located in different parts of Connacht. As this branch of Conmhaicne were located by the sea they became known as the Conmhaicne Mara, i.e., of the sea.



























Connemara was traditionally divided into North Connemara and South Connemara. The mountains of the Twelve Bens and the Owenglin river, which flows into the sea at An Clochán/Clifden, marked the boundary between the two parts.





Weather was intense. We experienced gale winds, rain and hail. Then in the next instant the sun would shine and light up the mountains. The ever-changing elements gave The Connemara an even more dramatic beauty.




The native Irish hawthorne.

Permaculture in action

A visit to our instructor's property at Derryduff Mor near Bantry. Graham has had the 4 acre plot for over 7 years.
Here is his cordwood roundhouse with attached greenhouse. Our meeting place for the days activities.




An overall view of the property that lies above the flood plain of the Coomhola River. The red-roofed house in the background is Graham's home.






Madeline (France), Eileen (Cork), and Ann (Cork) working on gathering seeds.









We didn't get to see this is action but it is a wood bending system. You would stick a pole into the pipe and add water then light the fire to steam the pole. Then remove it and start turning it around the wheel to shape it.








Patrice (Quebec) and I working on trellising.







Stella (Germany) using a draw knife to peel stakes.

Cordwood & Cob

One of the green building projects is a cordwood roundhouse on the school's premises. Currently we are working on the the walls of the building. They are basically built of cob (a combination of subsoil, gravel, clay and straw) with rounds of wood (Douglas Fir in this case) spaced throughout. In these photos we are mixing together the ingredients for the cob.







Then we mold it into balls or "bricks" to make it easier to handle.





Here's our teacher Graham Strouts giving us a tutorial.




The cordwood roundhouse in the background (current project) and the amphitheater (finished previously) to the right.









I find Permaculture so exciting!

A sort of Ode to The Gray Heron and some of her marsh friends

The European Goldfinch

The seed eating Carduelis carduelis has recently climbed to the 9th most encountered bird in Ireland. Its population crashed in the 70's and 80's as agricultural practices intensified and weed seeds like thistle and teasel declined. Agriculture has not let up. Instead, the practice of installing peanut feeders in gardens has grown, and with it, the goldfinch population and human encounters.



A Rook, one of Irelands seven corvid species.
















The Litttle egret

Egretta garzetta was a rare visitor in Ireland until 1997 when it began breeding along the south coast. It now occurs in almost every coastal county.