Baking Creative Bread on Ireland's Beara Peninsula

If you live on Beara Peninsula in the very southwest of Ireland, creative inspiration can be found right outside your door. Take a walk along Coulagh Bay. Smell the sea. Hear the song of the seagulls crying for their supper. Watch a majestic sunset or a storm sweeping in. It's enough to get the creative juices flowing.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the stories of Ireland come alive here and all you have to do is open your eyes. Legends aren't the only inspiration for creative endeavors. Due to the tapestry of wonder that can be found on Beara, any number of artists - be they painters, poets, actors, novelists, musicians, potters... (pick an artform) - live in, or travel to, Beara to discover the magic for their art. 

As a for instance: I live on the Main Street in the village of Eyeries. Just down the road, Alex Barclay puts pen to paper (or more likely, fingers to laptop) as she creates her many wonderful novels (check Alex out on Goodreads). Up the road in the other direction, actor Dermot Crowley resides in a fine home which he's lived in for many years. 

The area has an active poets society as well as any number of creative writing groups. Painters (like my good friends Mary Maddison and Boss the Painter) are inspired by the light, the seascapes, industries including fishing and farming, wild critters and farm animals, and the people of the area. Ditto behind the amazing photography of my late friend John Eagle and the oh-so-very-active and talented work of Sue Swansborough. 

The very light itself draws creative types to the area. My good friend, filmmaker Liam O'Neill, called the summer sunsets and twilight 'the magic hour'. And so it is. The receding sunlight paints the area in a sheen of mystery, glinting off high clouds, the sea, and the surrounding landscape. Is it any wonder that we've had so many films shot in the area?

Supporting the Wonder of Artistry

What's nice is that the local people here do what they can to support artistic activities. As a for  instance: every year (with the exception of these horrid Covid times), Eyeries residents hold the Windows on Eyeries Art Trail as part of our Summer Family Festival. Homeowners volunteer to display the paintings and photography of local artists in the windows of their homes. For a few weeks the village becomes a walking art gallery as we saunter around, gazing at these artistic wonders and often purchasing a few for our own living rooms.

What I love most, however, is watching people from afar visiting our area to practice their own art. Usually during the summer months, but often year-round, I'll see painters in front of their easels eyeing a sunset over Coulagh Bay, or framing a still-life of wild plants or our colorful houses in the village. I'll see them walking, art supplies slung over arms, across hill and dale  as they search for the perfect landscape. 

How to Enjoy the Magic for Yourself

You don't have to be a resident to tap into the inspiration of Beara Peninsula. We've many fine Bed & Breakfasts here (check out  Booking .com or Google Eyeries Bed & Breakfast for a comprehensive list). Stay in Glamping or - by all means, stay with us at our Solas Mor Tent Camping site (you'll love the view!) Maybe rent the cozy coastal Creativity Cabin from my friend Anne, just across the bay. 

Or do you want something even more magical? Then try Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat. The owner and manager, Sue, has created something very special for artists of all kinds. For instance, book a week's stay and pad around the house with other residents, sharing ideas and finding a bit of creative space. My good friend, American artist Ann Tracy, uses this hide-away as a bakery for her creative ideas with stunning results.

By the way: about fifteen years ago I stayed with Sue to write a project. It's how I discovered Eyeries. So be careful. If you visit you might yearn to stay here just as I have.

Whatever type of art you practice; however you get here or where you stay; I hope you can enjoy the wonder of Beara just as I do. There's nothing quite like it as a place to bake your creative bread.

Dolphin Song is Available for Presale on Amazon

Tom Richards' debut novel for adult readers is available Now on Amazon in all markets for presales (Amazon.com, Amazon. co. uk and all other locations). Launching on 21 September 2021, this story combines romantic fantasy with Irish legend and the magic of dolphins. Readers say: "…spiritually uplifting. A thought-provoking, inspiring and intriguing story" and "a story for our times". 

For details about Dolphin Song, follow Tom on his Facebook's author page or his Goodreads Author's Profile. 

Visit and Discover the Mystery of Irish Legends

As Ireland continues to reopen (and yes, that really is going to happen. Our esteemed government has indicated that international travel restrictions will be lifted in two weeks' time - which, of course, is subject to change), many American friends of mine have shared their plans to visit this lovely country. Their usual itinerary goes something like this: a visit to Dublin and the Guinness Hop Store or similar tourist attractions, a drive to the west coast to perhaps take in Dingle or the Kerry Way, and maybe a visit to Blarney to kiss the famous stone and inherit the Gift of the Gab. 

When they list these usual tourist sites, I'll often frown and shake my head. My thinking goes: "Why visit a place thronged by visitors when so much other magic is available and often forgotten?"

So, if they ask me for advice I tell 'em straight: Stay off the tourist trail and find the mystery of Ireland for yourself. And nothing better sums up that mystery than the wonders of Irish Legend. Often, these destinations are well off the tourist trail. So, while you're learning about Irish lore, you can take a breath of fresh air at the same time. And, there's so much to learn...

From the Salmon of Knowledge to the Legend of the Banshee; the mischievous Puca to the mystery of Tir na nOg; the Hag of Beara to the Cattle Raid of Cooley - Ireland is imbued with a deep well of stories that will make your skin tingle. And what's quite fun is you can often visit the very locations that make these stories come alive. 

Allihies and the Children of Lir

I'll start by pointing out a village just down the road from where I live. Allihies, located at the very western tip of Beara Peninsula, is an isolated little spot with some of the most stunning views in all of Ireland. On a clear day, the Skellig Islands rise like a fleet of invading warriors from a wild Atlantic ocean. Take a walk through the village and you'll soon learn that it is the site of one of Ireland's oldest copper mines. But look closer and you'll find the magic of Irish Legend.

The Children of Lir is an ancient tale involving romance, betrayal, transformation and banishment. It is a fairly long legend but the short version goes something like this: the second wife of Lir was jealous of his four children, born to him from a previous marriage. In a pique of rage, she transformed the children into four swans, banishing them for nine-hundred years. For the last three-hundred years, the children were forced to fly above the Atlantic, never touching land.

The spell ended only when Saint Patrick came to Ireland, bringing Christianity with him. Upon hearing a holy bell toll across the barren waters, the children flew to the remote village of Allihies. There, they were blessed by a monk and transformed back into human beings. But of course, and as many legends do, the tale ends in tragedy because they immediately perished and were then buried.

The question remains, however: where are Lir's four children interred?

Many places across the country claim the Children of Lir as their own. But in Allihies, locals believe that Lir's four children are buried at a site not far from the sea. Allihies is, therefore, the true location of their resting place.

And what makes it even more interesting is: you can visit the place. It's simple to do.

Drive to Allihies and start looking for the sign: Children of Lir Mythical Site. Park, and after a short walk, you'll stumble on the white stone which marks their grave. Say a prayer, however, because you might be transformed into a white swan, too!

The Beara: a Place of Legends

Living in Eyeries as I do, and as a resident of Beara Peninsula, I can look out my back door to find an endless source of legends. It is part of the tapestry of living here; of the rich fabric that I'm fortunate enough to find myself in. As Ireland gets back to business, and as visitors again flock to these shores, I hope you'll discover the legends for yourself. 

Can I help?

If you have questions about Ireland - where to go, how to get a job here, how to get a visa, or similar... or if you just want to say hello, feel free to drop me an email:

tomjrichards@gmail.com. 

I may not have the answers but I'll try to point you in the right direction. And if I don't get back it just means that I'm overwhelmed.... and apologies if that happens.  Slan!

The 2021 - and Final! - Edition of A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland
is Now Available on Amazon!

Though the world is a poorer place right now, we still look to the horizon with hope. If you're dreaming of living and working in - or traveling to - Ireland, this book might be for you. At over 90,000 words, A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland, 2021, gives readers an insight of what it's like to immigrate to this beautiful country: of how to become a citizen, how to get a job and work visa, how to enjoy a perfect pint of Guinness, and the amazing tapestry that is Ireland. 

For more information, visit Amazon and A Survivor's Guide to Living in Ireland, 2021 Edition.