Irish moss climbs up

Irish moss climbs up

the trunk of a twisted tree

at Castle Archdale

The grounds of Castle Archdale, once a large estate in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is now a county park. The once carefully tended gardens have gone wild, unwinding centuries of domestication. Perhaps St. Patrick rested under this ancient tree with its twisted limbs covered with moss. But I rather imagine he missed catching a glimpse of the Good People flitting through the lush greenery.

castle across the lake

castle across the lake –

blue rowboat to take me there –

moving, not moving

On the way back to Oughterard in Connemara, County Galway, we stop to admire Klyemore Abbey perched on the shore on the far side of the lake. Originally a castle, it became an abbey in 1920, founded by Benedictine nuns fleeing the bombing of Belgium during World War I. The lovely blue boat beckons to me to row across the lake, but no oars and my imagination travels much faster.